Learn/Drafting/Solid Modeling Tools
Quick Primitives (Shapes)
At a glance
- Six one-click solids: Box, Cylinder, Sphere, Cone, Wedge, Torus — no sketch needed
- Diameter-based inputs for round shapes, all fields unit-aware (10mm, 1/2, (5+3)in)
- Place with the same drag-arrows-and-rings manipulator as Move, or type exact position/angles
- Overlap an existing body and choose Cut / Join / New Body on the spot
- Fully parametric — right-click Edit any primitive later and downstream features rebuild
The Shapes group on the Drafting toolbar drops complete parametric solids with one click — no sketch, no extrude, no picking. Use them for stock blocks, bosses, quick cut tools, and roughing out an idea before committing to sketch-driven features.
The six shapes
| Shape | Inputs | Sits on its placement point |
|---|---|---|
| Box | Length, Width, Height | centered, base on the placement plane |
| Cylinder | Diameter, Height | base center, standing up |
| Sphere | Diameter | centered on the point |
| Cone | Base Diameter, Top Diameter, Height | base center, standing up — Top 0 makes a point, non-zero makes a frustum |
| Wedge | Length, Width, Height, Top Length | centered, base on the plane — Top Length 0 is a sharp doorstop |
| Torus | Ring Diameter, Tube Diameter | centered, lying flat |
Round shapes take diameters — the way you actually measure them. Every field is an
expression input honoring your Preferred Units (10mm, 1/2, (5+3)in), and your last-used
sizes are remembered per shape.
Placement
The primitive appears at the origin the moment you pick the tool, with the same manipulator as Move & Align: drag the X/Y/Z arrows to position, spin the rings to rotate about any axis, or type exact Position and Rotate values in the dialog. Angles are always absolute (0/0/0 = unrotated), and the floating input at the handle shows the true value live — type an exact distance or angle mid-drag.
Instant booleans
Push a primitive into an existing body and an Operation choice appears — Cut, Join, or New Body. Sink a cylinder through a plate and cut the hole in one step; land a box on a part and weld it on — no separate boolean feature needed. Keep it as New Body and it's a normal independent solid.
Parametric forever
Each primitive is a real feature in the history (Box 1, Torus 2, …). Right-click → Edit
reopens it any time — change a diameter, reposition, re-rotate — and everything built on top of
it rebuilds. Primitives work with every downstream feature: fillets, chamfers, booleans, Move,
sheet-metal cuts, and export.