An Easier Way to Extrude Geometry and More Free Advice from PTC University

PTC University recently released 12 compact tips for using PTC products. Think you know the best way to switch between open model windows in PTC Creo? Can you define a unique unit of measure (say, cubic feet per minute) in PTC Mathcad Prime? What about finding simplified reps in PTC Windchill?

This new collection of tips tells you how and more.

Image from PTC Mathcad Prime Tips and Tricks.

A Shortcut for Extruding Geometry

For example, did you know there’s a shortcut for extruding a sketch to a reference? Just follow these steps:

To transform a 2D sketch to a 3D extrusion using any version of PTC Creo Parametric, you sketch the shape and then key in the desired depth.

Sometimes, however, you’ll want to extrude the sketch to a reference, such as another cube or plane. In PTC Creo Parametric, the Shift key is a shortcut that makes it easy to extrude sketches to a reference.

Say you wanted to extrude the rectangle shown in the figure below to the plane.

Pressing the Shift key allows users to extrude the orange rectangle to the plane with fewer mouse clicks.

Simply select the drag handle, press the Shift key, and then drag the rectangle to the plane. The rectangle will automatically snap to the plane.

Most people are unfamiliar with this Shift key shortcut. Instead, they will right click on the drag handle (which produces a popup menu), select the To Surface option, and then choose the surface they want to extrude to—a three-click process.

The Shift key shortcut saves mouse travel and clicks.

Where to Pick up More Mad Skills

That’s just one of the free tips and tricks available from PTC University. Here’s where to find more.

PTC Creo 3.0 Tips.  Six quick how-to’s from an experienced PTC University instructor.

PTC Windchill Tips. Three tricks most users don’t already know.

PTC Mathcad Prime Tips. Three ideas for your engineering calculations arsenal.

PTC University Learning Exchange. 100s of free demo and walk-through videos, just like the one below. Most are only 1- to 3-minutes long: