This tutorial builds a small mounting plate with rounded corners and four holes, then exports it for 3D printing. It uses only the basic tools, so it works the same in the desktop app and in the browser version at the top of this page. Plan on 10 to 15 minutes.
Default units are millimetres, and Z points up. If you get lost in any menu, press S (or /) and type the command name: SolidCraft's command search finds every tool.
1. Start a new design
Click New Design on the start screen (or press Ctrl/Cmd+N). You get an empty design with the origin planes in the browser panel on the left and the toolbar along the top.
2. Create a sketch
Choose Create Sketch from the toolbar, then click the XY (Top) plane. You can also right-click a plane, in the view or in the browser panel, and pick Create Sketch there. The view turns to face the plane and the Sketch Palette opens.
3. Draw and dimension a rectangle
- Press R for the two-point rectangle. Click once near the origin and again somewhere up and to the right.
- Press D for Dimension. Click the bottom edge and type
80. Click a side edge and type50. - If you want the plate centred, constrain a corner to the origin with Coincident, or use the centre rectangle instead.
SolidCraft refuses a dimension that would over-constrain the sketch, so if a value won't apply, something else already fixes that size. Click Finish Sketch to go back to the model.
4. Extrude it into a solid
Press E for Extrude, click inside the rectangle to pick the profile, and set the distance to 4. Confirm. You now have an 80 × 50 × 4 mm plate, and an Extrude step on the timeline at the bottom.
5. Round the corners
Press F for Fillet, click the four vertical corner edges, and enter a radius such as 5. Confirm.
6. Add four holes
Press H for Hole. Click the top face of the plate to place a hole, set its diameter (for example 4 for M4-ish screws, or 3.4 for M3 clearance), and choose a through depth. Repeat for the other corners, or place one and use a rectangular pattern to copy it.
7. Check it
Press I for Measure and click two holes to check their spacing, or a face to read its area. Press F6 to fit the whole part in view.
8. Change your mind (the parametric part)
Double-click the sketch on the timeline, change the 80 to 100, and finish the sketch. The extrude, fillets and holes rebuild on the bigger plate. This is the main reason to use a parametric CAD tool instead of a mesh modeller.
9. Export for 3D printing or another CAD tool
- 3D printing: File › Save as mesh… and pick STL, 3MF or OBJ. Then open the file in your slicer.
- Another CAD program: File › Export STEP… (STEP AP242).
- Keep the editable design: File › Save. In the browser version this saves to the browser's private storage, so also use Save As JSON… or an export to keep a real copy on disk.
Where to go next
- Open the Sample Plate on the start screen. It is a parametric plate with fillets, holes and a boss, and you can step through its timeline.
- Learn the shortcuts on the SolidCraft home page, or install the desktop app from the SolidCraft download page for faster saving and file import.
- Let an AI assistant build parts for you through the SolidCraft MCP server.