Deform
Twist, taper, stretch or bend whole parts along an axis, such as a twisted vase or pen holder to 3D print.
- Deform AdvancedPart workspace toolbar
| SchoolCAD | Onshape | Fusion | SOLIDWORKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deform | – | – | Flex |
Deform reshapes whole parts. Twisting turns a part more and more along its length, like wringing out a cloth: a square tube becomes a twisted vase. Tapering makes it smaller (or bigger) towards one end. Stretching makes it longer or shorter. Bending curves it round an arc, like a bent bar or a curved handle. It is in Advanced mode, and works like Flex in SOLIDWORKS.
How to use it#
- Make the part to deform, such as a hollow square or star-shaped tube for a vase (draw the shape, extrude it, then Shell it, leaving the top open).
- Switch to Advanced, then click Deform. Parts you selected first are already ticked.
- Tick the parts under Parts to deform, or click them in the view.
- Choose Twisting, Tapering, Stretching or Bending, and the Axis to work along: Z for a part standing up.
- Type the Angle, End scale or Distance. The preview shows the result.
- Click ✓.
Options#
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Parts to deform | The parts to reshape. Tick them, or click them in the view. |
| Twisting | Each slice across the axis is turned a bit more than the one below it. The top ends up turned by the Angle. |
| Tapering | Each slice is made smaller (or bigger) towards the end. The end ends up the End scale times its size: 0.5 is half the size, 2 twice. |
| Stretching | The part gets longer by the Distance along the axis, or shorter with a minus number. |
| Bending | The part curves round an arc by the Angle, towards X, Y or Z (⇅ bends it the other way). Its middle line keeps its length, so the inside of the bend squashes and the outside stretches. With Start and End, just that stretch bends and the rest carries straight on. |
| Axis | The line it works along: X, Y or Z, through the middle of each part. It works from the lower end of the part along that axis (the bottom, for Z) to the other end, and the lower end stays as it is. |
| Angle | For Twisting: how far the end turns, in degrees, up to 3600° (ten turns). A minus number twists the other way. |
| End scale | For Tapering: the size of the end compared with the start. |
| Distance | For Stretching: how much longer, in mm. |
| Start, End | Just part of the length (SOLIDWORKS: trim planes), in mm from the lower end along the axis. Below Start the part stays as it was; past End it carries on as the end is: turned, scaled or moved with it. Leave them empty for the whole length. |
Tips#
- A twisted part is made of small flat triangles, not exact curved faces. That is ideal for 3D printing and still works with the features after it (a cut, a hole, a fillet around a face), but STEP export gives the faceted shape.
- Add holes that should stay round after the Deform in the feature tree: anything made before it is twisted too.
- For a twisted vase, start from a shape with corners (a square, a star or a polygon): a round tube looks the same twisted.
- Deforming a sheet metal part makes it an ordinary part: it loses its flat pattern.
- To fold a sheet along a line, use Bend.
If it does not work#
- The bend is too tight for this part. The inside of the bend would fold into itself. Use a smaller angle, or a longer stretch between Start and End.
- Type the angle to twist it by, such as 90. The angle is 0, so nothing would change.
- Twist it by 3600° (ten turns) or less.
- The end scale must be more than 0. Type a scale such as
0.5. - Stretching by … mm would make the part no length at all. The minus number is as long as the part, or longer.
- The part has no length along that axis. A flat part, such as a sheet lying on the Top plane, has no height along Z. Choose X or Y.