# Link sketch to surface?

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [July 6, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239 "2020-07-06T21:59:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Morten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Morten](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Morten)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/1 "2020-07-06T21:59:45Z")

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Making a sketch on a extruded surface is great, however it seems to convert the surface a plane, which then doesn’t “follow” or stays with the surface if the extrusion is modified. Or is there a different way to achieve this behavior?

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**Author:** ![Victor\_Shapr3D](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/victor_shapr3d/32/3502_2.png) [@Victor\_Shapr3D](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Victor_Shapr3D)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 8:40am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/2 "2020-07-07T08:40:52Z")

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Hi, if you double-tap on the face using a finger before sketching on the face, the sketch stays on the face and it allows you to extrude the body from the face.

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**Author:** ![Morten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Morten](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Morten)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 9:24am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/3 "2020-07-07T09:24:56Z")

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Thanks, will do. And did get it work 👍

However extrusions done on the surface don’t follow as expected when changing the extrusion height of the surface they are sketched on… see image. Where I changed the height of the big cylinder.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/8/89b64879dd622dcf1799d6cdb7400a26234c4d90.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Victor\_Shapr3D](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/victor_shapr3d/32/3502_2.png) [@Victor\_Shapr3D](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Victor_Shapr3D)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 9:34am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/4 "2020-07-07T09:34:28Z")

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Hi, the extruded dimension is added or subtracted from the surface’s dimension. I see that the other circle wasn’t extruded at all.

Here’s a short screen recording showing what I mean:

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**Author:** ![Morten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Morten](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Morten)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 10:39am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/5 "2020-07-07T10:39:47Z")

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Seems like my question did not contain the required information… this is my start position, with extrusion from a sketch on the top surface. My expectation is that the top surface remains unchanged if I change the height of that surface. Hopefully the image

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/4/4e07208dd6b48305a25d414d7976d264c0092e13.jpeg) shows the the situation

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**Author:** ![Victor\_Shapr3D](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/victor_shapr3d/32/3502_2.png) [@Victor\_Shapr3D](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Victor_Shapr3D)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 12:16pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/6 "2020-07-07T12:16:16Z")

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The sketch is not linked to the surface and it’s simply drawn on the surface at that level.

A workround can be to first set the required surface height before making the sketch on the surface.

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**Author:** ![Robert](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/robert/32/1329_2.png) [@Robert](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Robert)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 12:41pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/7 "2020-07-07T12:41:33Z")

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Hi Morten,

You can use the project tool to make the lines permanent on the surface

//R

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**Author:** ![Morten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Morten](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Morten)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/8 "2020-07-07T14:47:21Z")

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That’s what I use 3d modeling/ printing for, trial and errors 😁  
Perhaps an other work around would be to extruder the main body downward (minus) and it’s features from there top, that way the surface / plane for the sketch stay together. At least for the first level.

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**Author:** ![Morten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Morten](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Morten)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/9 "2020-07-07T14:57:34Z")

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It’s not the lines that I want “locked” it’s the solids. So if I extruder a 5mm deep pocket into the top of a 20mm tall cylinder, I want the pocket to remain 5mm deep when I change the cylinder height to say 15 or 40mm

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**Author:** ![Gelphyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gelphyn](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Gelphyn)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/10 "2020-07-08T03:49:14Z")

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@Morten  
Is this what you are looking for:

[/404](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/404)

However this is not ‘locking’ any Solids!

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**Author:** ![Morten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Morten](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Morten)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 8:10am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/11 "2020-07-08T08:10:44Z")

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Hi,

This looks like a sensible workaround! Thanks!

My (limitied) modeling reference is with Fusion 360, and the ablity to edit parameters of previous actions eg extrusion height is very handy. And then the same with sketchs, eg change a hole or dimension on the schetch and solid model changes.

Seems like I will have too think differently in Shapr3D.

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**Author:** ![Gelphyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gelphyn](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Gelphyn)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 3:06pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/12 "2020-07-08T15:06:25Z")

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@Morten

> [@Morten](#):
>
> This looks like a sensible workaround!

IMO, working in S3D, it is not so much a workaround as a method of achieving an objective.

It can be hard changing to different Software, ‘very handy’ is probably not valid using different Software.  
Better to get to grips with the Tools and Features that are available in the new Software?  
It is easy to Click on every Icon in every Menu and sub Menu and explore what each one can do.  
It is then interesting learning how to apply your new found knowledge to get the results you need.  
S3D is capable of most tasks by working with what is available and most often there are several routes to fulfil a task.

> [@Morten](#):
>
> And then the same with sketchs, eg change a hole or dimension on the schetch and solid model changes.

S3D offers nimble, but different, ways to alter most things, e.g. going, going, gone:

 ![IMG_2120](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/6/6a93bf64458d0146612dda6f0d3e8fc5a662140f.jpeg) ![IMG_2124](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/6/6371c5d451e99d11ba79fd55f188c289fe2922e0.jpeg)  
 ![IMG_2122](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/d/d475764ef94ce2fa9c75085227d7d0115b674817.jpeg) ![IMG_2123](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/0/0b5291e5af032bac9376a8714c7b80953588575a.jpeg)

You are absolutely correct a change of mindset is needed to get the best from S3D.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Morten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Morten](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Morten)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 9:58pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/13 "2020-07-08T21:58:25Z")

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Fully acknowledge that “workaround” might sound a bit negative, and also it’s easy to use existing experience to look for similar ways too do things. I’m now revisiting S3D after more than 18 months using Fusion as a rookie 3d designer, thus that’s my reference. Direct modeling vs parametric (hopefully correct description) us a bit of a paradigm shift so far. Will now look carefully to find ways to continue to use both into the future, and establish some personal best practices on when to use what application. Thanks for useful tips!

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**Author:** ![Jel111](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/jel111/32/6678_2.png) [@Jel111](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Jel111)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 11:12pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/link-sketch-to-surface/8239/14 "2020-07-08T23:12:46Z")

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I’m in the same place as you Morten. I love to be able to use the iPad especially because of the pencil.