MechDesigner Reference & User Interface > Dialogs

Profile / Extrusion

See Add Profile/Extrusion

When you do MD-Solids menu > Profile, or Auto-Profile (Part), or Auto-Profile (all Parts), we:

•add a Profile* as a child to a Part and also

•an Extrusion element as a child to the Profile.

* Profile, or Auto-Profile

Note

You can only edit the Extrusion - see below

You can only delete the Profile

How to open the Extrusion dialog

If you CAN see the Extrusion in the graphics-area

Double-click Extrusion

To open the Extrusion dialog

1.Double-click the Extrusion in the graphics-area

1.See How to open a dialog

If you CANNOT see the Extrusion in the graphics-area

SHIFT-CLICK Profile

Profile/Extrusion in Selection-Window

STEP 1: In the graphics-area

SHIFT + Click the (Pink) Profile

The Profile and Extrusion show in the Selection-Window.

STEP 2: In the Selection-Window

Selection-Window: Right-click the EXTRUSION element

In the shortcut menu:

Click Edit Element.

OR, if you CANNOT see the Extrusion in the graphics-area

CLICK Profile

STEP 1: In the graphics-area

1. CLICK a (Pink) Profile

The Assembly-Tree expands to identify the Profile

Profile/Extrusion in Assembly-Tree

STEP 2: In the Assembly-Tree

2.Assembly-Tree: Expand the Profile element to show the Extrusion as its child.

3.Assembly-Tree: Click the EXTRUSION

The Extrusion name is now blue, the Element icon has an orange box

4.Assembly-Tree: Right-Click the EXTRUSION

A shortcut menu shows next to your pointer:

5.shortcut menu: Click Edit Element

The Extrusion dialog is now open.

Extrusion dialog

There are three separators in the Extrusion dialog.

Depth and Offset

Color, Opacity and Quality

Mass Properties

Also, you can save the MD-Solid of the Extrusion as a STEP file.

Depth and Offset

Sketch-Loop and Profile contours

Sketch-Loop - on the Mechanism-Plane

Primary-Contour - on or parallel to the Mechanism-Plane

Secondary-Contour - is parallel to the Primary-Contour

Z-axis, is perpendicular(⊥) to the Mechanism-Plane

Extrusion dialog | Depth and Offset

Extrusion-Depth (default = see Application-Settings> Auto-Profile tab)

The distance to the Secondary-Contour from the Primary-Contour, along the +Z-axis of the Part.

Extrusion-Depth must be positive. Minimum value = 0.0001mm

Extrusion-Offset (default = 0)

The distance to the Primary Contour from the dimension that you specify by Part-Offset.

Extrusion-Offset can be negative or positive.

Part-Offset (default = 0)

Applies to ALL Extrusions on a Part.

The distance to the Primary Contour from the Mechanism-Plane to which we add the distance specified by the Extrusion-Offset parameter.

Part-Offset can be negative or positive.

Note: The distance to Primary contour from Mechanism-Plane = Part Offset + Extrusion Offset

Color, Opacity, Quality

Show Extrusion

Check-box to show or hide the Extrusion

Note: To hide the Profile contours, see Visibility menu > Show/Hide Profiles

Color

Button to select the color of the Extrusion with the Windows® Color-Picker

Transparency (slider)

Slider to change the Transparency (1/Opacity) of the Extrusion in the graphics-area

Graphics Quality (slider)

Slider to change the Graphics Quality of the Extrusion

Note: To update to a different Graphics Quality, you may need to edit the Part in the Part-Editor and then close the Part-Editor immediately.

Low Quality High Quality

Mass Properties

Density (default = 7860 ~ density of steel)

To edit the density of the Extrusion.

As you edit the Density, we update the Mass and Inertia properties.

Mass (read-only)

Mass = Density × area of sketch-loop × Extrusion Depth.

We distribute the mass uniformly. The center-of-mass is on the Mechanism-Plane.

Inertia (read-only)

We calculate the Inertia (Mass Moment of Inertia) with respect to the center-of-mass.

Dialog: Profile/Extrusion

Dialog: Profile/Extrusion

Profile / Extrusion

Extrusion dialog