Working with multiple spaces

This guide walks through creating a 3D design that has features on multiple faces. You will use the Place Space tool to create new drawing planes and the Space Picker tool to switch between them.

What you'll accomplish

You will create a box with raised details on its front and top faces, demonstrating how to draw on multiple surfaces of a 3D object.

Prerequisites

Familiarity with basic drawing tools
Understanding of shape extrusion and height adjustment
Completed at least one design using the default (world) space

In CADit, a "space" is a drawing plane with its own orientation. The default space (called "world") is a horizontal plane where shapes extrude upward. When you create a new space on a vertical surface, shapes drawn there extrude sideways from that face.

This lets you add features to any surface of your design without repositioning the entire model.

Steps

1. Create the base shape

Select the Rectangle tool
Draw a rectangle on the canvas
Select the Height tool from the 3D toolbar
Set the rectangle height to create a box (20-30mm works well for this example)

You now have a solid box in the world space.

2. Place a new space on the front face

Select the Place Space tool from the 3D toolbar (in the Space tools menu)
Click on the front face of the box in the 3D view
A new drawing plane appears aligned to that surface
The 2D panel rotates to show the new plane orientation

The grid in the 3D view now indicates the active plane is vertical and facing you.

3. Draw on the front face

Select a drawing tool (Text, Circle, or Freehand)
Draw a shape on the canvas
Use the Height tool to set the extrusion depth

The shape extrudes outward from the front face of the box. Check the 3D view to confirm the direction.

4. Switch to a different face

Select the Place Space tool again
Click on the top face of the box

The 2D panel updates to show the top surface. Notice that shapes from the front face are no longer visible in the 2D panel, since they belong to a different space.

5. Add detail to the top face

Draw additional shapes on the canvas
Set the height for these shapes

These shapes extrude upward from the top surface of the box.

6. Return to the world space

To add more base shapes or edit the original rectangle:

Select the Space Picker tool from the 3D toolbar
Click on the original box in the 3D view, or click on empty space

The 2D panel returns to showing the world space with your base rectangle.

7. Navigate between spaces

Use the Space Picker tool to switch between any of your spaces:

Select the Space Picker tool
Click on any shape in the 3D view
The active space changes to match that shape

This lets you edit shapes on any face without creating new spaces.

Result

Your design now has a box with raised features on the front and top faces. Each face has its own space, and you can switch between them to edit shapes on any surface.

Tips

The 2D panel only displays shapes from the active space. If shapes seem to disappear, use Space Picker to verify you are in the correct space.
Shapes in different spaces can overlap in 3D. Use boolean operations if you need them to merge or cut through each other.
The grid in the 3D view always indicates the current space orientation.
Create spaces on angled surfaces to add details at any angle.
When working on complex designs, establish all your spaces early and use Space Picker to navigate between them.

Troubleshooting

Shapes disappear from the 2D panel

You switched to a different space. Use the Space Picker tool to click on a shape that belongs to the space you want to edit.

New shapes extrude in the wrong direction

Check which space is active. The extrusion direction is always perpendicular to the current space. Use Place Space to create a new space on the correct face, or use Space Picker to switch to an existing space.

Cannot select a shape in the 3D view

Some shapes may be obscured by other geometry. Rotate the 3D view to access the shape from another angle, or use the Space Picker to select a visible shape from the same space.

Next steps

Spaces and planes - Reference documentation for the Place Space and Space Picker tools
Boolean operations - Combine shapes across spaces
Height and extrusion - Control how shapes extrude in any space