Creating Swept Surfaces Using an Explicit Profile

You can create swept surfaces that use an explicit profile by defining a guide curve and reference surface.

1. Click Sweep .

   The Swept Surface Definition dialog box appears.

2. Click the Explicit profile icon and select With reference surface from the Subtype list.

   It is not mandatory that the profile be a sketch.

   
   
   

3. Select the Profile to be swept out.

4. Select a Guide curve.

5. Select a surface (by default, the reference surface is the mean plane of the spine) in order to control the position of the profile during the sweep.

6. In this case, the guiding curve must lie completely on this reference surface, except if it is a plane. You can impose an Angle on this surface.

   
   
   

   Important: The angular definition defined by the law (if selected) applies to the projection of the normal to the reference element in the sweeping plane normal to the spine.

7. If needed, select a Spine.If no spine is selected, the guide curve is implicitly used as the spine. Here is an example.

   
   
   

   Important: If the plane normal to the spine intersects one of the guiding curves at different points, it is advised to use the closest point to the spine point for coupling.

8. Click OK to create the swept surface.

   The surface (identified as Sweep.xxx) is added to the specification tree.

You can create swept surfaces that use an explicit profile by defining two guide curves. You can also specify the anchor points for the guide curves.

1. Click Sweep .

   The Swept Surface Definition dialog box appears.

2. Click the Explicit profile icon and select With two guide curves from the Subtype list.

   
   
   

3. Select the Profile to be swept out.

4. Select a first Guide curve.

5. Select a second Guide curve.

   
   
   

   You can also specify anchor points for each guide. These anchor points are intersection points between the guides and the profile's plane or the profile itself, through which the guiding curves will pass.

   There are two anchoring types:

   
   
   • Two points: select anchor points on the profile that will be matched respectively to Guide Curve 1 and 2. If the profile is open, these points are optional and the extremities of the profile are used.
   
   
   • Point and direction: select an anchor point on the profile which will be matched onto Guide Curve 1 and an anchor direction. In each sweeping plane, with the two guide curves, from Guide Curve 1 to Guide Curve 2.
   Sweep without positioning / Two points anchoring type
   
   
   Sweep without positioning / Point and direction anchoring type
   
   

   If the profile is manually positioned defining anchor points will position the profile between the guides, matching the anchor points with guide intersection points, prior to performing the sweeping operation.

   
   
   

   If you do not explicitly select anchor points or anchor direction, they are automatically computed if the profile is planar. Note that the selection is still available. The anchor points are computed as follows:

   
   
   • for Anchor point 1: intersection between the profile plane and Guide curve 1 (I1).
   • for Anchor point 2: intersection between the plane, passing through Anchor point 1 and normal to the spine, with Guide curve 2 (I2).
   • for Anchor direction: line between I1 and I2
     
     
     Automatic computation for Two points anchoring type
     
     
     Automatic computation for Point and direction anchoring type
     
     

6. If needed, select a Spine. If no spine is selected, the guide curve is implicitly used as the spine. Here is an example.

   
   
   

   Important: If the plane normal to the spine intersects one of the guiding curves at different points, it is advised to use the closest point to the spine point for coupling.

7. Click OK to create the swept surface.

   The surface (identified as Sweep.xxx) is added to the specification tree.

You can create swept surfaces that use an explicit profile by defining a guide curve and pulling direction.

This subtype is equivalent to the With reference surface subtype with a reference plane normal to the pulling direction.

1. Click Sweep .

   The Swept Surface Definition dialog box appears.

2. Click the Explicit profile icon and select With pulling direction from the Subtype list.

   
   
   

3. Select the Profile to be swept out.

4. Select a first Guide curve.

5. Select a Direction.

6. Optionally, you can impose an Angle.

7. If needed, select a Spine. If no spine is selected, the guide curve is implicitly used as the spine. Here is an example with DemoGuide2.

   Important: If the plane normal to the spine intersects one of the guiding curves at different points, it is advised to use the closest point to the spine point for coupling. Select the Projection of the guide curve as spine check box so that the projected spine is the projection of the guide curve onto the reference plane.

   
   
   

8. Click OK to create the swept surface.

   The surface (identified as Sweep.xxx) is added to the specification tree.

You can preview the various solution you can get after the completion of the command.

Warning: This option is not available with the With two guides curves subtype.

When creating a sweep, you are now able to preview the four solutions based on the values given for the Angle. The first solution corresponds to Angle value, the second solution to -Angle value, the third solution to 180deg+Angle value, and the fourth solution to 180deg-Angle value.

The orange arrow corresponds to the current solution. You can click on any arrow then Preview or OK to recompute the swept surface. You can also use Previous or Next or enter a solution number in the Angular sector field. Here is an example:

You can define the position parameters for the swept surface. These parameters allow you to position the profile in the first sweep plane.