Single Draw

A single draw direction is a type of manufacturing constraint, and is used when the parting plane between the halves of the mold lies outside the design space.

Location: Structure ribbon, Setup group, Shape Controls icon


If you intend for a part to be manufactured by casting or machining it, the optimized shape must allow the two halves of the mold to separate after the part is formed. A single draw direction is used when the parting plane between the halves of the mold lies outside the design space. Only one half of the mold is pulled away from the design space in the direction of the arrows. This yields a result where the half of the mold that contains the finished part can be pulled away without catching on anything. Negative draft angles are avoided.

Single draw directions are valid for optimization but not analysis.

Apply a Single Draw

Select the Single Draw tool and click on a design space to apply a single draw constraint.

  1. Click the Draw Direction tool on the Shape Controls icon.


  2. Click the Single Draw tool on the secondary ribbon.


  3. Click on a design space to apply a single draw direction.
    A microdialog appears, along with a set of three orthogonal planes. The active plane is shown in blue.
  4. Select a plane to orient the draw direction.
  5. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.
Tip: You can also right-click on a design space in the modeling window or in the Model Browser and choose Shape Controls > Single Draw from the context menu.

Microdialog Options

Double-click a shape control to edit it and access the microdialog options.

Icon Description
Apply Draw Direction Click to convert the single draw direction to a different type of draw direction.
Eliminate internal voids in the optimized part.
Flip the draw direction.
Rotate the shape control.
Align a shape control to a design space after moving it. By default, shape controls are aligned to capture the most likely orientation for that particular design space as it is oriented in space.
Align a shape control to the global axes.

Single Draw Examples



Figure 1. Design Space


Figure 2. Optimized Shape with Single Draw Direction Applied


Figure 3. Optimized Shape with Single Draw Direction Applied and No Holes