Open the CAD app for the first time — learn to orbit, zoom, and find every tool you'll need.
Know where everything lives in the CAD environment and you'll work faster as designs grow.
Hierarchical list of every Sketch, Body, Origin Plane, and Component. Use descriptive names early.
Click any face, edge, or corner to snap to orthographic views. The Navigation Bar provides Pan, Zoom, Orbit, and Look At.
Drop-down menus for Create, Modify, Assemble, Construct, Inspect, and Insert. Changes based on the active workspace.
Records every operation in order. Drag to reorder, right-click to edit or suppress, and roll back to any state.
Right-click opens a radial menu with common commands. Context-sensitive — changes based on your selection.
These shortcuts eliminate menu-hunting.
| Action | Shortcut (Windows) | Shortcut (Mac) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orbit | Middle Mouse Drag | Middle Mouse Drag | Rotate camera around the model |
| Pan | Middle Mouse + Shift | Middle Mouse + Shift | Slide the viewport without rotating |
| Zoom | Scroll Wheel | Scroll Wheel / Pinch | Zoom centered on cursor |
| Fit All | F6 or Home | F6 or Fn + Left | Fit entire model in viewport |
| Look At | Select face, then numpad period | Select face, then numpad period | Orient view perpendicular to selected face |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z | Reverse the last operation |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y | Cmd + Shift + Z | Re-apply an undone operation |
| New Sketch | S (search), then type Sketch | S (search), then type Sketch | Start a new sketch via search |
| Extrude | E | E | Extrude a selected profile or face |
| Line Tool | L | L | Draw lines in a sketch |
| Dimension | D | D | Add a driving dimension to sketch geometry |
| Command Search | S | S | Find any command by name |
Switching workspaces swaps the toolbar while keeping your model intact.
Create 3D parts using sketches, extrusions, revolves, lofts, sweeps, and booleans.
Freeform shapes using patches, trims, and quilts. Great for aerodynamic shells and enclosures.
Tools for flat metal fabrication — bend allowances, relief cuts, and flat patterns.
Import and edit STL/OBJ meshes. Convert to BRep solids, repair, and reduce face counts.
Run static stress, modal, and thermal analyses within the CAD environment.
Generate 2D drawings with dimensions, tolerances, title blocks, and sections.
| Workspace | Primary Output | Best For | Robotics Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid | Parametric 3D bodies | Most part design | Motor mount, gear hub, wheel |
| Surface | Complex curved geometry | Organic / aerodynamic shapes | Robot shell, custom grip contour |
| Sheet Metal | Flat patterns + bent parts | Laser-cut metal fabrication | Chassis plates, sensor brackets |
| Mesh | Repaired/converted meshes | Importing external models | Scanned legacy parts, downloaded STLs |
| Simulation | Stress/thermal results | Validating structural integrity | Load testing an arm under payload |
| Drawing | 2D engineering drawings | Documentation & manufacturing | Dimensioned bracket drawing for CNC |
Navigate efficiently and find the right view fast.
Click faces for orthographic, corners for isometric. Right-click to set current view as front.
Drag to orbit, Shift+drag to pan, scroll to zoom. Trackpad users: enable gesture navigation in preferences.
Inspect > Section Analysis cuts a plane through your model to verify wall thickness and alignment.
Toggle Shaded, Wireframe, or Shaded with Edges. Use transparency to spot extrudable regions.
Use the eye icon to hide parts. Right-click > Isolate to show only one component.
Save camera positions as named views for quick recall during reviews.
The Browser Tree is your project's skeleton. Keep it clean.
Build muscle memory.
Start with a simple extruded box if you don't have a model yet.
Create a New Design, sketch a 100mm x 60mm rectangle on the XY plane, extrude it 20mm, and rename the body to "Chassis_Base."
Click each face of the ViewCube (Front, Back, Top, Bottom, Left, Right), then click a corner for a trimetric view.
Practice orbit (middle mouse drag), pan (Shift + middle drag), zoom (scroll wheel), and F6 to fit all.
Sketch a 10mm circle on the top face, extrude 15mm as a standoff, rename it "Standoff_01," then edit the feature height to 12mm.
Toggle display modes (Shaded, Wireframe, Shaded with Edges) and try Inspect > Section Analysis on the XZ plane.
Orient to a clear isometric perspective, save it as a named view called "Assembly Overview," and practice switching between views.
If you double the extrusion height, what happens to the volume of the shape?
Extrude pulls a 2D sketch profile along an axis to create a 3D solid.
Key parameters: Distance (how far), Direction (one side, symmetric, or both), Operation (new body, join, cut, intersect).
Volume = Cross-section area x Height
Your team needs a simple L-bracket for a robot chassis mount. Without looking at any reference, try to plan the modeling steps.