Object Editing: Radius

Along with changing size, position, and other parameters, Studio can round the corners of a shape placed in a design. This setting is available in the Edit Selection menu on the right-hand side of Studio's interface:

This parameter will round all sharp corners of the selected shape. It's available in all shapes except for shapes made with the Draw Tool.

Tip: to round the corners of a Draw Shape tool, run it through Shapeshifter. The shape's endpoints and segments will no longer be editable with the Draw Tool but Radius can now be applied. Like so:

Editability of Radius / Radius behavior

As a parameter the radius you set on a shape will remain editable even if you change other aspects of your design like adding new shapes, change cut settings in Plan Mode, etc.

When a shape with an applied Radius is scaled the radius value will remain the same unless the shape becomes too small for that radius. This comes in handy when using radius for fabrication purposes where you may want consistent rounding either to fit a certain bit diameter, or to have a consistent style to your design.

If the radius needs to scale along with the shape running it through ShapeShifter will permanently apply the rounding into the shape.

Corner Rounding for Inlay 

When developing a shape for inlay it will be necessary that all corners are rounded to the same diameter to account for the radius of the selected bit.

Note: When adding a radius for an inlay the correct value is half the intended bit diameter or more. This will account for the curvature of the cutter you intend to use. For example: a 1/8” cutter would require corners greater than 1/16”.

Using Radius, regardless of the complexity of the shape that's being edited, rounding the corners to account for the bit is quick and simple.

Since Radius accounts for both inside and outside corners the same shape can be used to cut the pocket and the insert:

What to do when the shape won’t accept the desired radius

Radii set using the Radius tool may be limited by the size of existing segments and corners in the input geometry. If a shape won’t accept the corner round being applied first try scaling the drawing so it can correctly fit the radius being applied and thus cut well with the intended cutter.

If the shape still won’t accept the radius it’s possible one of the corners is too tight for the intended radius at an acceptable scale. Inspecting the corners and adjusting them with ShapeShifter may be necessary.

Plan Mode can be used to help identify where a cutter can or cannot be used. While the desired radius may be applied it's still possible that a cutter will be overall too wide to fit throughout the contours of the cut. Plan Mode will show if there are any portions of the cut that can't accomodate the desired diameter.