The Extrude Command.

Today I will briefly go over the command called Extrude Boss/Base. I will be telling you the function of it and how can it help you improve your skills.

The first command that you see on the left and side is the Extrude Boss/Base. The main function of this command is to make your 2d sketch into a 3d part. Depending on how big you want to make your part, you can input to any size you like. On the Property Manager you will see several different options you can do to get your part as you like it.

On the Property Manager under the from panel there is a drop down menu you can use. There are four different modes you can use to get the best result for your part. If you click on the drop down menu list you will find Sketch Plane, Surface/Face/Plane, Vertex, and Offset.

Sketch Plane is the default setting you have. It is the first one because the most command acting people take when they first extrude their 2d sketch is just to do a simple extrude to get started. If you look further down on the property manager you will see the next panel which is the Direction 1 panel.

 

If you see that features on that panel you will notice there is an arrow you can click. That is strictly for the purpose of changing the direction of your extruded part. In the drop down panel you will see another menu that has more commands you can do. Each one of them has its own purpose. As you get more into depth with you will have the purpose of using those commands. Below that panel is the distance menu. What you do there is you can add or decrease the value either by inputting the number or also by using the arrows provided to use.

One of my personal favorite features to use is the Draft On/off command. The purpose of this is to extrude your part as an angle. It is very useful when you want to get an out of the ordinary look to your part. To activate this part you click on the icon picture, it is directly below the Direction option. Once it is activated you are able to change the angle that you want. To draft outwards you simply click on the draft outwards box.

In the Direction 2 panel it is optional if you want to use it. It is a very great feature that saves you time if you know how it’s used. To activate it you click on the Direction 2 box on the name of the panel. That is the only way too active it. The very function for this feature is to extrude the opposite way, hint that’s why it is called direction to. It automatically chooses the opposite direction you have chosen in the beginning.

The Thin Feature panel is also a very helpful tool that is given to us. It Is similar to another command called Extrude Cut. It is really helpful if you know how to use it well. It does help you save time. As you become a more avid user of SolidWorks you will understand the purpose of it a bit better. Select Contours is another useful command. You need to know the program a bit better to really understand why it’s used for. 

After you finish the command you will have a solid part that you can continue of off. Keep working hard and move forward. The amount of time you put in will be reflected on your work. Thank you.

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