Lofted Surface
What is this green & purple dot means? With Lofted Surface tool activation when I click on different position of the edge creates dot at different places. Part file is attached.
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Re: Lofted Surface
..it's called poor and inconsistent display programming... it's been doing this for years... (and, sw corp should be apologizing here.. but, they won't)
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Re: Lofted Surface
I thought there is any valuable reason behind this. If it is a problem with software it doesn’t matter.
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Re: Lofted Surface
Hopefully, Paul was not teasing you - Actually there are some purposes behind it - Try to select other edge and it's turned blue (not accepted by loft feature)
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Re: Lofted Surface
I'm not joking, I'm telling the truth.. over the years the knots do not display consistently.
If you want to go further,.. the selection/side of the curve/edge/face/vertex is not consistently displayed as expected.
Could it be a graphic display or driver problem or unsupported graphic card or driver??... I'm sure the fringe pom-pons are gripped tightly in those peoples hands.
... having used this program for many years.. this is a inconsistancy which comes and goes,... it's not always easy to capture/replicate.
I think most of us live/deal with it because we know what we need/want from the feature and will either disregard the missing/misplaced knot(s).. and go forward.
I KNOW... someone as SW Corp must test and see this as well... but.... it seems to fall thru the cracks........... JOB SECURITY!!!
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Re: Lofted Surface
Paul,
I trust your opinion as I didn't pay much attention to these display until someone pointing it out - Just thought it as a change for new release
I'll monitor this for the next patch or release
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Re: Lofted Surface
..if Jive only had BEER CREDITS.. we as a group could theoretically wipe out display knot inconsistency!
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Re: Lofted Surface
This is not a problem for the people those who familiar with SW. But it is a problem for unfamiliar people.
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Re: Lofted Surface
not really a problem - just UI (display) which some do/don't like it - I don't mind much as long as I got the feature right !!! not a picky person I am
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Re: Lofted Surface
Maha,.. since you seem to use video as a teaching reference, I'm sure you see the user select a edge which may appear to at or near a end.. and sometimes near the middle? The UI will apply what is selected to the nearest end, "typically"..but sometimes it does not OR the user (all of us,.. me too) select maybe a little near the middle...?
Lofts and Boundary using multple profiles and guide curves and their knots can and will flip at times..
So, you have to be explicit at times where there maybe interpretation or perspective involved.
Note:.. your RMB does have a flip direction option if you select the wrong end. (which btw... is another case where the knot does not always display or respond as expected).
So.. if you get confused or the profile/guides get confusing... it is best to start over,.. in order and being more explicit. (and that can be another issue.. or video?)
Anyhow,.. honestly... ALL programs have issues.. for some of us,.. (as you are finding out).. they really are a pita at times.. so again.. many have to workaround/through the inconsistencies...
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Re: Lofted Surface
This a YouTube video. Demonstrator is saying to select corner but when LOFT tool is active you can’t select corner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XYVwAwXCqs&t=214s
Time around 16.49
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Re: Lofted Surface
..correct, he says select the corner .. but, it should be, select the edge "near the corner" or "near the end".. or, the next shared start point (green).
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Re: Lofted Surface
..btw,.. I just noticed this.... I'm honored!... it is very nice to see someone replicate my online helmet from 2003!
http://www.zxys.com/swparts/helmet_football_zxys.zip
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Re: Lofted Surface
I really want to see 49er or Cowboy in the Superbowl but take my kid's side: Patriots
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Re: Lofted Surface
The reason why only 1 connector is shown when you select the edge near where the two meet is that there actually are 2 connectors there. They are just lying one on top of the other.
You can see there with the tangency arrows that there are actually two points there otherwise it wouldn't be able to do this. SOLIDWORKS likes to make all surfaces with 4 edge by default, that's how its been programmed to do it, that's why you see the mesh preview converging to a point like that too. In this case the 4th edge is actually zero length, so that the connectors lie on top of each other and that geometry can be made (called degenerate). This does however cause a singularity on occasion which you will be able to see using a curvature plot.
You can see there the singularity appearing, causing a disruption to the curvature of the surface at that point, but it will still create it for you.
To show you that all surfaces are wanted to be created using 4 edges I'll demonstrate with a circle. So I've created a sketch of a circle and then made it into a surface using Planar Surface. I've then used face curves to show a sort of "Mesh preview" if you will.
If you then go to Untrim this surface, you will see a square preview and then when you hit the green tick the untrimmed surface is a square.
So when you create a circular shape, the maths behind the SOLIDWORKS software is actually creating a square and then trimming it back. It uses the same method when creating circular solid shapes which you can test if you create a cylinder, use delete face to remove all of the faces apart from the bottom and then untrimming it.
Hopefully this helped,
Chris
