I need to extrude a complex 3D surface to another even more complex 3D surface, and the extrude must have a 10 degree draft. The result must be solid.
Lofting/Boundary is out of the question, as I need it finished still this year
...But the draft doesn't work (works only for a small segment), as visible on the pictures
Adding extra segments goes shenanigan mode
Although the source and destination surfaces are complex, the problem seems pretty much like another SW's fussiness
I need solid because it must merge with other solids to come.
I ran across a similar design last week. Tried lofting and bounding and filling surfaces back and forth in all thinkable combinations... created two thousand guide lines, and still, the result was a crap... bent surfaces.. gaps... lost a whole day on it.
Another problem I stumbled across was that knitting the surfaces after never resulted in a "solid". I need a "Merge result", that knitting was unable to give.
Important: got only solidworks 2013
May I recommend if geometry wont draft, try a basic extrude with draft with the basic profile, if it gives an error shorten the extrude length, if it gives you an error as the angle increase, observe the solid body preview for where geometry is having errors and composite.
Also try to think of geometry as basic geometric profiles (solids or surfaces) and not how complex the final geometry is, keep pecking away at profiles as final shape developes.
Happy modeling. Jason
How did you do the one on the picture ?
Does it have 10 degrees ?
Does the... let's call it "arm"... retains a constant thickness on the front face where you cut it (assuming that something was cut to get there) ?
I thought about extruding a simple geometry... A to B... then trimming away undesired material in the front and back, but the... "arm"... gets thicker in the front area, where it's cut.
Also: what do you mean by composite? I tried "shortening the length" of the surface extrusion as you suggest, but it gets too short... doesn't reach the target surface
I can extrude up to 22 of length, then I can select this new face and extrude again. Then trim. But the result is horrible... and not a solid
Lastly, I tried following the principle that an optimal feature is made in the less possible (and simplest) steps - that's why I left the "go chipping material" method for last
Important: got only solidworks 2013
A solution I found for now is to simplify the sketch I'm trying to form
The left hand first, in my case, then the right. Or, alternatively, removing the rounds from the sketch
Everything works, then (except making it a solid. Open for ideas, by the way)
Not the ideal, but...
I fear for those who cannot do this
Thread still open for the moment
It won't become a solid until/unless you close the surfaces. Surfaces are totally separate from solids in Solidworks. Once you add another surface(s) to close the area, then when you knit, you will get an option to form a solid, and then another option to merge the result.
One way you could close the surface is to do a 0" offset surface from your solids. Then trim the new surfaces back to your created surfaces, then knit.
Knitting method did the job
Thank you
Didn't work last time I tried... and I remember marking those options...
Anyway
Thanks again
You'd be way better off to just use surfaces. You're trying to specify a more difficult way to do it because I'm guessing you don't understand surfaces very well, and you're afraid of working with them. Since you already have some surfaces, and it's not clear that the method you're trying to force on the model will create something compatible with what is already there, I would just use surfaces. You said there is something "complex", but this is all pretty simple, until you start forcing a solid work flow on it.
Attached is something to get you started.