Creating a Net Surface

This command is only available with the FreeStyle Profiler.

This task explains how to create a surface, based on an existing set of curves (the net).

Open the NetSurface1.CATPart document.

  1. Click the Net Surface icon .

The Net Surface dialog box is displayed.
The guides (0) text is highlighted.
 

  1. Successively select one or more guide curves in the geometry (using the Ctlr key for multi-selection).
 

  1. Click the profiles text in the dialog box and select all the profile curves in the geometry, one after the other.

The dialog box is updated with the number of guides and profiles selected.

 

You noticed that the first guide and profile you selected is identified by a (d) standing for "dominant".  This means that the surface segmentation is based on these specific curves segmentation.

If you click on a curve text, guide or profile, the curve then becomes the dominant curve.
 
  1. Click the <<Settings text to access advanced settings.
 

 
  1. Click the Copy (d) mesh on surface (it highlights) to copy the geometry of the dominant guide curve and the dominant profile onto the net surface.
 

 

Without option highlighted

With option highlighted
The selected curve must be isoparametric.
  1. Click the Display>> text to display the maximum information.
 

The information option enables you to display or not the tags.

  1. Activate the moving frame.

The moving frame is used to define how the profile's position along the guiding curve.
  In the geometry, you can click the moving frame to change its type, press and hold Shift while clicking to move back, or right-click to display the contextual menu. 
Four types of moving frames are available: 
 
  • Perpendicular to the dominant guiding curve
 

  • Pseudo-Perpendicular to the dominant guiding curve
 

  • Two guiding curves and perpendicular to the dominant guiding curve
 

  • Two guiding curves and pseudo-perpendicular to the dominant guiding curve
 

  • Parallel to plane
 

  1. Click Apply to create the surface.
    If you are not satisfied with the results, you can click another guide or curve to modify the surface.
 

  1. Click OK to confirm the net surface creation.
 

You can create a net surface by selecting two or more profiles and no guide or two or more guides and no profile.
  In case the selected guide or profile lies on more than one support, the appears.
Refer to the Selecting a Support chapter for further information.

Available capabilities from the dashboard are: datum creation, temporary analysis, continuities, and furtive display.