Emboss 2-Rail Sweep Example 1

Introduction

This tutorial explains the Emboss 2-Rail Sweep. The main focus is using multiple cross sections successfully to achieve a desired result. Links are provided to the help topics that explain the transition types and cross section spacing options. Please complete this tutorial along with the other 2-Rail Sweep tutorials to gain a full understanding of the Emboss 2-Rail Sweep. All dialog parameters and BobART tree items are described in the Emboss 2-Rail Sweep help topic.

Example File

The part file for this example is available for download at: http://www.bobcad.com/helpfiles. If you are connected to the Internet, you can click the link provided to download and save the Emboss 2 Rail Sweep Leaf Example 1.SLDPRT zip file. After downloading the zip file, extract the files on your system in a place that is easy to remember. You can then open the file to use with this tutorial.

Part 1) Open the Example File

  1. Click File > Open.

    The Open dialog is displayed.

  2. Navigate tothe location in which you saved the example file.

  3. Select Emboss 2 Rail Sweep Leaf Example 1.SLDPRT, and click Open.

    The entities prepared for the example file are shown next.

Part 2) Insert the Feature and Define the Stock and Coordinate System

  1. In the BobART tree, right-click Emboss Model, and click Emboss 2-Rail Sweep.

    Because the stock and coordinate systems are are not defined, the Selection Manager displays for you to select the coordinate system for the emboss stock. For this example, we use the SolidWorks world coordinate system, so no selection is needed.

    Click .

    The Stock Parameters dialog the appears.

 

Note: To modify the stock after it is created, right-click Emboss Model, and click Create/Modify Stock.


  1. We use the default Origin values to place the lower-left corner of the stock at the selected coordinate system origin (the SolidWorks WCS).

    In the Stock Parameters dialog, leave the Origin values set to X0Y0Z0.

  2. In the Model Size group, set the X value to 8.00, and set the Y value to 5.50.

  3. In the Material Appearance group, click Color.

    The Color dialog opens.

  4. Select the Lilac color and click OK.

    The color dialog disappears.

  5. Click OK.

    The 2 Rail Sweep dialog appears.

  6. Click Color to open the Color dialog.

  7. Select a dark green, and click OK.

  8. Click OK again to accept the change and close the 2 Rail Sweep dialog.

 

The stock is drawn in the graphics area and the 2-Rail Sweep 1-Add item is added to the BobART tree.

 

Part 3) Define Geometry for Rail 1 and Rail 2

  1. Right-click Rail 1-Geometry, and click Re/Select.

  2. Select the upper geometry, as shown next.



  3. To confirm the selection, click OK.

    A zoomed in view of the chain direction arrow is shown next.



    The geometry and chain direction for Rail 1 is now defined.

  4. Right-click Rail 2 Geometry, and click Re/Select.

    This time, select the lower geometry.

    The result should look like the image shown next



  5. To confirm the selection, click OK.

    The geometry and chain direction for Rail 2 is now defined.

 

Tip: By clicking each of the Rail items in the BobART Tree, the direction of the chains will be visible. Currently they should be facing in opposing directions, which is what we want for the purposes of this example. To reverse the direction of the chain, right-click Rail Geometry, and click Reverse Direction. The selected chain and direction are shown by clicking Rail-Geometry in the BobART tree.

Part 4) Add Cross Sections and Define the Cross Section Geometry

  1. Right-click Cross-Section Geometry-1, and click Re/Select.

    The lowest of the three entities located outside the stock area is the first cross section used.

  2. Select the Cross Section 1 sketch feature, or click the lowest of the three cross sections in the graphics area, and click OK.

    The geometry and chain direction for Cross-Section 1 is now defined and should appear as shown next.


 

Tip: To use more than one cross section for a 2 Rail Sweep, you add cross section items manually. Right-click Cross Section 1-Geometry, and click Add New Cross Section Geometry.


  1. Right-click Cross-Section Geometry-1, and click Add New Cross Section Geometry.

  2. Repeat Step 3 so there are three Cross Section Geometry items in the BobART tree.

  3. The middle entity is the second cross section used.

    Right-click Cross-Section Geometry-2, and click Re/Select.

  4. Select the Cross Section 2 sketch feature, or click the middle sketch from the graphics area.

    The geometry and chain direction for Cross-Section 2 is now defined and should appear as shown next.



  5. Repeat this process for the Cross-Section Geometry 3 so the result looks like the following.



    All entities are now defined for the 2 rails and the 3 cross sections for this sweep. The next step is to generate the sweep.

 

Important: The direction of the selected cross-section geometry is important because the start point of the cross section is connected to Rail 1 and the end is connected to Rail 2. The cross section is swept along the rails from the starting point to the opposite end. The outcome of any 2-rail sweep is controlled entirely by the chain direction used for each entity. For this example the direction of the cross sections does not matter because of their mirrored symmetry.

 

Tip: To reverse the chain direction, right-click Cross Section Geometry, click Reverse Direction. The selected chain and direction are shown by clicking Cross-Section Geometry in the BobART tree.

Part 5) Generate the Emboss 2-Rail Sweep, Edit Features, and Regenerate

  1. Right-click Emboss Model, and click Regenerate.

 

The embossed leaf is created and should appear like the next image.

 

 

Notice that this is not the desired result.

 

The problem here is that the 2 rails do not share the same chain direction.

 

  1. In the BobART tree, click Rail 1-Geometry to see the chain direction.


 

Tip: The emboss can be hidden by right-clicking Emboss Model and selecting Blank/Unblank.

 

  1. This chain direction is not desired.

    Right-click Rail 1-Geometry and click Reverse Direction.

    The chain direction is now from left to right as shown next.



  2. Right-click Emboss Model, and click Regenerate.

    The embossed model should now appear as shown next.

 

Tip: Every time that you change a 2-Rail Sweep parameter, right-click Emboss Model, and click Regenerate to see the changes reflected in the model.

 

The model shown from the side view.

 

 

The elevation, or height, of the previous image is a result of using Scale Cross Section Based on Width. When this option is used, the entire cross section (width and height) is scaled to fit between the rails. When the check box is cleared, only the cross section width is scaled and the height remains the same. This means that the sweep height is controlled by the actual height of the cross section geometry. This is shown next.

 

  1. Right-click 2 Rail Sweep 1 - Add, and click Edit.

    Click to clear the Scale Cross Section Based on Width check box, and click OK.

  2. Right-click Emboss Model, and click Regenerate.

    The sweep should appear as shown next.



    Notice in the previous image, the height changes along the sweep. The height on the left side is the same as the height of the first cross section. The height on the right side is the same as the height of the last cross section. The same is true for the middle, with the height in between cross sections blended together.

    When using three or more cross sections, the way that they are blended together is defined by the Transition Type. Find out more about the Cross Section Spacing options in the Emboss 2 Rail Sweep topic.

    The cross sections can be modified further using the Cross Section Spacing options. Find out more about the Cross Section Spacing options in the Emboss 2 Rail Sweep topic.

 

 

This concludes the example.

Related Topics

BobART Overview