About Characteristic Curves

This section provides information about characteristics curves.

Characteristic curves are displayed in the folded or unfolded view of the part. They can be selected, though not edited, and used as a support.

They can be computed with surfacic flanges, swept flanges or stamping features with a fillet.

This page discusses:

See Also
Setting Standard Parameters
Specific Characteristic Curves Behavior

Available Characteristic Curves

This topic provides information about the available characteristic curves.

The following characteristic curves can be computed on both folded and unfolded views, except when otherwise specified:

  • BTL: Bend Tangent Line limits of the fillet.
  • IML: Inner Mold Line Intersection between internal surfaces of the base feature and the flange (both extrapolated in tangency if necessary), without the bend.
  • OML: Outer Mold Line Intersection between external surfaces of the base feature and the flange (both extrapolated in tangency if necessary), without the bend.
  • Second OML: Second Outer Mold Line corresponds to a parallel curve to the BTL support in the direction of the base feature SB distance value. It is only available in the unfolded view.
  • CLB: Center Line of Bend Positioned midway between the BTLs. It is only available in the unfolded view.

Features Supporting Characteristic Curves

This topic provides information about features which support characteristics curves.

Characteristic curves can be computed for the following features:

  • Surfacic and swept flanges (both brake-formed and hydro-pressed):
    • BTL on the base feature
    • BTL on the support
    • IML
    • OML
    • Second OML (unfolded view only)
    • CLB (unfolded view only)
  • Stamps with an internal cutout (flanged hole and flanged cutout):
    • BTL on the base feature
    • IML
    • OML
  • Stamps without an internal cutout (bead, curve stamp, user-stamp, other stamping types, and so on):
    • BTL on the base feature

Characteristic curves computed on the folded view



Characteristic curves computed on the unfolded view

Miscellaneous

This topic provides information about characteristic curves and standard management, settings and hybrid design context.

Standard Management of Characteristic Curves

Administrators can customize characteristic curves through standards:

  • Graphic properties (color, line type, thickness) apply to both 3D views (in the Sheet Metal for Hydro-formed Parts app) and 2D views (in the Drafting app).
  • Visibility specifies whether characteristic curves should be generated in 2D views.

See Administration Tasks for more information.

Display of Characteristic Curves

You can manage the visibility of characteristic curves in folded and unfolded 3D views through settings.

For more information, see Sheet Metal for Hydro-formed Parts: Display.

Characteristic Curves in Hybrid Design Context

In hybrid design context, if you define a feature as the in work object in the tree, the characteristic curves of features created after this operation are not displayed anymore on the geometry.

Swept flange defined as a Working object on a hybrid 3D shape.

Surfacic Flange defined as a Working object on a non-hybrid 3D shape.

For more information about hybrid design, see Part Design User's Guide: Hybrid Design.