Tools menu: Replace Face tool

What is the Replace Face tool?

You can use the Replace Face tool to extend or trim selected faces of a body so they match another face or plane. Replace Face is useful for:

• Adjusting the ends of a body – Extend or trim a face to meet another surface.
• Matching angled surfaces – Reshape a body to align with a sloped face or plane.
• Refining connected parts – Modify a body's face to match neighboring geometry.

How to use the Replace Face tool

Using the Replace Face tool

1. Go to Tools > Replace Face. 
   For other ways to access the tool, visit Accessing tools.
2. Select the face or faces you want to modify under Faces to Replace.
3. Under Replacing Face, select the face or plane that the selected faces should extend or trim to.
4. Optional: Turn on Flip Alignment to change which side of the replacing face is used for the result.
5. To finish, select Done.

Parameter Card and History Settings

Shapr3D records the tools you use as steps in History, allowing you to revisit and modify them later. Each History step stores its parameters, which you can access through the parameter card. You can adjust these parameters while using the tool or reopen the parameter card from History after completing the step.

Adjust Replace Face parameters

The Replace Face parameter card includes:

• Faces to Replace – Select one or more faces to extend or trim.
• Replacing Face – Select a face or plane that defines where the selected faces should meet.
• Flip Alignment – Change the alignment of the replacement to the opposite side of the selected face or plane. Use this if the result extends or trims in the wrong direction.

Edit Replace Face in History

To modify a completed operation, find the Replace Face step in History and review the available settings:

• Faces to Replace – Edit the faces being modified.
• Replacing Face – Select a different face or plane to define the replacement.
• Flip Alignment – Switch the alignment to the other side of the replacing face or plane.

When to use the Replace Face tool

Use Replace Face when you want to reshape an existing body by matching one or more of its faces to another surface. Common situations include:

• Trimming a protruding body – Shorten a body so its end meets an angled or flat face.
• Extending a body – Lengthen a face until it meets a selected face or plane.
• Matching neighboring geometry – Adjust one body's shape to fit against another surface.
• Choosing between Replace Face and Offset Face – Replace Face reshapes a body to meet another face or plane, while Offset Face moves a selected face by a specified distance.

Best practices and troubleshooting

• Select the correct face first – Choose the face that should change before selecting the face or plane it should meet.
• Check the alignment – If the preview changes the body in an unexpected direction, try Flip Alignment.
• Use clear reference geometry – Choose a face or plane that defines the intended final boundary.