Learn/Drafting/Solid Modeling Tools
Scale
Updated v2.3.9At a glance
- Resize a whole body — uniform, or separate X/Y/Z factors to stretch one direction
- Scale to a dimension: pick a reference and type the length it should become
- Scale about the centroid, the origin, or any point you pick
- Live preview; fully parametric — reopen from history to change it
- Assembly-safe: parts held by a joint stay rigid instead of breaking the mates
Scale resizes a solid body. Start it from the Transform group in the toolbar, the search palette,
or right-click a body in the viewport and choose Scale. Every scale commits as a real feature
in the history (Scale 1, Scale 2, …), so you can reopen it later to change the factor or the
reference point, and it rebuilds through your model like any other feature.
Uniform or per-axis
By default Scale is uniform: type one factor and the whole body grows or shrinks evenly — 2
to double it, 0.5 to halve it, 1.25 to grow it a quarter. Even scaling keeps circles round and
cylinders true.
Tick Per-axis to give separate X, Y, and Z factors and stretch or squash the body
in one direction — a 2, 1, 1 makes it twice as long without changing its width or height. Per-axis
factors follow the frame of the point you scale about, so a stretch can run along a picked face or
edge rather than only the world axes.
Scale to a dimension
Don't want to work out a factor? In uniform mode tick Scale to dimension, click Pick Reference, and either click an edge or click two points to measure a length. Type the Target length you want that measurement to become, and the body resizes so it lands exactly on target — ideal for matching an imported part to a known size or fitting one body to another.
Choose what stays put
Scale grows everything around a fixed center:
- Centroid — the body's middle (the default).
- Origin — the world origin.
- Pick Datum — any point you click: a corner, an edge midpoint, a face center, or a hole center. That point holds still while the rest of the body scales toward or away from it. A picked face or edge also sets the direction for per-axis stretching.
The body updates live as you type, so you can see the result before you commit.
Parts in an assembly stay rigid
A body that's held by an assembly joint has to keep its exact size for its mates and motion to stay correct, so Scale won't resize it — it shows a short note instead of quietly breaking the assembly. Remove the part's joints first if you really need to resize it, then re-mate it.