Trim and Stretch

On the Ducting tab, in the Duct group, use the Trim and Stretch tools to trim or stretch an unconnected end of a straight duct with a suitable trim plane. The trim plane can be selected from a main axis, from the face of another object, or freely defined in any angle. Most of these tools allow you to modify multiple ducts at the same time.

X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis

You can trim or stretch ducts in positive or negative direction, using a plane whose normal is parallel to a main axis.

Do the following:

  1. Select the Ducting tab > Duct group > Trim and Stretch and then X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis.

  2. Select the duct or ducts that you want to modify, and press Enter to accept the selection. The trim plane is displayed in the work view.

  3. If both ends of the duct are modifiable and the wrong end is currently selected, use the Reverse normal (O) context-menu command to select the other end.

  4. Pick the point where you want the duct to end: the point should be inside the duct object if you want to trim the duct, and outside the duct object if you want to stretch the duct.

    Tip: During this command, you can press Shift+C or F11 to lock the cursor to the centerline and to display the distance from each end, and then press Ctrl+Tab to edit the distance so that the cursor moves to the given point.

  5. You can trim and stretch the duct multiple times, if needed.

  6. Press Esc to exit the tool.

Define plane normal

You can trim or stretch ducts with a user-defined trim plane.

Do the following:

  1. Select the Ducting tab > Duct group > Trim and Stretch > Define plane normal.

  2. Select the duct or ducts that you want to modify, and press Enter to accept the selection.

  3. Use the context-menu commands to define how to trim or stretch the duct.

    • Pick nearest face (F) – Select this to use the face of a nearby object as the trim plane.

    • Set origin (P) – Select this to pick a new origin for the trim plane.

      Tip: During this command, you can press Shift+C or F11 to lock the cursor to the centerline and to display the distance from each end, and then press Ctrl+Tab to edit the distance so that the cursor moves to the given point.

    • Set normal (N) – Select this to define a new normal for the trim plane.

    • Reverse normal (O) – Select this to reverse the operative direction of the trim plane. That is, if both ends of the duct are modifiable and the wrong end is currently selected, this command selects the other end.

    • Set normal parallel to... – Select X axis, Y axis, or Z axis to align the normal with a main axis.

    • Plane through...

      • Point and normal (R)

      • Three points (V)

      • Nearest 2D line (Shift+F)

      • Point and two directions

  4. Press Enter to accept the change.

  5. You can trim and stretch the duct multiple times, if needed.

  6. Press Esc to exit the tool.

Auto trim to nearest plane

You can trim or stretch a straight duct with the face of another object ("trimmer object"). The tool searches for a trimmer object from both sides of a user-defined point and selects the nearest suitable object, unless trimming would make the duct too short. If the tool does not find a trim plane, try adjusting the search radius.

Do the following:

  1. Select the Ducting tab > Duct group > Trim and Stretch > Auto trim to nearest plane.

  2. You can use the Tool properties (P) context-menu command to open the Settings for Auto Trimmer dialog where you can adjust the settings of this tool.

    • Maximum search radius – Specifies the maximum search distance (mm) from the cursor to possible trim planes. Larger values provide a larger search range.
    • Shortest trimmed length – Specifies a minimum length (mm) for the object to be trimmed. Duct will not be trimmed if trimming would make it shorter than this threshold value. The default value is 0 (no minimum length).

  3. Move the cursor to where you want the tool to start searching for a trimmer object and press Space or click that location. If the tool found a trim plane, a preview of the modified duct is displayed in the work view. If a trim plane was not found, try pressing Space in a different location.

  4. Press Enter to accept the change.

    Note: You can undo the change by pressing U, but there is no redo in this context. After exiting the tool you can use both Undo and Redo.

  5. You can auto-trim other ducts in the same way.

  6. Press Enter or Esc to exit the tool.