Slicing a Solid

You can generate the base curves of the plies contours by slicing the solid.

You can generate several Slicing Curves Group features in a Composites part, for example to support collaborative design: Several designers slice portions of the solid and then reconcile the curves through the merge contour tools. Slicing Curves Group features have their own update mechanism that lets you track and decide which changes of their inputs need to be applied downstream.

Note: This task is available in Composites Design.

  1. From the Zones Design section of the action bar, click Slicing Group .
  2. Select the solid to slice.
  3. Select the zones group corresponding to the solid.

    The thickness of the solid must correspond to the thickness laws of the zones.

  4. Select a Slicing Method:
    • Thickness Law, if the zones group complies with the staggering rule.

      This method supports multimaterial zones scenarios. Material and direction information are applied to the plies.

    • Constant Thickness if the zones do not comply with the staggering rule.

      Enter a Slicing Thickness.

      Note: The plies are generated with no material and no direction information.
  5. Set Computation to Discrete.
    1. Define the Sag and the Step values used to discretize the upper surface of the solid.
    2. Enter a Curve degree.
      The computed slicing curves are smoothed using the Curve degree

    Note: Default values meet most required accuracies.

  6. Alternatively, switch Computation to Exact.

    Note: This mode requires that the support surface can be offset to the maximum height.

    • Offsets of the support surface of the zone group are computed, using either the thickness law or constant thickness.
    • The slicing curves are computed by projecting the intersections of those offsets with the solid onto the support surface.
  7. The slicing is done patch by patch (patches supporting the surface). Select the Reduce micro edges check box for a surface with many underlying patches.

    Important: When working with very taut parts, be careful not to select this check box if you have set Curve degree to 1: The result would be too simplified. The curves would no longer follow the design.

    The underlying patches are grouped by tangency continuity. The number of edges on the contour is reduced, micro-edges are removed.
  8. Select or clear the Force simplified computation check box.
    • If the solid to slice is a Composites Solid From Zones, the algorithm uses properties of this solid, making the computation faster (Some solid top faces are offset of reference shell faces and lateral faces are normal to the reference shell. This information is part of the solid from zone results).
    • If the solid to slice is not a Composites Solid From Zones, but the transformation of one (for example a mirror), the same properties as explained above are retrieved, and selecting the option makes the computation faster.
    • If the solid to slice is a neither a Composites Solid From Zones nor the transformation of one, this option has no effect: Information cannot be retrieved, the algorithm uses only discretization of the solid faces.

The curves are created in the work area

and found under the node Slicing Curves Group of Zones Group.1 . They are grouped by Geometrical Level, each one corresponding to an "altitude" of the contours.

Notes:
  • Hide/Show is available on each Geometrical Level node.
  • Right-click a Slicing group and select Remove slice group to delete it.