Dilate

Dilate grows a solid outward by the radius of a ball. Flat faces move outward. Outside edges and corners become rounded, holes become smaller, and nearby features can join.

How to Use

1. Select a solid part
2. Click Dilate in the Reshape group of the toolbar
3. Set Radius to the distance to grow
4. Wait for the operation to finish; use Cancel in the task area to keep the previous result

Parameters

• Radius - The distance surfaces move outward (default: 1 mm). Must be greater than zero
• Segments - The detail of the rounding ball (default: 12). More segments produce finer curves and take longer, especially on parts with pockets or notches

Tips

• This changes the whole part’s dimensions. To round edges while broadly preserving the original dimensions, use one of the Round operations below
• Radius is measured in the source part’s own coordinates. Non-uniform scaling applied afterward also stretches the rounding
• These operations require a solid. Use Inflate Path to grow or shrink a 2D path

Related

• Erode - Shrink a solid inward
• Round All Edges - Erode followed by Dilate at the same radius
• Round Inside Edges - Dilate followed by Erode at the same radius
• Fillet - Round only the edges you pick