A sweep is a CAD feature that creates a 3D object by projecting a 2D profile along a path. The document explains how to create a sweep by sketching a profile shape and path, then using the sweep command to project the profile along the path. It discusses different sweep options like type, taper angle, orientation, profile scaling, and body type that can change the resulting geometry.
A sweep is a CAD feature that creates a 3D object by projecting a 2D profile along a path. The document explains how to create a sweep by sketching a profile shape and path, then using the sweep command to project the profile along the path. It discusses different sweep options like type, taper angle, orientation, profile scaling, and body type that can change the resulting geometry.
A sweep is a CAD feature that creates a 3D object by projecting a 2D profile along a path. The document explains how to create a sweep by sketching a profile shape and path, then using the sweep command to project the profile along the path. It discusses different sweep options like type, taper angle, orientation, profile scaling, and body type that can change the resulting geometry.
A sweep is a CAD feature that creates a 3D object by projecting a 2D profile along a path. The document explains how to create a sweep by sketching a profile shape and path, then using the sweep command to project the profile along the path. It discusses different sweep options like type, taper angle, orientation, profile scaling, and body type that can change the resulting geometry.
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Sweeps
What is a Sweep? A “Sweep” is a feature in CAD software involving a 2-dimensional shape that is projected along a pre-set path thus creating a 3-dimensional object. Creating a Sweep The steps behind a sweep are pretty basic. Create your profile, or face, of the sweep and then create the path. These will require different planes to generate. Start on the front plane and create three circles at 10mm diameter that touch. Surround by a slot that is 15mm wide and encompasses the three circles. Select “Finish Sketch” when complete. Next Step Create a sketch on the right plane and this will be our path. Here I’ve opted for the “Fit Point Spline” just to create a unique style of path. Once you’ve placed the three points, do not forget to hit enter or double-click on the last point when sketching, you can place the following dimensions to define the placements. Click “Finish Sketch” when completed. Making the Sweep What you should have now is something that looks like this image: Select Sweep Command From the “Create” tab click on the pulldown arrow and select “Sweep”. A pop-up dialogue box will appear on the right. We will focus on Profile and Path for now. Select Your Profile and Path For Profile select inside the slot, but not inside the circles, and for Path select the line. You have created the housing for wires now. Edit Sweep Right-click on the “Sweep” in the Timeline at the bottom of your screen. Select “Edit Feature”. We are going to create a sweep of the wires and the housing while taking advantage of the “Distance” feature. Select Circles for Profiles Clear the Profiles by select “X” and the click on Profiles again and select the three circles. Select the Path again if required. Keep the distance at 1.00. Create the Housing Once your first sweep is completed notice the sketches have disappeared. Open the folder “Sketches” and unhide the sketch of the slot. The sketch will reappear. New Sweep Select the slot as your profile and the line as your path. Operation type should be “New Body” and change “Distance” to 0.9. The distance is a ratio of the path. If it is 1.0 then it will go the full distance. At 0.9 it is going 90%. Click OK and you are done. Final Product Other Features within Sweep Each option in the Sweep dialogue box will create different forms of geometry depending on what is entered/selected within those options. Let’s cover those options now. Type In the “Type” pull-down box you have three options to select from:
Single Path – which we did in the lesson
Path + Guide Rail – which will sweep a profile along the path but the scale and orientation can be altered using a guide rail. Path + Guide Surface – which will sweep the profile along the path but the orientation is affected by a selected guide surface. Single Path v Guide Rail Single Path v Guided Surface Notice the difference on the radii when the Right Plane is selected as the Guided Surface. Taper Angle The “Taper Angle” box will increase or decrease the size of the sweep pending on the angle value. Here is a swept feature with a taper angle of 0° value. Taper Angle Increase/Decrease Here we have the same object but with a +2° and then -2° taper. Notice the size differences at the end. Twist Angle This does exactly as advertised. It will twist the swept body accordingly. Orientation How you set the orientation can be critical in some designs. The two options are perpendicular and parallel. Image #1 shows our cable design using a perpendicular orientation to the path (also visible). Image #2 is utilising the parallel orientation. Orientation - Extents When using the Guide Rail you can also select orientation extents. Notice the guide rail is longer than the path. The first image is perpendicular to the path while the second is full extent of the path. Profile Scaling Profile Scaling is another option available when using Guide Rails. Final Options – Body Type When creating a swept feature, you have four options for “Body Type”.
Join – this will connect, or join, the sweep into
an existing feature making them one entity Cut – this will create an extruded cut through an existing feature Intersect – this will connect the sweep with an existing feature where they intersect New Body – this creates a whole new feature Experiment – practice the tool Choosing any one of the three “natural” planes (Right/Front/Top) and sketch a shape (rectangle, circle, ellipse or polygon). Finish the sketch. Opting for any of the other two planes sketch a path using a line or a spline. Finish that sketch. Create a Sweep using these two entities. Play with the settings in the Sweep dialogue box and watch how things change. Add another dimension to your creation by adding a Guide Rail or even utilising the Guided Surface tool and see what happens.
*Practice makes better because no one can be perfect. – Rickson Gracie*
