More about Shafts

Thick Profile and Thin Shaft

Selecting the Thick Profile check box expands the dialog box, giving you access to the Thin Shaft options. These options allow you to add thickness to both sides of the profile used to create the shaft.

In the example below, the shaft is created using the Thick Profile option. Selecting this option opens the whole Shaft Definition dialog box, which lets you then define Thickness 1 and Thickness 2.

Initial profile

Resulting shaft

The profile is previewed in dotted line. Thickness has been added to both sides of the profile.

Neutral Fiber:

The Neutral Fiber option adds material equally to both sides of the profile. The thickness defined for Thickness 1 is evenly distributed to each side of the profile.

Merge Ends:

The Merge Ends option attaches the profile endpoints to adjacent geometry (axis or if possible to existing material) as illustrated below:

Initial profile

Resulting shaft

The profile has been attached to the axis.

Using Thick Profile you can create shafts from open profiles but you cannot use the Merge Ends option.

Profiles

You can:

• Create shafts from sketches including several closed profiles. These profiles must not intersect and they must be on the same side of the axis.
• Define whether you need the whole sketch, or sub-elements only. For more information, see Using the Sub-Elements of a Sketch.
• Use open profiles in geometrical sets provided you create a thin solid.
• Change the sketch by clicking the box and by selecting another sketch in the geometry or in the specification tree.
• Use any of these creation contextual commands available from the Selection box:

  
  

  • Insert Wireframe > Create Sketch: For more information, see Sketcher User's Guide: Creating a Positioned Sketch.

  • Insert Surfaces > Create Fill: Creates fill surfaces between the boundary segments. For more information, see Generative Shape Design User's Guide: Creating Surfaces: Creating Fill Surfaces.

  • Insert Operations > Create Join: Joins surfaces or curves. For more information, see Generative Shape Design User's Guide: Performing Operations on Shape Geometry: Joining Surfaces or Curves.
  • Insert Operations > Create Extract: Generates separate elements from non-connex sub-elements. For more information, see Generative Shape Design User's Guide: Performing Operations on Shape Geometry: Extracting Geometry: Extracting Elements. If you create any of these elements, the application then displays the corresponding icon in front of the box. Clicking this icon enables you to edit the element.

• If you have chosen to work in a hybrid design environment, the geometrical elements created on the fly via the contextual commands mentioned above are aggregated into sketch-based features.
• You can also edit your sketch by clicking the icon that opens the Sketcher workbench. Once you have done your modifications, the Shaft Definition dialog box reappears to let you finish your design.
• If you execute the Shaft command with no profile previously defined, just click the icon and select a plane to access the Sketcher workbench, then sketch the profile you need.
• You can use wireframe geometry as your profile and axes created with the Axis System command. For more information, see Generative Shape Design User's Guide: Using Tools: Defining an Axis System.

Surfaces

You can create shafts by selecting a surface as illustrated in this example: