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Getting started

This guide takes about fifteen minutes. By the end you will have built a parametric part, changed it with a parameter and exported it.

Install

Download the package from the download page, unzip it and start the launcher for your system. Or open Ruffle3D in Chrome or Edge and choose Install Ruffle3D. Both versions work offline.

Where are my files? Projects are stored on your computer, in the browser storage for the address Ruffle3D runs on. Keep using the same launcher, or the same installed app, and your projects will be there. Use Download project file to make backups.

The interface

The Ruffle3D window
  • App bar (top): project menu, Design / Render / Drawing workspaces, command search, undo and redo, theme, preferences and Export.
  • Toolbar: switch between Solid and Surface tools on the left. Each group has more tools behind its arrow.
  • Model panel (left): bodies, surfaces, curves, sketches and construction geometry. The Parameters and Versions tabs are here too.
  • Inspector (right): changes with what you are doing. It shows a command's options, a selected body's properties and material, or a sketch's constraint status.
  • Timeline (bottom): every feature in order. Double-click to edit, right-click for options, and drag the marker to roll back.

Press Ctrl K at any time to search for a command by name.

OrbitRight-drag, or Shift + middle-drag
PanMiddle-drag, or Shift + right-drag
ZoomScroll wheel (zooms towards the cursor)
Standard viewsClick a face, edge or corner of the view cube
Fit allF6, or the fit button on the navigation bar

If you're used to another CAD program, open Preferences → Navigation and pick the mouse preset that matches it: Shift + middle orbit, middle orbit, or right orbit.

Your first part

  1. On the dashboard, choose New design.
  2. Press K (Sketch) and click the XY plane.
  3. Press R and draw a rectangle. Press D and click each side to dimension it: type 80 and 50.
  4. Press C, draw a circle in the middle and dimension it to 20. When the inspector says Fully constrained, choose Finish Sketch.
  5. Press E (Extrude). Click the region between the rectangle and the circle, set the distance to 8 and choose OK.
  6. Press F (Fillet), click the four vertical edges, set the radius to 6 and choose OK.
  7. Click the part. The inspector shows its mass, volume and surface area. Choose a material to see the mass update.

Parameters

Open the Parameters tab in the left panel and add a parameter such as width = 80. Then double-click the 80 dimension in your sketch and type width. Change the parameter to 120 and the whole part rebuilds, fillets included. Any numeric field accepts expressions like width / 2 + 3 or values with units like 1 in.

Getting help

Hover over any tool to see its name, shortcut and a short description. The rest of this documentation covers each area in more depth. If something doesn't work as described, see Support.