Offset Curve Question

[Xwheelguy]

When using Offset Curve in Drafting, why must we specify a point before the offset will work? I can recall years ago (pre NX) that we never had to do this, so why the extra step these days in the NX series?

Would there be any way to make a simpler method to add to the Offset Type when users just want a 2D planar offset?

Tim Flater
Senior Designer
Enkei America, Inc.

http://www.enkei.com

Some people are like slinkies....they don't really have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

 

[JohnRBaker]

I just checked this in NX 5.0.5.3 and I was NOT asked for any extra points when creating an Offset Curve while in Drafting. What version are you using?

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
NX Design
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
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.

 

[Xwheelguy]

I'm running NX 5.0.4.1 and using Distance as the Offset Type. Every time I pick a curve to offset it requires that I pick a point on the offset plane. See the attached image and the areas with asterisks are required inputs when using Distance as the method.

If I choose 3D axial, I don't have to pick a point, but I still have to pick a vector direction even though the curve is planar.

I thought we only had to pick a curve and pick a direction (by flipping or reversing direction) back in the UG days? If I am correct, would it be asking too much for you to compare Offset Curve in v18 or older versus NX 5.0.4.1 and see if there are extra mouse clicks at all?

Tim Flater
Senior Designer
Enkei America, Inc.

http://www.enkei.com

Some people are like slinkies....they don't really have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

 

[cowski]

I'm stuck on NX2 (still) and the only time it asks me for a point is if the curve(s) to be offset do not define a plane. For example, if I offset an arc it simply asks which direction, but if I offset a line it asks for a point to define the offset plane.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Tim,

It appeared that you were suggesting that somehow performing an offset curve in Drafting required you to make an extra pick which was NOT required when working in modeling, which is NOT true. However, I think I now see what you're driving at but that is by design, whether you're in Drafting or not. Granted, one could argue that when you're in drafting that selecting a plane should be irrelevant since there is only a single plane, the one the drawing in being define in. However, this is only an issue if you select a single line or some non-planar curve since in those cases we can't infer the obvious construction plane from the curve selected.

Now if you wanted to, it would be reasonable to open an ER (Enhancement Request) where you made the case that while working in a drawing, that even selecting a single line should NOT require the user to make a second pick since, by definition, we already KNOW the plane that the user is expecting to be working on, the plane of the drawing.

However, as it now stands, it's working exactly as it was intended to work and so therefore there is NO bug.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
NX Design
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
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.

 

[Xwheelguy]

John,

As always, your response, time and efforts are appreciated.

I didn't intend to imply that Offset Curve had a bug, but rather a slight regression compared to pre-NX series Offset Curve (v18 or older).

With that said, my question is simply this: Did we used to have to define a point when using Offset Curve in UG v18 or older versions (in Modeling OR Drafting)? I cannot recall ever having to do this extra step until sometime in the NX series (OTHER than flipping the offset direction), but I am getting closer to 40, so that might be affecting the old memory bank a bit. I would check it out myself, but I don't have anything older than NX 3 installed, so for now, you're my guinea pig, if you don't mind ;0).

If I am correct in that we didn't have to do this extra clicking back in the UG days (prior to NX 1), why is it required now?

Tim Flater
Senior Designer
Enkei America, Inc.

http://www.enkei.com

Some people are like slinkies....they don't really have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Tim,

I went back to UG V16.0 and it has ALWAYS been the case that if you only selected a single line, you were asked to select a point to define the plane of the offset. In the case of multiple curves, as long as they were all on the same plane, or curves such as arcs and conics, the extra point was not needed and that step was skipped.

Perhaps what your 'problem' is that in the past, since all of the task steps were NOT in a single dialog, but rather were presented to you as needed, you never noticed the point on plane option unless it was needed. Now in NX 5 when you launch the Offset Curve dialog you see the extra step apparently active in the dialog, but it only remains there if you select a single line, If you select an planar set of connected curves or an arc or conic in the selection section, the point section of the dialog will be removed immediately since it's no longer needed.

I hope this helps explain what I think it is that you're seeing. In other words, what looks like an extra step in the work-flow for creating an offset curve is ONLY there if needed, as it always has been, just that before since the dialog was split over several separate step, we just skipped the ones that were irrelevant whereas now, you see the potential step UNTIL it's been determined that it will not be needed and THEN it's removed automatically.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
NX Design
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
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.

 

[ewh]

I do remember having to specify a point when offsetting a line or a non-planar curve as far back as V16 (my memory won't go any farther back), as John posts.

Believe it if you need it or leave it if you dare. - [small]Robert Hunter[/small]

 

[Xwheelguy]

I guess I am losing my mind. I don't remember that at all, but it's probably like John said, it might have just came up and I clicked through it, or maybe I used to force myself to pick more than 1 curve at a time.

Thanks for all of your time guys....I'll get an ER in for the Drafting side and see what happens.

Time for my prune juice. ;o)

Tim Flater
Senior Designer
Enkei America, Inc.

http://www.enkei.com

Some people are like slinkies....they don't really have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

 

[hudson888]

Offset Curve is one of my least favorite functions that we have to use. It is far too finicky and the workflow is made tedious by that aspect of it.

If you don't select geometry that lies on a plane it doesn't know what plane to offset the geometry in. Therefore a line requires a help point to establish to which side of the original it should go. For some reason you pick the opposite side to what you want which for mine is just plain annoying.

If there was only one enhancement that I could have in curve creation it would be to make offset curves work like parallel at a distance. It is not well set up to offset one curve or chain of curves and then reselect some different ones, so for practical purposes you have to recommence the dialog to continue working with it on a different set of curve. Nor will it offset ANY curves that aren't connected, which is all well and good if you used chain selection, but is otherwise just plain annoying. People need to construct curve sections all the time and the task is made tedious by the paucity of functionality in this area. You ought to be able to open offset curves and work up an entire section either on the XY place or in the plane of teh curves and do so without leaving the dialog, quickly and easily.

Best Regards

Hudson