Emboss 2-Rail Sweep Example 2

Introduction

This tutorial explains how to make an Emboss 2-Rail Sweep using the Sync Rail Nodes option. A mirror frame is used to show the results created using the available 2-rail sweep options.

 

To use the Sync Rail Nodes option successfully, the two rails used for the sweep must have the same amount of entities. This is explained later in this tutorial. Complete this tutorial along with the other 2-Rail Sweep tutorials to gain a full understanding of the Emboss 2-Rail Sweep.

Example File

The part file for this tutorial 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 Sync Rail Nodes 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 Sync Rail Nodes Example 1.sldprt, and click Open.
   
   The prepared geometry displays in the graphics area as shown in the following images. The first image shows the two rails, and the second shows the cross section geometry.
   
   
   
   

4. In the Manager Pane, click the BobART Manager tab.

Part 2) Define the Stock, Coordinate System, and Add the Feature

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.
   
   

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

3. In the Model Size group, set the X value to 38.00, and set the Y value to 26.00.
   
   

4. In the Material Appearance group, click Color.
   
   The Color dialog opens.
   
   

5. Select the Lilac color and click OK.
   
   The color dialog disappears.
   
   

6. Click OK.
   
   The 2 Rail Sweep dialog box appears.
   
   

7. In the Material Appearance group, click Color.
   
   The Color dialog opens.
   
   

8. Select the Grey color and click OK.
   
   The color dialog disappears.
   
   

9. Leave the default settings and click OK.
   
   The stock is drawn in the graphics area and the 2-Rail Sweep 1-Add feature is added to the BobART tree.
   
   

Part 3) Define the Rails and Cross Section Geometry and Generate Sweep

1. Right-click Rail 1-Geometry, and click Re/Select.
   
   Expand the Feature Manager design tree, if needed, and select the Rail 1 sketch feature. (Alternatively, you can select the outer chain of the picture frame directly from the graphics area.)
   
   
   
   

2. To confirm the selection, click OK.
   
   This selects the entire outer loop and assigns a chain direction (shown with an arrow) for that loop. This is shown in the next image.
   
   
   
   The geometry and chain direction for Rail 1 is now defined.
   
   

3. Right-click Rail-2 Geometry, and click Re/Select.
   
   This time, chain-select the inner geometry at the same location (top-left corner).
   
   
   
   

4. To confirm the selection, click OK.
   
   The results should look like the image shown next.
   
   
   
   The geometry and chain direction for Rail 2 is now defined. Make sure that each Rail Geometry shares the same chain direction.
   
   In addition, when using Sync Rail Nodes, the starting point for each rail must also be the same. That is, they must begin using the same entity as the other rail. (Both rails should already have the same start point because of the way that you selected the geometry.)

 

Tip: To show the selected chain and direction, click a Rail-Geometry item in the BobART tree. To reverse the chain direction, right-click Rail Geometry, and click Reverse Direction.

 

Important: The location of the rail start points are critical to a good emboss. Make sure to keep the start points in the same location as seen in the image below. If the start points are not correct, right-click the rail item in the tree and select Modify Start Point.

 

3. Right-click Cross-Section Geometry-1, and click Re/Select.
   
   Select the Cross Section sketch feature from the design tree.
   
   
   
   

4. To confirm the selection, click OK.
   
   The geometry and chain direction for Cross-Section 1 is now defined and should appear as follows.
   
   
   
   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.
   
   The images below show the effect of the direction of the cross section. The images also show a cleaner result obtained using the Sync Rail Nodes option explained later in the tutorial.
   
   
   
   

 

Tip: To show the selected chain and direction, click a Rail-Geometry item in the BobART tree. To reverse the chain direction, right-click Rail Geometry, and click Reverse Direction.

 

5. Now that all geometry is defined, right-click Emboss Model, and click Regenerate.
   
   
   
   Examine the sweep in the corners of the frame. Notice that the cross-section geometry does not share all of the same nodes. This is the result of not using the Sync Rail Nodes option. The nodes are the points at the junction of different entities, such as lines to arcs. To create a more realistic looking frame, the cross section geometry should match up at these nodes on the inner and outer profile of the frame. If you rotate the view, you also notice that the frame does not have the same height, in the Z-axis, throughout its length. This is the result of using the Scale Cross Section Based on Width option and is shown next.

 

Part 4) Edit Feature and Regenerate the Sweep

1. Right-click 2 Rail Sweep 1 - Add, and click Edit to open the 2-Rail Sweep dialog box.
   
   

2. Click to clear the Scale Cross Section Based on Width check box.
   
   This results in a uniform height around the rails using the dimension of the cross section geometry and is shown next.
   
   
   
   

3. Click to select the Sync Rail Nodes check box, and click OK.
   
   This results in a sweep that uses matching nodes at the end of each entity.
   
   

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

 

The before and after images are shown next.

 

 

Notice the difference in the corners of this frame compared to the earlier frame. The Sync Rail Nodes option, for this example, helps to create a more realistic looking frame. For more information view Emboss 2-Rail Sweep.

 

This concludes the example.

Related Topics

BobART Overview