How to Use Loft in Autodesk

Autodesk is a great 3D modeling tool. In this tutorial, we are going to use the Autodesk's Loft tool to make an object that is smaller on one side than the other. Lofting is useful for a wide range of 3D models such as door handles, plane wings, bottles, and more.

Step 1: Design

Start a new sketch by clicking 'Create 3D Sketch'. Draw a circle in the sketch that is 100mm in diameter. Finish the sketch and move onto the next step.

Step 2: Turning Object on a Plane

Once you have drawn your circle and finished the sketch it is time to turn on the YZ plane. You can turn it on in the Origin plane in the left-hand browser. Right click on YZ and then turn on visibility.

Step 3: Work Planes

Once YZ Origin plane is turned on you can create a Work plane parallel to the YZ Origin plane. Using the Work plane tool, create a second work plane by clicking on the YZ Origin plane. You can either drag the Work plane 100mm away from the Origin plane or enter 100mm in the text box.

Step 4: Second Sketch

Once the Work plane is done we can draw a second sketch. At the center of the Work plane draw a 10mm in diameter circle.

When you are done your sketch should resemble the images below. You should have two planes with different sized circles drawn between them.

Step 5: Lofting

Now that the basics are done there is only a few more things to do. Lofting is simple and only a little bit harder than the steps above.

Go to 'Create' > 'Loft' to start using the Loft tool. Once it is selected click on both circles. When you do, Autodesk Inventor will automatically create the Loft.

When you have created the Loft, turn off both planes to end up with just the cone.

As you can see, the Loft tool is extremely useful and easy to use. There's no limit to the types of shapes you can create with Loft. Obviously, creating a cone is simple but more complex shapes follow the same pattern.