Part Design Methods in BricsCAD Mechanical Explained

Quick answer: BricsCAD Mechanical lets you create and modify 3D models through several complementary methods, from solid primitives to imported geometry, with editing tools spanning face manipulation to full parametric constraints.

Ways to Create a 3D Model

• Create a 3D solid primitive, a box or cylinder, for example.
• Sketch a 2D profile and extrude or revolve it into a 3D solid.
• Model a 3D surface and thicken it into a solid, or stitch several surfaces together into a watertight solid.
• Import existing 3D solid and surface geometry from other CAD programs.

Ways to Edit and Add Detail

• Push/pull, move, and rotate faces, using DMPUSHPULL, the same tool covered in more depth on this hub’s DmPushPull page from the BIM section.
• Create fillets or chamfers on model edges.
• Apply holes.
• Add protrusions and depressions, and use Boolean operations, Direct Editing, and Deformable Modeling tools.

History-Free vs Parametric: The CREATESKETCHFEATURE Variable

No parent-child dependencies (history-free approach): with CREATESKETCHFEATURE off, BricsCAD Mechanical creates no parent-child dependencies between geometric primitives and features. Every change stays local and never forces geometry regeneration elsewhere, confirming and pinpointing the exact variable behind the no-parent-child-dependencies concept covered on this hub’s parametric modeling overview and working with parameters and constraints pages. This history-free approach lets you focus on the design itself rather than how future changes might ripple through it.

3D Constraints (parametric): with CREATESKETCHFEATURE on, BricsCAD Mechanical instead offers a full toolset for making a part parametric, adding 3D constraints to its faces and edges and linking them to global parameters through expressions and design tables.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does turning CREATESKETCHFEATURE off actually change about how my part behaves? It removes parent-child dependencies between geometric primitives and features, so changes stay local and never force geometry to regenerate elsewhere.

How do I make a part fully parametric in BricsCAD Mechanical? Turn CREATESKETCHFEATURE on and add 3D constraints to its faces and edges, linking them to global parameters via expressions and design tables.

Can I create a solid from multiple separate surfaces? Yes, stitch them together into a watertight 3D solid.

Which tool moves or reshapes a solid by manipulating its faces directly? DMPUSHPULL, for pushing, pulling, moving, and rotating faces.