Revolving Objects

Lesson 2 Revolving Objects This lesson illustrates how to build revolving surfaces. The topics covered include: • NURBS curves. • Lathe. • Extrude. • FillPath. • NURBS Editing.

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Organizing your workspace 1) If you are already working with solidThinking, from the

File menu, select New and Save the scene you were working on. Otherwise, you must first run solidThinking.

2) Choose the default layout option from the Layouts panel

(choose View4Layouts).

3) Open the Grid Setup panel by selecting Edit4Grid Setup. In the Active Snap section, select the Grid #1 radio button.

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4) Click the Front view. Click the NURBS curve icon, where successive clicks add control points. Draw the following curve and press the Spacebar to end.

5) To close the curve, select Closed in the Curve type section of the Modeling Tool panel.

Note: As you can see, the curve reproduces the section of a vase, both the internal portion and the external one.

6) Activate the Lathe function by clicking its icon.

When you are asked to apply the function, click the curve you created. Press Enter to confirm the revolution angle of 360 degrees. Confirm 0,0,0 for Rev. axis start. Press V to define the Vertical Axis. Your vase should look like the one illustrated in the image below.

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7) Select the created surface (it will turn red) and increase or

decrease the values of the Longitude start angle and/or the Longitude end angle in the Modeling Tool panel. The model becomes a section of a vase in real time.

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Revolving Objects

8) Select the curve that has generated the vase and switch to

Edit Mode. Move the points. The geometry of the vase changes in real time as you modify the points.

Note: You can apply any type of transformation, even to groups of selected points. You can select the points by clicking them and simultaneously pressing Shift (if points are consecutive) or Ctrl (if points are not consecutive). By holding down the mouse button and dragging in the view, you can select any point included in a selection box.

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Creating a tire and a wheel rim 1) Click File 4 New to start a new project. Open the Grid

Setup panel by selecting Edit4Grid Setup. Activate the Snap to grid #2.

2) Select the Top view and click the NURBS curve icon.

Draw a curve referring either to the figure below or by inserting the numerical values relative to each point of the curve. Below are the set of values. Press the Spacebar to end the function.

Point coordinates: #1(0, 5, 0); #2(5, 5, 0); #3(6, 5, 0); #4(6, 9, 0); #5(5, 9, 0); #6(0, 9, 0); #7(-5, 9, 0); #8(-6, 9, 0); #9(-6, 5, 0); #10(-5, 5, 0).

3) To close the curve, from the Curve type section in the

Modeling Tool panel, select Closed.

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Revolving Objects

4) Disable Snap to grid #2 using Edit4Active Snaps4Snap disabled.

5) Using the Top view, click the NURBS curve and in the

Console, enter the curve referring to the points provided below.

Point coordinates: #1(5, 5, 0); #2(4.81, 4.67, 0); #3(4.38, 4.67, 0); #4(4.29, 4.43, 0); #5(4.58, 3.85, 0); #6(4.23, 2.45, 0); #7(4.61, 1.43, 0); #8(5.02, 0.90, 0); #9(5, 0, 0).

6) Click the Lathe function and select the first created curve.

Confirm the Revolution axis start as 0,0,0 and enter H for the Horizontal Axis in the Console.

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7) Click the Lathe tool again and select the second curve using

the same parameters.

The tire and wheel rim are complete.

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Creating a flashlight 1) Click File 4 New to start a new project and disable Snap to

grid using Edit4Active Snaps4Snap disabled. Select the Front view. Click the NURBS curve icon and enter the following points in the Console:

Point coordinates: #1(4, 0, 1); #2(4, 0, 3); #3(2, 0, 5); #4(0, , 5); #5(0, 0, 6); #6(3, 0, 6). 0

2) Press the Spacebar to end the command and modify the

Order of the curve to a value of 2 in the Modeling Tool panel.

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3) Switch to Edit Mode and select the last point of the second

order NURBS curve.

Selected point

Revolving Objects

4) Click the New entity button in the Modeling Tool panel and design a new curve to look like the one below.

Note: The last inserted point has coordinates 0, 0, 0. However, with one click of the mouse, it will move to any location of your choice.

5) Insert five new points directly in the view, which will serve to

create a profile as the one illustrated below. Press the Spacebar :

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6) Switch to Edit Mode. Select a Point (see next image) of the new curve entity. In the Modeling Tool panel, bring the Order of the curve to 3.

7) Apply the Lathe function and build the flashlight base. Use

Long. end angle = 360 degrees and Axes Coordinates of 0, 0, 0. Insert H to define the Horizontal Axis of rotation.

Selected point

Order 3 NURBS curve

Revolving Objects

8) Use the World Browser to select the curve used for creating the Lathe object. Click the Edit Mode icon. Select the points and Translate them to attain the following shape modifications.

The flashlight presents a more elongated form.

9) As shown in the figure below, create a NURBS curve in the Front view of Order 2. Use the Modeling Tool panel to correctly set the order of the curve and close it.

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Point coordinates: #1(12, 1, 4); #2(12, 1, 5); #3(13, 1, 6); #4(13, 1, 5); #5(16, 1, 5); #6(16, 1, 6); #7(17, 1, 5); #8(17, 1, 4).

10) Click the Extrude icon and select the curve just created.

Insert 2 as the Extrusion value in the Console.

11) Click the Fillpath icon and select the generated curve that you created in the previous step to create a surface.

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Revolving Objects

12) Create a copy of the surface using Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V or

( Apple + C and Apple + V . on the Mac). Translate the surface you have just pasted and plug up the open portion of the switch.

Note: To position the closing surface, you can use Edit4 Active Snap4Grid#2 and obtain a precise displacement.

13) Create a NURBS curve in the Front view, just as the one in

the next figure.

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Point coordinates: #1(16, 0, 5); #2(15.8, 0, 5.7); #3(15, 0, 5.7).

14) Apply the Lathe function with the following parameters: Long. end angle = 360 degrees, Rev. axis start = 15, 0, 0 and V as the Revolution axis.

15) Select the surface and activate the NURBS editing

command. The NURBS surface can be now deformed by simply selecting and moving groups of points in the Top view. Remember to switch to Edit Mode.

Note: By keeping the Ctrl key pressed, you can select multiple points, even those that are not adjoining. By keeping Shift pressed, you can select all the points between the two selected ones. Position the button on the surface of its holder (see the image below).

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Revolving Objects

16) Click the NURBS curve icon and draw the following curve

in the Right view.

Point coordinates: #1(0, -1, 5); #2(0, -1, 6); #3(0, -0.7, 6); #4(0, -0.7, 5.6); #5(0, 0, 5.3); #6(0, 0.7, 5.6); #7(0, 0.7, 6); #8(0, 1, 6); #9(0, 1, 5).

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17) Click the Extrude icon and the curve you just created, indicating 3 as the Extrusion value.

Translate (X axis) the extruded object over the button surface as indicated in the figure.

18) Now, select all the objects relative to the button in the Browser, right-click the mouse, and activate Group. All the button objects are gathered in a unique Group.

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19) Create a NURBS curve as defined in the figure below.

Point coordinates: #1(4, 0, 1); #2(3.63, 0, 0.63); #3(3.31, 0, 1.15); #4(2.44, 0, 1.54); #5(1.37, 0, 1.45); #6(0.82, 0, 1.04); #7(0.64, 0, 0.49); #8(0.17, 0, 0).

20) Apply the Lathe command to the curve previously created. Confirm the Revolution axis start as 0,0,0 and insert H as the Revolution Axis (Horizontal Axis).

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21) Click the Right view and then click the Cylinder icon.

Assign 5 to the Top and Bottom Radii; Axes = 0,0,0 and Height = 0.2.

Note: Use the Translate command to precisely position the glass onto the flashlight.

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If you want, you can now try adding other parts to this model.