Learn/Drafting/Solid Modeling Tools
Thread
TUpdated v2.3.7At a glance
- 40+ standard thread series: UNC, UNF, Metric, ACME, NPT, and more
- Multi-select — thread a dozen same-size holes in one operation
- Threads through existing chamfers; add a 45°/60° chamfer as you thread
- Cosmetic mode (annotation metadata) or Modeled mode (helical cut geometry)
The Thread tool (T) applies threads to any cylindrical face — a bolt shank, a bored hole, or a
turned feature. Click a cylinder and JetCad3 reads its diameter and suggests matching sizes from the
selected series automatically.
Thread many holes at once
Picking stays live after the first hole: keep clicking and every hole the selected size can produce joins the batch — even across different bodies. Each selected hole gets its own row in the dialog with an × to remove just that one, and hovering a row lights up the matching hole in the viewport. OK creates an independent Thread feature per hole, so each one stays editable on its own.
Mixed drill practice is fine — a hole drilled at the proper tap drill and one drilled at nominal both take the same thread, and the finished form is spec-sized either way.
Chamfers
- Thread through an existing chamfer. A hole that was already chamfered threads correctly: the tool measures the true hole through the cone, the thread runs out through it the way a real tap leaves it, and the chamfer survives. Works chamfered on one end or both.
- Chamfer and thread in one step. Tick Chamfer entry (and optionally Also chamfer far end on through holes) right in the dialog — pick 45° or 60°, size it by surface diameter (auto-sized to the thread by default) or by depth. Inline warnings stop a chamfer that's too small for the thread or too deep for the hole.
Cosmetic vs modeled
Cosmetic threads attach the thread spec to the face as metadata: fast, light, and what you want for drawings and documentation. Modeled threads cut real helical geometry into the part — built on exact helical surfaces, a typical bolt or tapped hole computes in well under a second and produces a clean, valid solid you can export or 3D print. The preview shows exactly what OK produces.
Standards
- UNC, UNF, and the full inch series with 1A/2A/3A fit classes
- Metric coarse and fine
- ACME and other trapezoidal forms
- NPT tapered pipe threads — modeled on the correct cone angle, 1/8-27 through 2-11.5
- Optional rounded crest form for modeled threads
- Right-hand or left-hand, on external or internal faces
Tips
- Pick the series first, then click the face — the size list narrows to diameters near the cylinder.
- Threads live in the feature history like everything else: edit the feature to change series, size, fit, or handedness later, and downstream features rebuild.