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Quickstart: an angle bracket

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A 120-degree angle bracket: rounded bend, rounded corners, two countersunk screw holes. Draw it sloppily, let the constraint solver square it up, then change the bend angle afterward without redrawing.

The finished 120-degree bracket: rounded bend, rounded corners, two countersunk screw holes

Navigation: right-drag orbits, Shift+right-drag pans, wheel zooms. More in Navigation.

1. Set up parameters​

In the Parameters pane, click + and add:

NameValue
leg50mm
width40mm
thick5mm
hole5mm
bend4mm
bend_angle120deg

Any dimension field accepts these names and arithmetic like leg - thick. Typing name=value in a dimension field creates a parameter on the spot. More in Parameters & units.

The Parameters pane with the bracket's six parameters

2. Draw the profile — roughly​

Press L (Line) and click on the ground plane. Clicks chain segments; snapping closes the loop back at the start.

Draw the cross-section as six lines: a long base leg, a short end cap, back along the inside of the base, up the inside of the tilted leg (roughly 120° from the base), a short end cap, and back down to the start. Don't be precise — the next step squares it up. When the loop closes, the profile fills in.

Six sloppy chained lines forming a rough 120-degree bracket profile

3. Square it up with constraints​

Press C (Constraint). For each constraint, select the line(s), then press its number key:

First pin it down: select the bend corner and the origin, press 4 (Coincident). Then:

  1. Bottom base line + the X axis: 1 — Parallel (this makes it horizontal).
  2. Bottom + inner base lines: 1 — Parallel.
  3. The two tilted leg lines: 1 — Parallel.
  4. Base end cap + bottom base line: 2 — Perpendicular.
  5. Leg end cap + outer leg line: 2 — Perpendicular.

Now exact sizes with the Dimension tool (D): click a line, type the value, Enter:

  • both outer legs: leg
  • both end caps: thick

For the bend angle: select the bottom base line and the inner leg line, press D, type bend_angle, Enter.

The same profile squared up: parallel, perpendicular, exact lengths, and a 120-degree angle dimension

4. Extrude it​

Esc to leave the sketch, then E (Extrude). Click the profile face, type width, Enter.

The extruded bracket, still with a sharp bend

5. Round the bend​

With no sketch open, press F (Fillet):

  1. Click the inside edge of the bend, type bend, Enter.
  2. Click the outside edge, type bend+thick, Enter.

The two rounds are concentric, like bent sheet metal.

The bracket with inner and outer bend edges filleted

6. Cut the screw holes​

Drill from the inside face of the base flange — where the screw heads sit:

  1. Press S (Sketch), click the inside face of the base flange.
  2. Press O (Circle). Click near the flange's tip, type hole for the diameter, Enter. Place a second circle beside it.
  3. Position them with the Dimension tool (D): click a circle's center and a face edge, type the distance.
  4. Esc, then E to extrude. Click both circles, drag the handle into the bracket (or type thick + 1), pick Cut, Enter.

Two screw holes cut through the base flange

7. Countersink the holes​

Press K (Chamfer) and click the rim of one hole — where the hole meets the inside face. Shift+click the other rim, type 1.2, Enter.

The screw holes with chamfered, countersunk rims

8. Round the corners​

Press F (Fillet), click a vertical edge at a flange tip, Shift+click the others, type 2, Enter.

The finished bracket with rounded flange corners

9. Engrave a label​

Press T (Text) and click the outer face of the base flange. Type BearCAD and center it on the face. Press E (Extrude), click the text, push the handle into the face (type 1), pick Cut — engraved letters.

The bracket turned around to show "BearCAD" engraved on the outer face of the base

10. Change your mind​

Open the Parameters pane and change bend_angle from 120deg to 150deg. The whole part rebuilds — bend, holes, countersinks, rounds and all.

The same bracket rebuilt with a 150-degree bend

11. Export​

File → Export → STL… / 3MF… (3D printing) or STEP… (other CAD apps).

Every screenshot on this page is generated automatically from docs-site/screenshots/quickstart.lua.

If something goes wrong​

  • Esc cancels what's in progress; again returns to Select.
  • Undo (⌘/Ctrl+Z) reverts whole steps.
  • The status bar explains what the active tool expects next.
  • A red conflict means contradictory constraints — delete the most recent one.