Using the Mechanical Shape Wizard

Use Mechanical Shape Wizard to reconstruct a mechanical part from a mesh.

If you have access to Part Design Essentials or Part Design, you have the choice between two modes: Solid or Volume approach. Otherwise, only the Volume approach is proposed.

  1. If you have access to Part Design Essentials or Part Design, select either the Solid or Volume approach.
    1. From the top bar, select Me > Preferences, and then click the App Preferences tab.
    2. Under 3D Modeling, select Digitized Shape, then Digitized Shape to Surface.
    3. Under Mechanical Shape Wizard, select either Volume or Solid.
  2. Select the mesh that represents the part to reconstruct.
    1. Hide/show the selection .
    2. Hide/show the curvature map .
  3. Select an existing solid or volume as design space.

    The design space represents the current state of the reconstructed part, from the initial bounding box to the final part.

    1. Hide/show the selection .
    2. Create the deviation analysis between the design space and the mesh .
    3. Edit the deviation analysis between the design space and the mesh .
    4. Adjust the design space transparency with the slider.
  4. Alternatively, select to create a bounding box and adjust it.
    1. Use the handles on each face of the pad to adjust its size..
    2. Alternatively, enter a scaling ratio to adjust the size globally.
  5. Manage the geometrical sets that contain the cutting elements, to structure and organize the reconstruction objects.
    1. Select one in the list to make it current.

      The geometry you create is stored under the current geometrical set.

    2. Right-click a geometrical set to remove it from the list (not from the tree).
    3. Hide/show the selection .
    4. Rename the current geometrical set.
    5. Create a new geometrical set and specify its color.
  6. Use existing commands such as 3D Primitive Recognition, Sketch From Scan, Extrude, … to create geometry.
  7. Update the design space.
    • In the Solid approach:
      • Select Split to split the current design space by the current geometrical set, thus removing material from the current design space.
      • Select Add to sew the current geometrical set on the current design space, thus adding material.
    • In the Volume approach:
      • Select Add to add material.
      • Select Remove to remove material.
      • Select Split to split the design space by the cutting elements.
  8. The context of the wizard is not persistent. If you leave the wizard before the completion of the reconstruction, resume the work as follows:
    1. Select the mesh representing the part to reconstruct.
    2. Select the solid corresponding to the current state of the reconstruction as design space.
      The geometrical sets list is initialized from the tree, with all the geometrical sets previously created by the wizard, or previously added to the wizard list.
    3. Click a geometrical set in the tree to remove it from the wizard list. Click it again to add it again.
    4. At any time, use the context menu of a geometrical set in the wizard list to remove it from the list.
      The geometrical set is removed from the list, not from the tree.

    Notes:
    • The geometrical set that contains the volume in Volume mode is not silently ignored if you switch to Solid mode before resuming the work in the wizard.
    • After an automatic initialization, the sequences of geometrical sets in the tree and in the wizard are the same.
    • The manual edition, that is when you click in the tree, inserts the geometrical set at the end of the wizard list.