Recognizing Features

You can recognize an existing shape as a Sheet Metal shape.

Note: You can recognize features such as walls, bend, stamps, edges for bends, surfaces, and nonconstant thickness solids.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin: Copy your shape, and paste it in a new shape using the Paste as result command.
See Also
About Recognizing Features from an Existing 3D Shape
  1. From the Model section of the action bar, click Recognize .
  2. Select the type of shape to recognize.
    OptionDescription
    Recognize 3D shape of constant thickness Converts a 3D shape that has a constant thickness into a sheet metal shape. Also works with ordered geometrical sets.
    Note: Select this option to recognize stamp faces.
    Create sheet metal shape from selected faces Creates a sheet metal shape from selected faces of a 3D shape that does not have a constant thickness.
    Recognize surface Converts a surface into a sheet metal shape.
  3. Select a reference face.
  4. If you have selected Create sheet metal shape from selected faces or Recognize Surface , also select the direction to thicken according to the reference face: Top , Bottom , or Middle .
  5. Optional: By default, all planar faces are recognized as walls. If you want to recognize some features only, click the Wall box, and select them in the 3D area.

    Note: The number of selected features appears in front of the box.

  6. To recognize bend faces and bend edges, proceed as follows:
    1. Select the Recognize Bends box.
    2. Optional: By default, all bend faces are recognized. If you want to recognize some bend faces only, click the Bend box, and select them in the 3D area.
    3. Optional: By default, all bend edges are recognized. If you want to recognize some bend edges only, click the Bend edges box, and select them in the 3D area.
  7. To recognize stamps if you selected Recognize 3D shape of constant thickness , proceed as follows:
    1. Select Recognize Stamps.
    2. Optional: By default, all stamp faces are recognized. If you want to recognize some stamp faces only, click the Stamp box, and select them in the 3D area.
  8. To manage splits, click the Split elements box and select the split edges in the 3D area.
    Note: Click the arrow in the box to customize the split edges.
  9. Optional: Choose the faces that you do not want to recognize in the Faces to ignore box.
  10. In the Bend Parameters tab, specify the bend parameters.

    For more information, see Editing the Sheet Metal Parameters.

  11. In the Bend Customization tab, select the bend edges or bend faces you want to customize, or modify bend parameters locally.
  12. To get a preview of the recognized features, click Display features.
  13. Click OK.
    Sheet metal features are generated from the initial geometry. At the same time, Sheet Metal parameters are created, deduced from the shape geometry. See About Editing the Sheet and Tool Parameters.

    You can now work as with any other sheet metal feature.



    Notes:
    • Sharp stamps, opened stamps, and stamps on borders that impact bends cannot be recognized.
    • When stamps are recognized on bends, they still can be unfolded but no feature can be created on them when both views are activated.
    • To recognize a whole stamp, you need to select the external faces of the stamp, provided the stamp is closed.
    • Walls, cylindrical bends, conical bends, and chamfers can be recognized.
    • Hems are recognized as walls.