Creation Components
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
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Shape | S | Integer | item | 0 | Corner relief shape: None (0), Square (1), Round (2), or ConstantWidth (3, experimental). |
| Constant Width | CW | Number | item | 0 | Width of the relief, in document units. Only used by the ConstantWidth shape. |
Shape (S) options:
0 = None1 = Square2 = Round3 = ConstantWidth
Outputs
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Corner Relief Options | CRO | Generic | item | | Corner 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
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Shape | S | Integer | item | 0 | Relief shape. Use named values or integers: None (-1) disables reliefs; Basic (0) creates a rectangular/slot style relief; Filleted (1) creates a relief with filleted corners; Circular (2) creates a circular relief. Default: Basic (0). |
| Slot Width | W | Number | item | 0 | Slot width override. If left as 0.0 (default) the conversion will compute a sensible width (typically related to material thickness). Use a positive value to force a specific width. |
| Setback | SB | Number | item | 0 | Distance from the bend line to the end of the relief (setback). If 0.0 (default) the conversion computes a default setback from thickness/geometry. Provide a positive value to override. |
| Inner Extension | IE | Number | item | 0 | Inner-extension used for inner reliefs (how far the relief extends into the inner face). If 0.0 (default) the conversion will use the material thickness. Provide a positive value to override. |
| Circle Radius | CR | Number | item | 0 | Radius used for circular reliefs. If 0.0 (default) a radius will be derived (commonly based on slot width). Only used when Shape = Circular. |
| Relief Depth | RD | Number | item | 0 | How far the relief slot cuts into the material perpendicular to the flange. If 0.0 (default) the depth is computed automatically. Provide a positive value to override and take precedence over setback calculations. |
Shape (S) options:
-1 = None0 = Basic1 = Filleted2 = Circular
Outputs
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Edge Relief Options | ERO | Generic | item | | An EdgeReliefOptions object containing chosen shape and optional numeric overrides. Any numeric override set to 0 (or left null) indicates 'auto-compute' and the conversion will derive an appropriate value from thickness/bend geometry. |
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
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Brep | B | Brep | item | | A closed, manifold solid BREP of consistent thickness that represents valid sheet metal. |
| Root Face Index | RFI | Integer | item | | Index of the face to anchor the sheet on (it stays put while the rest unfolds). Use -1 to auto-select the largest face. Setting this gives a consistent unrolling orientation. |
| Merge Coplanar Faces | MCF | Boolean | item | false | If 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
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Sheet | S | Sheet | item | | The 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 — a flat extension bent off an existing edge — to a surface BREP. Pick the edge by index and give a height and bend angle; the new flange shares that edge so the result can be fed into Non-Manifold To Sheet. Offsets and taper ratios let you inset the flange from the edge ends or taper its height.
Inputs
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Brep | B | Brep | item | | The surface BREP to add the flange to. |
| Edge Index | EI | Integer | item | | Index of the edge the flange is bent off. |
| Flange Height | FH | Number | item | | Height of the flange, in document units. |
| Angle | A | Angle | item | 1.5707963267948966 | Bend angle between the flange and the base surface (default 90°). |
| Flip | F | Boolean | item | false | If true, the flange bends to the opposite side of the edge. |
| From Start | FS | Number | item | 0 | Inset of the flange from the edge's start, in document units. |
| From End | FE | Number | item | 0 | Inset of the flange from the edge's end, in document units. |
| Start Taper Ratio | STR | Number | item | 0 | Taper at the start end: 0 = full height, 1 = zero height. |
| End Taper Ratio | ETR | Number | item | 0 | Taper at the finish end: 0 = full height, 1 = zero height. |
Outputs
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Flange | F | Brep | item | | The input BREP with the new flange, ready for Non-Manifold To Sheet. |
Non-Manifold Hem (NMH)
Adds a hem — an edge folded back on itself — to a surface BREP. A hem is two close parallel flanges joined by a tight bend, used to stiffen or round off an edge. Pick the edge by index and set the fold height and the gap between the two layers; the result feeds into Non-Manifold To Sheet.
Inputs
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Brep | B | Brep | item | | The surface BREP to add the hem to. |
| Edge Index | EI | Integer | item | | Index of the edge to fold into a hem. |
| Hem Height | HH | Number | item | | How far the hem folds back, in document units. |
| Hem Gap | HG | Number | item | | Gap between the two folded layers, in document units. |
| From Start | FS | Number | item | 0 | Inset of the hem from the edge's start, in document units. |
| From End | FE | Number | item | 0 | Inset of the hem from the edge's end, in document units. |
| Flip | F | Boolean | item | false | If true, the hem folds to the opposite side of the edge. |
Outputs
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Hem | H | Brep | item | | The input BREP with the new hem, ready for Non-Manifold To Sheet. |
Non-Manifold to Sheet (NM2Sheet)
Builds a Sheet from thin surface geometry — the most flexible way to create one. It rounds the sharp edges between surfaces into bends, offsets everything by the material thickness to make a solid, detects hems, optionally cuts edge and corner reliefs, and then classifies the result into a Sheet. Start from joined surfaces with no thickness or fillets; use the relief and flip options to control the output.
Inputs
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Brep | B | Brep | item | | Input non-manifold Brep geometry to convert into a sheet. Can be any surface-based geometry without thickness, fillets, or bends. The conversion will analyze the topology and generate a sheet representation. |
| Thickness | ST | Number | item | 1 | Sheet thickness to be used for the conversion. This value is used to determine the sheet properties and is essential for accurate topology graph generation. |
| Bend Radius | BR | Number | item | 1 | Bend radius to be used for the conversion. This value is used to determine the bend properties and is essential for accurate topology graph generation. |
| Flip Offset | FO | Boolean | item | false | If true, reverses the offset direction when generating the sheet. It does not affect the bend direction |
| Flip Bend Direction | FBD | Boolean | item | false | If true, reverses the bend direction when generating the sheet. It does not affect the offset direction |
| Hem Detection Widths | HDW | Number | list | | List of width values used to identify hem features in the sheet model. A hem is detected when the distance between two parallel edges matches one of these specified widths. These values represent the width of surfaces that should be recognized as hem surfaces. For each width value provided, an additional adjusted width (width-2\*thickness) will be automatically calculated and used if greater than zero. |
| Edge Relief Options | ERO | Generic | item | | Options for creating edge relief slots at bend lines. Use the Edge Relief Options component to configure. |
| Corner Relief Options | CRO | Generic | item | | Options for creating corner relief slots where multiple bends meet. Use the Corner Relief Options component to configure. |
| Unjoin Edges | UE | Integer | list | | Indices 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. |
Outputs
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Sheet | S | Sheet | item | | The resulting structured Sheet object. |
Most Flexible Method — converts surface geometry into sheet metal by adding thickness, bend properties, and optional relief slots.
Workflow
- Plugin processes edge and corner reliefs (if enabled).
- Detects and processes hems based on the supplied width values.
- Adds fillets to bend edges.
- Offsets geometry by thickness to create a 3D solid.
- Analyzes topology to create the Sheet.
Tips
- Start with simple surface geometry (no thickness).
- Hem detection uses parallel-edge distances — provide the expected hem widths.
- Use Edge / Corner Relief Options for automatic bend relief cutting.
- Flip Offset changes the thickness direction; Flip Bend Direction changes bend interpretation.
- Use Unjoin Edges when multiple surfaces meet along the same edge and bend creation fails.
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
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Polyline | P | Curve | item | | The folded cross-section as a true polyline. |
| Thickness | T | Number | item | | Material thickness, in document units. |
| Bend Radius | BR | Number | item | | Inner bend radius applied at each polyline corner, in document units. |
| Depth | D | Number | item | | Which side of the polyline the thickness is added to. |
| Offset Type | OT | Integer | item | | Where the thickness goes relative to the polyline: Outside (0), Middle/centerline (1), or Inside (2). |
Offset Type (OT) options:
0 = Outside1 = Middle2 = Inside
Outputs
| Name | Nick | Type | Access | Default | Description |
|---|
| Sheet | S | Sheet | tree | | The resulting Sheet object. |
| Angles | A | Number | list | | Bend angle at each polyline corner, in radians. |