I am creating an incandescent fluorescent light bulb.
And my idea was to create two helices intertwined and then use 3D sketch to connect the top of the helices together using a 3D spline, and connecting the two bottom helices to the base of the bulb using a similar 3D spline. I would then create a composite curve by selecting all four entities (2x helices, 3x 3D splines) to make one complex curve. Then create a circle at the end of the complex curve to be used as the profile for a sweep to create the fluorescent tube bulb for the incandescent light bulb.
However when I try to create the composite curve the relations added to the helices and splines give errors that there are discontinuity between the helices and 3D sketched splines. The relations that are available when I created the 3D splines to the helices are only tangent and equal curvature.
I am stuck and not sure why the 3D sketch does not work when making this, it seems to be a simple composite curve?
Hi Guy, (hum - that sounds kinda strange...)
Take a look at the example attached. You are almost there. SW Sweep is a bit fussy about multiple connected sketch entities and the shape that results. The key to most of these type of issues is: Fit Spline. What I did:
1) create 2 helix curves 180 degrees from one another
2) create a single 3D sketch that connects the top ends and finishes the bottoms of the tube.
3) DO A SINGLE FIT SPLINE thru all sketch entities and the two helix curves. (no need to convert entities on the helix.)
4) create your tube diameter and sweep.
Best Regards
Mark