Thin extrusions would eliminate the need to create a closed sketch of a thin feature. This would also enables creation of simple sheet metal components without specialized sheet metal functionality.
The outcome would greatly simplify the creation of thin parts. Thin features do not require closed sketches. Without the ability to create thin extrusions, users are forced to make closed sketches with redundant sketch elements just for the sake of closing the sketch.
This functionality would open up the possibility to quickly and easily create thin parts, including sheet metal.
Without thin extrusions, workflow is inefficient when making thin parts.
What do you define as a “thin extrusion”? No thickness at all like surface modeling? or where you can have an open profile and in the extrusion choose thickness with an auto offset?
A thin extrusion is generated from a line or curve or series of connected lines/curves on a sketch. The lines/curves don’t form a closed sketch; there are two open ends. When you exit the sketch the extrusion menu queries you for a thickness and which side of the curve to add the thickness on. You could apply to same method to cuts. It’s extremely useful functionality I’ve benefited from many times in other CAD systems.
Other CAD systems have this, sketch the profile and then in the extrude option you can specify thickness and direction, it’s not limited to “thin” sections, can be any thickness as long as it doesn’t self intersect.