Using Advanced 3D Features - Mastering AutoCAD for Mac - page 561

4. Enter G ↵ for the Guides option. You'll use the two polylines as guides.
5. Select the two polylines on the sides of the layout, and then press ↵ to complete your
selection. Your chair begins to take form, as shown in Figure 20.34.
FIGURE 20.34
The butterfly
chair so far
6. Choose File  Save on the menu bar to save the chair so far.
You've got the beginnings of a butterfly chair with the legs drawn in schematically and the
seat as a 3D surface. You can add some detail by using a few other tools and commands, as
you'll see in the next set of exercises.
Converting the Surface into a Solid
In the previous example, you used the Loft tool to create a 3D surface. Once you have a surface,
you can convert it to a solid to perform other modifications.
You'll want to round the corners of the seat surface to simulate the way a butterfly chair
hangs off its frame. You'll also round the corners of the frame and turn the frame into a tubular
form. Start by rounding the seat surface. This will involve turning the surface into a solid so you
can use solid editing tools to get the shape you want:
1. Click the Thicken tool in the expanded Solids - Edit tool group of the Tool Sets palette
(Figure 20.35). You can also choose Modify  3D Operations  Thicken on the menu bar
or enter Thicken ↵ at the Command prompt.
FIGURE 20.35
The Thicken tool
in the Solids - Edit
tool group
Thicken