Extrusion

Extrusion is a type of manufacturing constraint. It is similar to a single draw constraint, but the profile of the resulting shape maintains a constant cross-section along the draw direction.



Due to the nature of the extrusion process, there will always be a hole in extruded parts, so the No Hole option in the microdialog is not available. Extrusion constraints are valid for optimization but not analysis.

Apply an Extrusion Constraint

Select the Extrusion tool and click on a design space to apply an extrusion constraint.

  1. On the Structures ribbon, select the Draw Direction tool on the Shape Controls icon.


  2. Click the Extrusion tool on the secondary ribbon.


  3. Click on a design space to apply an extrusion constraint.
    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 extrusion 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 > Extrusion 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 extrusion constraint to a different type of draw direction.
Rotate the shape control.
Align a shape control to a design space after moving it. By default, draw directions 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.

Extrusion Examples



Figure 1. Design Space


Figure 2. Optimized Shape with Extrusion Applied