Indent
Indent presses one body (the tool) into another body (the target). Where they overlap, the target is cut away, with a gap all round the tool if you type a clearance, and the tool body stays as it was. The two bodies then fit together like a part in its pocket. It is one step in the Model tree.
When to Use It
- Make a pocket in a plate that fits a block, a boss or a bracket you modeled in place
- Leave a fit gap around a part that drops into a cutout
- Make a nest or a fixture that holds a part by its own shape
- Cut a seat for one part in another without losing the part you pressed in
Before You Start
You need two separate bodies that overlap. To make a second body, untick Merge result when you extrude it, or use Move/Copy Bodies to put a copy where it presses in.
Step by Step
- Open the model for modeling, then click Advanced on the Features tab, then Indent. The Indent panel opens.
- Choose the Body to press into (the target). It is outlined in blue.
- Choose the Tool body, the one that presses in. It is outlined in orange. You can also click the bodies in the view: the first click is the target, the second the tool, and a click on a picked body drops it.
- Type the Clearance. It starts at 0, which cuts exactly the overlap. Type any unit, like 0.010 in or 0.25 mm.
- Click Indent. The volume of the part is shown when it is done.
Options
- Body to press into: the target. It loses the overlap and keeps its name.
- Tool body: the body that presses in. It is not changed.
- Clearance: the gap left all round the tool, from 0 to 50 mm (about 2 in). The pocket is the tool grown by the clearance on every side, so its outside edges and corners come out rounded with that radius.
Edit It Later
Right-click the step in the Model tree and choose Edit Feature to change the Clearance in place. The step is named Indent and sits in the Bodies group. The bodies stay the ones you picked.
Tips and What to Expect
- A 100 x 100 x 10 mm plate with a 20 x 20 mm block sunk 5 mm into it loses 20 x 20 x 5 = 2000 cubic mm with no clearance. Afterwards the two bodies share nothing and touch.
- With 1 mm clearance the gap between the two bodies is 1 mm everywhere.
- A tool that goes right through the target makes a hole through it, which is fine as long as the target stays one piece.
- Indent does not push a wall out the far side of a thin sheet (the raised bump a press makes in sheet metal). It only cuts the pocket.
- If an earlier step changes the size of either body, or removes it, Indent stops and names the body. Delete the Indent step and make it again.
Common Problems
- "Body 1 and Body 2 do not overlap." Move the tool body so it presses into the target where the indent goes.
- "The indent would cut Body 1 into 2 pieces." The tool goes right across the target. Move it, or use Combine to subtract it.
- "The tool body would take all of Body 1." The tool covers the whole target. Move it so only part of it presses in.
- "Clearance must be from 0 to 50 mm." Type a smaller clearance.
- "Indent needs two separate bodies, the one to press into and the tool, and the part has only one." Make a second body first.