Overview#
Press Pull is a context-sensitive tool. According to Autodesk, picking a sketch profile opens Extrude, picking an edge opens Fillet, and picking a face opens Offset Face (adding or removing volume); a hole face is a face, so its offset resizes the hole. It is the fastest way to tweak a model, especially imported geometry with no history.
Direct modeling is the broader idea: editing geometry by manipulating faces and edges rather than by editing sketches and features. Fusion supports both approaches. Autodesk calls them Parametric Modeling Mode (features captured in a timeline) and Direct Modeling Mode (no parametric features or relationships captured), and you switch a design between them.
Where to find it#
- Workspace: Design.
- Tab / panel: Solid tab > Modify > Press Pull.
- Shortcut: Q.
- Modeling mode: in the Browser, right-click the default component and choose Change to Parametric Modeling Mode or Change to Direct Modeling Mode (in the Timeline you can also use Settings > Change to Direct Modeling Mode). Switching a direct-modeling design to parametric captures the geometry created so far as a single Base Feature.
- Base Feature: Solid tab > Create > Create Base Feature.
Step by step#
Press Pull on a face#
- Press Q.
- Click a planar face. An arrow appears.
- Drag or type a distance. Positive pushes outward (adds material), negative pushes inward.
- Press Enter.
Press Pull on an edge#
- Press Q and click an edge.
- Drag the arrow to add a fillet (the Fillet dialog opens) of that radius. Autodesk's Press Pull tip also mentions a chamfer preview, so check your version; otherwise use the Chamfer tool.
Press Pull on a hole or cylinder#
- Click the cylindrical face. Because this is a face, the Offset Face dialog opens; moving the arrow offsets the face, so the hole grows or shrinks.
Working without history#
- Right-click the default component in the browser > Change to Direct Modeling Mode, then click Delete Parametric History in the dialog. The timeline and its features are removed, and recognizable features such as Extrude, Fillet and Hole are added to the Browser.
- Edit faces with Press Pull and Move/Copy (Faces mode); add Extrude Joins and Cuts as needed. New features are not tracked parametrically.
- To return to parametric, right-click the default component and choose Change to Parametric Modeling Mode. The existing geometry is captured as a single Base Feature; there is no history for earlier edits.
Base features#
- In a parametric design, choose Create > Create Base Feature.
- Operations inside the base feature are not recorded in the timeline (some are recorded in the Browser), so you can edit imported or direct-modeled geometry freely. Feature operations affect only members of the base feature.
- Click Finish Base Feature to return to the parametric design. Only the base feature element appears in the timeline.
Options reference#
| Option | What it does | Notes/default |
|---|---|---|
| Press Pull: Sketch profile | Opens Extrude to create a new solid body. | |
| Press Pull: Edge | Opens Fillet to round the edge. | |
| Press Pull: Face | Opens Offset Face to add or remove volume. | Adjoining curved tangent faces offset when geometrically possible. |
| Press Pull: Tangent Chain | Uncheck to leave out tangentially connected geometry when selecting faces. | |
| Press Pull: Ctrl / Command | Hold to modify the selection set once the preview displays. | |
| Parametric Modeling Mode | Tracks each feature in the timeline. | Switch with Change to Parametric Modeling Mode. |
| Direct Modeling Mode | Does not capture parametric features and relationships. | Switching deletes the timeline (Delete Parametric History dialog). |
| Base Feature | Operations inside it are not recorded in the timeline. | You cannot edit a feature's parameters after creating it inside a base feature. |
| Hybrid Design | Referenced by Autodesk as a design type that enables New Component in tools such as Extrude, Revolve and Coil. | Not described further in the Press Pull topics. |
Tips and pitfalls#
Tip: For imported STEP files, make them a base feature (or turn history off), then use Press Pull and Move/Copy on faces to adjust. This is faster than rebuilding.
Tip: When you want to see what is parametric, look at the timeline. Anything not there is direct geometry.
Warning: Press Pull in parametric mode creates an Extrude, Fillet or Offset Face feature in the timeline (Autodesk: committing Offset Face creates a feature you can edit by double-clicking it). The feature may reference faces that later change; check the timeline when rolling back.
Warning: Changing to Direct Modeling Mode deletes the parametric history (Autodesk's dialog is titled Delete Parametric History). Save a version first, or keep a copy.
Warning: Direct edits can fail if surrounding faces cannot adapt (for example moving a face so it no longer intersects a neighbor). Try small steps, or uncheck Tangent Chain.
- Direct modeling is ideal for concept work and quick changes; parametric is ideal for design families and dimension-driven parts.
- A hybrid workflow: build the main part parametrically; use base features to import supplier models; then continue parametric.
- Undo (Ctrl+Z) works in both modes.
- Press Pull on a face that was an extrusion end creates an offset of that face, not a change to the original extrude distance (general behavior of a new Offset Face feature).
- Using Press Pull with a sketch profile selected opens Extrude, similar to E.
- Collaboration: parametric files are easier to hand off because dimensions are readable; direct files are more flexible but harder to parametrize later.
What Press Pull actually does#
Press Pull chooses an operation from what you select, which is convenient but also the source of confusion:
| You pick | Operation created | Equivalent tool |
|---|---|---|
| A face (planar or cylindrical, such as a hole wall) | Offset Face dialog: adds or removes volume | Offset Face |
| A sketch profile | Extrude dialog: a new solid body | Extrude |
| An edge | Fillet dialog: rounds the edge | Fillet |
| Several faces | One Offset Face with the selected faces | Offset Face |
Note: not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation: how Press Pull is recorded on imported or direct bodies (as an edit of the Base Feature or as its own feature). Check what your version records after the first use.
Numbers: direct edits on a bracket#
A 60 x 40 x 10 mm plate has a 10 mm diameter hole (with a distance of 1.5 mm it is the offset distance that changes, not the diameter).
- Offset the hole face by +1.5 mm: the face moves 1.5 mm, so the hole wall moves outward and the radius grows by 1.5 mm, giving a 13 mm hole (the diameter changes by 3 mm). Check the sign convention in the preview.
- Press Pull the top face by +5 mm: the thickness becomes 15 mm. Any fillets on the top edges adjust with it.
- Press Pull the top face by -10 mm: the plate collapses to zero thickness and fails. Keep at least 0.1 mm of material.
When to use each approach#
| Situation | Best approach |
|---|---|
| Part will be changed many times by dimension | Parametric with named parameters |
| Imported STEP or mesh converted solid, one-off change | Direct, or a base feature |
| Quick concept model, no re-use | Direct (no history) |
| Family of sizes, configurations | Parametric |
| Need to adjust a supplier's part to fit | Base feature plus parametric features on top |
History on and off: what you lose#
Changing to Direct Modeling Mode removes the timeline and its parametric features, so you cannot roll back to an earlier feature or edit a sketch dimension. Changing back to Parametric Modeling Mode does not reconstruct the old timeline; the current geometry becomes a single Base Feature. Save a named version before toggling, so you can return to the parametric version.
Base features in detail#
A base feature is created from Create > Create Base Feature. Inside, operations are not recorded in the timeline. When you Finish Base Feature only the base feature element shows in the timeline, and later features can build on it. Use it to bring a supplier STEP into a parametric design: edit the imported solid with Move/Copy (Faces) and Press Pull inside the base feature, finish it, then add parametric holes and fillets that depend on stable geometry.
Press Pull versus Offset Face versus Extrude#
Press Pull on a face opens the Offset Face dialog, so for faces the two are the same operation. Extrude (via Press Pull on a profile or directly with E) gives start offsets and taper. Reach for Press Pull when you are exploring and know you will clean up afterwards.
Failure modes and fixes#
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Press Pull does nothing | Selected face belongs to a mesh body or is not editable (general guidance) | Convert the mesh, or select a different face |
| Neighbor faces distort | Tangent Chain pulls adjacent faces | Uncheck Tangent Chain, or move smaller distances |
| Hole moves instead of resizing | Selected the edge, not the face | Select the cylindrical face |
| Edit appears nowhere in the timeline | Edits went into a Base Feature | Edit the base feature or leave it first |
| Timeline vanished | Design was changed to Direct Modeling Mode | Undo, or reopen the saved version; then Change to Parametric Modeling Mode (the old history is not rebuilt) |
| Fillets break after pulling a face | The face moved past the fillet's reference | Delete and recreate the fillet at the end |
Practice exercise#
Compare direct and parametric editing on the same part, and recover from lost history.
- Create a 60 x 40 x 10 mm block with a 10 mm diameter hole in the middle. Save as version "start".
- In Parametric Modeling Mode, use Press Pull to fillet the top edges at 3 mm. Press Pull the top face up by 10 mm and watch the fillet adjust. Press Pull the hole face by 1.5 mm outward and measure the new diameter (13 mm).
- Save version "parametric". Right-click the default component, choose Change to Direct Modeling Mode and confirm Delete Parametric History. Observe that the timeline is gone. Edit with Move/Copy (Faces) and Press Pull to shift the hole 5 mm along X.
- Now try to change the original block width: you cannot, because the sketch is gone. Undo until the timeline returns, or reopen "parametric".
- Import any STEP part (or save a body as STEP and insert it), create a Base Feature, and use Press Pull to make a face 2 mm thicker. Finish the base feature and add a parametric hole to the edited face.
- Record in two sentences when you would use each approach for this part.
Expected result: a clear demonstration of what changes in the timeline between modes, and a working base feature with a parametric hole added.
Related#
- Extrude
- Fillet and chamfer
- Move/Copy
- Combine, Split, Offset, and Boundary Fill