How to Do a Lofted Cut in SOLIDWORKS

A lofted cut removes material by blending a cut between two or more sketch profiles. It is useful for tapered slots, transitions, shaped openings, ducts, molded cutouts, and geometry that cannot be made with a simple extruded cut or revolved cut.

Prepare the cut profiles

Create the profiles that define the cut. Each profile is usually a sketch on a different plane or face. The profiles should be clean, ordered, and suitable for the material you want to remove. Closed profiles are usually needed for a solid lofted cut.

Use simple profiles when possible. A lofted cut between clean sketches is easier to edit than one driven by many small sketch segments or imported curves.

Create the lofted cut

1. Create two or more cut profiles.
2. Go to Features > Lofted Cut.
3. Select the profiles in order.
4. Adjust connector points if the preview twists.
5. Add guide curves if the cut needs more control.
6. Preview and accept the feature.

Control the profile order

The order of selected profiles affects how SOLIDWORKS creates the cut. Select profiles from one end to the other. If the preview crosses or twists, move connector points or reselect the profiles in a clearer order.

Connector points are especially important when profiles have different shapes. If a rectangle transitions to a circle or slot, check how the corners and endpoints are mapped.

Use guide curves only when needed

Guide curves can control the sides of a lofted cut, but they must intersect the profiles properly. Use them when the profiles alone do not give the intended shape. Too many guide curves can make the cut harder to solve.

Guide curves should be smooth and intentional. If a guide curve is wavy or poorly constrained, the cut surface may become wavy as well.

Check feature scope

In a multi-body part, confirm which body the lofted cut affects. A cut that looks correct in preview may remove material from the wrong body if feature scope is not controlled. Review the selected bodies before accepting the feature.

Feature scope matters most in parts with inserted bodies, weldments, or derived geometry. Check it before release so the cut does not unexpectedly affect a neighboring body.

Troubleshooting

If the lofted cut fails, simplify the sketches first. Check for open profiles, self-intersections, profiles selected out of order, or guide curves that do not touch each profile. Add controls back one at a time until the cut is stable.

Lofted cuts work best when the profiles are planned before the feature is created. Clean sketches and simple guide curves usually produce a more reliable cut than forcing a complex feature through messy geometry.

After the feature rebuilds, inspect the cut from multiple angles. Look for thin faces, unwanted twists, or areas where the cut barely intersects the model.

If the part will be shelled, filleted, or patterned after the cut, test those downstream features early. A lofted cut that works by itself can still create difficult geometry for later operations.

For production models, keep the sketches named clearly. Names such as Lofted Cut Start Profile and Lofted Cut End Profile make future edits much easier than a long list of unnamed sketches.