Creation Components

Components for converting geometry into sheet metal objects

Corner Relief Options (CRO)

Configures the relief cuts made where several bends meet at one corner, so material doesn't bunch up there. Wire the output into the Corner Relief Options input of Non-Manifold To Sheet. Use alongside Edge Relief Options.

Inputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
ShapeSIntegeritem0Corner relief shape: None (0), Square (1), Round (2), or ConstantWidth (3, experimental).
Constant WidthCWNumberitem0Width of the relief, in document units. Only used by the ConstantWidth shape.

Shape (S) options:

  • 0 = None
  • 1 = Square
  • 2 = Round
  • 3 = ConstantWidth

Outputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
Corner Relief OptionsCROGenericitemCorner relief configuration. Wire into the Corner Relief Options input of Non-Manifold To Sheet.

Edge Relief Options (ERO)

Configures the relief slots cut at the ends of bend lines, which keep the material from tearing where a bend meets an edge. Wire the output into the Edge Relief Options input of Non-Manifold To Sheet. Every numeric input defaults to 0 = auto, meaning the conversion sizes it from thickness and bend geometry; set a positive value only to override.

Inputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
ShapeSIntegeritem0Relief shape. None disables reliefs entirely.
Slot WidthWNumberitem0Width of the relief slot, in document units. Computed from thickness and bend geometry when left at 0.
SetbackSBNumberitem0Distance from the bend line to the end of the relief, in document units.
Inner ExtensionIENumberitem0How far the relief reaches past the bend line into the flange on the inside of the bend, in document units. Defaults to the material thickness.
Circle RadiusCRNumberitem0Radius of the relief circle, in document units. Only used when Shape = Circular.
Relief DepthRDNumberitem0How far the slot cuts into the material, measured perpendicular to the flange, in document units. A value here overrides the setback calculation.

Shape (S) options:

  • -1 = None
  • 0 = Basic
  • 1 = Filleted
  • 2 = Circular

Outputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
Edge Relief OptionsEROGenericitemEdge relief configuration. Wire into the Edge Relief Options input of Non-Manifold To Sheet.

Relief Shapes Explained

  • None — no relief cutting (may cause material interference at bends).
  • Basic — simple rectangular slot.
  • Filleted — rounded corners reduce stress concentration.
  • Circular — full circular cut (best bend quality).

Tips

  • Numeric inputs act as overrides: leave a value at 0.0 (the default) to let the engine size reliefs from thickness/geometry.
  • Provide explicit values only when you need to match a specific manufacturing constraint.

Manifold To Sheet (MTS)

Turns a closed solid BREP that already looks like sheet metal into a structured Sheet object, classifying its faces into flanges, bends, hems, holes, and thickness faces. The input must be a watertight solid of consistent thickness with no bifurcations or T-junctions. Use Non-Manifold To Sheet instead if you are starting from a surface without thickness.

Inputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
BrepBBrepitemA closed, manifold solid BREP of consistent thickness that represents valid sheet metal.
Root FaceRFIntegeritemIndex of the face to anchor the sheet on: it stays put while the rest unfolds. Set -1 to pick the largest face by area. Setting this gives a consistent unrolling orientation. Non-Manifold To Sheet defaults its Root Face to 0; here you must supply a value, because a solid's face order carries no guarantee that face 0 is a good anchor.
Merge Coplanar FacesMCFBooleanitemfalseIf true, adjacent faces that lie in the same plane are merged before analysis, which can fix classification on geometry that was split into extra faces. Leave off unless you need it, as it adds processing time.

Outputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
SheetSSheetitemThe resulting structured Sheet object.

Requirements

  • Input must be a closed manifold Brep.
  • Geometry must have consistent thickness throughout.
  • Must represent valid sheet metal (no bifurcations or complex topology).

Tips

  • Use Root Face Index to control the unrolling layout orientation.
  • Auto-selection (RFI = -1) works well for most cases.
  • Merging coplanar faces in advance is best, but the internal Merge Coplanar Faces option can also handle it.

Non-Manifold Flange (NMF)

Adds a flange to a surface BREP: a flat extension bent off an existing edge. Pick the edge by index and give a height and bend angle. The result can be fed into Non-Manifold To Sheet. Use the offsets and taper ratios to inset the flange from the edge ends or taper its height.

Inputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
BrepBBrepitemThe surface BREP to add the flange to.
Edge IndexEIIntegeritemIndex of the edge the flange is bent off.
Flange HeightFHNumberitemHeight of the flange, in document units.
AngleAAngleitem1.5707963267948966Bend angle between the flange and the base surface (default 90°).
FlipFBooleanitemfalseIf true, the flange bends to the opposite side of the edge.
Inset StartISNumberitem0Inset of the flange from the edge's start, in document units.
Inset EndIENumberitem0Inset of the flange from the edge's end, in document units.
Start Taper RatioSTRNumberitem0Taper at the start end: 0 = full height, 1 = zero height.
End Taper RatioETRNumberitem0Taper at the end: 0 = full height, 1 = zero height.

Outputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
BrepBBrepitemThe input BREP with the new flange added, ready for Non-Manifold To Sheet. This is the whole surface BREP, not the flange on its own.

Non-Manifold Hem (NMH)

Adds a hem to a surface BREP: an edge folded back on itself to stiffen or round it off. Pick the edge by index and set the fold height and the gap between the two layers. The result can be fed into Non-Manifold To Sheet.

Inputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
BrepBBrepitemThe surface BREP to add the hem to.
Edge IndexEIIntegeritemIndex of the edge to fold into a hem.
Hem HeightHHNumberitemHow far the hem folds back, in document units.
Hem GapHGNumberitemGap between the two folded layers, in document units.
Inset StartISNumberitem0Inset of the hem from the edge's start, in document units.
Inset EndIENumberitem0Inset of the hem from the edge's end, in document units.
FlipFBooleanitemfalseIf true, the hem folds to the opposite side of the edge.

Outputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
BrepBBrepitemThe input BREP with the new hem added, ready for Non-Manifold To Sheet. This is the whole surface BREP, not the hem on its own.

Non-Manifold To Sheet (NMTS)

Builds a Sheet from thin surface geometry, the most flexible way to create one. Sharp edges between surfaces become bends, the surfaces are offset by the material thickness to form a solid, and hems and reliefs are added. Start from joined surfaces with no thickness or fillets.

Inputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
BrepBBrepitemJoined surfaces to convert into a sheet, with no thickness, fillets, or bends.
ThicknessTNumberitem1Material thickness the surface is offset by, in document units.
Bend RadiusBRNumberitem1Inner radius of the bend created at each sharp edge, in document units.
Flip OffsetFOBooleanitemfalseIf true, reverses the offset direction when generating the sheet. It does not affect the bend direction.
Flip Bend DirectionFBDBooleanitemfalseIf true, reverses the bend direction when generating the sheet. It does not affect the offset direction.
Hem Detection WidthsHDWNumberlistA hem is detected where two parallel edges sit this far apart, in document units. For each width given, (width - 2 * thickness) is also tried when it is above zero.
Edge Relief OptionsEROGenericitemOptions for creating edge relief slots at bend lines. Use the Edge Relief Options component to configure.
Corner Relief OptionsCROGenericitemOptions for creating corner relief slots where multiple bends meet. Use the Corner Relief Options component to configure.
Unjoin EdgesUEIntegerlistIndices of edges to split apart before processing. Required when three or more surfaces meet along a shared edge: that edge must be split first, otherwise the bend fillet cannot be created there.
Root FaceRFIntegeritem0Index of the face the sheet is built outwards from. Defaults to 0. Set -1 to pick the largest face by area. Change this if conversion fails with 'Opposite face not found', which means face 0 is a narrow strip such as a hem. Pick a large, flat face instead.

Outputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
SheetSSheetitemThe resulting structured Sheet object.

Polyline To Sheet (PTS)

Builds a Sheet from a 2D polyline profile: the polyline becomes the folded cross-section, each corner becomes a bend of the given radius, and the profile is extruded by the depth to give the part its length. A quick way to make brackets, channels, and box-like parts. The input must be a true polyline.

Inputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
PolylinePCurveitemThe folded cross-section as a true polyline.
ThicknessTNumberitemMaterial thickness, in document units.
Bend RadiusBRNumberitemInner bend radius applied at each polyline corner, in document units.
DepthDNumberitemExtrusion length of the part, in document units.
Offset TypeOTIntegeritemWhere the thickness goes relative to the polyline: Outside (0), Centered (1), or Inside (2).

Offset Type (OT) options:

  • 0 = Outside
  • 1 = Centered
  • 2 = Inside

Outputs

NameNickTypeAccessDefaultDescription
SheetSSheettreeThe resulting Sheet object.
AnglesANumberlistBend angle at each polyline corner, in radians.

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