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AIRBUS UK CATIA V5 Foundation Course

Foundation Course
Wireframe and
Surfacing Overview
Compiled by: Kevin Burke Approved by: Authorised by:

Kevin Burke
Date: 16/Apr/2003 Date: Date:
AIRBUS UK Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Contents

Session 7 An overview of Wireframe and Surfacing ...........3


An Introduction to Generative Shape Design ........................................................... 4
Accessing the Generative Shape Design Workbench ............................................... 5
Generative Shape Design Toolbars and Icons........................................................... 6
Extrude Surface ..................................................................................................... 7
Offset Surface........................................................................................................ 8
Loft Surface......................................................................................................... 10
Fill Surface .......................................................................................................... 12
Projection ............................................................................................................ 13
Split Surface ........................................................................................................ 14
Join Surface ......................................................................................................... 15
Extrapolate Surface ............................................................................................. 16
Intersection .......................................................................................................... 17

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Session 7 An overview of Wireframe


and Surfacing
On completion of this session the trainee will:

Be able to access the Generative Shape Design Workbench.

Be capable of creating Extruded Surfaces.

Be able to create Offset Surfaces.

Have a basic understanding of how to Loft a Surface.

Be able to create a basic Fill Surface.

Be able to Project elements onto Surfaces and Split them.

Use the Join command to Join Surfaces together.

Create an Extrapolated a Surface.

Be able to Intersect Surfaces.

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An Introduction to Generative Shape Design

There are various Workbenches within Catia where you can create both wireframe
and Surface type elements. The majority can be found under the Shape and
Mechanical Design Functions.

For the purpose of this overview into Wireframe and Surfacing we will be using the
Generative Shape Design Workbench.

Geometry created using this and other surfacing workbenches is placed in an Open
Body node rather than a Partbody. An Open Body can contain both Wireframe and
Surface geometry but not Solids. As with Partbodies you can have multiple
Openbodies within a CATPart.

Currently
Active
Open Body

Sketches can be created in either a PartBody or an Open Body. You can move a
Sketch from an Open Body to a PartBody by selecting the Sketch node with MB1
and then using Cut and Paste from the Edit drop down menu or the MB3 contextual
menu to perform the move. You can also create copies of the Sketch by using Copy
and Paste.

As you create geometry it will automatically be attached to the currently active Open
Body which is identified by the node being underlined.

To add a new Open Body to the Specification Tree Select Open Body from the
Insert drop down menu when you are in one of the Surfacing Workbenches.

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Accessing the Generative Shape Design Workbench


The Generative Shape Design Workbench can be accessed through the Shape
Function from the Start drop down menu.

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Generative Shape Design Toolbars and Icons

The two Toolbars that we will be


Workbench Icon concerned with during this session are: -

Replication Selection 1. The Surfaces toolbar this allows


you to create surfaces

Sketcher 2. The Operations toolbar allows you


to manipulate Surfaces.

Advance
Surfaces

Wireframe

Operations

Laws The Generative


Shape Design
commands can
also be access
through the
Insert drop down
Surfaces menu

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Extrude Surface
The first command that we will cover is Extrude Surface, which can be found on the
Surfaces Toolbar.

This command will allow you to Extrude a selected profile to form a single or
group of joined Surfaces.

Select the icon to display an Extrude Surface Definition panel.

The Profile field displays the name of the element or


Sketch that you have selected as the Profile to be
extruded.

The Direction lists the element that is used to define


the direction of the extrusion. By default when a Sketch
is selected then a plane normal to the Sketch plane is
used. By highlighting this field you can select your
direction element i.e. a Line or Plane.

The Extrusion Limits portion of the panel control the


overall length of the extrusion by using the Limit 1 and
2 fields to enter distances which are applied to either
side of the profile plane. You can also Grab the LIM1
and LIM2 using MB1 to control the length of the
Limits.

The Reverse Direction button reverses the direction of the limits.

After selecting the profile to be extruded, a direction element if desired and distance
for the limit you have to click OK to complete the command.

Resulting
Surface

Selected
Profile

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An Extrude node is attached to the Specification in the currently active Open Body.

Offset Surface
This command allows you to create an Offset Surface from an existing
Surface, and can be found on the Surfaces Toolbar.

Select the icon followed by a Surface to offset from. An Offset Surface Definition
panel will appear with the following options: -

The Surface field displays the name of the Surface


you selected to offset from.

The Offset field allows you to enter a distance for the


offset. You can also Grab the Green Offset marker to
control the distance

The Parameters tab allows you to Reverse the


Direction of the Offset, you can also use the orange
arrow to reverse direction. If you check the Both sides
check box then the offset is created either side of the
selected Surface. Selecting Repeat object after OK
check box will allow you to reuse the command to
create multiple offsets using the Offset value as a Step
size.

The Sub-Elements to Remove tab allows you to run analysis on the intended offset
containing more than one surface. Errors can be detected and Sub-Surfaces or
elements can be removed from the Offset.

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In the following example an Extruded Surface is offset by 50mm. The resulting offset
Surface is dependent upon the Extrude, therefore, if you delete the Extruded Surface
then the offset will be deleted as well.

Offset
Reverse
Marker
Direction
Arrow

Resulting
Offset
Surface

After clicking OK the


Surface is create and
Offset node is added
to the currently active
Open Body

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Loft Surface
Allows you to create a Lofted Surface through a series of selected Profiles
similar to the Loft command in the Part Design Workbench.

Select the icon which located on the Surfaces


Toolbar to display a Loft Surface Definition
panel.

The top portion of the panel displays which


profiles have been selected and the order that
they have been selected.

Note: At least two non-intersecting profiles


must be selected.

The bottom portion as five tabs: -

The Guides tab lists the selected guides. The


purpose of guides is to control how the Loft
cross section is controlled between the profiles

The Spine tab lists any Spine that is used. When a


Spine is use, the transition shape between profile
is kept normal to the Spine curve. By default if no
spine is selected then Catia will compute one
based on the profiles and their orientation to each.

Both the spine and guides are optional.

The Coupling tab allows you select how the


transition is mapped between profile. The are
four Section coupling options: -

Ratio maps the profiles together by a curvature


ratio.

Tangency maps the profiles together by their tangent discontinuity


points. If there are not the same number of points in each curve then this option will
cause the Loft to fail.

Tangency then curvature maps the profiles together by their curvature discontinuity
points. As with tangency if there are not the same number of points in each curve then
this option will cause the Loft to fail.

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Vertices maps the vertices of the profiles together. Again there must be the same
number vertices in each profile for the Loft command to succeed.

The Relimitation tab allows you to re-limit the


start and end sections of the Loft. The two
options are to limit the loft to the first profile
and the last profile. If either of these options is
not selected then the Spline curve or the Guide
curves control the relimit.

The final tab on the panel is the Conical


Surface tab allows create Conical Surfaces

The same rules apply to Lofting Surface as with creating a Lofted


Solid i.e. the Closing Points must by aligned to prevent twist of the
loft between Profiles.

After you have selected at least two Profiles and the desired option
click OK to create the Loft. A Loft node is then added to the
Specification Tree in the currently active Open Body.

In the following example a lofted surface is created using two


Sketches containing multi-element Profiles. The cross-sectional
shape of the loft is controlled by two Guide Profiles contained
within two different Sketches. The Coupling point has been set to Vertices.

Profile 2
Guide
Profile 2

Profile 1

Guide
Profile 1

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Fill Surface
Located on the Surfaces Toolbar this command you can create a Surface to fill
a gap between surfaces.

Select the icon to display a Fill Surface


Definition panel.

The Boundary portion of the panel lists the


edge boundary of the Surface that you have
selected to form the Fill.

Note: You must select the edges in a


logical sequence with no gaps otherwise
the fill will fail.

You can apply Tangency to the Fill


Surface by selecting the Support Surfaces
as well as the Edge curves and Select
Continuity Tangent.

After selecting the required Edges and


Supports, if required, click OK to create
the Fill.

A Standard Fill with just four


Edges selected with no Support
Surfaces selected.

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Projection
This allows you to Project Elements on to a Surface. This icon can be found on
the Wireframe Toolbar.

Select the icon to display a Projection Definition


panel.

You must select an element or Sketch to be projected,


which will then be displayed in the Projected field.

You then have to select a Surface to project the


element to be projected onto. This is displayed in the
Support field.

The Nearest solution checkbox if selected will limit the projection to the first
element found on the Support.

Finally the Projection type button allows you to specify whether the projection is
Normal to the Support or Along a Direction which you must specify by selecting a
Line or a Plane.

In the following example a sketch containing a rectangular Profile is Projected onto


the nearest element of a Loft.

After selecting the required


elements to Project and use as
the Support click OK to create
the Projected elements and a Resulting
Project node is attached to the Project
Specification Tree under the Elements
currently active Open Body.

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Split Surface
This icon is located on the Operations Toolbar and can be used to Split
Surface based features.

Select the icon to display a Split Definition panel.

You have to select an element to Split, which will


then be listed in the Element to cut field. This is to
be followed by the element(s) that are to be used as
Splitting elements which can be a group of separate
elements or a single profile contained in Sketch and
these are listed in the Cutting elements window.

The Other side button reverses which portion of the


Split is kept.

There also the option to keep both portions of the


split by selecting the Keep both sides checkbox. In
this case when you click OK to create the Split then
two Split operations appear in the Specification Tree.

Splitting
Profile

Surface to
be Split

Resulting Split
as remove a
portion of the
Surface

After clicking OK a Split


node is attached to the
Specification Tree under
the currently active Open
Body

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Join Surface
The Join Surface command allows you to join Surface based features or
Curves together. When selecting Surfaces if the Join produces an enclosed
volume then it can be converted into a Solid feature within the Part Design
Workbench by using the Close Surface command. The icon for this command is
located on the Operations Toolbar.

After selecting the icon a Join Definition


panel will appear.

The Element to Join portion list the


Surfaces or Curves that you have selected
to Join.

The Parameters tab allows you to control


the how the selected elements are joined.

The Federation tab allows you to group


selected elements together.

The Sub-Elements to Remove allows you


to remove Sub-Element from the Join list
i.e. elements from Sub-Element created by
a previous Join command.

To complete this command select the


elements to be joined and any desired
options followed by clicking OK to create
the Join. A Join Node will be added to the Specification Tree under the currently
active Open Body.

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Extrapolate Surface
With this command you can create an extension to an existing Surface. The
Extrapolate icon can be located on the Operations Toolbar.

After selecting the icon a Extrapolate Definition panel will appear with the following
options: -

The Boundary field lists the element that you have


selected as the edge of the existing surface to be
extended.

The Extrapolated field lists the existing Surface that you


have selected to extend.

The Limit portion of the panel controls whether you


extend the Surface by Length or Up to Element via the
Type button. If Length type is selected then you can
enter the value in the Length field and if Up to Element
is selected then you must select an element to control the
extension which will then be displayed in the Up to field.

The Continuity, Extremities and Propagation mode


buttons allow you to specify whether the extension is
Tangent or Curvature continuous.

The Assemble result checkbox if selected joins the extension to a copy of the original
Surface.

After selecting the Boundary, the Surface to be Extrapolated, Limit type


and the extension method click OK to create the Extrapolation. An
Extrapolate node is then attached to the Specification Tree under the
currently active node.
Surface to be Result
Extrapolated extended
Surface

Selected
Boundary

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Intersection
The final command covered in this session is the Intersection command
which is use to intersect two elements together to create an intersect element.
The icon for this command can be found on the Wireframe Toolbar.

Select the icon to display the Intersection Definition


panel.

The First and Second Element field lists the elements


you have selected to Intersect.

The other options are not selectable.

After selecting the elements to be intersected click OK


to create the intersection element. This will also result
in an Intersect node being added to the Specification Tree.

The resulting
Intersect
element Two elements
to be
Intersected.

The Intersect
node

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