# Create sketch from body

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [May 3, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620 "2023-05-03T14:19:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 15\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DigitalM](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/digitalm/32/18932_2.png) [@DigitalM](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/DigitalM)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/1 "2023-05-03T14:19:26Z")

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Is it possible to create a sketch from one face of a body?

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**Author:** ![welshsteve](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/welshsteve/32/16111_2.png) [@welshsteve](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/welshsteve)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 2:36pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/2 "2023-05-03T14:36:36Z")

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Yes. You can use the ‘project’ tool to project a sketch from one face of a body onto the default plane, a new plane or onto the surface of another body…

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**Author:** ![McD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/mcd/32/15504_2.png) [@McD](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/McD)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 2:48pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/3 "2023-05-03T14:48:33Z")

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Another way is double tap with your finger on the surface of the body. This creates a sketch surface.

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**Author:** ![welshsteve](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/welshsteve/32/16111_2.png) [@welshsteve](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/welshsteve)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/4 "2023-05-03T15:10:01Z")

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My understanding is that @DigitalM wanted to create a sketch **from** one surface of a body not **on** the surface of a body.

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**Author:** ![McD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/mcd/32/15504_2.png) [@McD](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/McD)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/5 "2023-05-03T15:42:32Z")

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It creates a sketch plane on the surface of the body. You can hide the body, but the sketch plane still remains. You can also take and move that plane forward or backward as required. In my mind, it saves a step or two.

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**Author:** ![DigitalM](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/digitalm/32/18932_2.png) [@DigitalM](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/DigitalM)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/6 "2023-05-03T15:45:54Z")

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@welshsteve is correct. I had modified a sketch, created a body from it, carried out various chamfers that I wanted incorporated into a sketch before proceeding further. Obviously you have to be pretty sure that they are exactly as you want them before doing such a thing.

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**Author:** ![DigitalM](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/digitalm/32/18932_2.png) [@DigitalM](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/DigitalM)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/7 "2023-05-03T15:45:57Z")

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Thx @welshsteve, that worked!

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**Author:** ![DigitalM](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/digitalm/32/18932_2.png) [@DigitalM](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/DigitalM)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/8 "2023-05-03T16:21:56Z")

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Hi @McD, it creates a plane, but it doesn’t create a sketch of the edges of the selected body, right? The was the aim.

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**Author:** ![McD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/mcd/32/15504_2.png) [@McD](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/McD)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/9 "2023-05-03T16:47:52Z")

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Understood. I must have misread or misinterpreted your message. No worries. You can still project the body onto this plane however.

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**Author:** ![adalovebass](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/adalovebass/32/20564_2.png) [@adalovebass](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/adalovebass)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/10 "2023-05-04T17:49:33Z")

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I just figured this out the other day. You can create a reference plane on the face you want a sketch of, move it away from the body (not sure why you have to do this, but it’s the secret sauce), select the edges or face of the body you want to create a sketch of, project it onto the plane using the project tool, and it’ll create a sketch that’s coplanar with the reference plane. Then move the sketch back to the surface you actually want it to be on.

There should absolutely be a “project to new sketch” feature, but this is a workaround.

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**Author:** ![adalovebass](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/adalovebass/32/20564_2.png) [@adalovebass](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/adalovebass)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/11 "2023-05-04T18:02:34Z")

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> [@adalovebass](#):
>
> create a reference plane on the face you want a sketch of, move it away from the body (not sure why you have to do this, but it’s the secret sauce), select the edges or face of the body you want to create a sketch of, project it onto the plane using the project tool, and it’ll create a sketch that’s coplanar with the reference plane. Then move the sketch back to the surface you actually want it to be on.

I made a quick video here. Sorry, no mic!

[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/b/6/b620d52b6abd26ec7e799d433f5b0f2819a57e33.jpeg "Shapr3D - Project profile of body to new sketch") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYqHXUAhEFo)

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/12 "2023-05-04T18:21:12Z")

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You don’t need to move the plane before projecting.

[https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/5/a/5a8113f4ebfc42b61244d4c07734a4b46e77a084.mov](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/5/a/5a8113f4ebfc42b61244d4c07734a4b46e77a084.mov)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adalovebass](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/adalovebass/32/20564_2.png) [@adalovebass](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/adalovebass)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/13 "2023-05-04T19:03:55Z")

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Oh that saves some steps! I must’ve misinterpreted something in my initial attempts 🙂 Thanks @TigerMike !

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/14 "2023-05-04T19:23:29Z")

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You’re welcome. No problem, as I have initially done the same with first moving the plane.  
Here’s a tidbit- you can project onto another surface with no need for a plane. In this example I want to create a corresponding screw hole in another body.

[https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/7/c/7c42b73f39e4d6b22f91c103f8690933deec397f.mov](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/7/c/7c42b73f39e4d6b22f91c103f8690933deec397f.mov)

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**Author:** ![danno11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b19c9b/32.png) [@danno11](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/danno11)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-sketch-from-body/25620/15 "2023-05-05T14:49:24Z")

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You know these steps work well but just as I have said many times before the whole process that you have shown could be eliminated with one command called “Use Edge” that is in almost all of the top Cad software’s on the market today this seems to me to be a very simple fix. Add the “Use Edge” command to the Shapr3D tools. And Mike just wanted to say you are a great help to the Shapr3D community.

Thank you