These guidelines for avoiding trouble complement those covering 2D sketching.

  1. As mentioned in the Golden Rules for 2D sketching - it is preferable to use 3D features (rather than 2D sketch figures) to create mirrored geometry, patterns, fillets and chamfers.  It is much easier to subsequently make changes to 3D features than to edit details of a sketch. This approach also helps to keep sketches simpler.
  2. Parts are modeled in Alibre Design by building a series of 3D features, in sequence.  Each feature is dependent upon those in place before it.  It is best to avoid re-ordering 3D features in the Design Explorer (by dragging features forward/back in the design history) - such changes are likely to cause errors.
  3. Importing parts from other systems or from on-line resources can be a time saver - however, be aware that files from some sources may have problems.   Alibre Design may not be able to import some files, or the imported file may have hidden issues that cause difficulty at a later stage of the design.  Use the 'Check Part' functionality when importing to alert you to hidden issues.  Check the size of the part after import.  It may be more reliable to make your own model from scratch.
  4. There is an 'Override Units' option when importing - this will lead to scaling of the imported part - it should ONLY be used if you need to scale the imported part, this is NOT for changing display units.