Parting Line Draft

You can draft surfaces around a parting line. The parting line can be non-planar. In a draft using a parting line, you can also include a Step draft.

To draft on a parting line, you can first divide the faces to be drafted by inserting a split line, or you can use an existing model edge. Then you specify the direction of pull, or the side of the parting line from which material is removed.

You can check the draft angles on your model using the draft analysis tool. Draft analysis creates a color-coded rendition of the model faces based on the angle and the direction of pull criteria that you specify.

To insert a draft angle parting line:

  1. Sketch the part to be drafted.
  2. Insert a split line curve, if desired.
  3. Click Draft on the Features toolbar or click Insert > Features > Draft.
  4. Under Type of Draft, select Parting Line.
    Under some conditions, select the Allow reduced angle check box. For more information, see Allow Reduced Angle Option below.
  5. Under Draft Angle, enter the Draft angle .
  6. Under Direction of Pull, select an edge or face in the graphics area to indicate the direction of pull.
    Note the arrow direction, and click Reverse Direction if desired.
  7. Under Parting Lines , select the parting lines in the graphics area.
    Note the arrow direction. To specify a different draft direction for each segment of the parting line, click the name of the edge in the Parting Lines box, and click Other Face.
    First draft direction Other Face selected
    In this example, all parting lines were selected, using the same face.
  8. Choose the Face propagation type:
    None Draft only the selected face.
    Along Tangent Extend the draft to all faces that are tangent to the selected face.
  9. Click OK .
    Draft applied with first direction Draft applied with Other Face

Allow Reduced Angle Option

The Allow reduced angle check box is available only with Parting Line draft.

When you select this option, the draft angle on some portions of the drafted face may be smaller than the specified draft angle.

Use the Allow reduced angle check box under the following condition:

  • The normal of one or more side faces adjacent to the edge and the faces being drafted is nearly perpendicular to the Direction of Pull. With this model type and condition, select the Allow reduced angle check box when the maximum angle between the pull direction and the normal of the steep face, plus the draft angle, is greater than or equal to 90°.
The vertical blue arrow represents the Direction of Pull (Top plane). The red arrow represents the surface normal at its maximum angle to the pull direction.

When the sum of the angle produced by the maximum angle and the Draft Angle is 90° or greater, select the Allow reduced angle check box to create the draft.

Draft applied (Draft Angle is 25°). The image above displays the same 25° draft applied. However, it is enhanced by applying an offset face and displaying curvature on the offset face.
In this example, the draft angle towards the narrow ends of the drafted face is reduced below the specified 25° to create the draft.