Doctor Walt’s Tips and Tricks 1

Solids to Surfaces to Solids

I find that many KeyCreator
users do not understand the
difference between a collection
of surfaces and a solid.

To explain I use the concept of

a child’s inflatable beach float
created by using multiple vinyl
sheet pieces that are sealed
together. The float is then
inflated with a bycicle pump.

If the vinyl patches completely

enclose a volume of space with
no gaps such that they hold air,
you have the equivalent of a
collection of surfaces that make
up a solid.

If there is a gap at any spot on the surface, air escapes and the float is useless. You can
think of a solid object in the same way.

In this exerxcise we’ll take a simple solid and unstitch it into multiple surfaces. We’ll
then replace one of the planar surfaces with a more complex one and stitch all of the
surfaces back together. This will bring us full cycle from a solid to individual surfaces
and then back to a new solid. A copy of this part is available for download as “SfPart1.”

We’ll start with a new file in View 1.

Click on the CREATE

BLOCK Icon.

A Dialog Box appears.

We’ll use the Key In Option.

Type 2 for the Width, 3 for

the Length, and 1.5 for the
Height.

Use the Cursor Option to

place the block anywhere on
the screen.

Doctor Walt’s Tips and Tricks 2

 Now, switch to the Isometric View.

Click on the TAPER FACES Icon.

A small Dialog Box appears.

Type 25 for the Taper Angle.

Select the About an Edge Option. You can

use the Preview and Modify Faces
Interactively.

Select the front face of the block. Then, click on the top edge of the front face and hit the
ENTER Key to confirm that you are done selecting faces.

You are prompted to indicate a taper

reference vector.

Select the Line Option and click on the

lower end of the left, front edge of the block.

If you are working interactively you’ll see a

ghost representation of the taper surface
transformation. You could play with the part,
adding or reducing the slope of the face but
for this exercise, just click on the DONE
Button.

Doctor Walt’s Tips and Tricks 3

 Now, we could use the Constant Radius
Blend tool to soften the corners on this part
and get an end result like the one illustrated
to the left. (Don’t actually do this right now.)

But let’s suppose that we need a more

elaborate part design with an amorphous front
surface like the one on the block to the right.

That’s actually quite easy to do if you use

some simple surface modeling.

First, click on the UNSTITCH FACES Icon.

A Dialog Box appears.

We’ll use the Faces of

Solids Option.

Click on the Unhook Edit

Type and the One Body per
Face Result Option.

Click on the All DSP Option and then on the ALL

OPTION. Then, hit the ENTER Key.

Doctor Walt’s Tips and Tricks 4

 You now have a collection of six sheet bodies on the screen where the
solid used to be.

Delete the sloped, front face (sheet body) on the part.

Your screen should now look like this:

Click on the CREATE LINE BY ENDPOINTS Icon.

Using the CtrMid Option, click on the top edge and the
bottom edge of the opening at the front of the part.

You will now have a line at the exact middle of

the opening.

Next, establish a construction plane on the part by clicking on the left

end of the bottom edge of the opening and the bottom end of the line
that you just made. This gives you a construction plane with the Z Axis
pointing outward from the part.

Doctor Walt’s Tips and Tricks 5

 Now, click on the XFORM DELTA JOIN Icon.

Select the line that you just created and type 1 for the
Number of Copies.

Hit the ENTER Key twice, type 0.4 for dZC and hit the
ENTER Key again.

You now have a rectangular grid that will

be handy for creation of a guide curve for
the new surface that we're about to
develop.

Establish a new construction plane on the

rectangle that you just created.

Click on the CREATE ARC BY THREE POSITIONS Icon.

Create a curve that runs from the center of the bottom edge of
the opening to the center of the top edge of the opening. The
midpoint will lie on the midpoint of the top edge of the
rectangular grid that you just created. (You’ll find that this is
an extremely convenient way to create cross curves that can
be used to give a surface cross curvature at a controlled
radius.)

Doctor Walt’s Tips and Tricks 6

 Now, click on the CURVE MESH SURFACE Icon.

A small Dialog Box appears. We’ll use the default

Curve Fit Tolerance. Make sure that there is NO
check on the Chain Select Option.

Click on the bottom edge of the left side of the

opening, the bottom edge of the new arc that you
made, and the bottom edge of the right side of the
opening. Then, hit the ENTER Key.

Now, click on the left end of the bottom edge of the

opening and the left end of the top edge of the
opening. Hit the ENTER Key.

You will now have a new

surface to close up the front of
the part. (Note: I was specific
about picking at the same end for
each curve. This eliminates
introducing twist into the
surface.)

Click on the STITCH SHEETS Icon.

Click on the ALL DSP Option and then on the ALL Option.
Hit the ENTER Key.

Doctor Walt’s Tips and Tricks 7

 You will now have a complete solid body with
a more exotic front face!

Click on the CONSTANT RADIUS BLEND Icon.

First create 0.4 radius blends on the top, front

edge and top, rear edge.

Your part should look like this: Note the front

constant radius blend looks quite exotic because
the new front surface rises abruptly from the
edge at the midpoint. This changes the included
angle that the blend runs through, thus creating
the constriction!

Wrap up the job with two 0.25 radius blends on

the left and right edges.

You’ll find that combining solid and surface

modeling tools gives you a whole new range of
possibilities in your designs. To learn more
about more complex modeling, I recommend
my Doctor Walt’s KeyCreator8 Hybrid
Modeling Book.

Doctor Walt’s Tips and Tricks 8