Help on building helical surface with sweep
Help on building helical surface with sweep
(OP)
Hello All,
If someone could help with this situation...
I am trying to create a surface sweep by using 2 helices. This is the step-by-step of what I tried:
1) create large helix: draw circle diameter = 2m in front plane; define pitch = 1m, revolutions = 5, start angle = 135.0deg,
clockwise, taper helix = 50.0deg outward
2) create small helix: draw circle diameter = 1m in front plane; define pitch = 1m, revolutions = 5, start angle = 135.0deg,
clockwise, taper helix = 5.0deg outward
3) using Tools/Mesure, record the start/end coordinates (precision: 8 digits after decimal point) of both curves.
4) using these coordinates, build 3d lines as shown in image:
- connect start points of the two spirals with a straight line
- connect end points of the two spirals with a straight line
5) go to Insert/Surface/Sweep
- choose one of the straight 3-d lines as Profile
- choose small (internal) spiral as Path
- choose large (outward) spiral as Guide Curve
Sweep fails with the message: "Sweep operation failed to complete".
I tried various combinations of choices, selecting spirals as path or guide curve but nothing helps.
I am doing something wrong, but what is it?
Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
If someone could help with this situation...
I am trying to create a surface sweep by using 2 helices. This is the step-by-step of what I tried:
1) create large helix: draw circle diameter = 2m in front plane; define pitch = 1m, revolutions = 5, start angle = 135.0deg,
clockwise, taper helix = 50.0deg outward
2) create small helix: draw circle diameter = 1m in front plane; define pitch = 1m, revolutions = 5, start angle = 135.0deg,
clockwise, taper helix = 5.0deg outward
3) using Tools/Mesure, record the start/end coordinates (precision: 8 digits after decimal point) of both curves.
4) using these coordinates, build 3d lines as shown in image:
- connect start points of the two spirals with a straight line
- connect end points of the two spirals with a straight line
5) go to Insert/Surface/Sweep
- choose one of the straight 3-d lines as Profile
- choose small (internal) spiral as Path
- choose large (outward) spiral as Guide Curve
Sweep fails with the message: "Sweep operation failed to complete".
I tried various combinations of choices, selecting spirals as path or guide curve but nothing helps.
I am doing something wrong, but what is it?
Thanks for any suggestions you may have.






RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
thanks for your answer. Could you explain (if possible, step-by-step) of what you did to make it work? Most of all, if you could comment on where is my mistake, because I could never complete the sweep. I must be missing a key requirement somewhere and want to avoid my mistake in the future.
Regards
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
Draw circle diameter = 2m in front plane
Pitch = 1m
Revolutions = 5
Start angle = 135.0deg
Clockwise
Taper helix = 50.0deg outward.
2) Create new sketch;
Draw construction line from centre of helix halfway toward helix start point
Draw co-linear line from end of construction line to near the helix start point
Add a pierce constraint between the end point of the line and the helix
Dimension length of line.
3) Insert > Surface > Sweep
Select line as profile and helix as path
Orientation/twist type = Follow Path
Path alignment type = None
Click the Tick.
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
Dan
www.eltronresearch.com
Dan's Blog
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
I guess the piercing constraint is not the solution here.
I will simply try replacing the inner helix with the z-axis.
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
Many thanks for your input!
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
Were you able to open and review the 'even simpler' model from my second post?
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
Reading the step-by-step in your post above... You create one helix, a straight-line profile with pierce constraint and then sweep. The problem here is: the profile you create is a line with fixed length. Then your swept surface will be a corkscrew-surface "ribbon" with equal ribbon width for any z.
I need the internal helix (or any other similar curve which makes the sweep work) to ensure the "ribbon" has decreasing width with z. Hope this makes sense.
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
Unfortunately, for my modeling I need to build sweep surfaces with both external and internal guide curves and then vary these. The reason I put an inner helix was to make things simple and avoid talking about cutom curves.
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
Basically, create inner and outer revolved surface cones, and use those to trim a max width (and parallel) surface helix.
RE: Help on building helical surface with sweep
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Jeff Mowry
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