Upload
vuongdat
View
225
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/1/2009
1
July 30, 2009
Brake & Wheel Assembly Team
What is Lofting?
A loft combines two or more cross sections to produce a free form model.Can be a base, boss, cut or surface.Closed contours create a solid loft.
Open contours create a surface loft.
The icons can be found on the Features and Surface toolbars
Sweeps vs. Lofts
Both lofts and sweeps are used for surface modeling and some overlap occurs between the two.Sweeps are best when you can create the cross section by manipulating a single sketch. For a definite shape at both ends and/or in the middle then a loft is best.
Sweeps vs. Lofts
Sweep Example Loft Example
Lofting ToolsMain Tools:Loft (Features Toolbar)○ Creates a solid bounded by two closed curves
Lofted Cut (Features Toolbar)○ Removes material bounded by two closed curves
Lofting Tools
Loft Surface (Surface Toolbar)○ Creates a surface bounded by two open profiles
8/1/2009
2
Loft PropertyManager:Profile Selection
Make profiles on different planesLocation of selected points matterSelect profiles in order from start to end
All closed OR all open profiles required
Loft PropertyManager:Start/End Constraints
Defines the directional behavior of material near start and end constraintsDirection Vector
Normal to Profile
Tangent to Face
Curvature to Face
Loft PropertyManager:Guide Curves
Constrains outline of loftGuide curves must touch profilesSketch between planes
Lofted Cut
Lofted Surface Mesh Preview
A mesh is applied to better visualize a loft surface.It can be applied to all or selected faces.The following options are available in the Mesh Preview selection:Mesh All Faces
Mesh Face
Clear all Meshed Faces
Clear Meshed Faces
8/1/2009
3
Loft Synchronization
Changes the alignment between profilesManipulating the handles or connector points adjusts the alignment of the part.
Loft Synchronization Control
The connectors can be controlled globally or locally:Global twist control:○ The connector moves from vertex to vertex along an edge.
Local twist control:○ Selected handles are dragged along a profile to modify the
synchronization between profiles.
The type of control depends on:Selection sequence
Type of profile
Guide Curves
Lofted Bend
In the sheet metal parts application lofted bends are used to connect two open profile sketches.
Sketch PictureConvert 2‐D to 3‐D with lofts Virtual form of tracingCan be in three dimensions
Edit Sketch Tools MenuSketch Tools
Sketch Picture○ Browse to image (i.e. jpg)
Add transparency
Example
8/1/2009
4
Limitations of Lofting
Cannot loft between a closed profile and an open profile (i.e. circle to line)At least two profiles must be knowResulting solid may not appear as expected
Geometry limitations (i.e. min. draft angles)Lofted surfaces cannot be boundary surfaces for new lofts
One sketch entity per profile sketch
Sample Loft Tutorial Resources
SolidWorks Built‐In Loft TutorialYouTube: “Canoe Hull loft in SolidWorks”Dimonte Group Online Tutorial: “Curvy Stuff 6 ‐ The Basics of Loft”