Alibre Beginners Course

Explore sketching a Lego side profile in a 2d sketch on the xy plane, using horizontal, perpendicular, parallel, and equal length constraints to create a symmetric, fully constrained design.

Learn how to define sketches by applying dimensions and constraints to turn orange, partly defined sketches into fully defined, black sketches, ensuring predictability and easy edits in parametric design.

Learn to sketch a three hole flange by drawing circles and arcs, applying tangent, equal, and coincident constraints, reference geometry, bolt circle, and precise dimensions for consistent sizing.

Model a solid i-beam by sketching on the xy plane, using constraints and mirror to form both halves, then extrude to a solid with adjustable depth.

Modify an existing I-beam by adding and removing material using extrude and extrude cut, including angled sections and bolt holes with constraints and directional controls.

Learn to design and revolve a honey dipper from a 2d sketch using arcs, tangents, and constraints, then add grooves with a revolve cut and patterning.

Create a paperclip by sketching a constrained path with tangent arcs and circles, then sweep a circular profile along the path, with optional draft and geometry offsets.

Learn to smooth sharp edges using fillet and chamfer tools on a cube. Apply edge or face fillets, adjust radius, and mix equal distance, angle distance, and distance settings.

Learn to loft a duct by transforming a circle on an offset plane into a rectangle on another sketch, blending shapes with the loft tool.

Apply tangent and twist loft options to control how a circular to rectangular duct loft transitions, adjusting tangent magnitudes, angles, and twist minimization to achieve a symmetrical, clean HVAC connector.

Hollow a part with the shell command, using a standard thickness of 0.2 and inward shelling; remove faces and use the section view to inspect, overriding a face to 0.5.

Add fillets to inner and outer edges for more realistic lofted parts, use the Design Explorer or History Tree to roll edits, and explore minimize curvature and ruled lofting options.

Explore lofting a hand grip in Alibre by creating dual elliptical profiles on parallel planes, then using global and local guides to shape finger grip contours.

Master center line lofting in Alibre by placing planes along a sketch, creating cross sections (circles and rounded rectangles), and lofting to a center line guide with fillet finishing.

Model bolts with helical features by sketching the shaft and head. Apply subtractive helices to form threads, adjust pitch, and explore tapering with conical helices for realistic bolt ends.

Model an additive helix to form a spring in Alibre, setting height ten, pitch two, and diameter 0.75, then use flat and transition angles to seat properly and avoid self-intersections.

Explore three ways to define helixes in a library: height and pitch, height and revolutions, or pitch and revolutions, then apply variable ratio and taper to model a lamp.

Explore modeling spirals in alibre by turning a helical feature into a spiral, setting pitch and revolutions, and creating a flat spiral with arcs and a sweep path.

Design for manufacture guides building a business card holder in Alibre, applying extrude, cut, fillet, shell, and a three-degree draft for easy mold release.

Add text to a 3d model with sketch text in a 2d sketch, adjusting font height or character extents, line spacing, alignment, or path text along a spline or arc.

Explore advanced extrude techniques to create rib supports in a business card holder, including midplane extrudes, two next, dual depth, geometry stops, thin extrudes, and draft options.

Explore the hole tool in Alibre to create and edit holes, including simple, counterbore, counter drilled, countersunk, and tapered options, with presets and threaded hole settings.

Apply the wrap tool in Alibre to place text on curved surfaces, embossing or debossing a ring. Explore options such as nearest point, sketch center, and sketch plane.

Master mirrors and patterns in Alibre to recreate features quickly, whether sketching on the xy plane or extruding solids, using mirror planes and circular patterns for even, balanced designs.

Learn to create linear patterns and a hexagonal mesh on an aluminum soap dish using sketches, extrudes, through all cuts, and pattern directions along axes.

Create a balcony model by sketching a base path and using path pattern to generate evenly spaced banister supports.

Explore creating parts for boolean operations in Alibre by modeling a sphere, a cube, and a cylinder, and apply add, subtract, and common volume operations.

Learn boolean operations to unite, subtract, and intersect parts, align them on the origin, and apply constraints like coaxial and offset to create a jack.

Apply course skills to create a gamer themed office chair, assemble parts into assemblies with exploded views, and finish by producing drawings from the parts.

Create a chair base arm using sketches, elliptical arcs, sweeps, and revolves, then shell, add ribs, and perform boolean operations to attach a wheel and finalize.

Learn to design a chair base by sketching a center profile, revolving and shelling it, and boolean uniting the arms, then adding ribs and fillets for strength and proper mating.

Model an office chair riser that moves up and down using sketches, revolved and extruded features, mirrored geometry, holes, and a height lever, with symmetry and midline constraints guiding design.

Model an office chair seat by sketching on planes, applying symmetry and constraints, and lofting profiles into a cushion. Add holes and fillets to finalize the seat.

Visualize and loft a detailed office chair back from cross sections on offset planes. Apply parametric sketching and constraints to refine the shape and add bolt holes.

Model an office chair arm by sketching a rounded profile on the xy plane, sweeping along a path, mirroring, then extruding and adding holes and fillets to fit the base.

Assemble the office chair by inserting base, riser, seat, and arms into an assembly from the library, then anchor the base at the origin and constrain holes.

Learn in-context editing to modify parts in an assembly, create a bracket that updates with seat movement, and apply holes, drafts, and coincident constraints for bottom-up design.

Import and place off-the-shelf parts from McMaster-Carr using STEP and SAT formats, then align bolts, wheels, and mirrors to build a complete chair assembly.

Learn to manage assembly files and names, fix missing parts with replace, handle file paths and errors, and share or filter assemblies using the package feature.

Learn to manage colors at the part and assembly levels in Alibre, choosing part or face colors and applying assembly or original part colors for clear design intent.

Convert the part to sheet metal and define bends and rips to generate a flat pattern. Adjust dimensions and bend locations to reduce waste and tailor the sheet metal blank.

Explore how sheet metal parameters drive modeling in Alibre, adjusting thickness, minimum bend radii, global bend radius, k factor, and reliefs, with live updates from flat pattern to finished part.

Create sheet metal from scratch using contour on the xy plane. Apply tab and contour, adjust bend radius and k factor, and generate flat patterns.

Learn how to create a sheet metal flange in a libre, including edge selection, alignment options (adjacent, inside, outside), measurement methods, width offsets, bend angles, and advanced relief.

Learn to create flanges with miters to avoid intersections, ensure all mitred flanges are created together, and close corners with the closed corner tool for edge-to-edge or butt joints.

Master sheet metal design by applying cuts, unbends and patterns to create vents and cooling features, using circular patterns and the unbend feature while keeping parts constrained.

Learn to create sheet metal hems to improve safety and strength by applied bends, flanges, and various hem types: open, flat, teardrop, and rope, including rolled edges.

Use the dimple tool to form dimples in a sheet metal part, adjust the draft angle and depth, and dimple on the opposite side to create channel-like stamping.

Explore the dimple tool in sheet metal to create raised channels, cutouts, and threaded surfaces; apply path patterns to generate extruded holes for grip and bolts.

Learn to sketch bend on a flat sheet to create eccentric bends. Set bend line, adjust angle, and reverse tab or flange, with gap, reliefs, and k factor.

Master corner treatments and hole tools to smooth edges, create flanges, rounds, and chamfers, and add countersunk or counterbore holes for precise sheet metal parts.

Explore lofted sheet metal flanges by converting square to square, square to circle, and circle to circle; adjust dimensions, radii, offsets, and angles, then flatten and add flanges.

Enter the drawing environment to create 2d drawings from 3d models and assemblies in alibre, selecting ANSI, sheet size, and inserting top, front, right, and isometric views.

Move, align, and resize drawing views; insert exploded and isometric views; and adjust view displays from standard or draft to shaded, plus add hole callouts and other details.

Create and place section views and detail views in Alibre drawings using sketches, vertical constraints, and hatch patterns to show cross sections with accurate scale.

Create aligned section views in Alibre by sketching a through-hole profile, adding counterbore and countersunk holes, and using sheets and views to show both hole centers in a single section.

Learn to create broken views in alibre to shorten long features, set break lines (zigzag or curved) and a gap width of 0.05, maintaining dimensions while improving drawing scale.

Learn to create custom views in Alibre by using auxiliary views or orienting to a plane, viewing normals to faces, saving named orientations, and inserting them into drawings.

Create broken out section views and practice sketching within a view to reveal internal details. Use envelope dimensions, 2D sketching, tangent relations, and cross sections to clarify an assembly.

Explore removed sections and partial views to isolate the cross section in a drawing, using front views, section generation, and sketch edits to focus on key inspection details.

Learn to create dimensioned drawings by adding radii to arcs, distances to lines, and choosing center-to-center or outside-to-outside options, with tolerance styles like plus/minus and symmetric.

Learn to use design dimensions, center marks, center lines, and hole callouts in Alibre by importing dimensions with a part, placing centers, and reprojecting dimensions across views.

Master weld symbols in Alibre, including near and all-around options, fillet size, leaders, and tail notes. Explore virtual sharps and theoretical intersections, and use automatic dimension repositioning to organize dimensions.

Learn to create reference dimensions with no tolerance and manage layers to control line visibility and styles in multi-view drawings.

Explore geometric tolerances and notes on drawings, using datum A and B, feature control frames for flatness, parallelism, position, projected tolerance zone, unequal tolerance, and stacked frames.

Learn to generate and edit bills of materials from drawings, using exploded views and templates to produce and insert BOMs, either from a drawing or as standalone files.

Learn to customize the bill of materials by resizing or removing columns, editing long names and part numbers, and adding custom properties like machinist for clearer drawings.

Explore advanced formatting options for bills of materials, including resequencing, adding and hiding rows, and adjusting column lines, row lines, and word wrap for clearer part listings.