Reverse Engineering PDF

® ®
Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0
Reverse Engineering (REX)

Help Topic Collection
Parametric Technology Corporation

Copyright © 2008 Parametric Technology Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
User and training guides and related documentation from Parametric Technology
Corporation and its subsidiary companies (collectively “PTC”) is subject to the copyright laws
of the United States and other countries and is provided under a license agreement that
restricts copying, disclosure, and use of such documentation. PTC hereby grants to the
licensed software user the right to make copies in printed form of this documentation if
provided on software media, but only for internal/personal use and in accordance with the
license agreement under which the applicable software is licensed. Any copy made shall
include the PTC copyright notice and any other proprietary notice provided by PTC. Training
materials may not be copied without the express written consent of PTC. This documentation
may not be disclosed, transferred, modified, or reduced to any form, including electronic
media, or transmitted or made publicly available by any means without the prior written
consent of PTC and no authorization is granted to make copies for such purposes.
Information described herein is furnished for general information only, is subject to change
without notice, and should not be construed as a warranty or commitment by PTC. PTC
assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this
document.
The software described in this document is provided under written license agreement,
contains valuable trade secrets and proprietary information, and is protected by the
copyright laws of the United States and other countries. It may not be copied or distributed
in any form or medium, disclosed to third parties, or used in any manner not provided for in
the software licenses agreement except with written prior approval from PTC.
UNAUTHORIZED USE OF SOFTWARE OR ITS DOCUMENTATION CAN RESULT IN
CIVIL DAMAGES AND CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
For Important Copyright, Trademark, Patent, and Licensing Information: For
Windchill products, select About Windchill at the bottom of the product page. For
InterComm products, on the Help main page, click the link for Copyright 2007. For other
products, select Help > About on the main menu for the product.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND
This document and the software described herein are Commercial Computer Documentation
and Software, pursuant to FAR 12.212(a)-(b) (OCT’95) or DFARS 227.7202-1(a) and
227.7202-3(a) (JUN’95), and are provided to the US Government under a limited commercial
license only. For procurements predating the above clauses, use, duplication, or disclosure by
the Government is subject to the restrictions set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights
in Technical Data and Computer Software Clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 (OCT’88) or
Commercial Computer Software-Restricted Rights at FAR 52.227-19(c)(1)-(2) (JUN’87), as
applicable. 01012008
Parametric Technology Corporation, 140 Kendrick Street, Needham, MA 02494 USA
Table of Contents
Reverse Engineering....................................................................................... 1
Using Reverse Engineering ........................................................................... 1
About Reverse Engineering ........................................................................ 1
About the Reverse Engineering Environment ................................................ 2
To Create a Reverse Engineering Feature ..................................................... 3
Using the Faceted Data in Reverse Engineering ....................................... 3
The Reverse Engineering Workflow.............................................................. 3
To Edit a Reverse Engineering Feature......................................................... 5
About the Restyle Tree .............................................................................. 5
To Use the Restyle Tree............................................................................. 5
About the Restyle Diagnostic Dialog Box ...................................................... 5
To Use the Restyle Diagnostic Dialog Box ..................................................... 6
Tutorial...................................................................................................... 6
Tutorial to Create Spline Surfaces Automatically............................................ 6
To Generate a Surface Over a Selected Closed Loop Area on a Facet Feature.. 7
To Generate a Surface Over the Entire Faceted Model ................................11
Managing Domains in Reverse Engineering ....................................................14
About Domains........................................................................................14
To Create a Domain .................................................................................14
To Add a Loop to a Domain .......................................................................14
Example: Adding a Loop to a Domain .........................................................15
To Remove a Loop from a Domain .............................................................15
Example: Removing a Loop from a Domain .................................................16
To Merge Domains ...................................................................................17
To Assign a Domain to a Surface ...............................................................17
Creating Curves in Reverse Engineering.........................................................17
About Creating Curves in Reverse Engineering .............................................17
To Create a Curve on Facets .....................................................................17
To Create a Curve on a Surface .................................................................18
iii
Table of Contents
To Create a Section Curve ........................................................................18
To Create a Curve Using a Surface Edge .....................................................18
To Create a Curve Using the Extremum Analysis ..........................................18
To Create a Curve Using the Isoline Analysis ...............................................19
Example: Isoline Analysis .........................................................................20
To Create a Curve from a Facet Border .......................................................20
To Create a Curve from Sharp Facet Edges..................................................21
To Create a Curve Through Points ..............................................................21
To Create a Free Curve that Snaps to Geometry...........................................21
Managing Curves in Reverse Engineering .......................................................21
About Modifying Curves ............................................................................21
To Modify a Curve....................................................................................22
To Project a Curve on a Facet Model, a Datum Plane, or a Surface ..................23
Curve Constraints in Reverse Engineering ......................................................23
About Curve Constraints ...........................................................................23
To Align Two Curves ................................................................................24
To Manipulate Curve Constraints................................................................24
To Merge Curves .....................................................................................25
To Split a Curve ......................................................................................25
Creating Analytical Surfaces in Reverse Engineering ........................................25
About Creating Analytical Surfaces .............................................................25
About Modifying Analytical Surfaces ...........................................................26
About Creating a Flat Surface ....................................................................26
To Create a Flat Surface ...........................................................................27
About Creating a Cylindrical Surface...........................................................28
To Create a Cylindrical Surface ..................................................................28
About Creating a Conical Surface ...............................................................29
To Create a Conical Surface ......................................................................29
To Create a Revolved Surface....................................................................30
To Create an Extruded Surface ..................................................................31
Creating Polynomial Surfaces in Reverse Engineering ......................................32
iv
Table of Contents
About Creating Surfaces in Reverse Engineering ..........................................32
About Specifying the Mathematical Properties of Surfaces .............................32
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using Four Curves......................................33
To Create a Triangular Surface Using Three Curves ......................................33
To Create a Surface from Net ....................................................................34
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using Three Curves ....................................34
To Create a Surface from Box....................................................................34
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using Four Points .......................................34
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using the End Points of a Cross....................35
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using Two Curves ......................................35
To Create a Loft Surface Using the Specified Curves .....................................35
Creating Spline Surfaces Automatically ..........................................................35
About Automatic Creation of Spline Surfaces ...............................................35
To Automatically Create Spline Surfaces .....................................................36
Curve Generation Settings ........................................................................37
Managing Surfaces in Reverse Engineering.....................................................38
About Merging and Intersecting Surfaces ....................................................38
To Merge or Intersect Surfaces ..................................................................38
To Project a Surface on a Facet Model ........................................................38
About Modifying Surfaces..........................................................................39
To Modify a Surface .................................................................................39
To Extrapolate a Surface...........................................................................40
To Setup Reference Points ........................................................................40
To Fit a Surface.......................................................................................41
To Edit the Surface Properties ...................................................................41
Surface Constraints in Reverse Engineering....................................................41
About Surface Constraints.........................................................................41
To Align Two Surfaces ..............................................................................42
To Manipulate Surface Constraints .............................................................42
Creating Symmetry Plane ............................................................................43
About the Symmetry Plane .......................................................................43
v
Table of Contents
To Create a Symmetry Plane .....................................................................43
About the Normal to Plane Constraint .........................................................44
To Align a Planar Curve and a Surface Using Normal to Plane Constraint..........44
To Edit the Planar Curve and Surface that are Aligned Using Normal To Plane
Constraint ..............................................................................................44
Copying Curves and Surfaces .......................................................................44
About Copying Curves and Surfaces ...........................................................44
To Create a Copy of a Curve or Surface ......................................................45
Index ..........................................................................................................47
vi
Reverse Engineering
Using Reverse Engineering
About Reverse Engineering

Reverse Engineering enables you to rebuild a surface CAD model on top of faceted or
triangulated data. You can import the faceted data directly or create it by conversion
of point set data using the Facet Modeling functionality of Pro/ENGINEER.
The faceted data is saved in the STL or stereolithography format. The STL format is
an ASCII file with a .stl extension consists of a list of faceted data. Each facet is
uniquely identified by a unit normal and three vertices or corners. A unit normal is a
line perpendicular to the triangle and with a length of 1.0. The normal and each
vertex are specified by three coordinates each, resulting in 12 numbers being stored
for each facet. The format also includes rules to ensure that the facets or triangles
are all properly connected at the nodes.
Reverse Engineering provides a comprehensive set of automatic, semi-automatic,
and manual tools that you can use to perform the following tasks:
• Create and modify curves, including curves on faceted data.
• Use surface analysis on faceted data to create isoline and extremum curves.
These isoline curves represent selected points on faceted data that approximately
correspond to the value of the isoline analysis. The extremum curves represent
the selected points on the faceted data that approximately correspond to the
extreme values of the extremum analysis.
• Create and edit analytical, extruded, and revolved surfaces using the faceted
data.
• Create, edit, and manipulate freeform polynomial surfaces, including high degree
B-Spline and Bezier surfaces using the faceted data and curves.
• Fit freeform surfaces to faceted data.
• Create and manage connectivity constraints, including position, tangency, and

curvature constraints between surfaces and curves.
• Manage connectivity and tangency constraints between surfaces.
• Perform basic surface modeling operations, including extrapolation and merging

of surfaces.
• Automatically create spline surfaces on faceted data.
• Create a symmetry plane that enables you to build and mirror individual halves of
geometry.
Note:
• To Use Reverse Engineering, you must have the Technical Surfacing and
Reverse_Engineering licenses.
1
Reverse Engineering - Help Topic Collection
• Datum points, datum curves, and datum planes that you create inside Reverse
Engineering are a part of the Reverse Engineering feature. You cannot modify
them.
You can use the Surface CAD model created in Reverse Engineering in all
downstream operations and applications of Pro/ENGINEER.
About the Reverse Engineering Environment

Reverse Engineering is a direct modeling environment that lets you focus on a
particular area of your faceted model and use a variety of tools to achieve the
desired shape and properties of surfaces.
To isolate your design activities in a single feature, Reverse Engineering uses the
"Reverse Engineering feature" concept. The Reverse Engineering feature is a
compound feature that comprises all geometry and reference data created in
Reverse Engineering.
All geometry created inside the Reverse Engineering feature becomes part of the
feature. Reverse Engineering feature depends on the underlying Facet feature. It
also depends on surface or curve features that are used to construct or constrain
surfaces and curves. If you modify any of such features, the Reverse Engineering
feature also gets updated.
Note: It is possible to delete a Facet feature referenced by the Reverse Engineering
feature by suspending the Reverse Engineering feature. In this case, the Reverse
Engineering geometry remains unchanged. Once you delete the Facet feature,
Reverse Engineering cannot reference another Facet feature.
It is possible to create asynchronous datum entities such as planes, points,
coordinate systems in Reverse Engineering. These datum entities created inside
Reverse Engineering become a part of the Reverse Engineering feature. Hence, the
resulting entities lose all their references upon creation and you cannot edit their
definition.
There are no parent-child relations between curves and surfaces created inside the
Reverse Engineering feature. Instead, the geometric relations between surfaces and
between surfaces and curves are maintained. For example, modification of a curve
used to create a surface causes this surface to be updated.
Features created after Reverse Engineering feature can use geometric entities
created within Reverse Engineering as references in the same way as any other
geometric objects.
Note:
• In Reverse Engineering, you can work with all datum entities.
• Once the surface intersection is carried out, you cannot modify it.
• If you create a polynomial surface in Reverse Engineering using curves that form
a closed loop, all the facet vertices within the loop are automatically assigned to
this surface.
• The deletion of faceted data also results in a reduced file size.
2
Reverse Engineering
• The mold and manufacturing models created from a Reverse Engineering feature
are associative with respect to the Reverse Engineering feature.
To Create a Reverse Engineering Feature

Click Insert > Restyle. Pro/ENGINEER creates the Reverse Engineering feature and
displays the Reverse Engineering toolbar.
Using the Faceted Data in Reverse Engineering

1. Click File > New to start a Pro/ENGINEER part.
Note: If you are already working on faceted data, perform only the last step.
2. Click Insert > Shared Data > From File. The Open dialog box opens.
3. Select the faceted data file that you want to open and click Open. The Import
Options dialog box opens.
4. Select the coordinate system to be used as a reference for inserting the

geometry.
5. Select the required units from the Units box.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Insert > Restyle. Pro/ENGINEER creates the Reverse Engineering feature
and displays the Reverse Engineering toolbar.
The Reverse Engineering Workflow

The general workflow for creating a model in Reverse Engineering is as follows:
• Open or insert the required facet feature in Pro/ENGINEER.
• Use Insert > Restyle to enter the Reverse Engineering environment.
• Analyze using various surface analyses such as maximum curvature, Gaussian

curvature, third derivative, slope, and so on. Use the shaded view to understand the
structure of the required surface model.
These analyses can also help you identify:
o The analytical surfaces such as planes, cones, cylinders.
o The procedural surfaces such as extruded and revolved surfaces.
o The significant non-analytical surfaces, or complex precise surfaces with

well-defined boundaries such as aerodynamic surfaces, that you need to
create.
o Organic shapes where the boundaries of individual surfaces are not of

utmost importance.
o The parts of the required surface model that you can create using standard
Pro/ENGINEER features such as rounds.
3
• Start by constructing the simpler and bigger surfaces that you can use as direction
references for more complex procedural surfaces and for surface analyses.
• Create surfaces using the various surface creation tools such as creating curves on
facets, from analyses, from intersection with a plane, or 3-D curves.
• You can also create a domain on the facet representation. Use this domain to create
an analytical surface that is influenced only by the domain.
Note: It is not necessary to create a domain for creating analytical surfaces. You
can create analytical surfaces by selecting one or two points. All analytical
surface creation tools work with or without the creation of domains, though
without a domain the resulting analytical surface may not follow the faceted
geometry. Domains can be used for creating partial analytical surfaces like a
portion of a cylinder, cone, or a revolution. You can also use domains where an
extruded surface needs to be created only at a local area in the model even
though the section plane may be intersecting the complete facet model.
• For freeform surfaces, you can also use the Fit and Project tools. A surface must
have a domain or reference points assigned to it in order to fit it.
• If the surfaces have to be intersected with each other, you may need to extend
these surfaces. In some cases, it is necessary to re-fit the free-form surfaces
after extending them.
• If required, you can assign a domain to an existing surface in order to fit it or to see
the deviation diagnostics.
Note: In some cases it is useful to create datum entities using facet

representation or other required geometry. You can use datum planes and axes
as direction references for analytical surface creation and for analyses. All datum
entities (planes, axes, coordinate system, points, curves) created in Reverse
Engineering use standard Pro/ENGINEER user interface for asynchronous datum
entities. However, once created, they lose their parametric feature definition and
cannot be redefined within the Reverse Engineering feature.
• You can align curves or surfaces to make the curves or surfaces position continuous.
You can edit or remove the constraints if required for proper modification of
individual surfaces and curves.
• You can also automatically create spline surfaces on a facet feature. You can then
modify the surface using the existing tools for curves and surfaces.
• You can also create symmetry plane on facet models. The symmetry plane enables
you to build and mirror individual halves of geometry.
• Use the Diagnostics tool to dynamically visualize the characteristics of surfaces and
curves.
• Use the Restyle Tree tool to hide, unhide, or delete components of the surface
model in Reverse Engineering.
• After completing the Reverse Engineering feature, you can use the created
geometry for creating regular Pro/ENGINEER features.
4
Reverse Engineering
To Edit a Reverse Engineering Feature

1. From the Model Tree, click the Reverse Engineering feature that you want to edit
and right-click. The shortcut menu appears.
2. Click Edit Definition and make the required changes.
About the Restyle Tree

The main features of the Restyle Tree are:
• Easy viewing of individual components of the Reverse Engineering feature.
• You can view the relations and the sequence of merging of these components.
This, in turn, enables you to check for the completeness of the model with
respect to the design intent.
The Restyle Tree displays:

• The domains created. Each of the domains is a separate node of the Restyle
Tree.
• The individual surfaces created. Each of these surfaces is displayed at Level 1.
• The results of the merging of components that are at lower levels. The order of
merge/intersection procedure is reflected by a tree structure.
• The results of creating spline surfaces automatically.
The Restyle Tree allows you to:

• Delete selected domains or individual surfaces.
• Delete components that are at a higher level. For example, remove a merge
procedure that had created this component.
• Hide, unhide, and isolate the selected domains and top level components.
To Use the Restyle Tree
• Click . The Restyle Tree is displayed in a separate Reverse Engineering

window.
• To clear the display of the Restyle Tree, click again.
• To select a component from the Restyle Tree, click the component. To modify,
hide, or delete a component, right-click the selected component.
About the Restyle Diagnostic Dialog Box

While modifying the Reverse Engineering geometry, you can turn on or off the
dynamic display of analyses and diagnostic tools. The dynamic display changes as
you change geometry.
5
The available surface diagnostics options are:

• Cosmetic Shading
• Normals
• Porcupine
• Mesh
• Deviation
• Reference Points
The available curve diagnostics options are:

• Radius
• Curvature
Additional analysis tools are available under the Analysis menu.
To Use the Restyle Diagnostic Dialog Box
1. Click . The Restyle Diagnostic dialog box opens.
2. Click and then to select curves and surfaces to remove from the
diagnostics.
3. Click and to select curves and surfaces to add to the diagnostics.
4. To display the model with the analysis, select an analysis from the list and click
. Make sure that the icon is displayed next to the analysis in the
Restyle Diagnostic dialog box.
5. To blank the analysis, select an analysis from the box and click . Make
sure that the icon is displayed next to the analysis in the Restyle Diagnostic
dialog box.
6. To modify settings for a particular analysis, select an analysis from the box and
click Setting. The Display Settings dialog box lets you set parameters for the
selected analysis.
Note: Surfaces that you select for Modify and Fit operations are automatically
added to the diagnostics.
Tutorial
Tutorial to Create Spline Surfaces Automatically

This tutorial will teach you how to create spline surface automatically using Reverse
Engineering.
6
Reverse Engineering
1. Drag the following file into the Pro/ENGINEER graphics window:
seat.zip
The File Open dialog box opens.
2. Select seat.stl and click Open. The part opens.
Automatic creation of spline surfaces involves three phases:

• Defining a loop to determine the region for creating the surface
• Defining the patch structure
• Creating or modifying the surface
You can generate a surface over the entire faceted model or generate a surface over
a selected closed loop area on the facet feature.
To Generate a Surface Over a Selected Closed Loop Area on a

Facet Feature
1. Click . Select points on the facet model for the curve to pass through and
middle-click. Create a loop of curves as follows:
7
2. Click . Click to define a loop to determine the region for creating the
surface. Select the required curves. The contour curves form a closed curve
boundary. After you select a valid loop, arrows appear on this loop to indicate the
default side that is selected for creating the surface.
3. Click to enter the patch structure creation phase.
8
Reverse Engineering
4. Click on the dashboard and select the internal curve.
5. Specify 30 as the number of patches in the Add Patches box on the dashboard.
The total number of patches created in the patch structure is approximately equal
to the number specified in the Add Patches box.
6. Click . The patch structure is generated automatically.
9
7. Click to enter the surface creation phase.
8. Click . The surface is automatically created from the patch structure.
9. Click .
10
Reverse Engineering
To Generate a Surface Over the Entire Faceted Model
1. Click . Click on the dashboard to generate a surface over the entire

faceted model.
2. Click to enter the patch structure creation phase. Click . The patch
structure is generated automatically.
11
12
Reverse Engineering
5. Click .
13
Managing Domains in Reverse Engineering
About Domains
A domain is a collection of facet vertices bound by one or several curves on facets. It
can be used to define reference points for deviation display and for fitting of free
form surfaces. Domain can also be used to create a partial or full analytical,
extruded, or revolved surface. In this case, the creation of the analytical surface is
influenced only by the selected domains.
To Create a Domain
1. Click and select points on the facets such that the resulting curve forms a
closed loop. You can also use curves created from sharp edges, from border,
intersection curves, or any of the analysis curves for creating domains. Domain
can also be created in a region bounded by multiple curves.
2. Click and click anywhere inside the closed loop. Reverse Engineering creates
a domain and highlights it.
To Add a Loop to a Domain
1. Click .
2. Select points on the faceted surface such that the resulting curve forms a closed
loop inside the existing domain or intersects the existing domain.
3. Click and click inside the original domain. Select a point in the region for
adding a loop. Adding a loop limits the domain by excluding the points that lie
inside your selected region.
14
Reverse Engineering
Example: Adding a Loop to a Domain

The next figure shows a domain created on a faceted surface.
The next figure shows the domain modified after adding a loop.
To Remove a Loop from a Domain
1. Click .
15
2. Click anywhere inside the highlighted domain to select it.
3. Select the area inside the closed loop curves that does not have any faceted
points highlighted. The loop is no longer considered for limiting the domain.
Reverse Engineering highlights the entire domain.
Example: Removing a Loop from a Domain

The next figure shows a domain after a loop is added to it to limit the domain.
The next figure shows the domain after the loop is removed from the domain.
16
Reverse Engineering
To Merge Domains
1. Click .
2. Click inside the two domains to be merged. The domain that you select second is
appended to the domain first selected. The merged domain is highlighted.
To Assign a Domain to a Surface
1. Click .
2. Select a domain to assign to the surface.
3. Select the surface. Reverse Engineering assigns the domain to the selected
surface.
By assigning a domain to a surface, the facet vertices defined by the domain get
added as reference points for the selected surface. Later this surface can be fit to
these reference points.
Creating Curves in Reverse Engineering
About Creating Curves in Reverse Engineering

In Reverse Engineering, you can create curves by selecting:
• Facet points.
• Freely selected points on geometry including datum points, vertices, curves,

surfaces, and facet data through which the curve will pass.
• Points on a surface.
• Borders or sharp edges of the facet feature.
• A cross-section of the facet feature at a datum plane.
• In addition, you can also use Insert > Model Datum > Curve for creating
datum curves through points, from a file, using a cross-section, or from an
equation. For more information, refer to the Part Modeling module of
Pro/ENGINEER documentation.
To Create a Curve on Facets
1. Click .
2. Select points on the facet model for the curve to pass through and middle-click.
Reverse Engineering creates a curve that passes through the selected points on
facets. Even when you modify this curve, the curve on facets remains on the
facets.
17
Note: The resulting number of points that define the curve on facets may be higher
than the actual selected points. Pro/ENGINEER adjusts the number of points to keep
the curve as close to the facet model as possible.
To Create a Curve on a Surface
1. Click .
2. Select the surface for creating curves. You can select only one surface for
creating a curve.
3. Select points on the surface and middle-click. Reverse Engineering creates a

curve on the selected surface that passes through the selected points. Even when
you modify this curve, the curve remains on the surface.
To Create a Section Curve
1. Click .
2. Select the datum plane to use for the section. Pro/ENGINEER creates a curve on
facets as an intersection of the faceted data and the selected datum plane.
Optionally, to create a datum plane at a required location, click . The DATUM

PLANE dialog box opens. Specify the datum plane placement parameters.
Reverse Engineering creates a curve at the cross-section of the datum plane and
the faceted model.
Note: The resulting curve is a curve on facets. It can be used to create domains
and for automatic surfacing.
To Create a Curve Using a Surface Edge
To create a curve using a surface edge, select the surface edge and click .
Reverse Engineering creates a position constraint for the surface with respect to this
curve.
To Create a Curve Using the Extremum Analysis

1. Analyze the facet feature using any of the following analysis tools:
o Shaded Curvature
o Draft
o Slope
2. Save the computed analysis.
18
Reverse Engineering
3. Click Restyle > Curves > Analysis - Extremum and select points on the
faceted data that approximately correspond to the extreme values of the analysis
and lie on the same curve. Middle-click to finish selection.
o Selection of a single point causes the creation of a curve that follows the
local extremum of the analysis.
o Selection of multiple points causes the creation of an open curve that

approximately passes through the selected points while following the local
extremum of the analysis.
Note: The resulting curve is a curve on facets. It can be used to create domains and
for automatic surfacing.
To Create a Curve Using the Isoline Analysis

1. Analyze the facet feature using any of the following analysis tools:
o Shaded Curvature
o Draft
o Slope
2. Save the computed analysis.
3. Click and select points on faceted data that approximately correspond to the
required value (color) of the analysis and lie on the same curve. Middle-click to
finish selection.
o Selection of a single point causes the creation of a closed curve that follows
the selected value of the analysis.

approximately passes through the selected points while following the same
slope value.
19
Example: Isoline Analysis

The next figure shows the faceted model displayed using the Slope analysis.
The next figure shows the closed curve created on the faceted model using the
Isoline analysis.
To Create a Curve from a Facet Border

1. Click Restyle > Curves > From Facet Border.
2. Select points on the faceted data that lie on the open boundary. Middle-click to
finish selection.
o Selection of a single point causes the creation of a closed curve that follows
the open boundary.
20
Reverse Engineering

approximately passes through the selected points while following the open
boundary.
To Create a Curve from Sharp Facet Edges
1. Click .
2. Select points on the faceted data that lie on the sharp edge of the facet model.
Middle-click to finish selection.
o Selection of a single point causes the creation of a curve that follows the
sharp edge.

approximately passes through the selected points while following the sharp
edge.
To Create a Curve Through Points

1. Click Restyle > Curves > Style. The Style toolbar is displayed.
2. Create a Style curve in the usual manner.
To Create a Free Curve that Snaps to Geometry
1. Click .
2. Select points on the existing geometry for the free curve to pass through and
middle-click. Reverse Engineering creates a curve that passes through the
selected points. This free curve snaps to the existing geometry.
Note: Snapping does not create constraints. The curve does not change if the
existing geometry on which it lies changes.
Managing Curves in Reverse Engineering
About Modifying Curves

You can modify a curve by tweaking its control polygon or by modifying its
interpolation points.
21
To Modify a Curve
1. Click and select the curve for modification. The Curve Modify dialog box
opens.
2. Select one of the following curve modification options:
o To modify the curve using its control points, click and select the
vertex of the control polygon to move.
o To modify the curve using its interpolation points, click and click
one of the following:
Move—Moves the curve by moving the interpolation points on the curve

using the movement options.
Add—Adds interpolation points to the curve at the selected location.
Delete—Deletes the interpolation points from the curve by selecting points.
Redistribute—Redistributes the interpolation points according to the

curve’s curvature.
3. Optionally, specify the movement options. The available movement options are:
o Curve Plane—Restricts the curve movement to the curve plane only. A

curve plane is a plane formed by the tangent and the normal vector of the
curve.
o 3d Movement—Moves the curve freely in 3D space. This option is not

available for curve on facets or curve on surface.
o Local—Moves only the selected control point.
o Smooth Region—Moves the control points by a distance relative to the

selected point. The point movement distance decreases proportional to its
distance from the selected point by a cubic law.
o Linear Region—Moves the control points by a distance relative to the

selected point. The point movement distance decreases proportional to its
distance from the selected point by a linear law.
o Constant Region—Moves all the control points by the same distance from
the selected point. For a constrained surface, the boundary does not move.
4. Select and drag a vertex of the control polygon or the interpolation points to
modify the curve. Instead of dragging, you can specify the following if finer
control of point movement is required.
o Normal Direction—Specifies the increment in the normal direction.
o Tangent Direction—Specifies the increment in the tangent direction.
22
Reverse Engineering
o Binormal Direction—Specified the increment in the binormal direction.

This option is not available for curve on facets or curve on surface.
o Increment—Specifies the value of the point movement increment.
5. Click to complete the curve modification.
To Project a Curve on a Facet Model, a Datum Plane, or a Surface
1. Click and select a curve for projecting. You can also select the curve before
clicking .
2. Select the faceted geometry, the datum plane, or the surface on which to project
the curve.
When you project a curve on the facet, the projected curve is created as a curve on
facet.
When you project a curve on the datum plane, the projected curve is created as a
planar curve.
When you project a curve on the surface, the projected curve is created as a curve
on surface.
Curve Constraints in Reverse Engineering
About Curve Constraints

The following kinds of constraints are imposed between curves:
• Position—A curve is said to be position constrained if the end of the curve is
constrained to a point on another curve. A circle represents the Position
constraint.
• Tangent Dependent —If you select a Tangent Dependent constraint when

aligning two curves, the first curve that you select is modified while the second
curve becomes the reference curve. The Tangent Dependent constraint sets the
tangent at the end of the modified curve to match the tangency of the reference
curve. Tangent Dependent curve constraint follows the concept of leaders and
followers. When the shape of a leader curve changes, the follower curve adapts
its shape to maintain the tangent connection. When the shape of a follower curve
changes, the leader curve remains unaffected. An arrow pointing from the leader
curve to the follower curve represents the Tangent Dependent constraint.
• Tangent Symmetric—Same as a Tangent Dependent but a change that you

make to one curve does not affect another curve. The curves do not follow the
concept of leaders and followers. A line between the curves represents a
Tangent Symmetric constraint.
• Curvature Dependent—If you select Curvature Dependent constraint when

aligning two curves, the first curve that you select is modified while the second
curve becomes the reference curve. The Curvature Dependent constraint sets
23
the curvature at the end of the modified curve to match the curvature of the
reference curve. Curvature Dependent curve constraint follows the concept of
leaders and followers. When the shape of a leader curve changes, the follower
curve adapts its shape to maintain the curvature connection. When the shape of
a follower curve changes, the leader curve remains unaffected. Two arrows
pointing from the leader curve to the follower curve represent a Curvature
Dependent constraint.
To Align Two Curves
1. Click .
2. Select the required constraint from the Constraints tab on the dashboard. By
default, the curve constraint is set to Position.
3. Select a curve. This curve is modified.
4. Select another curve. This becomes the reference curve.
While aligning, the first curve modifies itself to match the direction of the tangent
of the second curve.
5. Move the vertex of the modified curve along the reference curve to the desired
location.
6. Click .
To Manipulate Curve Constraints

You can manipulate curve constraints as follows:
• Select a curve and click . Alternatively, select a curve, right-click, and select
Display Constraints. Symbols that represent the constraints between the
curves displays.
• If required, you can change the curve constraint. Select a curve, right-click, and
select Display Constraints. Select the constraint symbol that is displayed, right-
click, and select a new constraint.
• Select a curve and click to detach a curve on facet from the facet feature or
to detach a curve on surface from the surface. Alternatively, select a curve, right-
click, and click Detach.
• If required, you can also delete the constraint. Select a curve, right-click, and
click, and select Delete.
• Select a curve, right-click, and click Modify Shape. You can modify the shape of
the curve by freely dragging the control points on the curve.
o In the case of Position constraint, you can change the shape of both the
curves independently by freely dragging the control points.
24
Reverse Engineering
o In the case of Tangent Dependent, you can change the shape of the
leader curve by freely dragging the control points. You cannot drag the first
control point on the follower and the movement of the second control point
is limited in the direction of tangent defined by the end of leader curve. You
can drag all the other control points on the follower curve freely.
o In the case of Tangent Symmetric, you can change the shape of both the
curves without affecting the tangency connection. The first and the second
control points on the follower curve are locked to maintain the tangent
connection. You cannot drag these points. You can drag all the other control
points freely.
o In the case of Curvature Dependent, you can change the shape of the
leader curve by freely dragging the control points. The first three control
points on the follower curve are locked to maintain the curvature
connection. You cannot drag these points. You can drag all the other control
points on the follower curve freely.
o If required, you can swap the direction of the leader and the follower curves.
Select a curve, right-click, and select Display Constraints. Select the constraint
symbol that is displayed, right-click, and select Flip Leader.
To Merge Curves
1. Click .
2. Select a curve.
3. Select another curve. The two curves are merged into a single curve. The
resulting curve changes shape to maintain smoothness.
To Split a Curve
1. Select a curve.
2. Click .
3. Select a point on the curve. The curve is split at the specified point. By default,
the constraint between the two resulting curves at the point of the split is a
Position constraint.
Creating Analytical Surfaces in Reverse Engineering
About Creating Analytical Surfaces

When creating analytical surfaces,
• You can first select a domain and then select the required surface-creation tool.
Reverse Engineering automatically creates the surface. You can also select the
tool and then select a domain.
25
• If you click the Domain check box, select a domain to define a surface.
Otherwise, you must select a point on facets for creating a planar, cylindrical, or
extruded surface or one or two points on facets for creating a conical or revolved
surface depending on whether you do or do not define the direction for creating
surfaces.
• Clicking the Full check box creates a complete 360 degree surface for cylinder,
cone, or revolved surface; or for surface based on a closed section for extruded
surface. You cannot use Full for a flat surface.
• Before creation of an analytical surface, you can select only datum points as
origin points. While modifying an analytical surface, you can select any location
on the facet as a reference for the origin point.
• When you select a datum point for the origin reference, the analytical surface is
located in such a way that its origin point exactly matches the selected datum
point in its final position.
• Before creating a surface, you can optionally select a datum axis, datum plane,
or surface to specify the direction. For conical, cylindrical, and revolved surfaces
the defined axis is the axis of revolution.
• After the surface is created or when you are modifying the surface, you can
modify the coordinates of the origin and the angles of direction. You can also
move the origin parallel to a defined direction by selecting a point on the facet
model. This is especially useful for conical surfaces and extruded surfaces with a
draft angle.
• Reverse Engineering uses the coordinate system to recalculate the coordinates of

origin and the direction angles. You can specify the coordinate system to be used
for these calculations. Otherwise, Reverse Engineering uses the default
coordinate system.
Note: Selecting proper references such as datum axes or datum planes results in
accurate creation of analytical surfaces.
About Modifying Analytical Surfaces
Selecting the existing analytical surface and clicking displays the same dialog
box that was used for the creation of the surface. Use the required options on the
dialog box to modify the surface. Clicking displays the modified geometry.
Note: The Full and Domain options are not available while modifying an analytical
surface.
About Creating a Flat Surface

When you create a flat surface using Reverse Engineering:
• The point that you select is the origin of the flat surface.
26
Reverse Engineering
• Reverse Engineering orients the flat surface with respect to the reference
direction. The orientation of the surface can be changed by modifying the angular
dimensions.
• You can select datum planes, axes, edges, and facet faces as direction references
for creating the flat surface.
• You can specify any two direction angular dimensions. Reverse Engineering
calculates the third dimension using these two dimensions.
To Create a Flat Surface
1. Click . The Plane dialog box opens.
2. Click the required check boxes for defining the surface:
o Full—Creates a complete cylinder of 360 degrees.
o Domain—Uses the selected domain for creating the surface.
3. Select the references for the flat surface.
o Coord. System—Selects the coordinate system. This coordinate system is

used as a reference for manipulating or moving the surface.
o Origin Point—The point that you selected on the facet is the origin point of
the flat surface, if it is not explicitly defined. For analytical surfaces, if you
want to define the origin point before the creation of the surface, you can
only select datum points. After creating the surface, to modify the origin
point, you can select any location on the facet for defining the origin point.
The surface is translated in a direction normal to itself such that the origin
point and the facet point lie on the same plane.
Reverse Engineering displays the x-, y-, and z-coordinates of the origin
point in the respective Origin Point Coordinates boxes. You can change
these coordinates to move the origin point. The surface moves with respect
to the origin point.
o Direction—Selects a datum plane or an axis as a directional reference

where required. The orientation of the surface depends upon the directional
reference.
4. Under Direction Angular Dimensions, change the angle that the flat surface
makes with the direction vectors to rotate the flat surface in the required
direction.
5. Click .
27
About Creating a Cylindrical Surface

When you create a cylindrical surface using Reverse Engineering:
• The midpoint of the base of the cylinder is its origin.
• Reverse Engineering orients the cylindrical surface with respect to the reference
dimensions.
• You can select datum planes and axes as direction references for creating the
cylindrical surface. If you select an axis as a direction reference, Reverse
Engineering uses it as the cylinder's axis. If you select a plane, Reverse
Engineering calculates the origin of the base circle automatically.
To Create a Cylindrical Surface
1. Click . The Cylinder dialog box opens.
o Full—Creates a complete cylinder of 360 degrees.
3. Select the references for the cylindrical surface.

o Origin Point—The center of the base circle of the cylinder is its origin. For
analytical surfaces, if you want to define the origin point before the creation
of the surface, you can only select datum points. After creating the surface,
to modify the origin point, you can select any location on the facet for
defining the origin point.
The surface is translated along its axis such that in the new position, the
origin point of the surface and the facet point lie on the same plane that is
normal to the axis.
these coordinates to move the origin point and the surface.

where required. If you select an axis for direction reference, it is used as an
axis of the cylinder. The orientation of the surface depends upon the
directional reference.
4. In the Diameter box, type a value for the diameter of the cylinder.
28
Reverse Engineering
5. Under Direction Angular Dimensions, change the angle that the cylindrical
surface makes with the direction vectors to rotate the surface in the required
direction.
6. Click .
About Creating a Conical Surface

When you create a conical surface using Reverse Engineering:
• The midpoint of the base circle is its origin.
• Reverse Engineering orients the conical surface with respect to the reference
dimensions.
• You can select datum planes and axes as direction references for creating the
conical surface. If you select an axis as a direction reference, Reverse
Engineering uses it as the cone's axis. If you select a plane, Reverse Engineering
calculates the origin of the base circle automatically.
To Create a Conical Surface
1. Click . The Cone dialog box opens.
o Full—Creates a complete cone of 360 degrees.
3. Select the references for the conical surface.

o Origin Point—The center of the base circle of the cone is its origin. For
analytical surfaces, if you want to define the origin point before the creation
of the surface, you can only select datum points. After creating the surface,
to modify the origin point, you can select any location on the facet for
defining the origin point.
normal to the axis.
29

where required. If an axis is selected for direction, it becomes the axis of
the cone. The orientation of the surface depends upon the directional
reference.
4. In the Diameter box, type a value for the circular base of the conical surface.
5. In the Draft Angle box, type a value for the draft angle of the cone. You cannot
specify a draft angle of more than 90 degrees.
6. In the Cone Height box, type a value for the cone height.
7. Under Direction Angular Dimensions, change the angle that the conical
direction.
8. Click .
To Create a Revolved Surface
1. Click . The RevolSurface dialog box opens.
o Full—Creates the complete revolved surface of 360 degrees.
3. Select the references for the revolved surface.

o Origin Point—The center of the base circle that the revolved section forms
after revolution is the origin of the revolved surface. For analytical surfaces,
if you want to define the origin point before the creation of the surface, you
can only select datum points. After creating the surface, to modify the
origin point, you can select any location on the facet for defining the origin
point.
normal to the axis.
o Direction—Selects a datum plane or a planar surface as a directional

reference where required. If you select an axis as a reference, Reverse
Engineering uses it as the axis of revolution and creates a section curve or
a curve chain. To limit the surface, Reverse Engineering prompts you to
select two points on the curve. If you do not select any points, Reverse
Engineering uses the entire curve for creating the surface. The direction of
30
Reverse Engineering
rotation is defined by the direction of the axis and the right-hand rule. The
orientation of the surface depends upon the directional reference.
4. Under Direction Angular Dimensions, change the angle that the revolved
direction.
5. Click to select the created section curve and modify it using Sketcher tools to
fit the surface better. After successfully modifying the section, Reverse
Engineering does not retain any references used for dimensioning or aligning.
This means that if you modify the section again, it displays the whole section
dimensioned with reference to a coordinate system located over the origin point.
6. Click .
To Create an Extruded Surface
1. Click . The Extrusion dialog box opens.
o Full—Creates an extrusion with a closed section.
o Domain—Uses the selected domain for creating and limiting the surface.
3. Select the references for the extruded surface.

o Origin Point—The point on the base plane of the extruded surface is its
origin. For analytical surfaces, if you want to define the origin point before
the creation of the surface, you can only select datum points. After creating
the surface, to modify the origin point, you can select any location on the
facet for defining the origin point.
The surface is translated in the direction normal to the section plane such
that in the new position, the origin point of the surface and the selected
facet point lie on the same section plane.
these to move the origin point, and the surface.
o Direction—Selects a datum plane or a planar surface as a directional

reference where required. The orientation of the surface depends upon the
directional reference.
4. In the Draft Angle box, type a value for the draft angle for the surface, if
required. You can change the draft angle even after the surface is created. The
neutral plane of the draft corresponds to the plane on which the origin resides.
31
5. Under Direction Angular Dimensions, change the angle that the revolved
direction.
6. Click to select the created section curve and modify it using Sketcher tools to
fit the surface better. After successfully modifying the section, Reverse
Engineering does not retain any references used for dimensioning or aligning.
This means that if you modify the section again, it displays the whole section
dimensioned with reference to a coordinate system located over the origin point.
7. Click .
Creating Polynomial Surfaces in Reverse Engineering
About Creating Surfaces in Reverse Engineering

In Reverse Engineering, you can create:
• A rectangular surface using four curves as its boundaries
• A triangular surface using three curves as its boundaries
• A surface using the specified curves in the first and second directions
• A rectangular surface using three curves as its boundaries on three sides
• A rectangular surface using four points as its vertices
• A rectangular surface using four points at a cross. Each of these points lies at the
midpoints of the sides of the rectangular surface.
• A rectangular surface using a box selection
• A rectangular surface using two curves as its boundaries
• A loft surface using the specified curves
Note: While selecting multiple curves such as four curves to create a surface or
selecting multiple curves in one direction, hold down the CTRL key and select the
required curves.
About Specifying the Mathematical Properties of Surfaces

For creating polynomial surfaces using four points, the end points of a cross, and
from a selection box, you can specify the mathematical properties of the surface
from the Reverse Engineering dashboard.
You can select one of the following surface types from the Surface Type list on the
Reverse Engineering dashboard:
• Spline—This is the default surface type. When you select this surface type, you
can only control the number of segments. Increase the number of points to
32
Reverse Engineering
achieve a better fit and projection and better matching for position or tangency
constraints. Select this surface type for organic shapes and constrained surfaces,
for example, fillets.
• Bezier— When you select this surface type, you can only control the degree.
Increase the degree for better fit. This surface type is not suitable for constrained
surfaces. Use this surface type for big and smooth surfaces. Using this surface
type can give you the best surface quality.
• Bspline—When you select this surface type, you can control both the degree and
the number of segments. Specifying a lower degree and more segments results
in a surface similar to a Spline surface. Specifying a higher degree and fewer
segments results in a surface similar to a Bezier surface.
After creating a surface, you can change its definition by clicking and changing
the surface properties in the Properties dialog box. When changing the surface
properties, note the following:
• As the number of segments or degree increases, the surface becomes more
flexible. This means that while editing the surface, you have more control points
and hence better control. Such surfaces closely follow the facet data and can be
fitted to the facet data with better accuracy.
• Fewer segments or a lower degree makes a surface more rigid because it has
fewer control points. Such surfaces appear smoother and are aesthetically better.
They are better from a manufacturing point of view.
• Depending on your requirements, you can compromise between closeness to the

data (more points, higher degree) and the quality of a surface (less points, lower
degree).
• When you select the degree and type of a surface from the dashboard, the last
input becomes a default for creating the next surface.
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using Four Curves
1. Click .
2. Select four curves to create a rectangular surface.
To obtain the correct surface, holding down the CTRL key, first select two curves
in the first direction and similarly select the other two curves in the second
direction.
If the curves do not form a closed loop, Reverse Engineering modifies the first
direction curves so as to form a closed loop for creating the surface. Reverse
Engineering creates a surface bounded by these curves.
To Create a Triangular Surface Using Three Curves
1. Click .
33
2. Select three curves to create a triangular surface such that these curves form a
closed boundary as follows:
o Holding down the CTRL key, select two curves in the first direction of the
surface. The intersection of the two curves is the pole of the triangular
surface.
o Select a curve in the second direction of the surface.
Reverse Engineering creates a surface bounded by these three curves.
To Create a Surface from Net
1. Click .
2. Hold down the CTRL key and select the curves in the first direction. Middle-click
to complete the selection of curves.
3. Similarly, select the curves in the second direction. Reverse Engineering creates a
surface using the selected curves. Middle-click to complete the selection of
curves.
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using Three Curves
1. Click .
2. Select three curves to create a rectangular surface. To obtain the correct surface,
holding down the CTRL key, first select two curves in the first direction and then
select the third curve.
Reverse Engineering creates a surface bounded by these three curves on three

sides.
To Create a Surface from Box
1. Click .
2. Click and drag to create a rectangular box. Reverse Engineering creates a surface
that roughly follows the projection of the selection box on the facet data.
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using Four Points
1. Click .
2. Holding down the CTRL key, select four points on the faceted geometry to create
a rectangular surface. Reverse Engineering creates a rectangular surface using
these four points to create the bounding curves.
34
Reverse Engineering
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using the End Points of a Cross
1. Click .
2. Holding down the CTRL key, select four points. Reverse Engineering creates a
rectangular surface where each boundary has one of the selected points roughly
at the boundary midpoint.
To Create a Rectangular Surface Using Two Curves
1. Click .
2. Select two curves to create a rectangular surface. Reverse Engineering creates a

surface using these two curves.
o If these two curves intersect, Reverse Engineering creates the surface in

such a way that the two curves form the two adjacent sides of the
rectangular surface.
o If the two curves do not intersect, depending on the curve you selected
first, Reverse Engineering creates a rectangular surface that has this curve
as its side. The side adjacent to this curve is in the same direction as the
second curve.
To Create a Loft Surface Using the Specified Curves
1. Click .
2. Holding down the CTRL key, select curves without changing the direction of
selection to create the surface and click Ok. Reverse Engineering creates a loft
surface in such a way that these curves completely lie on the surface.
Creating Spline Surfaces Automatically
About Automatic Creation of Spline Surfaces

Automatic creation of spline surfaces allows you to automatically create surface
geometry on a facet feature.
Automatic creation of spline surfaces involves three phases:
• Defining a loop to determine the region for creating the surface
• Defining the patch structure
• Creating or modifying the surface
You can modify the surface by using the existing tools for curves and surfaces.
Note: You can redefine the surface using Edit > Definition.
35
To Automatically Create Spline Surfaces
1. Click .
Note: is automatically selected when you click .
2. Click on the dashboard to generate a surface over the entire faceted model,
or click on the dashboard to generate a surface over a selected closed loop
area on the facet feature.
3. To select contour curves that define a closed loop area, click on the
dashboard and select the required curves. The contour curves form a closed
curve boundary. After you select a valid loop, arrows appear on this loop to
indicate the default side that is selected for creating the surface. If required, click
on the dashboard to flip the side on which the patch structure is created.
If the contour curves form a loop that lies within the main loop, the area within
the loop is excluded from the closed loop area.
4. To remove contour curves from the closed loop area, click on the dashboard
and select the curves.
By default, a patch structure is created on the side indicated by the arrow on the
selected loop.
5. Click to enter the patch structure creation phase.
6. If required, click Settings on the dashboard and specify values for the curve
generation settings. Enter a positive integer for Granularity and a number
between 0 and 1 for Character Level.
7. You can create the patch structure as follows:
o You can create the patch structure by selecting the internal curves.
To designate a curve as an internal curve, click on the dashboard and

select the curve.
To remove a curve from the selected internal curves, click on the

dashboard and select the curve.
Note: The curves designated as internal curves are included in the patch
structure. Curves that you removed from the selected internal curves are
excluded from the patch structure.
If the selected curves meet the criteria for a patch structure and no further
subdivision is required, proceed to step 8.
o If required, you can create more patches automatically as follows:
36
Reverse Engineering
a. Specify the number of patches in the Add Patches box on the dashboard.
The total number of patches created in the patch structure is approximately
equal to the number specified in the Add Patches box.
b. Click . The patch structure is generated automatically.

If satisfied with the patch structure, you can directly proceed to the surface
creation phase.
c. If required, click Edit > Undo to remove the newly created patch structure.
Specify a new value in the Add Patches box. Click Settings on the
dashboard and specify values for Granularity and Character Level.
Repeat this step till you get a good patch structure.
If a curve in the patch structure has a tangent constraint, then the surfaces that
share this curve as a common boundary are tangent to each other. In this case, a
symmetric tangency is imposed between the surfaces. By default the constraint is
set to tangent.
8. If required, change the curve constraint by clicking the required constraint from
the Constraints tab on the dashboard and selecting the internal curve.
Alternatively, select one or more internal curves and select the required
constraint.
Note:
o The tangent constraint is represented in black while the position constraint

is represented in red.
o You can click and repeat steps 2 to 10 to redefine the closed loop curve
boundary and the patch structure.
10. If required, use the Resolution slider to better the quality of the surface.
Note: You can click and repeat steps 6 to 14 to redefine the patch structure
and the surface.
12. Click .
Curve Generation Settings

Settings on the dashboard allows you to specify values for curve generation. This
option sets granularity and character level for the surface of the model.
• Granularity
Granularity represents the number of possible features or curves for a model

surface. A higher granularity value implies that you need to select more curves.
37
Do not set granularity to a very high value as this may introduce noise when a
large number of curves are selected.
• Character Level
The value specified for character level determines the amount of curvature
required for a line to be designated as a curve. A higher value of curvature level
requires a higher amount of curvature for the line on the model's surface to be
designated as a curve.
Managing Surfaces in Reverse Engineering
About Merging and Intersecting Surfaces

In Reverse Engineering, you can merge two adjacent or intersecting surfaces.
After merging, the resulting quilt becomes a component of the next level in the
Restyle Tree. You cannot edit its definition. If you modify one of the source quilts,
the resultant quilt is also modified and is automatically updated. If the update is not
successful, Reverse Engineering deletes the resulting component and all the higher-
level components in the Restyle Tree branch.
To Merge or Intersect Surfaces
Select two quilts for merging or intersection and click . Clicking References
displays the names of the selected quilts.
For the procedure of merging two surfaces or quilts, refer to the topic About the
Merge Feature from the Part Modeling module of Pro/ENGINEER Help.
Note:
• The surface intersection is removed if any of the parent quilts is modified in a
way that leads to the failure of the merge operation (For example, if the edge of
the quilt is extrapolated in such a way that it no longer intersects, the
subsequent surface intersection is removed.)
• The primary quilt becomes the parent quilt for the merge feature.
To Project a Surface on a Facet Model
Click and select a surface for projecting onto the facet model. Alternatively, you
can select an entire component and project it onto the facet model.
Note: A collection of two or more surfaces is called a component.
38
Reverse Engineering
About Modifying Surfaces

You can modify the shape of a polynomial surface by tweaking a surface using its
control polyhedron.
To Modify a Surface
1. Click .
2. Select the surface to modify. The Surface Modify dialog box opens.
Note: If you select an analytical or a procedural surface for modification, the

same dialog box that you used for surface creation opens.
3. Select the direction for the movement of points on the surface. The options are:
o Normal Direction—Moves points relative to the direction of the view.
o In Surf Direction—Moves points relative to the surface.
4. Specify the direction for tweaking the surface. You can tweak the surface in one
or two directions. For two directions, you can use a combination of any of the
following two options.
The available movement options are:
o Local—Moves only the selected point.
o Smooth Region—Moves the points adjacent to the selected point with a

distance relative to the selected point. The point movement distance
decreases proportional to its distance from the selected point by a cubic
law.
o Linear Region—Moves the points adjacent to the selected point with a

distance relative to the selected point. The point movement distance
decreases proportional to its distance from the selected point by a linear
law.
o Constant Region—Moves all points on the surface by the same distance

from the selected point. For a constrained surface, the boundary does not
move.
5. Select and drag a vertex of the control polyhedron to tweak the surface.
6. Alternatively, instead of dragging, specify the following options if finer control of

point movement is required.
o Increment—Specifies the point movement increment.
o Normal Direction—Specifies the increment in the normal direction.
o First Direction—Specifies the increment in the first direction.
o Second Direction—Specifies the increment in the second direction.
39
7. Click to complete the surface modification.
To Extrapolate a Surface
1. Click .
2. Select the surface for extrapolating. The selected surface is highlighted.
3. Select and drag the edge from which to extrapolate the surface. The surface is
extrapolated along the selected edge.
4. Optionally, to stretch a surface, change the Extent Mode on the dashboard to

Stretch.
Note: When attempting to extrapolate an already merged surface, the surface

intersections are temporarily removed. Once the extrapolation is over, Reverse
Engineering restores the surface intersections.
To Setup Reference Points
1. Click . The Reference Points dialog box opens.
2. Click Add Ref Points to add references.
3. To specify reference points, select an option from the list.

o Raw Data Set—Selects points from a raw data set. If you selected Raw
Data Set, the SCAN FILTER menu appears. Select one of the following:
CrvChainFltr—Uses only those scan points that are enclosed within the
region bounded by an open or closed chain of curves. Use the CHAIN menu
to select curves separating scan points and then select a scan set.
SrfProjFltr—Uses only those scan points that project within the boundaries
of the surface. Select a scan set to project onto the surface.
No Fltr—Selects an entire scan set.
o Raw Data Points—Selects individual points from a raw data set.
o Single Point—Selects datum points.
o Datum Point Array—Selects an entire datum point array.
o Facet Vertices—Selects vertices of a faceted model.
o Facet Vertices Inside Curve—Selects facet vertices inside a selected

closed loop of curves.
4. To remove reference points, click Rmv Ref Points and select an option from the
list. The available options are All, Scan Curve Set, Scan Curve Points, Single
Point, Datum Point Array, and By Deviation Range.
5. Click .
40
Reverse Engineering
Note: If the polynomial surface is created from curves on facets so that they form a
closed loop, Reverse Engineering assigns all the facet vertices lying inside this loop
to the newly created surface by default.
To Fit a Surface
1. Click .
2. Select the surface to fit. Reverse Engineering fits the selected surface to the
faceted geometry.
3. Optionally, to check the deviation of the fitted surface from the faceted
geometry, click and in the Restyle Diagnostic dialog box, select Deviation
under Surface Diagnostic.
To Edit the Surface Properties
1. Click and select the required surface. Alternatively, you can also select an
entire component. The Properties dialog box opens.
2. Use the Properties dialog box to view and modify the surface type, the degree
of the surface, and the number of segments in the u- and v-directions.
Note:
• The Bezier and BSpline surfaces can have a maximum value of 15 for the U and V
degrees.
• A BSpline surface with two segments (params) in both U and V directions is a

Bezier surface.
• You can modify the surface properties of any analytical surface that does not
have multiple components. After modifying the properties, this surface becomes
a polynomial surface.
Surface Constraints in Reverse Engineering
About Surface Constraints

Types of surface constraints are as follows:
• Position—A surface is said to be position constrained if the edge of the surface is
constrained to the curve on that edge. You cannot drag the control points on this
edge.
• Tangent Dependent—Surfaces are position constrained to a common boundary

curve and are tangent to each other. In case of Tangent Dependent, the
surface constraint follows the concept of leaders and followers. When a leader
surface changes it shape, the follower surface adapts its shape to maintain
tangency with the leader. An arrow pointing from the leader to the follower
represents Tangent Dependent constraint.
41
• Tangent Symmetric—Surfaces have a common boundary and are tangent to

each other. In case of Tangent Symmetric, a change that you make to one
surface does not affect another surface. The surfaces do not follow the concept of
leaders and followers. A line between the surfaces represents Tangent
Symmetric constraint.
• Curvature Dependent—Surfaces are tangent continuous across the boundary

and curvature continuous with each other. In case of Curvature Dependent, the
surface constraint follows the concept of leaders and followers. When a leader
surface changes it shape, the follower surface adapts its shape to match the
leader. Double arrows pointing from the leader to the follower represent
Curvature Dependent constraint.
To Align Two Surfaces
1. Click .
2. Select the required constraint from the Constraints tab on the dashboard. By
default, the surface constraint is set to Position.
3. Select the surface that you want to align.
4. Select the free edge of this surface that you want to align. If you select a tangent
or curvature constraint, the selected surface becomes the follower surface.
5. Select the edge of the second surface. If you select a tangent or curvature
constraint, this surface becomes the leader surface.
The first surface shifts its position to align itself with the second surface.
6. Move the endpoints of the edge of the first surface along the edge of the second
surface curve to the desired location.
7. Click .
To Manipulate Surface Constraints

You can manipulate surface constraints as follows:
• Select a surface and click to display constraints. Alternatively, select a

surface, right-click, and select Display Constraints. Symbols that represent the
constraints between the leader and follower surfaces display.
• If required, you can change the surface constraint. Select a surface, right-click,
and select Display Constraints. Select the constraint symbol that is displayed,
right-click, and select a new constraint.
• Select a surface and click to detach the surface from its constraining curves.
Alternatively, select a surface, right-click, and click Detach.
42
Reverse Engineering
• If required, you can also delete the constraint. Select a surface, right-click, and
click, and select Delete. This will detach the edge of the selected surface from
the constraining curve.
• Select a surface, right-click, and select Modify Shape.
o In case of Tangent Dependent, you can change the shape of the leader
surface by dragging the control points of the second row and all subsequent
rows.
Note: To maintain tangent dependency, the control points of the first and
the second row of the follower surface are locked. You cannot drag these
control points.
o In case of Tangent Symmetric, you can change the shape of both the
surfaces dragging the control points of the third row and all subsequent
rows.
Note: To maintain tangent symmetric constraint, the control points of the

first and the second row of both the surfaces are locked. You cannot drag
these control points.
o In case of Curvature Dependent, you can change the shape of the leader
surface by dragging the control points of the second row and all subsequent
rows.
Note: To maintain curvature continuity, the control points of the first three
rows of the follower surface are locked. You cannot drag these control
points.
• If required, you can swap the direction of the leader and the follower surface.
Select a surface, right-click, and select Display Constraints. Select the
constraint symbol that is displayed, right-click, and select Flip Leader.
Creating Symmetry Plane
About the Symmetry Plane

A symmetry plane is a datum plane that you can use to build and mirror individual
halves of geometry, thereby reducing the modeling time to half.
To Create a Symmetry Plane

1. Click Restyle > Analytical Surfaces > SymmPlane.
2. Create a symmetry plane in one of the following ways:
o Select a single domain on the facet model to generate a symmetry plane

for that domain and click OK. The symmetry plane divides the domain into
two.
43
o Select two domains on the facet model to generate a symmetry plane for
both the domains and click OK. The symmetry plane is placed between the
domains.
o Click OK. The symmetry plane is generated for the entire facet model.
About the Normal to Plane Constraint

Use the normal to plane constraint between a planar curve and a surface to ensure
continuity with respect to the mirror geometry, that is, the constraint helps maintain
the tangent or curvature constraints across the boundary line. This results in a
smooth transition between the created and mirrored geometry across the symmetry
plane.
To Align a Planar Curve and a Surface Using Normal to Plane

Constraint
1. Click .
2. Select the NormalToPln constraint from the Constraints tab on the dashboard.
3. Select a planar curve.
4. Select a detached surface. The surface modifies itself to match the direction of
the tangent of the planar curve.
5. Move the vertex of the modified surface along the planar curve to the desired
location.
6. Click .
To Edit the Planar Curve and Surface that are Aligned Using
Normal To Plane Constraint
1. Click .
2. Select the planar curve or the surface that you want to modify.
3. Drag the control points of the planar curve to change the shape of the curve. The
movement of the control points is restricted to the datum plane on to which the
curve is projected.
4. Drag the control points of the third row and all subsequent rows of the surface
mesh to change the shape of the surface.
Copying Curves and Surfaces
About Copying Curves and Surfaces

You can create a copy of a curve or surface. The curves are copied as free 3D curves
while the surfaces are copied as untrimmed spline surfaces. The original curves or
44
Reverse Engineering
surfaces and the copy of the curves or surfaces do not have parent-child relationship.
You can use this command to create copies of curves or surfaces external to Reverse
Engineering environment.
To Create a Copy of a Curve or Surface
1. Click .
2. Select a curve or surface.
A copy of the curve or surface is created.
45
Index
A D
analytical surfaces domains
conical ......................................29 about .......................................14
cylindrical .................................28 adding a loop.............................14
extruded ...................................31 assigning to surfaces ..................17
flat...........................................27 creating ....................................14
revolved ...................................30 merging ....................................17
analytical surfaces.........................25 removing a loop .........................15
C domains ...........................14, 15, 17
copy of curves and surfaces P
about .......................................44 polynomial surfaces
creating ....................................45 at a cross ..................................35
copy of curves and surfaces............44 from selection............................34
curves loft ...........................................35
about .......................................23 net ...........................................34
aligning ....................................24 rectangular.....................33, 34, 35
free curve through points ............21 triangular ..................................33
from a facet border ....................20 polynomial surfaces.......................32
from sharp facet edges ...............21 R
manipulating .............................24 Reverse Engineering
merging ....................................25 about ........................................ 1
on facets...................................17 about the diagnostic box .............. 5
on surfaces ...............................18 about the environment................. 2
section curves............................18 about the tree............................. 5
splitting ....................................25 creating feature .......................... 3
through points ...........................21 Reverse Engineering ................ 1, 2, 5
using extremum analysis .............18 Reverse Engineering surfaces
using isoline analysis ..................19 about .......................................41
curves ................................... 17, 23 aligning ....................................42
creating .............................. 25, 32
47
editing properties .......................41 S
extrapolating .............................40 spline surfaces
fitting .......................................41 about .......................................35
manipulating .............................42 creating ....................................36
merging and intersecting.............38 spline surfaces..............................35
modifying..................................39 symmetry plane
projecting .................................38 about .......................................43
reference points setup ................40 creating ....................................43
Reverse Engineering surfaces .. 25, 32, normal to plane constraint ...........44

38, 39, 40, 41, 42
symmetry plane............................43
48

Reverse Engineering PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reverse Engineering PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

® ®

Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0

Reverse Engineering (REX)

Parametric Technology Corporation

Using Reverse Engineering ........................................................................... 1

About Reverse Engineering ........................................................................ 1

About the Reverse Engineering Environment ................................................ 2

To Create a Reverse Engineering Feature ..................................................... 3

Using the Faceted Data in Reverse Engineering ....................................... 3

The Reverse Engineering Workflow.............................................................. 3

To Edit a Reverse Engineering Feature......................................................... 5

About the Restyle Tree .............................................................................. 5

To Use the Restyle Tree............................................................................. 5

About the Restyle Diagnostic Dialog Box ...................................................... 5

To Use the Restyle Diagnostic Dialog Box ..................................................... 6

Tutorial to Create Spline Surfaces Automatically............................................ 6

To Generate a Surface Over a Selected Closed Loop Area on a Facet Feature.. 7

To Generate a Surface Over the Entire Faceted Model ................................11

Managing Domains in Reverse Engineering ....................................................14

To Create a Domain .................................................................................14

To Add a Loop to a Domain .......................................................................14

Example: Adding a Loop to a Domain .........................................................15

To Remove a Loop from a Domain .............................................................15

Example: Removing a Loop from a Domain .................................................16

To Merge Domains ...................................................................................17

To Assign a Domain to a Surface ...............................................................17

Creating Curves in Reverse Engineering.........................................................17

About Creating Curves in Reverse Engineering .............................................17

To Create a Curve on Facets .....................................................................17

To Create a Curve on a Surface .................................................................18

To Create a Section Curve ........................................................................18

To Create a Curve Using a Surface Edge .....................................................18

To Create a Curve Using the Extremum Analysis ..........................................18

To Create a Curve Using the Isoline Analysis ...............................................19

Example: Isoline Analysis .........................................................................20

To Create a Curve from a Facet Border .......................................................20

To Create a Curve from Sharp Facet Edges..................................................21

To Create a Curve Through Points ..............................................................21

To Create a Free Curve that Snaps to Geometry...........................................21

Managing Curves in Reverse Engineering .......................................................21

About Modifying Curves ............................................................................21

To Project a Curve on a Facet Model, a Datum Plane, or a Surface ..................23

Curve Constraints in Reverse Engineering ......................................................23

About Curve Constraints ...........................................................................23

To Align Two Curves ................................................................................24

To Manipulate Curve Constraints................................................................24

To Merge Curves .....................................................................................25

To Split a Curve ......................................................................................25

Creating Analytical Surfaces in Reverse Engineering ........................................25

About Creating Analytical Surfaces .............................................................25

About Modifying Analytical Surfaces ...........................................................26

About Creating a Flat Surface ....................................................................26

To Create a Flat Surface ...........................................................................27

About Creating a Cylindrical Surface...........................................................28

To Create a Cylindrical Surface ..................................................................28

About Creating a Conical Surface ...............................................................29

To Create a Conical Surface ......................................................................29

To Create a Revolved Surface....................................................................30

To Create an Extruded Surface ..................................................................31

Creating Polynomial Surfaces in Reverse Engineering ......................................32

About Creating Surfaces in Reverse Engineering ..........................................32

About Specifying the Mathematical Properties of Surfaces .............................32

To Create a Rectangular Surface Using Four Curves......................................33