3 Replies Latest reply on Jun 10, 2010 7:57 AM by Kevin De Smet

    Surface loft profile help

    Jason Seefeldt
    Jason Seefeldt Jun 9, 2010 11:35 AM

      On the part shown on the lower picture & attached below, I’m trying to add a profile to the surface loft feature.  The feature is the “swipe” running along the side of the part.  It should fade out near the front & rear of the part, as is shown.  The problem I’m having is that I want the “sideswipe to not follow the profile of the loft, but run in a straight line orientation as sketched on the upper picture.  Is there any way that I can add that profile to the loft feature and have it follow the straight line path?  I need the sideswipe to blend into the profile of the loft and not look like it’s a “bubble” on the surface of the loft.  Are there any other features that may work better or a combination of features?

       

      I’m using solidworks 2010.

      Sideswipe profile.JPGSideswipe profile1.JPG

        • Re: Surface loft profile help
          Lenny Bucholz
          Lenny Bucholz Jun 9, 2010 1:30 PM (in response to Jason Seefeldt)

          don't try to make it one surface! make the top and bottom surfaces first, then the left annd right side then knit together then surface fill the front and back.

           

          you are trying to much at one time. smaller steps make it easier sometimes.

           

           

          just my opinion...model maker and prototyper.

          • Re: Surface loft profile help
            Jerry Steiger
            Jerry Steiger Jun 9, 2010 4:27 PM (in response to Jason Seefeldt)

            Jason,

             

            I didn't open up your part, but you will probably be much better off adding the swipe as another feature. Mixing the smooth countours of the front and back edges with the straight swipe is not going to work out well in the loft.

             

            You may be able to do the swipe as one feature, but to get it to smoothly transition to the original surface, you may end up making the straight swipe with abrupt transitions to the surface and then make a blend surface or surfaces, perhaps with fill or boundary, by cutting the original surface and/or the swipe. I could easily imagine the sequence being to generate a swipe that extends past the body, trimming the swipe and then the body to generate the edges of the fill or boundary surface(s), and then making the transition surface(s). You might end up putting in some 3D splines for guide curves as well.

             

            Jerry Steiger

            • Re: Surface loft profile help
              Kevin De Smet
              Kevin De Smet Jun 10, 2010 7:57 AM (in response to Jason Seefeldt)

              One of the many great presentations from Solidworks World talked about thinking about surfaces as sides of a box. Even though your shapes are more freeform than solid modeling, making a front then a side then top and bottom (or any other sequence of such) and coming to a closed model, then making it solid. Can help you a great deal.