Surfaces to solid Problems 1

[jamestRS]

Im currently working on a project at work in which to design the entire front of a motorhome.

It will be manufactured in 2 peices, upper and lower.

At this moment, I'm trying to 'convert' it to a solid so I can export it as an IGES and send off to a rapid prototype company.

I have stitched the whole front into one surface and tried to use the thicken command. In the past I have had a very very low success rate using this tool, the only solution to overcoming most of my problems is to put set the thickness to 0.001mm, far smaller than the thickness I would like to use.

So after trying to thicken my surface to 4mm I get the error 'Failed to offset or delete the face'

Then after trying 0.001mm 'Face Clashing Operation Failed'

This is thicking to the inside of my surface. (Inside of vehicle)

Please please help, this is incredibly frustrating, as I need to hit the deadlines etc.

Thanks, James

 

[beachcomber]

Hi James,
You can create an IGES file just of the surface, which may be an option.
File > Save As > IGES > Options > Next, then check the Export Sheets box.

The problem is probably that some of the surfaces become self-intersecting when you try to offset them, or some may disappear altogether (which I think is the cause of the error message you mention)
Have a look at the surfaces, there are probably areas that have sharp changes of curvature, tight corners etc that will cause the problems.
Can you provide a screen-shot, or the actual file?

bc.
2.4GHz Core2 Quad, 4GB RAM,
Quadro FX4600.

 

[jamestRS]

Please not that i have stripped it down

I'm not trying to thicking the bonnet or licence plate etc. Just the front.

 

[jamestRS]

Image attached

 

[beachcomber]

It's difficult to tell from the picture but I would guess the areas below the windscreen and around the headlights.
Do you get any indication of what area is failing?
Sometimes the offending surfaces will be highlighted.
I would try thickening parts of it first, starting with the larger areas.


bc.
2.4GHz Core2 Quad, 4GB RAM,
Quadro FX4600.

 

[Gemnoc]

Cool design!

Have you tried offsetting individual surfaces? That may tell which area is causing trouble.

 

[Gemnoc]

Maybe a dumb idea: extrude a solid from somewhere at the rear of the motorhome to the front's stitched surface. Then, try a thin-wall feature. But I guess if the thicken command makes an error, the thin-wall will too.

I've had surface problems too in the past couple of months! Doing a thin-wall feature would work without problem, but afterwards the Geometry Inspector would say I have "self-interesting surfaces", whatever that means. It is frustrating.

 

[Gemnoc]

Typo! Please read "self-intersecting" instead of "self-interesting". LOL!

 

[jamestRS]

"Have you tried offsetting individual surfaces? That may tell which area is causing trouble. "

I ahve tried that, but once I thicken on surface, any surafce I try to thicken after that, it throws up a 'Not manifold sheet body error' or just 'Operation Fail'

I've also tried to convert it to a Synchronous part with the convert tool built into ST but once I select the part and click 'Open' the window appears which should show my part listed in it.

See here

http://www.cadalyst.com/cad/solid-e...ls-synchronous-on-edge-solid-edge-tutorial-12

My part does not show up in this window, nor does any other part on my system and company server show up, so clicking process doesn;t do anything.

If I could get it to work as a Synchrounous part i think this would solve most of my problems as I would no longer have any history dependancy??

Im using Solid Edge ST in the traditional part environment.


Thanks for the help so far guys.

 

[beachcomber]

If you convert this to a Sync part you will have great difficulty modyfying it.
I think you have to look very closely at the surfaces you have and test them as smaller groups.
If they thicken ok just delete the thicken feature and add another surface and see if that works.
The problem area is almost certain to be where you have tight corners and sharp changes of direction.
Have you applied any fillets/rounds?
If the round radius is smaller than the thickness that could cause it to fail.
You might just have to add some fillets and rounds so that the thicken can 'flow' properly.

bc.
2.4GHz Core2 Quad, 4GB RAM,
Quadro FX4600.

 

[HDS]

This is the way the geometry works with any surface you try to thicken. So any cad package will work this way.

Try offsetting all the surface the thickness. Then look at where the intersections are and the radi smaller than the thickness. You can clean up those areas on the back surfaces as needed. Then put sides on and close the surfaces. Once everything is closed turn it into a solid.

If you do this full scale then reduce the scale for the RP model you will have a model of the real part to use in your design. (of course the thickness will need to be increased before scaling it down. Do you really need a thin part for the RP model? If not just use the surface to cut off the front of a block.)

I always have trouble finding the command to turn surfaces into a solid in SE. Where is it and what is called again?

 

[Gemnoc]

@ HDS

Well, there is 'Make Base Feature'. You have to add the button to the QAT in ST. But if you have no base feature in your part, after the last operation on a set of surfaces that create an enclosed volume, SE will prompt you to turn it into a base feature anyway. If you click no, you can always do it later by right clicking on the last feature, you'll have an option to turn it into a base feature.

When you already have a base feature, the prompt will tell you the last operation resulted in a solid body. You then have to make a boolean operation to turn it into a solid.

 

[moog2]

what system were the surfaces created in, maybe the error comes from there?