DesignSpark Mechanical Online Help

Sweeping

You can sweep a face, edge, surface, 3D curve, or other object along a trajectory with the PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. tool. Sweeping a face around a closed path creates a torus.

To sweep a face

1. Click PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. in the Edit group on the Design2D or 3D model that contains at least one top-level component. tab.

2. Select the profile you want to sweep.

3. Select the SweepPull a surface or face along a line or edge using the Pull tool. You can sweep faces and edges, and select straight or curved lines or edges along which to sweep. Sweeping along a spline is a pulling technique for creating a smooth, swoopy shape. See Trajectory. tool guide, then click the sweep trajectory. The sweep trajectory is shown in blue. Alt+double-click to select a tangent chain. Ctrl+click to add contiguous paths.

   You can also select the profile to sweep and then Alt+click the sweep trajectory or Alt+Ctrl+click multiple trajectories. The sweep tool is selected automatically.

   If the trajectory along which you want to sweep is a non-linear curve, you can also Alt+click the curve, which selects the SweepPull a surface or face along a line or edge using the Pull tool. You can sweep faces and edges, and select straight or curved lines or edges along which to sweep. Sweeping along a spline is a pulling technique for creating a smooth, swoopy shape. See Trajectory. tool guide automatically.

   If you select the NormalThe vector that is perpendicular to a flat plane at the selected point. In the case of a non-flat plane, the vector that is perpendicular to the plane tangent to the surface at the selected point. to TrajectoryStraight or curved line or edge along which you sweep a face or an edge. option, the sweep is aligned along the origin trajectory

   To quickly sketch a face perpendicular to a desired trajectory, select the end of the trajectory and select a sketching tool to place the sketch grid at that point. Then draw the face.

4. (Optional) Select options from the Options panelArea of the user interface that enables you to modify functions specific to tools., or right-click and select them from the mini-toolbar.

   Select:

   • Select NormalThe vector that is perpendicular to a flat plane at the selected point. In the case of a non-flat plane, the vector that is perpendicular to the plane tangent to the surface at the selected point. to TrajectoryStraight or curved line or edge along which you sweep a face or an edge. to keep the swept surface normal to the sweep trajectory. If your sweep trajectory is perpendicular to the face you want to sweep, this option is enabled for you.

   • Select ScaleSolid or surface: Change the size of the selected object using the Pull tool. You can scale dynamically or by entering a scale value. Drawing sheet or cross-section views: Magnify or shrink the view by selecting a View in the Structure tree and editing the Properties panel. Sections to control the effect of the vector from the 0-to-X trajectory so that it controls both orientation and scale of the sweep sections. Uncheck the box if you want the vector to control only the orientation of the sweep sections.

   • You can also select from the standard PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. options listed below.

5. Click and drag in the direction of the PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. arrow to sweep the selected objects, or select Full PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. from the Options panelArea of the user interface that enables you to modify functions specific to tools. or mini-toolbar to sweep the entire length of the trajectory. If you select Full PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. and the profile being swept is in the middle of the trajectory, it will be swept in both directions.

   You can also use the Up To tool guide to select a face or surface on which you want to end the sweep.

Options

The following options are available in the PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. tool. Once you select the edge or face to pull, select these options from the Options panelArea of the user interface that enables you to modify functions specific to tools., or right-click and select them from the mini-toolbar:

Examples

Hexagons swept around circular and hexagonal sweep paths

Sweeping along a primary trajectory with NormalThe vector that is perpendicular to a flat plane at the selected point. In the case of a non-flat plane, the vector that is perpendicular to the plane tangent to the surface at the selected point. to TrajectoryStraight or curved line or edge along which you sweep a face or an edge. selected. Every section plane that is normal to the origin trajectory is the exact same profile as the initial section, limited by the extents of the trajectory.

Sweeping along a primary trajectory with NormalThe vector that is perpendicular to a flat plane at the selected point. In the case of a non-flat plane, the vector that is perpendicular to the plane tangent to the surface at the selected point. to TrajectoryStraight or curved line or edge along which you sweep a face or an edge. not selected. Every section plane that is parallel to the initial section profile is the exact same profile as that initial section, limited by the extents of the trajectory.

Sweeping a rectangle along a trajectory with NormalThe vector that is perpendicular to a flat plane at the selected point. In the case of a non-flat plane, the vector that is perpendicular to the plane tangent to the surface at the selected point. to TrajectoryStraight or curved line or edge along which you sweep a face or an edge. selected.

Sweeping a rectangle along a trajectory with NormalThe vector that is perpendicular to a flat plane at the selected point. In the case of a non-flat plane, the vector that is perpendicular to the plane tangent to the surface at the selected point. to TrajectoryStraight or curved line or edge along which you sweep a face or an edge. not selected.

Sweeping a hole along a trajectory by selecting the axis of the hole, then the trajectory.

If you sweep a non-continuous profile, separate swept surfaces are created.