Trim and extend curves

Trim removes the piece of a curve between the curves that cross it, so you can cut notches and openings out of overlapping shapes. Extend lengthens a line or an arc to the next curve it meets.

Access: Sketch mode toolbar > Trim (T), Extend (E).

Trim

1. Click Trim.
2. Move the pointer over a curve. The piece a click removes turns red.
3. Click to remove it. Keep clicking to remove more pieces.

A curve that nothing crosses is removed whole. A circle crossed at two or more points becomes an arc.

Extend

1. Click Extend.
2. Click a line or an arc near the end you want to lengthen.

The end moves to the first curve its extension meets and stays on that curve.

What happens to constraints

• New ends stay on the curves that cut them (Point on line or Point on circle).
• When the middle of a line is removed, the two pieces stay on one line.
• Constraints that no longer make sense are removed, such as a midpoint on a shortened line or a dimension on a moved end. The panel says how many.

Limitations

• Only free ends can be extended: an end joined to another curve or fixed stays where it is.
• Projected geometry cannot be trimmed or extended; it follows the model.

Related

• Offset curves
• Round sketch corners
• Constraints