Description: 5 minutes; Lab exercise 1, Lab exercise 2: 40 minutes total
Use the new copilots to create 3D line, arc, circle, and spline curves easily. Define start and end conditions when connecting a curve to an existing edge or face.
Now in 3D Curves:
Each time you create a curve, be sure to turn on Follow Me so that the origin of the curve moves where you want it to. Otherwise, the CoPilot remains static and the origin of the curve is always at the CoPilot's base.
To keep Follow Me on all the time,
Click Settings in the Tools section of the 3D Curve menu.
Click Follow in the Coordinate System section.
Click
.
Follow
Me is now on by default.
Determine where your curve will be positioned in relation to an existing edge or face. Position is the default and no special conditions are set. The start and end conditions are only available in Interpol mode. For more about connect conditions, please read Curve connect condition.
When you specify an end condition as Closed, you are creating a closed spline curve.
These exercises provide hands-on experience using the new 3D Curve features in OneSpace Designer Modeling 2005.
Create a series of 3D curves using the Point 3D CoPilot. Since the creation of 3D curves relies heavily on the Point 3D CoPilot, it is important that you are comfortable with using this new tool. Remember that all CoPilot options are available via the right-click context menu.
Start OneSpace Designer Modeling and create a workplane.
Using the Create 2D/Construction menu, create four horizontal infinite lines.
Using the Create 2D/Construction menu, create two construction points on each horizontal line.

Click Spline in the Create Directly section. The Point 3D CoPilot appears.
Name the part 3d_curves.
Go to Edit > Settings > Viewport Settings and click Axes on to show the coordinate system in the viewport. Use the coordinate system to determine which direction your CoPilot is in and where you are creating interpolation points.
Click Follow Me in the dialog. The Point 3D CoPilot will move to each interpolation point that is selected. (If you have already turned on Follow in the 3D Curve Settings menu, then you do not need to turn on Follow Me in the 3D Curve dialog.)
To specify an interpolation point, click a point in the viewport. In this case, click one of the construction points. The Point 3D CoPilot is now positioned at that interpolation point.
Now, rotate the CoPilot (or the workplane) so that you can see the W and U arrows on the CoPilot. Click the WU arc or right-click and select WU Plane from the context menu.
When the arc or arrows
are green, the CoPilot is in Plane mode, which allows the CoPilot to move in
different planes.
Move the cursor to Length: 40 mm, Angle: 50. Rectangular feedback starts at the origin point of the CoPilot (which is also your first interpolation point since Follow Me is on) and shows you the distance and angle from the CoPilot. Click the viewport to fix the point.
Move the cursor toward the next construction point on the same construction line. Right-click and select 3D Pick. The CoPilot is now in 3D Pick mode and you can "snap" to the construction point. Remember, the snap symbol is an orange circle.
Click
to finish the curve.
Click Spline in the Create Directly section again and continue making your 3D curves.
Save the four curves as a package file called 3d_curves.pkg.

While creating your curve, you can modify the tangent of an interpolation point by creating a point and then clicking Tangent in the dialog. The Vector 3D CoPilot appears in modify mode. Click one of the arcs or the arrow to change the tangency at the specified point. Right-click and choose one of the options from the context menu. Finish the curve or continue making points.
Create a spline curve and connect it to an existing curve using the curve connect condition.
At the end point of the edge an arrow appears to show the connect condition. Orange = curvature continuous. Blue = tangential. Now you can specify the tangent for the curve you will create.

Curvature continuous condition

Tangential condition



Once the tangent is determined, choose one of the following:
Select Abort to end the Condition dialog and go back to a Start Cond of Position.
Select Accept to continue creating the curve using the specified tangency.


You can also create curves with a connect condition to an existing face. The dialog works with Face in much the same way as it works with Edge.