Deform - Surface Push

Surface push deform modifies surfaces of target bodies by displacing (pushing) them with tool body surfaces. You select a customizable pre-built tool body, such as a polygon or sphere, or use your own tool body.

The target body surfaces approximate the tool body surfaces while maintaining a one-to-one correspondence between every target surface (the number of faces, edges, and vertices remains unchanged in the final target body) before and after the deformation.

Video: Surface Push Deformation of a Car's Dashboard

Surface push deform provides more efficient control of the deform shape as compared to point deform. It is also a predictable way to create specific features based on tool body shapes. Use the triad callout in the graphics area to size the tool body. You can set exact coordinates to place the tool bodies, or you can dynamically move them with a triad in the graphics area.

You select a push direction for the tool body, target bodies to deform, a tool body or bodies, and a deform deviation value (similar to a fillet) to define the deform shape where the target and tool bodies intersect.

Use surface push deform to design free-form surfaces, tooling, plastics, soft packaging, sheet metal, and other applications where it is useful to incorporate the characteristics of tool bodies into existing designs.

To make precise changes to models using a tool body method, see the Indent tool, which creates exact offsets with user-specified clearance and thickness.

Surface push - tool body (green) and deform target	Surface push results