blend settings? NX6

[Rob_N]

is there any setting that will give me everything that "previews" when I do a 13mm face blend between the orange and cyan surface groups?...

I know the model is not "pretty", but it will work just fine for my purpose.

I can make it work if extract all the faces and do multiple individual blends, then use through mesh curves to booger in the problem areas. But it would be easier if I could get all the "previewed" surfaces in one shot, then do my trims.

thanks in advance.

 

[JohnRBaker]

OK, to get the 'previewed' faces without creating the actual feature, look at the settings in the 'Trim and Sew Options' section on the Face Blend Dialog. Note that I had to do this in two steps selecting only the faces where a preview was actually created (note that at the moment, I can't upload a copy of what I was able to create, perhaps in a couple of days I can).

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
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Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[Rob_N]

I must be missing something, I have unchecked all the trim and sew options and I see where you get the two blends, but no matter where I pick on the blend, it always gives me the same one.

This happens often, so obviously I'm doing something wrong.

I was able to finish the model by exploding it and just blending smaller surface groups using the long option and trimming manually after the fact. I only used a mesh surface in one area on the back side, I believe the problem surface was a not quite tangent extension of a customer surface.

 

[capnhook]

Got the 13mm blend using NX7.5.

First, I capped off your surfaces, and sewed me a solid.

Next, I used the edge blend function, that now has some niiiice fancy buttons that help handle special conditions. Here is how I prepared and answered the edge curve dialog:

A) Type Filter : Edge
B) Selection Scope : Within Work Part Only
C) Curve Rule : Tangent Curves
D) Radius 1 : 13mm
E) Settings : (1) Check "All Instances"
(2) Check "Special Blend at Convex/Concave Y
(3) Check "Remove Self-Intersections"
F) Corner Setback : Separate From Corner
G) Tolerance : 0.0254

Before and after .jpg's and .prt's to follow.........


Now for the bad news......the operation seems to be pick-sensitive ----- that is, if I pick tangent edges clockwise, starting with the edge of the green face, the radii appear. But, if I pick tangent edges counter-clockwise starting with the edge on the red face, the operation gags, and won't complete.

(This behavior must be a bug, and is counter-intuitive to the behavior I have relied on for many years ---- a natural preference to pick entities in a counter-clockwise fashion)


Here's a .jpg (before).....



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[capnhook]

Here's a .jpg (after)...

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[capnhook]

Here's the .prt (before)...

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[capnhook]

Here's the .prt (after)...

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[Rob_N]

unfortunately I'm stuck on NX6 due to maintenance issues...

I do have those settings in NX6 on a dropdown so I tried them , but it still fails.

I've noticed over the years that the blend feature has become much more tolerant in each new version of NX, especially the auto fixing of self intersecting areas. Someday I hope we can get caught up to I can play with new toys, lol

Thank you
Rob

 

[uwam2ie]

done some modifications look at the features Nx6

 

[capnhook]

You're welcome, Rob.

Yeah, when I find stuff that is more tolerant, and works better in the newer version, I like to say that NX is "starting to work like it does in the brochure....".

I could post a parasolid here, if you'd need it....

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[capnhook]

uwam2ie, could you upload the .prt file, also? I'm handcuffed here and cannot download .zip files.....

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[uwam2ie]

here it is

 

[capnhook]

Thanks!

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[Rob_N]

@ uwam2ie

I've never experimented with law curves, it looks like I'll need to play with that some more. I'll file this away for future reference.

My face blends actually went around that section where you smoothed it with a mesh when just using multiple face blends and only blending (using to long option)and trimming a few surfaces at a time.

 

[MickyV007]

I got it working from the first time, didn't need to change anything in the menus from face blend. First picked the cyan top body then the orange one, aplied the 13mm blend and hit OK, there it was.

Best regards,

Michäël.

NX4.0.4.2 MP10 / TCE 9.1.3.8_build_0711 / NX6.0.5.3 + TC8.1 Unified / NX7.0.0.9

Belgium

 

[hudson888]

robnewcomb,

See attached. I don't think you'll get past the blue corner with anything larger that a 10mm radius. I haven't looked at other's suggestions so correct me if I'm wrong. So I just applied a variable blend to illustrate. It isn't a very good result, and I think the little red surface may be a contributing factor at the initial problem corner. Of course the nastier corner on the opposite side demands a larger radius to model away another problem and even when it does so its far from perfect. Check the end to end tangency of adjacent blend segments and the deficiency that comes from the underlying geometry is obvious.

Best Regards

Hudson

www.jamb.com.au

Nil Desperandum illegitimi non carborundum

 

[capnhook]

hudson888,

Please look at my NX7.5 solution. I'd guess that robnewcomb's requirement for a 13mm radius is because this tool is used to form a sheetmetal part ---- a sharper radius would more likely tear metal.

Are you able to replicate the "pick sensitivity".....is it a bug in your opinion? Shouldn't the operation check the clockwise tangent edge chain, and then also the counter-clockwise tangent edge chain, before it gags and reports that it can't do the job??

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[hudson888]

capn,

I'm in a situation where I've only just received media for NX-7.5 and I'm yet to install it so I'll have a look later. However if you do look at my model then you'll see that the blue face has a 10mm radius and therefore already violates a notional 13mm minimum radius requirement. There are plenty of ways to remedy that situation as well if you like but until I get time to view your model the thought I'll leave you with relates to making silk purses out of sow's ears.

Best Regards

Hudson

www.jamb.com.au

Nil Desperandum illegitimi non carborundum

 

[Rob_N]

Just for a note, I chose the 13mm radii mainly for machining purposes. Where I work I design, model, program and run the cnc mills and sometimes even barber(hand sand/grind cutter marks out) the tools when they are done, then if we are really slow I'll even work the tools in the press in tryout.

A 13mm radii allows for most of the female half of the die to be machined using a 1" ball. Using a variable to a 10mm is not too bad as in this job I'll be re-machining down to 5/16" ball. <-- here is a plea to you sheetmetal part designers out there... On larger parts please change your default radii from 5 or 6mm to 7 or 8mm, LOL... It makes machining easier, well, not easier but one less tool to step down to. Using a 7mm radii the machinist only has to cut down to a 1/2" ball( where I work this is the smallest inserted cutter I have), when you use a 6mm they generally have to go in with a solid carbide 3/8" or 5/16" ball to tighten it up.



I'm interested to know how it just blended with no special settings on MickyV007's NX6, possibly because he's on a different maintenance level then I am. uwam2ie's method of patching my 'booger' surface inside corner with a mesh and using a law curve to force it around works for me as well, I tried it on my lunch break yesterday.

It only took 20 minutes or so to explode then blend and trim manually, but thanks to the suggestions here I'll have other tools in my toolbox to play with.

 

[capnhook]

hudson888,

Thanks for the compliment, I think. I've looked at your model, and the other. I've read about, but not seen, another.

I believe I'm the only one so far to solve this NX user's problem in the accurate manner (no fudging the faces).

_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._

What's puzzling me still is why the solution in NX7.5 is "pick sensitive".....

Is this a bug? I'd like some opinions (ammunition) before I may submit this one to gtac.


Any NX7.5 users out there that can replicate this behavior in this NX7.5 part? Anyone with an an opinion on whether this inconsistent "pick sensitive" behavior is a bug? Has anyone seen this behavior anywhere else?

capn

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