Surface Sweep PropertyManager

Set the PropertyManager options based on the sweep surface feature.

To open this PropertyManager:

  1. Open a part that has either a closed profile sketch and a sketch path, or a part with a sketch line, edge or curve on the model that you can specify as a path.
  2. Click Swept Surface (Features toolbar).

Sketch Profile

Creates a sweep by moving a 2D profile along a 2D or 3D sketch path.

Profile Sets the profile (section) used to create the sweep. Select the profile in the graphics area or FeatureManager design tree. You can select faces, edges, and curves directly from models as sweep profiles. The profile may be open or closed for a surface sweep feature.
Path Sets the path along which the profile sweeps. Select the path in the graphics area or FeatureManager design tree. The path can be open or closed, and can be a set of sketched curves contained in one sketch, a curve, or a set of model edges. The start point of the path must lie on the plane of the profile.

The following controls are available when the path extends through a profile.

Direction 1 Creates a sweep feature for the path segment that is left from the profile.
Bidirectional Creates a sweep that extends in both directions of the path from a sketch profile.
You cannot use guide curves or set the start and end tangency for a bidirectional sweep.
Direction 2 Creates a sweep for the other direction of the path.
You can control the twist value of the path independently for each direction of the sweep and apply the twist value over the entire length.

Circular Profile

Creates a solid rod or hollow tube along a sketch line, edge, or curve directly on a model.

Profile Sets the profile (section) used to create the sweep. Select the profile in the graphics area or FeatureManager design tree. The profile may be open or closed for a surface sweep feature.
  Diameter Specifies the diameter of the profile.
   
Neither the section, the path, nor the resulting solid can be self-intersecting.

Guide Curves

Not applicable for bidirectional sweeps.

Guide Curves Guides the profile as it sweeps along the path. Select guide curves in the graphics area.
The guide curve must be coincident with the profile or with a point in the profile sketch.
Move Up and Move Down Adjusts the order of the guide curves. Select a Guide Curve and adjust the profile order.
  Merge Smooth Faces Clear to improve performance of sweeps with guide curves and to segment the sweep at all points where the guide curve or path is not curvature continuous. Consequently, the lines and arcs in the guide curves are more accurately matched.
   
Merge Smooth Faces selected
Merge Smooth Faces cleared
When you clear Merge Smooth Faces, the potential exists that some features created later might fail due to the changed geometry.
Show Sections Displays the sections of the sweep. Select the arrows to view and troubleshoot the profile by Section Number.
   

Options

  Profile Orientation Controls the orientation of the Profile as it sweeps along the Path .
   

Follow Path

Section remains at same angle with respect to path at all times.

Example of Follow Path
When you select Follow Path, options stabilize the profiles when small and uneven curvature fluctuations along the path cause the profiles to misalign.

Keep Normal Constant

Section remains parallel to the beginning section at all times, irrespective of the tangent vector of the path.

If there are multiple profiles, sections remain parallel to the beginning section at all times.
Example of Keep Normal Constant

  Profile Twist Applies twist along the path. Select one of the following:

None

(For 2D paths only.) Aligns the profile normal to the path. No correction is applied.

Example of Follow Path and None

Minimum Twist

(For 3D paths only.) Applies a correction to minimize the twisting of the profile along the path.

Example of Follow Path and Minimum Twist

Follow Path and First Guide Curve

Select Follow Path and First Guide Curve and the twist of the intermediate sections is determined by the vector from the path to the first guide curve. The angle between the horizontal plane and the vector remains constant in the sketch planes of all of the intermediate sections. Available when one or more guide curves are selected.

Example of Follow Path and Minimum Twist (one guide curve selected)
Example of Follow Path and Follow First Guide Curve (one guide curve selected)

Follow First and Second Guide Curves

Example of Follow Path and Minimum Twist (two guide curves selected)
Example of Follow Path and Follow First Guide Curve (two guide curves selected)
Example of Follow Path and Follow First Guide and Second Curves (two guide curves selected)
Select Follow First and Second Guide Curves and the twist of the intermediate section is determined by the vector from the first to the second guide curve. The angle between the horizontal plane and the vector remains constant in the sketch planes of all of the intermediate sections. Available when two or more guide curves are selected.

Specify Twist Angle

Define the twist of the profile along the path. Select Degrees, Radians, or Revolutions.

Example of Follow Path with a Twist value of 2.00 revolutions
Example of Keep Normal Constant with a Twist value of 2.00 revolutions

For closed paths, twist values must be equivalent to a multiple of a complete revolution, for example, 360 degrees or 6.2831 radians.

Specify Direction Vector

Select a plane, planar face, line, edge, cylinder, axis, a pair of vertices on a feature, and so on to set the direction vector. Not available with Keep Normal Constant.

Example of Follow Path with Specify Direction Vector (short blue line in preview)

Tangent to Adjacent Faces

Available when attaching a sweep to existing geometry. Makes the adjacent faces tangent at the profile. Available with Follow Path.

Natural

(For 3D paths only.) As the profile sweeps along the path, it pivots to maintain the same angle relative to the curvature in the path. May create unexpected results.

Example of Follow Path and Natural (twist)

  Merge Tangent Faces If the sweep profile has tangent segments, causes the corresponding surfaces in the resulting sweep to be tangent. Faces that can be represented as a plane, cylinder, or cone are maintained. Other adjacent faces are merged, and the profiles are approximated. Sketch arcs may be converted to splines. Has no effect when using guide curves.
  Show Preview Displays a shaded preview of the sweep. Clear to display only the profile and path.

Start and End Tangency

Start Tangency Type

None

No tangency is applied.

Path Tangent

Create the sweep normal to the path at the start.
End Tangency Type

None

No tangency is applied.

Path Tangent

Create the sweep normal to the path at the end.

Curvature Display

Mesh Preview Applies a preview mesh on the selected faces to better visualize the surfaces.
Mesh Density Available when you select Mesh Preview.

Adjusts the number of lines of the mesh.
Zebra Stripes Displays zebra stripes, to make it easier to see surface wrinkles or defects.
Curvature Combs Activates the display of curvature combs.

Select at least one of these options:

Direction 1

Toggle the display of curvature combs along Direction 1.

Direction 2

Toggle the display of curvature combs along Direction 2.

For either direction, select Edit Color to modify the comb color.

Scale

Adjusts the size of the curvature combs.

Density

Adjusts the number of lines of the curvature combs display.