ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to place on record my deep sense of gratitude to Sir Manpreet, Faculty of Seimens, for his
generous guidance, help and useful suggestions.
I am extremely thankful to Sir Minesh Vohra, CO, !o"ely #rofessional $ni"ersity %allandhar, for "alua&le
suggestions and encouragement .
I am also thankful to Mr. Munish, 'raining officer, !#$, %allandhar for pro"iding the opportunity to get the
knowledge.

Signature of Student
Satyam Sharma
(())*+,)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Curves used for creating freefor features
S!"ine
Se"ected Curves
INT#OD$CTION
Course descri!tion
'his course addresses using -. modeling functions to &uild freeform shapes.Freeform shapes are those that
cannot &e &uilt using standard analytic shapes /such as &locks, cylinders, spheres and some simple extruded or
re"ol"ed features0. 'his course includes creating splines and other de"eloped cur"es, &uilding surfaces
through one or more sets of cur"es, sweeping profiles along guides, and applying specially shaped transitions
&etween faces. 'he emphasis is on common techni1ues that lead to low risk results. If you use sound
practices you can create models easily and that will dependa&ly update model geometry such as hollows,
offsets, thickened sheets, and trimmed &odies.
Intended audience
'his course is intended for designers, engineers, manufacturing engineers, application programmers,
C23C2M managers, and system managers who ha"e the need to use -. freeform modeling.
%rere&uisites
4asic understanding of parametric3explicit modeling.
5orking knowledge of the following6
7 8ssentials for -. esigners course
7 4asic understanding of parametric and explicit modeling, and the master
model concept.
7 5orking knowledge of the following6
o 5CS manipulation.
o 4asic sketching or cur"e construction.
o $sing 8xpressions.
o $sing the %art Navigator.
O'(ectives
2fter successfully completing this course, you should &e a&le to perform the following acti"ities in -.6
7 Create and edit splines and de"eloped cur"es.
7 Create and edit of primary and transition surfaces using freeform cur"es and faces6
'hrough Cur"e surfaces
'hrough Cur"e Mesh surfaces
Swept surfaces and &odies
Section surfaces and &odies
4ridge surfaces
Face and Soft 4lends
-9Sided surfaces
7 2naly:e cur"es and faces.
Introduction to Mec)anica" Freefor
%ur!ose
'his lesson pro"ides an o"er"iew of typical processes to create freeform shapes.
O'(ective
'his lesson will introduce you to some of the &est methods to construct models containing freeform elements.
Freefor ode"ing
Freeform shapes cannot &e &uilt using primiti"e &odies; standard features; or sketches containing only lines,
arcs, and conics.
Definition
2 freeform design process may include the following6
7 Creating splines
7 4uilding primary sheets or &odies using the following6
o 'hrough cur"es
o 'hrough a mesh of cur"es
o Sweeping profiles along guide strings
7 2pplying specifically chosen transitions.
7 8diting freeform data from any source.
7 Constructing solid &odies partly or entirely from freeform sheets. Freeform models that are well
constructed6
7 2re easily updated when appropriate edits are made.
7 May &e used efficiently in downstream applications such as Manufacturing.
Met)ods for creating freefor s)a!es
'here are three &asic methods for creating freeform shapes in -.6
7 E*act ode"ing6
In exact modeling, a shape is modeled as a complete set of wireframe /cur"es0, and then surfaced. 'his is the
easiest method for &eginners. <ou can edit the surfaces and "isuali:e the part as it is &eing de"eloped.
=owe"er, if you use this method, the surfaces may not ha"e the &est parameteri:ation as they can
wrinkle3&ulge or show unwanted reflections.
7 Over'ui"ding !riar+ s)eets6
For this method, cur"es are the &asis &ut the sheets are o"ersi:ed 'he sheets are trimmed to the intersections
and the result is sewn together to create a solid. <ou can o"er&uild sheets when surface highlights and
reflecti"ity are important. 4ottles, lenses, lighting and similar products often make use of this workflow. 'his
produces the highest 1uality surfaces, and is familiar to most users since the surfaces are cur"e &ased.
=owe"er, this method is not intuiti"e and re1uires skill and experience. It re1uires the use of many trimming
features that can make the model challenging to edit.
7 Direct ode"ing of s)eet 'odies6
In this method, surface sla&s are created in a freeform manner, then reshaped and fit into place using "arious
direct modeling commands such as ,-For and Matc) Edge <ou can use direct modeling for a wide
spectrum of industries, such as initial auto styling, to packaging, and toys, for example.'his is the most direct
of the methods and is similar to molding clay. =owe"er, this method re1uires the most skill and experience,
and make editing difficult. 'his method is not a familiar methodology for experienced -. users.
Curves used for creating freefor features
%ur!ose
$nderstand and work with cur"es that are often used to create freeform features, including splines, offset
cur"es, &ridge cur"es, intersection cur"es, pro>ected cur"es and others.
O'(ectives
$pon completion of this lesson, you will &e a&le to6
7 Create offset cur"es
7 Create com&ined offset cur"es
7 Create cur"es offset in a face
7 Create &ridge cur"es
7 Create intersection cur"es
7 Create wrapped cur"es
7 Create splines using an appropriate method
Overvie. of deve"o!ed curves
2 framework of cur"es is the &asis of primary freeform features such as 'hrough Cur"es, 'hrough Cur"e
Mesh, and Swept. 5hen simple analytic cur"es /lines, arcs, conics0 cannot create the re1uired shapes, it is
necessary to de"elop a suita&le cur"e. <ou can de"elop cur"es
using the following6
7 #ro>ection of cur"es onto faces.
7 Intersection of faces.
7 Offsetting cur"es in a direction or in a face.
7 Computation from data.
7 2pplication of one or more rules /such as location, tangency, cur"ature, etc.0 to other geometry.
Offset Curve
$se the Offset Curve command to offset lines, arcs, conics, splines, edges and sketches. Offset cur"es are
constructed through points calculated normal to the selected &ase cur"es. <ou can choose whether to
associate the offset cur"es to their input data. Cur"es can &e offset within the plane defined &y the selected
geometry, to a parallel plane using the draft angle and height options, or along a "ector you specify when
using the /D A*ia" method. Multiple cur"es can only &e offset if they are in a contiguous string. 'he o&>ect
types of the resulting cur"es are the same as their input cur"es, except for conics and cur"es created using the
#oug) Offset option or the /D A*ia" method, which are offset as splines. Selection Intent options are
a"aila&le on the Selection 4ar, to select the cur"es. If the input string is linear, you must define a plane &y
defining a point which is not colinear with the input string. 'his plane is used as the offset plane. Choose
Inforation?Feature to open the Feature Bro.ser dialog &ox, where you can "iew information on offset
cur"es, such as lists of parents and lists of expressions used in the creation parameters. 'he following graphic
shows the different types of offset cur"es you can create.
@ istance type offset cur"e.
@ raft type offset cur"e.
@ !aw Control type offset cur"e
5here do I find itA
7 Choose Insert-Curve fro Curves-Offset.
7 On the Curve too"'ar0 click Offset Curve
Offset curve o!tions
'here are four options for offset curces6
7 Distance @ Creates offset cur"es at a constant distance, in the plane of the input cur"es.
7 Draft @ Offsets cur"es in a plane parallel to the plane of the input cur"es at a specified distance and angle.
7 La. Contro" @ Offsets cur"es at a distance defined with the !aw Function.
7 /D A*ia" @ Creates an offset of selected + cur"es &y a gi"en distance along a "ector direction that you
specify. 'he function also corrects the cur"es similar to rough offset, to maintain the specified distance
&etween cur"es regardless of the steepness of the input cur"e. 5hen you select + cur"es for offset, only the
+ axial offset is a"aila&le. <ou can get information on associati"e offset cur"es, such as lists of parents and
lists of expressions that were used in creation parameters when you choose Inforation1Feature.
Tri O!tions
<ou can choose a method for trimming or extending the offset cur"es to their intersection points. 'he choices
for trim method "ary, depending on whether or not you use an associati"e output.
#oug) Offset
5hen you want to discard regions of self intersection in the offset string of cur"es you can use the #oug)
Offset option. 'he output of rough offset applied to splines is a single spline that approximates the input
string at the specified offset distance.
Activities
In the Cur"es used for creating freeform featuressection, do the following acti"ities6
7 Create an offset cur"e
7 Create a + axial offset cur"e
Bridge Curve
$se the Bridge Curve command to create, shape, and constrain &ridge cur"es &etween cur"es, points,
surfaces, or surface edges. <ou can also use this command to create symmetric &ridge cur"es across a datum
plane. 'his following graphic shows fi"e &ridge cur"es &etween a surface edge and points on a cur"e. 'he
&ridge cur"es are perpendicular to the surface edge at the intersection point.

Create and custoi2e 'asic 'ridge curves
'his example shows how to create and customi:e &ridge cur"es &etween the sheet &odies &elow. 'he final
part includes four &ridge cur"es and a T)roug) Curve Mes) surface &ased on the cur"es.

(. From the Curves tool&ar, choose .
,. 'o define start and end points for the straight cur"e at the &ottom of the part, select the cur"e ends at 3
and 4 .

+. 'o complete the first &ridge cur"e, click A!!"+.
B. 'o define start and end points for the second cur"e, select the cur"e ends 2t + and B .

*. 'o change the tangent magnitude from the start point, click the handle at , type ,, and press ENTE#5


C. 'o complete the cur"e, click A!!"+.
D. 'o create the final two &ridge cur"es, select the start and end points and click A!!"+. 'he following
graphic shows the final part, including a T)roug) Curve Mes) surface &ased on the &ridge cur"es.

S+etric Bridge
2 symmetric constraint is useful when creating half of a model that is to &e mirrored across a center plane.
'he symmetric &ridge cur"e is automatically constructed when you set the following options in the 4ridge
Cur"e dialog &ox6
7 End O'(ect /at center line0 is set to 6ector.
7 'he "ector is normal to the mirror direction across the center line.
7 G3, G4, or G/ cur"ature continuity is used. %rocedure
7 Select the first cur"e.
7 Filter to O'(ect. For symmetry.
7 Select a datum plane.
7 Select G4 or G/ Continuit+ to the datum normal.
7 Click A!!"+.
Activit+
In the Cur"es used for creating freeform featuressection, do the following acti"ity6
7 Create &ridge cur"es
%ro(ect Curve
$se this command to pro>ect cur"es, edges, and points onto faces, faceted &odies, and datum planes. <ou can
direct your pro>ection toward, or at an angle to, a specified "ector, a point, or along the face normals. 'he
software trims pro>ected cur"es at holes or edges of the faces. 'his example shows sketch cur"es pro>ected
along the EF axis onto a sheet &ody.

Activit+
In the Cur"es used for creating freeform features section, do the following acti"ity6
7 #ro>ected Cur"es
Co'ined %ro(ection
$se the Co'ined %ro(ection command to com&ine the pro>ections of two existing cur"es to create a new
cur"e. 'he two cur"e pro>ections must intersect. <ou can6
7 Select cur"es, edges, faces, sketches, and strings.
7 Specify whether the new cur"e is associated with the input cur"es.
7 Specify whether you want to keep, hide, delete or replace the input cur"es.
In most cases, this command creates an approximated 49cur"e. =owe"er, you can also create an exact cur"e
without approximation if6
7 'here is only one cur"e in each of the two original strings, which can &e GmatchedG together internally &y
-. with the same num&er of poles, degrees and knots.
7 'he de"iation &etween each correspondent control pole of the two resulting matched cur"es is less than the
current modeling tolerance along the Gnon9pro>ectionG direction, which is normal to the two pro>ection
"ectors.
Activit+
In the Cur"es used for creating freeform features section, do the following acti"ity6
7 Create a com&ined pro>ection
Intersection Curve
$se the Intersection Cur"e command to create intersection cur"es &etween two sets of o&>ects.
7 Intersection Cur"es are generated &etween two sets of faces or planes.
7 Intersection Cur"es are associati"e and update according to the changes in their defining o&>ects. 'hey can
&e edited &y adding or remo"ing o&>ects to or from the sets of intersection o&>ects.
7 <ou can select multiple o&>ects in the input sets to perform an intersection operation.
7 5hen possi&le, analytic cur"es /lines, arcs, and ellipses0 are created; otherwise, a spline is created. 'he
following graphic shows an example of intersection cur"es that are created where a sheet &ody intersects a
solid &ody.

(@ First set of faces or planes /&ody faces selected0.
,@ Second set of faces or planes /sheet &ody0.
+@ Intersection Cur"e feature.
%art 6ersions grou!
'he %art 6ersions group contains the Load list, with options to control how to find component parts.
7 As Saved loads parts from the directory in which they were sa"ed.
7 Fro Fo"der loads parts from the same directory as the parent assem&ly.
7 Fro Searc) Fo"ders loads parts from a list of search directories.
Activit+
In the Cur"es used for creating freeform features section, do the following acti"ity6
7 Intersection cur"es
Offset Curve in Face
$se this command to create offset cur"es on one or more faces from connected edges or cur"es on the
surfaces. 'he offset cur"es can &e associati"e or non9associati"e, and lie at a specified distance from an
existing cur"e or edge section. 'he cur"es are created on the face, and are measured along face sections
normal to the original cur"es.

Curve on surface used to create offset curves
35 Selected cur"e on surface to offset.
45 Hesulting offset cur"es on the surface.
7 ifferent spanning methods let you fill the gaps &etween the cur"es. 'here are also options to let you trim
against the selected face &oundaries.
7 'he resulting offset cur"es are either cu&ic splines or analytic cur"es, depending on the input cur"es and the
faces from which they are offset.
7 'he offset cur"es can &e created outside, of off their faces if there is enough surface.
7 'he Modeling Distance To"erance parameter determines how accurately the offset cur"e approximates the
true theoretical offset cur"e, although you can specify your own tolerance.
7 $se the same options to edit an Offset in Face feature that you usedto create it.
Activit+
In the Cur"es used for creating freeform features section, do the following acti"ity6
7 Create offset in face cur"es
Wra!7$n.ra! Curve
$se the Wra!7$n.ra! Curve command to wrap cur"es from a plane onto a conical or cylindrical face or
unwrap cur"es from a conical or cylindrical face onto a plane. <ou cannot delete defining geometry, such as
the wrapped face or faces, the 5rap plane, or the input cur"es until you remo"e all dependence on that
geometry.


Wra!7$n.ra! Curve terino"og+

35 $nwrapped cut line
45 $nwrapped cone top
/5 $nwrapped cone &ottom
85 Cut line E an imaginary line that is some rotation of the tangent line around the axis of the cone or cylinder.
'his line affects where cur"es are placed after &eing wrapped or unwrapped.
If a closed cur"e on the face of a cone or cylinder that completely surrounds the axis is unwrapped, it cuts at
the cut line. 'his is the only time the cut line actually cuts anything. For all other cur"es, if the ma>ority of a
cur"e is to one side of the cut line, it will &e unwrapped to the same side of the tangent line.
95 'angent line E an imaginary line that lies on &oth the wrap face and the wrap plane where they meet. It is a
straight line that is coplanar with the axis of the cone or cylinder
:5 5rap face. For the 5rap option, this is the conical or cylindrical face to which selected cur"es on a tangent
plane are wrapped. For the $nwrap option, selected cur"es on this face are wrapped onto a tangent plane.
;5 5rap plane. For the 5rap option, selected cur"es on this plane are wrapped onto a tangent conical or
cylindrical face. For the $nwrap option, selected cur"es on a tangent conical or cylindrical face are wrapped
onto this plane
S!"ines
2 spline is a standard cur"e in most C2 systems. $nlike lines and conic cur"es, the spline can &e ad>usted to
"irtually any shape in two dimensions or three dimensions. 'he term spline originated from a long flexi&le
strip of wood, metal, or plastic used to lay out "arious cur"ed shapes. 5eights were attached to hold the
spline in place. 'o modify the cur"e, the weights are mo"ed. Spline mathematics simulates, and sometimes
impro"es upon, the &eha"iour of physical splines. Splines are known as -on9$niform Hational 49splines
/-$H4S0. 'heir flexi&le nature and "ariety of data interpretation methods make splines the foundation of
freeform modeling. 'he spline was constructed through fi"e points using the 'hrough #oints
method. 'he spline is constrained to pass through the selected points, represented &y plus sym&ols /I0. 'here
are a corresponding set of poles. #oles are represented as circles. 2 series of lines connecting consecuti"e
poles is called the control polygon of the spline. 'he fan shape is the curvature comb of the spline. 'he
control polygon and com& are part of the analysis display of the spline, which you will study in greater detail
later.

'he following two splines were created using the same fi"e points as 'hrough #oints spline illustrated on the
preceding page. 'he first was created using the 4y #oles method, in which the points specified define a
control polygon. 'he spline passes through only the first and last pole.

'he second spline was created &y the Fit method, in which the system approximates input points with a
relati"ely smooth cur"e. 'he first and last points are on the spline. <ou can see that different construction
methods produces dramatically different results.

S!"ine creation et)ods
-. offers three &asic methods for creating splines6
7 Studio s!"ines
Studio splines can &e created so they are associated with the points selected to create them. If the points
change, the spline is updated. 'his is the recommended method for creating splines. 'here are two methods
to create studio splines.
o T)roug) %oints
'he spline passes through a set of specified points.
o B+ %o"es
'he points specified define the control polygon of the spline. Only the ends of the spline pass through
specified points.
7 S!"ines
'here are four methods for creating non9associati"e splines.
o B+ %o"es
'he specified points define the control polygon of the spline.
o T)roug) %oints.
'he spline passes through the points specified.
o Fit
'he spline is fitted to the specified points. 'he spline does not exactly pass through any the points.
o %er!endicu"ar to %"anes.
'he spline passes through one specified point, and is perpendicular to all the planes specified.
7 Fit s!"ine
<ou can create a spline fitted to the specified points, that allows you to specify constraints as with studio
splines.
Segentation0 <not !oints
'here are two types of points associated with splines6
Defining !oints 9 $sed to create the spline.
Knot !oints 9 8ndpoints of the spline segments. 'he minimum num&er of points re1uired for all splines is
one more than the degree of the spline.
S!"ine data
'he following data is stored for a spline6
7 'he degree of the cur"e.
7 2n array of poles /"ertices0 for the cur"e.
7 #arameter "alues which define the segments of the cur"e.
7 efining points /if created using through points0.
7 Fit weight /if created using the fit method0.
Associative s!"ine data
Studio splines created with the associati"e option are features. 'he associati"e splines appear in the %art
Navigator. 'hey must &e edited using Feature methods, such as Edit %araeters, or &y dou&le9clicking in
the
%art Navigator. 2ssociati"e splines are updated when changes are made to geometry selected for6
7 #oints
7 #oles
7 'angency constraints
7 Cur"ature constraints
Ti!s for creating freefor curves
7 $se single segment splines whene"er possi&le.
7 If you need more than two segments to capture a shape, consider framing the part with multiple cur"es.
=ow you can do this is explained later in the course.
7 $se degree three splines when possi&le.
7 $se degree fi"e splines to maintain cur"ature continuity with cur"es at &oth ends of a single segment spline.
Se"ected Curves
Most freeform construction methods co"ered in this course re1uire the selection of cur"es. epending on the
type of feature &eing created, they are referred to as Sections, Guides, %riar+ Curves, or Cross Curves.
S.e!t features re1uire one to three Guides, with no limit on Sections. T)roug) Curve Mes) and T)roug)
Curves features do not ha"e a limit on the num&er of cur"es. 8ach set of selected cur"es can consist of a
com&ination of cur"es or edges. $p to *))) can &e selected, if you ha"e enough memory. =owe"er, we
recommend
that the fewest num&er possi&le &e used. Some features re1uire that certain strings are planar, or must &e
tangent continuous. 8ach of these cases is descri&ed indi"idually.
%riar+ and transition 'odies
#rimary &odies /sheets or solids0 are, in general, the main features that define a re1uired shape. 'ransitions
are secondary contours that define a blend or transition from one primary face, or set of faces, to another
face or set of faces. A!!"ications for !riar+ s)eet 'odies $se sheet &odies for the following6
7 'o create contours and shapes that would &e difficult or impossi&le to achie"e with standard solid modeling.

7 'o trim a solid &ody to create a contour or shape on one or more faces of the solid &ody.

7 'o create a solid &ody &y creating and sewing se"eral sheets together to totally enclose a "olume.

$ and 6 Grids
Faces of sheet or solid &odies can &e "isually represented in Static 5ireframe rendering &y $ and V grids and
&oundaries. -ote that the $ and V grid is a display feature only, not an analysis tool. Jrid display may &e
useful to examine iso9parameter lines of a surface.

5hen a &ody is first created, the density of the grid is determined &y the "alues in $ Count and 6 Count on
the Genera" ta& of the Mode"ing %references dialog &ox. <ou can change the grid display of an existing
&ody.
7 Choose Edit1O'(ect Dis!"a+ .
7 Select the o&>ect.
7 Change the "alues for Wirefrae Dis!"a+ $ 6.
'o modify indi"idual faces on a sheet or solid &ody, select Face on the Selection &ar. <ou can also set the
default color and font of grid lines &y choosing %references9Mode"ing /Ana"+sis ta&09Face Dis!"a+ group.
Freefor Construction #esu"t o!tions
<ou can use the options on the Freefor ta& in the Mode"ing %references dialog &ox to set freeform feature
construction and analysis display. 'he Freefor Construction #esu"t options allow you to control the type
of &ody created when using T)roug) Curves, T)roug) Curve Mes), S.ee!, and #u"ed commands. B-
Surface E Creates 49Surface faces, e"en ifthe generator geometry is planar. %"ane E Creates trimmed #lanar
faces if the defining cur"es are coplanar. =owe"er, if you edit the defining cur"es so that they are no longer
coplanar,the faces will automatically &e con"erted to 49Surface.
Ana"+sis ta' o!tions
'he Ana"+sis ta& on the Mode"ing %references dialog &ox has the following options.
%o"e and %o"+"ine Dis!"a+ @ !ets you control the color and font of poles and the control polygon of a
spline or face.
Edited %o"e and %o"+"ine Dis!"a+ @ !ets you control the color and font of poles and the control polygon of
a spline or face when it is &eing edited.
Face Dis!"a+ @ !ets you control the color and font of the grid and knot lines of faces.
Deterining t)e face t+!e
<ou can determine the type of face of a freeform feature &y using
Inforation1O'(ect, and selecting Face on the Selection &ar and then selecting the face. Or, you can
choose Inforation1O'(ect and use the T+!e
Fi"ter /in the dialog &ox0 to turn on Face, and select the faces. 'he information a&out the faces selected is
displayed in a window.
Modif+ing %araeters Edit Feature %araeters allows changing the parameters of any
parametric feature E freeform or not. It is found on the Edit Feature tool&ar, or &y choosing
Edit1Feature1Edit %araeters and selecting the feature. Or you can edit them &y right clicking the
feature in the %art Navigator or in the graphics window, and choosing Edit %araeters. Edit .it)
#o""'ac<
Edit .it) #o""'ac< rolls the model &ack to a timestamp >ust precedes the one you wish to edit. It is accessed
on the Edit Feature tool&ar, or &y choosing Edit1Feature1Edit .it) #o""'ac<. 'his option works the
same as 8dit #arameters, &ut the edited feature@and all earlier features disappear during edit. It is accessed
the same as 8dit #arameters, or you can dou&le9click the feature in the %art Navigator or in the graphics
window..
To"erances
-ot all surfaces use the tolerances specified on the Mode"ing %references dialog &ox. See the -. online
help or technical documentation for a full explanation.
Distance To"erance
istance tolerance is the maximum distance allowed &etween the true theoretical sheet and the resulting
approximated sheet that -. creates. Methods using approximation re1uire a distance tolerance. 'he distance
tolerance can &e set in the Mode"ing %references dialog &ox on the Genera" ta&.
Ang"e To"erance
2ngle tolerance is the maximum angle allowed &etween the normal of the true theoretical sheet, and the
normal of the sheet that -. creates to approximate it. Some methods re1uire an angle tolerance. If you
increase the tolerance to a "ery large "alue, you effecti"ely remo"e
that tolerance from consideration. If you set tolerances to extremely small "alues, it can result in unwanted
surface complexity.
T)roug) Curves
$se the T)roug) Curves command to create a &ody through multiple sections where the shape changes to
pass through each section. 2 section can consist of a single o&>ect or multiple o&>ects, and each o&>ect can &e
any com&ination of cur"es, and solid edges, or a solid face. <ou can do the following6
7 $se multiple sections to create a sheet &ody or solid &ody.
7 Control the shape of the surface &y aligning it to the sections in a "ariety of ways.
7 Constrain the new surface to &e J), J(, or J, continuous with tangent surfaces.
7 Specify single or multiple output patches.
7 Make the new surface normal to the end sections.

'he T)roug) Curves command is similar to the #u"ed command. 5ith T)roug) Curves, you can use more
than two sections and you can specify tangency or cur"ature constraints at the start and end sections.
A"ignent et)ods
A"ignent methods are a"aila&le in many -. commands. 'hey allow you to control how the feature flows
from one section to another. Following is a list of the methods. -ot all are a"aila&le in all commands.
7 %araeter @ Spaces the isoparametric cur"e connection points at e1ual parameter inter"als along the
sections. -. uses the entire length of each cur"e. #arameter "alues "ary according to cur"ature; the tighter
the cur"ature, the closer is the inter"al. 'he following graphic shows the grid display of how the
isoparametric lines are spaced when you use the %araeter alignment method.

7 Arc Lengt) @ Spaces isoparametric cur"e connection points at e1ual arc length inter"als along the
defining sections. -. uses the entire length of each cur"e. 'he following graphic shows how the entire
section length is di"ided into e1ual arc length segments to align.

7 B+ %oints @ 2ligns points &etween sections of different shapes. -. places alignment points and their
alignment lines along the sections. <ou can add, delete, and mo"e the points to preser"e sharp corners or
otherwise refine the surface shape. 'he following graphics shows a surface that transitions from a circular
section to a rectangular one.

control the specific alignment of points in each section. It is recommended that you include alignment points
at sharp corners. If you do not, -. creates high9cur"ature, smoothed corner &odies to approximate them,
and any su&se1uent feature operations performed on the corners or faces, such as &lends, shells, or 4oolean
operations, may fail due to the cur"ature.
7 Distance @ Spaces points along each section at e1ual distances in a specified direction. 'his results in
isoparametric cur"es that all lie in planes perpendicular to the specified direction "ector. 'he defining cur"es
determine the extents of the &ody, the &ody continues until it reaches the end of one of the defining cur"es.
<ou can specify the direction in which the isoparametric cur"es are spaced. Internally, -. constructs planes
which are intersected with each of the defining cur"es to o&tain the points needed for the isoparametric
cur"es.

7 Ang"e @ Spaces the points along each cur"e at e1ual angles around a specified axis line. 'his results in
isoparametric cur"es which all lie in planes containing the axis line. 'he extents of the &ody are determined &y
the defining cur"es, the &ody continues until it reaches the end of one of the defining cur"es.

Create a t)roug) curves surface
'his example shows how to create a &asic 'hrough Cur"es surface through six sections. 8ach section
consists of two tangent cur"es.

(. On the Surface tool&ar, click T)roug) Curves or choose Insert9Mes) Surface9T)roug) Curves.
,. Set the Selection Intent rule. For this example, on the Selection &ar, from the Curve #u"e list, Tangent
Curves is selected.
+. Select a cur"e and click the middle mouse &utton to complete the selection of the first section. For this
example, the first cur"e at the upper end is selected.


Since you selected Tangent Curves as your selection rule, two tangent cur"es are added to your model and
displayed as Section 3 in the List &ox.
B. Select additional cur"es and add as a new section. For this example, each set of tangent cur"es is selected
and added as a new section.

To avoid t.isting and to ensure t)at eac) section !oints in t)e sae direction0 se"ect t)e to! curve at
t)e u!!er end5
*. Click OK or A!!"+ to create the 'hrough Cur"es surface. 'he surface is created using the default options
in the A"ignent and Out!ut Surface O!tions groups. For this example, the default %araeter alignment
method is used.

C. ou&le9click the 'hrough Cur"es surface to edit it. 'he T)roug) Curves dialog &ox opens.
D. In the Settings group, clear the %reserve S)a!e option to make other alignment methods a"aila&le for
selection
K. In the A"ignent group, from the A"ignent list, select an option. For this example, from the A"ignent
list, Arc Lengt) is selected. 'he surface isoparametric cur"es are realigned along the sections.

L. On the 6ie. tool&ar, set the #endering St+"e Dro!-Do.n list to S)aded .it) Edges.
(). Click OK to update the surface.

Activit+
In the Primary Sheets and Bodies section, do the following acti"ity6
7 Compare Arc Length and Parameter Alignment
T)roug) Curve Mes)
$se the T)roug) Curve Mes) command to create a &ody through a mesh of sections in one direction, and
guides in another direction, where the shape fits through the mesh of cur"es. 'his command uses sets of
primary cur"es and sets of cross cur"es to create a &i9cu&ic surface.
7 8ach set of cur"es must &e contiguous.
7 'he sets of primary cur"es must &e roughly parallel and the sets of cross cur"es must &e roughly parallel.
7 <ou can use a point instead of a cur"e for the first or last primary set. <ou can do the following6
7 Constrain the new surface to &e J), J(, or J, continuous with ad>acent faces.
7 Control cross cur"e parameteri:ation with a set of spine cur"es.
7 !ocate the surface near the primary cur"es or cross cur"es, or at an a"erage &etween the two sets.

Curve Mes) constraints
$sing the Continuit+ section of the T)roug) Curve Mes) dialog &ox you can constrain the &ody so that it
is tangent to /J(0, or cur"ature continuous /J,0 with, a face or set of faces at the first or last primary and
cross cur"e. G3 =Tangent> continuity@!ets you constrain the new &ody tangent to a face or set of faces. G4
=Curvature> continuity@!ets you constrain the new &ody tangent to, and cur"ature continuous with, a face
or set of faces. 5hen the constraints are created, they match the tangency and the normal cur"ature, in the
tangent direction of the new &ody. <ou can match the constraints along common edges, as well as when the
edges of the cur"e mesh &ody are in the interior of the constraint &ody. Constraints can &e created during the
initial creation of the cur"e mesh, or &y editing it later. G?@Is location only.
Create a t)roug) curve es) using curves and a !oint
'his example shows how to create a surface using a cur"e and a point as primary sets and other cur"es as
cross sets.

(. On the Surface tool&ar, click T)roug) Curve Mes) , or choose Insert9Mes) Surface- T)roug) Curve
Mes).
,. Select a cur"e for the first primary set and click the middle mouse &utton or Add Ne. Set . For this
example, the cur"e at the top is selected.

+. On the Selection &ar, ena&le Sna! %oint and set it to End %oint.
B. Select a point as the second primary set. For this example, the end point of the cur"e is selected as shown.

<ou must select the primary and cross sets in consecuti"e order, mo"ing from one side to the other.
*. Click the middle mouse &utton twice to complete the selection of primary cur"es.

C. Select the sets of cross cur"es and click the middle mouse &utton or Add Ne. Set after each set. For
this example, each &lue cur"e is selected as a set.
2s you select each set of cross cur"es, the pre"iew is updated to display the surface.
D. Click OK or A!!"+ to create the mesh surface.