Curves through XYZ points

[not2fast]

Hi
I'm confused here about the curve through the xyz points as I cant seem to get it to import the plotted curves, I have a bunch of coordinates from a CMM and these have been saved into 3 columns as the help file on this topic suggests.
here is a curve that wont open.
0.00 46.90 131.95
42.18 46.90 123.28
83.99 46.90 97.26
99.02 46.90 78.60
112.32 46.90 49.95
119.25 46.90 2.90
116.60 46.90 -36.84
107.66 46.90 -69.21
76.94 46.90 -103.12
52.20 46.90 -112.62
13.79 46.90 -117.04
0.00 46.90 -117.20


Now if I manually create a curve from points entered and save this as a .sldcrv file and then open this with a text editor, I see there is a mm sign after each coordinate.

like this
21.5mm 25mm 30mm
25mm 30mm 20mm
15mm 30mm 20mm

and entering mm after each xyz coordinate in the file above still does not show the curve when opened ??


One last thing I also imported the IGS file that was saved from Mastercam, this only shows up as points in a 3D sketch at various planes where the CMM took the measurements. Is it possible to save all the selected points in a XYZ format that can be edited in excel or as a text doc ? or is this a procedure that must be edited individually to make changes.

TIA
not2fast

 

[AnnaWood]

Arrange the data in your text file as tab delimited, no extra spaces or characters.

Here is your data imported into an Curve Through XYZ points.

I have some SW2007 example files for you at:

http://www.acrodesigns.com/SolidWorks/Eng-Tips/3D_Curve.zip

Regards,

Anna Wood
SW 2007 SP2.2, WinXP
Dell Precision 380, Pentium D940, 4 Gigs RAM, FX3450

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/solidmuse

http://www.phxswug.com

 

[not2fast]

Thanks Anna
well this is strange it appears the SW gods are happy, and now it works.

not2fast

 

[not2fast]

Hmmm so without editing the .sldcrv file how do you mirror the points between the first and the last set of coordinates, this curve is only one half of the measurement.

0.00 46.90 131.95
these next 10 points need to be mirrored
42.18 46.90 123.28
83.99 46.90 97.26
99.02 46.90 78.60
112.32 46.90 49.95
119.25 46.90 2.90
116.60 46.90 -36.84
107.66 46.90 -69.21
76.94 46.90 -103.12
52.20 46.90 -112.62
13.79 46.90 -117.04

0.00 46.90 -117.20

what I was doing was plotting the points and mirror the points to the other side of the centerline then lofting, is there a work around for this ?

not2fast

 

[AnnaWood]

not2fast,

You either need to add to your .sldcrv file and add the other half of the data points or do what you are doing with a mirror then loft.

You could also create the loft surface then mirror the loft as opposed to the sketch.

This is a common solution to what you are doing. Mirroring sketches or features is a pretty common practice in 2d drafting and 3D modeling.

Regards,

Anna Wood
SW 2007 SP2.2, WinXP
Dell Precision 380, Pentium D940, 4 Gigs RAM, FX3450

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/solidmuse

http://www.phxswug.com

 

[not2fast]

Sounds like it would be best to add pints to the .sldcrv file, I'm away from my PC at the moment to try this, if you mirror the loft for one half of the model will that end up being the same as mirroring all points and coordinates in the .sldcrv file and then loft ?


what I'm asking is, if I was to use a spline for the curve for one half through the points does it end up with the same curve / profile as using a spline if all the points had been plotted first before adding a spline ?
I don't think it would be the same because that point thats mirrored about the CL are now influencing the Spline.

not2fast

 

[AnnaWood]

not2fast,

I would suggest testing that for yourself and seeing if the results are satisfactory for what you are trying to accomplish.

You will most likely get a high or low point where the mirror meets. If this is a class A surface that may be unacceptble. In automotive design we would balance the sweep (old manual drafting technique) across the mirror plane to avoid the peak or valley.

Take your CMM points across the mirror plane to help smooth that out.

There are lots of ways to go about what I think you are trying to accomplish, the best technique depends on the results you wish to achieve, the equipmant you have and how much time you want to spend to get the desired results.

Experiment a bit and see what you get for results.

Regards,

Anna Wood
SW 2007 SP2.2, WinXP
Dell Precision 380, Pentium D940, 4 Gigs RAM, FX3450

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/solidmuse

http://www.phxswug.com