Surfaces in SolidWorks: A Comprehensive Guide

1. SolidWorks Surfaces Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Dr. Behnam Moetakef Imani

2. Surfaces in SolidWorks • Surface body a general term that describes connected zero-thicknessgeometries: • single surfaces, • knit surfaces, • trimmed and filleted surfaces, • and so on.

3. Extruded Surface To extrude a surface: • Sketch the profile of the surface. • Click Extruded Surface on the Surfaces toolbar, or click Insert, Surface, Extrude. • Set the PropertyManager options. • Very close to solid sweep

4. Extruded Surface • Set the PropertyManager options based on the type of extrude feature

5. Revolved Surface • To create a revolved surface • Sketch a profile and a centerline around which to revolve the profile.  • Click Revolved Surface on the Surfaces toolbar, or click Insert, Surface, Revolve. • Set the PropertyManager options.

6. Revolved Surface • Surface Revolves with Selected Contours

7. Swept Surface • To create a swept surface • Create planes for sketching the sweep profile, sweep path, and if necessary, the guide curves. • Sketch the sweep profile and path on the planes that you created. • If you are using guide curves, create coincident or pierce relations between the guide curves and the profile. • Set the Property Manager options.

8. Lofted Surface To create a lofted surface • Create a plane for each profile section of the loft. • The planes do not need to be parallel. • Sketch the section profiles on the planes. You can create all section and guide curve sketches inside a single 3D sketch. • Set the PropertyManager options

9. Face Curves • iso-parametric (UV) curves from a face or surface. • Tools, Sketch Tools, Face Curve • Applications of this functionality include extracting the curves for imported surfaces.

10. Face Curves • Options: • Constrain to model. When selected, the curves are updated if the model changes. • Ignore holes.

11. Boundary Surface • The boundary surface feature create surfaces that can be tangent or curvature continuous in both directions (all sides of the surface). • In most cases, this delivers a higher quality result than the loft tool. • Consumer product designers and others who require high quality surfaces with curvature continuity can use this tool.

12. Boundary Surface • To create a boundary surface feature: • Click Boundary Surface (Surface toolbar) or Insert, Surface, Boundary Surface. • Set the Property Manager options. • Curve callouts colors match those used in the PropertyManager. • Click callouts to change the Tangent Type. • This feature can work with only one set of edges selected

13. Boundary Surface • Single curve to a point in one direction Curvature combs provide visual enhancement of the slope and curvature of most sketch entities

14. Boundary Surface Curves. Determines the curves used to create the boundary feature in this direction. Select sketch curves, faces, or edges to connect. Boundary features are created based on the order of curve selection

15. Boundary Surface • Tangent Type • none • Direction Vector • Tangency to Face • Curvature to Face

16. Boundary Surface • Check tangent types

17. Boundary Surface • Example of Boundary Surface Alignment • The alignment options control alignment of the boundary surface iso parameters, which control the flow of the boundary surface. - It depends on tangent types

18. Boundary Surface • Align with next section • Aligns the boundary surface iso parameters to the iso parameters of the start and end surfaces, based on distance. • Tangent type: tangency to face

19. Boundary Surface • Align with section normal • Aligns the boundary surface iso parameters normal to the selected curve.

20. Boundary Surface • Align with other geometry • Aligns the boundary surface iso parameters with greater influence determined by the end points of the selected curve.

21. Boundary Surface • Align with iso parameter • Aligns the boundary surface iso parameters to match the flow of the iso parameters of the starting surface at the selected curve

22. Boundary Surface • Check alignment options

23. Boundary Surface Continue on direction 2

24. Boundary Surface • The main advantage of Boundary Surface over Loft is that Boundary Surface can apply a Curvature boundary condition all the way around, while Loft cannot apply curvature on the guide curves. • If several edge or sketch segments combine to form one side of a direction, then you must use the SelectionManager to form the edge segments into a group. SelectionManager enables you to select portions of a single sketch or to combine elements such as sketch, edge, and curve into a single selection for use as a profile or guide curve for Boundary or Loft features.

25. Planar Surface • You can create planar surfaces from these items: • A non-intersecting closed sketch • A set of closed edges • Multiple co-planar parting lines • A pair of  planar entities such as curves or edges

26. Planar Surface To create a bounded planar surface from a sketch • Create a non-intersecting, single contour, closed sketch. • Click Planar Surface on the Surfaces toolbar, or click Insert, Surface, Planar. • In the Property Manager, select the sketch in the graphics area or FeatureManager design tree for Bounding Entities . To create a planar surface bounded by a set of closed edges in a part • Click Planar Surface on the Surfaces toolbar, or click Insert, Surface, Planar. • In the Property Manager, select a set of closed edges in a part for Bounding Entities . All edges in the set must be on the same plane.

27. Offset Surface • Offset Surface on the Surfaces toolbar, • or click Insert, Surface, Offset • To create a surface of a solid, offset by zero

28. Radiate Surface • Radiate Surface • creates a surface by radiating edges of solids or surfaces along a selected planar direction

29. Radiate Surface • Radiate creates a surface that is parallel to a reference plane and perpendicular from a selected edge. • The best example of a Radiate surface is a mold parting line that goes around a plastic part. • If the parting line is not planar, the Radiate surface is not planar. • Radiate often has problems around sharp corners and fillets.

30. Ruled Surfaces • A Ruled surface is a standard surface type where the face curves in either the U or the V direction are straight lines. • Mold designers or plastic part designers frequently use them when trying to establish drafted faces around complex curves. • You can only make a Ruled surface from edges, not from sketches or curves. • Split Lines work because they are edges, but Projected Curves do not.

31. Ruled Surfaces • Ruled Surface • creates surfaces that extend out in a specified direction from selected edges

32. Ruled Surfaces • Ruled Surface • Add tangent extensions to complex surfaces • Create drafted sidewalls • Replace non-drafted surfaces on imported models with drafted surfaces (using the Tapered or Sweep type) • Create parting and interlock surfaces

33. Ruled Surfaces • Normal to Surface • Ruled surface is normal to the surfaces that share an edge.

34. Shape Feature not supported

35. Freeform • freeform feature • modifies faces of surface or solid bodies. • only one face at a time • face can have any number of sides. • Designers have direct, interactive control of deformations by • creating control curves • and control points, • then pushing and pulling the control points to modify the face. • Use the triad to constrain the push or pull direction.

36. Freeform

37. Freeform • Add control curves. • Adjust the display by adding transparency, zebra stripes, etc. This does not affect anything in the model itself. • Select a control curve and use the triad to drag the control points to modify the face. • Direction1 Symmetry / Direction2 Symmetry • Triad • Global • Surface • Curve

38. Freeform • control curves • Note on add curve • Add point

39. Freeform • Continuity callouts, which control the relation of the modified face to the original face before you modify it (along the selected boundary. • Contact. Maintains contact along the original boundary. Tangency and curvature are not maintained. • Tangent. Maintains the tangency along the original boundary. For example, if the face originally made an angle of 10° where it meets the boundary, the angle is maintained after you modify the face. • Curvature. Maintains the curvature of the original boundary. For example, if the face originally had a normal radius of curvature of 10 meters with a plane along the boundary, that same radius is maintained after you modify the face.

40. Freeform • Continuity callouts, • Moveable. The original boundary is moveable but original tangency is not maintained. You can drag and modify the boundary using control points just like you can modify the face. Select a boundary handle or point and drag to move it. • Moveable/Tangent. The original boundary is moveable and it maintains its original tangency parallel to the original face. You can drag and modify it using control points like you can modify the face.  Select a boundary handle or point and drag to move it.

41. Freeform

42. Freeform

43. Filled Surface • Filled Surface feature • a surface patch with any number of sides, within a boundary defined by existing model edges, sketches, or curves, including composite curves. • You can use this feature to construct a surface to fill a gap in a model. • It can • Correct a part that does not import correctly • Fill the holes in a part used for core and cavity molding. • Construct a surface for industrial design applications. • Include features as separate entities, or merge those features

44. Filled Surface

45. Filled Surface

46. Filled Surface

47. Filled Surface

48. Filled Surface

49. Mid-Surface • Mid-Surface • create mid surfaces between suitable selected face pairs on solid bodies. • Suitable face pairs should be offset from each other. • The faces must belong to the same body. • Examples of suitable face pairs include two parallel planes, or two concentric cylindrical faces. • Mid surface is useful for generating meshes of two-dimensional elements in finite element modeling.

50. Parting surfaces • Parting surfaces • extrude from the parting lines • used to separate the mold cavity from the core • Tangent to surface. Parting surface is tangent to the surface of the parting line. • Normal to surface. Parting surface is normal to the surface of the parting line. • Perpendicular to pull. Parting surface is perpendicular to the direction of pull. This is the most common.