@rstupplebeen Thanks very much for that, it's a clear demonstration of the 'trim the cruddy edges' technique, which does not seem to get as much press as it should. It's also reassurance that it has to be done sometimes; I was concerned that I might be hacking to compensate for lack of skill.
Here's what I've decided to run with for this shape:
1. Concede that secondary constraints (boundary dir2 and loft guides) sometimes cause wrinkles.
2. In lieu of secondary constraints, use tangency controls.
3. Make two lofts, to get the tangency controls at the 45 degrees sketch.
4. Assume...
@djhurayt Thanks again. I've followed the steps, see pic below. You haven't shown your curvature; is it better?
The profile on the 45 degree plane is meant to flatten the corner. To get that effect, tangency controls are needed there. Loft only offers tangency controls on start and end...
@djhurayt Wow, that is a very impressive answer! I was expected a few short bullets. Thanks a million for taking so much time. It's after midnight here, I can't go on, but I will follow this guide closely tomorrow morning and let you know how it goes.
Many thanks to all for participating in my...
@SBaugh Yup, that's the stuff I keep getting. Isn't this a common problem?
A little clarification just in case: the wonky area is a fill, the final portion left over after doing the main portions of the corner. It is not a constraint. The constraints are defined by the sketches 'cross top'...
@TheTick I have found just the opposite: with fewer constraints, it is much easier to get wrinkle-free curved surfaces. Therefore, if you have a particularly difficult area, it may be worth creating it first.
However, this approach can only work for the first one or two surfaces (because...
@SBaugh Thanks very much for the attempt. The sketch 'corner plan' on plane 'split' is a constraint. The curves must not go outside this line, and this constraint drives some of the trouble at the top flattish area.
Also, there is supposed to be a flattish area at 45 degrees around the corner...
@ctopher Thanks very much, I see your point. However, I've used the tangent lengths to get the unconstrained edge at the split plane to align with the required shape shown in plane 'split' (instead of using it as a guide curve). If I change the tangents, then I will have to use the sketch as a...
@MH Thanks for the clarification. That did finally dawn on me, and since then have been making many experiments, mostly splitting curves or removing constraints. Both work well, but only for the first set of surfaces, because after that, the first set become constraints for the subsequent...
@MH Thanks for thinking about this. That sounds like something very interesting, but I don't think I understand it. If all radii are at 50%, then the whole model is merely scaled, and so the SW internal algorithms won't be affected.
If you mean apply this rule only to particularly troublesome...
Can anyone suggest a strategy for getting good curvature bringing these curves together? Every time I add a hard constraint (such as a guide curve for a loft, or Direction 2 for a boundary), the surfaces become wrinkled.
The whole part is a just a rectilinear box with curved edges and a...