Creating a Curves Network

You can create a network of constrained curves as a feature. Curves Network is available from the action bar, or within Surfaces Network.

  1. From the Wireframe section of the action bar, or within Surfaces Network, click Curves Network .

    Notes:
    • Use curves creation commands to create and add a curve.
    • Network geometry and topology actions, for example move a vertex, split a wire or deform a curve, are not available from Surfaces Network.
    • Edition of Curves Network inputs results in recomputing all already generated surfaces, if any.

  2. Under Preparation, select the curves.

    They can be a set of curves, surface edges, face boundaries, or another curves network.

    • Median lines of fillets created in Curve Network Preparation are automatically discarded from the selection.
    • Fictive edges can be selected with or without associated border lines. The associated guiding curve is discarded as are the median lines of fillets.

  3. To remove a curve from the list, do one of the following:
    1. Pick the curve again in the work area.
    2. Pick the curve again in the tree.
    3. Right-click the curve and select Remove.
  4. Optional: Select a support mesh.
  5. Set the parameters.
    1. Enter the Max distance value.

      Below this value, two curves are considered as intersecting each other.

    2. Check the Filtering check box and enter a value to filter small sliced curves.
    3. Set the Automatic tangency value to create a tangency based on the angle between two connected edges..
  6. Go to Freeze to confirm frozen curves,

    See Frozen Curves for more information.

    • The list of frozen curves is displayed for information (No interaction: You cannot add curves to the selection and specify them as frozen).
    • They are displayed in the 3D area.
    • Standard curves: Standard display.
    • Fictive edges: Thick dark blue.
    • User frozen curves: Dotted dark blue.
    • Face borders: Thick green.
  7. Click a curve in the 3D area to change its status.

    Possible changes are:

    • Standard curve > User frozen > Standard curve.
    • Fictive edge > User frozen > Fictive edge.

    The display is updated.
  8. Click Apply.
    • The curves network is computed and displayed.
    • The removal of the external wire is automatically proposed.
  9. Optional: Under Preparation, select and delete loops as required.
  10. Go to Analyze
    1. Select the Sharp/Smooth edges check box to display edges according to their continuity.

      • Sharp edges (with G0 continuity) are displayed in black.
      • Smooth edges (with G1 continuity) are displayed in gray.
      Note: The Sharp/Smooth status of standard edges can only be changed in Surfaces Network.

    2. Select the Curve-curves deviation check box to display the distance between the curves network and the input curves.
    3. Select the Curves-polygon deviation check box to display the maximum distance between the curves network and the support mesh.
    4. Click Deviation Analysis to access the corresponding parameters.

      For more information, see Performing a Deviation Analysis.

  11. Confirm the creation of the curves network.
  12. Optional: To edit an existing curves network.
    1. Switch to manual update mode, for better performances.
    2. Do one of the following:

      • Replace the support mesh to fit to the latest version of the mesh.
      • Remove or add previously created curves.
      Recommendation:
      • Create additional curves lying on curves (and not on previous curves network).
      • Restore the visibility of all the unput curves in on click using Hide/Show Inputs from the context menu of the curves network.

    3. Validate.