Getting started

This guide takes you through the first steps in order to get familiar with the extension.

Installation

Download the Latest Release of the extension and install it from the "Get Extensions" tab in blender's preferences. See the installation guide if you have trouble installing the extension.

Create a Sketch

In the 3d Viewport open the sidebar (you can show it from the menu view->sidebar or by pressing the 'N' key) and change to the "Sketcher" tab. Press the button "Add Sketch" and pick one of the origin planes that appears. The newly created sketch will then be activated and any geometry that is drawn will belong to it. The sketch can be exited and re-activated at any time by simply pressing the "Leave Sketch" button.

Add some Geometry

While a sketch is active switch to the "Circle" Workspacetool. Now hover the sketch's origin point, click it and move the mouse away, click again to confirm.

Add Constraints

Switch back to the Selection Tool, by pressing ESC. Make sure nothing is selected by pressing ESC again or by clicking into empty space while the selection tool is active. Now select the circle and click the diameter button in the sidebar's "Constraints" section to add a diameter constraint (the buttons show as icons by default, hover one for its name).

The Result

The geometry you draw is realised on the sketch's body, a normal mesh object that follows the sketch as you edit it. Exit the sketch to see it on its own.

The body carries a CAD Sketcher Convert modifier, where Fill decides whether closed shapes are surfaced and Angular Resolution how finely arcs and circles are meshed. Everything you add later, an extrude or a boolean, stacks on top of it, see integration.

Edit and Update

Re-activate the sketch from the sketch selector. Click the diameter constraint and enter a value. Switch to the rectangle tool and draw a rectangle around the circle.

Add Dimensions

Now also give the rectangle exact dimensions by selecting a line and a point on the opposite side and clicking the distance button in the sidebar. Do that again for in the other direction.

Add Construction Geometry

Note that the rectangle still hasn't a defined position. To fix that add a line between two edge points, mark it as construction and add a midpoint constraint between that line and the sketch origin.