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STL Rapid Prototyping

e r v i e w

h a t ' s N e w ?

t t i n g S t a r t e d

Basic Surface Tessellation

Repairing the Mesh

Checking the Mesh Quality

e r T a s k s

Starting the STL Rapid Prototyping Workbench

Using the Keyboard

STL files

Importing Files

Exporting to STL

STL Edition

Activating a Portion of a Cloud

Remove

STL Mesh

Mesh Creation

Surface Tessellation

Offset

Flip EdgesSmoothing Meshes

Mesh Cleaner

Fill Holes

Interactive Triangle Creation

Decimating Meshes

Optimizing Meshes

STL Operations

Meshes Merge

Split

Trimming or Splitting a Mesh

Display Options

Information

Interoperability

Updating Your Design

Using the Historical Graph

Creating Datums

Points in Generative Shape Design

Managing Geometrical Sets

o r k b e n c h De s c r ip t io n

1PageTL Rapid Prototyping Version 5 Release 14

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Menu Bar

Creation Toolbars

STL Files

Edition

Mesh

Operations

Analysis

Analysis Toolbars

Specification Treeo s s a r y

d e x


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Overview

elcome to the S TL Rapid Prototy ping User's Guide!s guide is intended for users who need to become quickly familiar with the product.

s overview provides the following information:

STL Rapid Prototyping in a Nutshell

Before Reading this Guide

Getting the Most Out of this Guide

Accessing Sample Documents

Conventions Used in this Guide

TL Rapid Prototyping in a Nutshell

L Rapid Prototyping helps the stereolithography specialist to build and manage STL files.

e S TL Rapid Prototy ping Use r's Guide has been designed to show you how to do that. Althoughereolithography knowledge is not mandatory, it is recommended to have some technical background in tea.

efore Reading this Guide

or to reading the S TL Rapid Prototy ping Use r's Guide , you are recommended to have a look at thefra s t ru ctu re Us e r's Gu id e for information on the generic capabilities common to all products.

etting the Most Out of this Guidemake the most out of this book, we suggest that a beginning user reads the Getting Started chapter

st of all and the Workbench Description to find his way around the STL Rapid Prototyping workbench.

ccessing Sample Documentsperform the scenarios, sample documents are provided all along this documentation. For more informatout this, refer to Accessing Sample Documents in the Infrastructure User's Guide.

http://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/icons_C2/conventions.htmhttp://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/icons_C2/conventions.htm

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What's New?

ew Functionalities

eractive Triangle Creation

Creates mesh triangles from points or edges.

timizeImproves the homogeneity of meshes.

nhanced Functionalities

tivation, Remove Point, Split

A brush has been added for a quick and rough area selection.sh Smoothing

Deviation statistics are now available.cimation

An analysis option and a progress bar have been added.


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Getting Started

e following tutorial aims at giving you a feel of what you can do with STL Rapid Prototyping. It provides a-step scenario showing you how to use key capabilities.

e main tasks proposed in the chapter are:

Basic Surface TessellationRepairing the Mesh


All together this scenario should take 15 minutes to complete.

The final cloud element will look like this:


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Creating a Basic Surface Tessellation

The first task will show you how to enter the STL Rapid Prototyping workbench and create a basic surface tessella

The only pre-requisites for this task is to have a current session running.

1 . Choose S T L R a p i d P r o t o t y p in g from the S t a r t / N C Ma n u f a c t u r in g menu.

The STL Rapid Prototyping workbench is displayed and ready to use.

2 . Open the GettingStartedSTL.CATPartfrom the samples directory. It is a hairdryer, made of surfaces, with a

and a hole in it.

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3 . Click the S u r f a c e T e s s e lla t e icon and select the hairdryer. Click A p p l y and O K.


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You can see clearly the hole and the gap in the tessellation.


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Repairing the Mesh

This task will show you how to repair a mesh.

Use the mesh you have created in the previous task.

Repairing the hole:

1 . Click the Fi ll Hole s icon and select the mesh.

The exterior edge of the model is displayed in red, with an "x" meaning this edge is not candidate for a filling.

The two other edges in green with a "v" surround holes candidates for the filling.

2 . Place the cursor over the label of the long hole and call the contextual menu. Choose Not selected.


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3 . Click A ppl y and O K. The hole is filled:

Repairing the gap:

1 . Click the Define a Mesh Area icon and select the mesh (Tessellation.1).

2 . Draw a trap around the gap and check the I n s i d e T r a p option.


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Click Apply and OK. A portion of the mesh is activated:

3 . Click the Me s h R e g e n e r a t io n icon and select the mesh (T e s s e l l a t i o n . 1). Check the C o n s t r a i n e d option.

Click A ppl y and O K. A M e s h C r e a t i o n . 1 element is created in the specification tree: the mesh on this portion has been regenerated.


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4 . Select the T e s s e l l a t i o n . 1 element in the specification tree and click the A c t i va t i on icon. Push the A c t i va t e A ll button. Both meshes

now active (we have changed M e s h C r e a t i o n . 1 to pink). From the picture below you can see that they are complementary:


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5 . Click the M e r g e icon and select the two meshes:

6 . Click OK. A Me s h e s Me r g e . 1 element is created in the specification tree. You have now a flawless mesh.


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This task will show you how to quickly check the quality of the mesh.

Use the mesh you have created in the previous task.

1 . Click the D i s p l a y icon and select the Me s h e s Me r g e . 1 mesh. The Clo u d D is p la y O p t

dialog box is displayed.

The default option is S m o o t h . You can check :

q the T r i a n g l e s option:


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q the Fr e e Ed g e s option:

q the N o n - m a n i fo ld Ed g e s option: (none in our example)

q the Fla t option:


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You can combine all of them too.


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User Tasks

Starting the STL Rapid Prototyping Workbench

Using the Keyboard

STL files

STL EditionSTL Mesh

STL Operations

Display Options

Information

Interoperability



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Opening the STL Rapid Prototyping Workbench

The first task will show you how to enter the STL Rapid Prototyping workbench and create a basic surface tessella

The only pre-requisites for this task is to have a current session running.

1 . Choose S T L R a p i d P r o t o t y p in g from the S t a r t / N C Ma n u f a c t u r in g menu.

The STL Rapid Prototyping workbench is displayed and ready to use.

2 . You can then either import an STL file, or open a CAD model, or standard IGES or STEP data.


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Using the Keyboard

Key Command Action

iftActivationRemove (Pick or Brush),Split

Deselects selected elements


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STL Files

ese actions deal with the import and the export of files


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Importing Files

This task shows how to import digit files describing a cloud of points (scanned or computed) or a mesh.

Use the MultiImport1.cgo_ascii, MultiImport2.cgo_ascii, MultiImport3.cgo_ascii from the samples directory.

Available formats depend on the workbench you are working in.

Digitized Shape Editor

q Ascii free,

q Atos (the quality of the points can be taken into account),

q Cgo,

q Gom-3d (as points, scans, grids or meshes, the quality of the points can be taken into account),

q Hyscan,

q IGES (IGES Entities 116 are processed. If the cloud to import is made of Entities 116 only, the result is a cloud of points. Otherwise,

result is made of scans).

q Kreon

q Steinbichler (as points, grids or scans),

q Stl (bin or ascii, with creation of free edges and facets, if requested).

STL Rapid Prototyping

q STL files (bin or ascii, with creation of free edges and facets, if requested) (default option),

q Cgo,

q Ascii free,

q IGES (IGES Entities 116 are processed. If the cloud to import is made of Entities 116 only, the result is a cloud of points. Otherwise,

result is made of scans).

q In Cgo, Ascii and IGES formats, you can not process more than 10,000 points at each import, in one or several files, e.g. you can no4 files of 3,000 points each in one shot but you can import them separately.

q This limitation applies to the input files (before Sampling or resizing with the bounding box).

q If you try to import over 10,000 points in one shot, a fatal error panel is displayed: To o m a n y p o i n t s f o r t h i s c o n fig u r a t i o n .

r If the G r o u p e d option is active, no file is imported.

r If the G r o u p e d option is not active, files are imported as long as the sum of their points does not exceed 10,000 points.

q M e s h R e g e n e r a t i o n is not available on those files.


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Shape Sculptor

q STL files (bin or ascii, with creation of free edges and facets, if requested).

1 . Click the I m p o r t icon . The Clo u d I m p o r t dialog box is displayed.

2 . In the F o r m a t field, select the file format.

3 . In the Selected File area, use the button ... to browse your directories and select a file.

4 . Check the box S t a t i s t i c s to display information about the model you are importing. If you want to import several files in one sho

please refer to the Groupedexplanations.

5 . In the O p t i o n s field:

q Enter the S a m p l i n g percentage to apply;

The sampling value determines the percentage of points or scans or grids that will be read from the digit file.

q Enter the S c a l e fa c t o r to apply to the model, as well as the Uni t used in the file.

q If the extension of the file you have selected is consistent with the list proposed, the F o r m a t field is updated automatically. Otherwiscareful to enter the correct format in that field.

q Once you have performed an import operation, V5 proposes the last entered file path and format as default. If you click on ..., the laentered directory is proposed as default.

q The F il e u n i t option is not relevant to the Steinbichler format, nor the S a m p lin g p e r c e n t a g e to the Stl format.

6 . For some digit file formats, you may want to enter additional data that are displayed by clicking the button M o r e > >


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For Ascii: For Atos and Gom-3d: For Iges: For Stl:

D i r e c t i o n and D e l im i t o r s apply to scans. Enter these data whenever you know them.

Mi n im a l P o i n t Q u a l i t y is used to clean Atos file from invalid points. The quality value of a point lies between 0 and 255 (low tohigh). Choose a value to ignore points below that value:

q Mi n im a l P o i n t Q u a l i t y value is 125:

q Mi n im a l P o i n t Q u a l i t y value is 75:

S y s t e m applies to the operating system (Unix or Windows NT) used to generate the binary data: select S a m e if you know you areusing the same operating system as the one used to generate the binary data, O t h e r for the other way, U n k n o w n if you have noindication.

F re e Ed g e s is used to create or not the scans representing the free edges of a mesh:

orF a c e t s is used to create or not the facets of the imported mesh:

or


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7 . Click A p p l y to display the cloud of points or mesh:

8 . Push the button U p d a t e to display the bounding box of the cloud of points or mesh. Use the green arrow to resize it in order to i

only a part of the cloud of points or mesh.

q The bounding box appears every time the cursor passes over a cloud of points or a mesh. Its size corresponds to that of the visible p

q If a local axis system is set as current, the file will imported in this axis systems and not in the absolute axis system as previously. Iflocal axis system is set as current, the file will be imported in the absolute axis system.

q Moreover, if a local axis system is set as current, the axis system of the dynamic box used to select a portion of the imported file whUpdate button is pushed is parallel to the local axis system axis.

The check box R e p l a c e is used to replace the current cloud of points or mesh by a new one.


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9 . Once you are satisfied with the preview, click A p p l y and OK to finish the import of the cloud of points or mesh.

q The name of the element created in the specification tree is the name of the original file, without its extension.

q Undo and Redo are available.

q V5 memorizes the data of the last imported file and proposes them at the next import action.

mporting a Set of Files

1 . Click the I m p o r t icon . The Co u l d I m p o r t dialog box is displayed. The operating mode is the same as for one file.

The files to import must:

q have the same format,

q be located under the same directory.

The S e l e c t e d F i l e field looks like this:If you check the G r o u p e d option (this is the default status):

All the files are imported as one single cloud of points instead of several:

If you do not check the G r o u p e d option:

The files are imported separately.


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The three digit files have been imported together, resulting in one cloudof points or mesh.

The three digit files have been imported separately, resulting iclouds of points.

One cloud of points Element Clo u d I m p o r t . x is created in thespecification tree, with the icon of the I m p o r t command.

One cloud of points element is created in the specification for einput file, with the icon of the Import command and the name input file (Mu l t iI m p o r t 1 . 1 , Mu l t iI m p o r t 2 . 1 , Mu l t iI m p o r t 3 .

q You can also merge several clouds of points into one whenever necessary, using the M e r g e C lo u d s command.


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Exporting Polygons to STL

This task shows how to export a mesh to binary Stl format.

Other formats available are:

q ASCII,

q cgo.

Open the Cloud.CATPartfrom the samples directory.

1 . Select the Polygon.1 and then the export icon .

The export dialog box is displayed.

2 . One export format is available: S t l .

3 . Browse your directories and enter the target directory and file name. Then click S a v e .

q The selection is exported with the current local axis system if any, with the absolute axis systemotherwise.

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q You can export only one element at a time.

q In STL Rapid Prototyping, only the Stl format is available.


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Editing Meshes

This chapter deals with the edition of meshes, i.e. S e l e c t i o n , R e m o v e actions.

Although the dialog boxes look similar, the operating mode of the S e l e c t and R e m o v e actions areslightly different:

q De-activated triangles can be recalled using A c t i v a t e a ll and In v e r t in a new activation action.

q Removed triangles can not be recalled! A c t i v a t e a ll and In v e r t apply only to the current removaction. They can not be used to recall removed triangles, once you have clicked OK.

q The A c t i v a t i o n action displays only triangles that are fully selected (i.e. the whole triangle is inthe selection trap, or all its vertices have been picked). If you select only one or two vertices of triangle, or if the selection trap intersects the triangle, it is not displayed.

q As a consequence, when you push the button S w a p , the triangles displayed are not the exactcomplement of the previous selection.

q The R e m o v e action takes into account triangles that are at least partially selected (at least one

vertex has been picked, or the selection trap intersects the triangle).

Activating a Portion of a Cloud

Remove


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Activating a Portion of a Cloud of Points

This task shows how to select a portion of a cloud of points or of mesh in order to create a work areaeither:

q by picking directly elements of the cloud (points, scans, grids, cells, clouds) or

q by defining a portion of the cloud or mesh with a 2D or 3D trap,

q

by moving a brush over a portion of a mesh.The free edges displayed are those of the complete mesh:

q if you activate only a portion of a mesh, the free edges of that portion are not displayed.

Open the Cloud.CATPart model the from the samples directory.

Click here for more information on the dialog box.

1 . Click the A c t i v a t e A r e a s icon and the mesh. The A c t i v a t e dialog box is displayed.

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2 . Draw a rectangle by dragging the mouse over the portion you want to select.

As you release the mouse, the triangles selected are highlighted in red. When you move the mouse oone corner of the rectangle, dimensioning arrows are displayed, enabling you to resize the rectangle


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3 . Push the Va l id T r a p button that is now available and draw a second rectangle. Push Va l id T r

again.

4 . Push the Swap button. The selection is inverted.


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5 . Click OK to validate and exit the action.


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Removing Elements

This task shows you how to remove a elements from a cloud or a mesh.

q The deleted elements are those that appear in red during selection.

q By default, the trap is displayed in the view plane (2D trap). You can rotate the model to display the trap as a 3D tra

q Within one removal action, use Ac t i va t e a l l to recall all the points of the original cloud of points, or S w a p to invert selection (the complement of the current selection becomes active whereas the current selection is hidden).

q The R e m o v e action takes into account triangles that are at least partially selected (at least one vertex has been pickthe selection trap intersects the triangle).

q Undo/Redo are not available on the global action.

q Although the dialog boxes look similar, the operation mode of the Select and the Remove actions are slightly differen

q Removed elements can not be recalled !

q Ac t i va t e a l l and S w a p apply only to the current removal action. They can not be used to recall removedelements once you have validated the action.

q All free edges may be displayed.

Open the Cloud.CATPart model from the samples directory.

Click here for more information on the dialog box.

1 . Click the R e m o v e icon and the mesh. The R e m o v e dialog box is displayed.

2 . Check the Pic k option, then the required element type (L e v e l) to remove elements using the hierarchical select

According to your choice and the application you are working in, only points, or triangles, or scan/grid, or cells (s

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cloud) or clouds (global cloud) will be removed. Select the unwanted elements on the cloud, then Click OK to con

their removal and close the dialog box.

Or check the T r a p option then the required Tr a p T yp e and the portion of cloud to remove (I n s i d e or O u t s i d e T

to remove elements using a graphical trap. You can draw either one single trap, or several traps.

In that case, valid each trap with the Va l id T r a p push button before drawing the next one.

If you draw a trap, push Va l id T r a p , then S w a p , you will remove the complement of the original selection.

Click OK when all traps have been defined to remove the unwanted elements and close the dialog box.

The traps may be either rectangular :


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In that case, you can modify the trap using the green manipulators.

or polygonal :

or spline:


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In those cases, you can modify the trap using the green manipulators or use the Undo action on each segment of

the trap as long as you have not double-clicked to end the polygonal trap.


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Mesh

s chapter deals with the tessellation of clouds of points.

Mesh Creation

Surface Tessellation

Offset

Flip Edges

Smoothing Meshes

Mesh Cleaner

Fill Holes


Decimating Meshes

Optimizing Meshes


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Mesh Creation

This task shows how to mesh a cloud of points or regenerate an existing mesh.

The Me s h Cr e a t io n and the Me s h Re g e n e r a t io n actions offer:

q a neighborhood parameter that makes it possible to fill holes or to let some areas unmeshed,

q an automatic detection or a manual definition of the meshing plane for the 2D mesher,

q boundary continuity with contiguous meshes through the C o n s t r a i n e d option,

q a fully automatic 3D meshing ( c ) I N R I A, suitable for mechanical parts with blind or through holethat respects details, especially sharp edges,

q a sag value to mesh dense clouds with a reduced number of triangles, but still respecting the 3DShape within a given tolerance.

In STL Rapid Prototyping, Me s h Re g e n e r a t i o n is allowed on meshes only, i.e. objects whose partialtotally active cells are meshes.

If this is not the case, a fatal error panel is displayed: Me s h Re g e n e r a t io n i s a l lo w e d o n m e s h e s

Open the Cloud.CATPartmodel from the samples directory.

1 . Click the Me s h C r e a t io n or Me s h Re g e n e r a t io n icon . The Me s h Cr e a t io n dialog box

displayed.

2 . Check the Ex e c u t io n Mo d e option you need:

q 3 D ( c ) I N R I A: this is a meshing method forcomplicated shapes (e.g. mechanical objects,clouds that can not be projected onto a singleplane, or without draft characteristics).

This is the default option.

q 2 D: this is a less complex meshing methodapply to simple objects, i.e. that can beprojected onto a single plane (smoothshapes).

The entry dialog box is replaced with that of thMesher.


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This mesher provides a S a g option to reduce the

number of triangles computed on dense clouds.However, this option respects the shape of theobject.

You would achieve the same result by filtering thecloud with the adaptative option set to the sag valueand meshing the output.

You can also mesh a cloud with a sag equal to 0. Thismeans that all the points are meshed. This algorithmis more suitable to mesh large clouds quickly.

3 . If necessary check the sag option and enter

its value, or keep the default 3D Mesher.

3 . Select the plane that is the computation

reference for the meshing:

r either one main plane

r or one defined with the compass

The quality of the mesh depends on the

computation direction.

4 . A N e i g h b o r h o o d value is proposed in accordance with the model. This value represents the

maximal edge length of the triangles displayed. The value proposed is just an approximation

this value. Its relevance depends on the distribution of the points in the cloud. It is visualized

sphere. You can change its position by a simple mouse click.


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The sphere is updated when you change the N e i g h b o r h o o d value.

5 . Check the D i s p l a y option you need:

q T r i a n g l e s to display only the mesh,

q S h a d i n g to simulate the surface of the object:

r with the Fla t option, the light is sent on the triangles along their normal,

r with the S m o o t h option, the light is smoothed over the triangles, giving a better imageof the quality of the surface.


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q Meshing requires a complex computation. The computation time will increase according to the sizcomplexity of your model. You may want to filter the cloud before starting the meshing.

q To mesh large quantities of points, we recommend the following settings:

r S a g =0mm

r T r i a n g l e s not activated

r S h a d i n g activated, with the S m o o t h option.

These display options are applied within this action only. Once you have validated the result with OK,result is displayed in the Smooth mode, even if the input element or the computed mesh were displain another mode.

6 . C o n s t r a i n e d is used to:

q re-process a portion of a mesh by adding points to an existing mesh or reprocessing ameshed cloud that has been unfiltered::


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Open the Mesh2.CATPartmodel from the from the Samples directory.

The original mesh had holes in it. Select a faulty portion and proceed to a new meshing on that port

The original mesh is in red. The re-processed mesh is in blue.

q connect several meshes:

Open the Mesh1.CATPartmodel from the Samples directory. Draw two traps on that partand mesh them with different values, as shown below. Now activate the remaining squareof points, as shown below.

For quicker meshing performances, you can filter portions of the parts according to your successiveneeds.

The mesh is unconstrained, the activation trapdoes not overlap the previous meshes. Theresulting mesh is independent from the other two.

The mesh is constrained, the activation trapoverlaps the previous meshes. The resulting meis connected to the other two. Facets of the exi

mesh that were totally or partially inside the trahave been removed and recomputed to adjust the additional mesh.


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7 . Click A p p l y to check or update the result. Then click OK to confirm the result and exit the ac

An element Me s h C r e a t i o n . x is created in the specification tree.

Increase the N e i g h b o r h o o d value to improve themesh or reduce it to avoid filling holes that shouldremain clear:

Triangles:


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Shading:

q In some cases, it may be difficult to find a N e i g h b o r h o o d value that will fill unwanted holes, witcreating unwanted triangles:

q Seams may appear on the mesh with the S m o o t h option, :

q They indicate that the normals to the facets have different directions at this place.

q In 2 D and 3 D mode, some triangles may overlap and mesh should be corrected.

q In C o n s t r a i n e d mode, they show the common boundaries of meshes.

q When computing a constrained mesh, enter 0 as the Neighborhood value to check the boundariesthe mesh. If the boundaries are not satisfactory, modify the mesh plane to improve them.

q After the computation of a constrained mesh, two mesh elements are visible in the specification tthe constrained mesh and the initial mesh. You can select one and then the other to make sure thare complementary.

q You can use the Meshes Merge action to obtain a single mesh.


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Tessellating an Object

This task shows how to create a tessellation from a surface or a solid. Inside this action, you mayspecify the maximum size of the triangles and the maximum distance (sag) between the geometry the triangles.

Open the SurfTessellation1.CATPart model from the samples directory.

1 . Click the S u r f a c e T e s s e lla t io n icon . The T e s s e l l a t i o n dialog box is displayed.

2 . Select the surface or the solid to tessellate. Clik A p p l y .

http://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/stlug_c2/samples/SurfTessellation1.CATParthttp://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/stlug_c2/samples/SurfTessellation1.CATPart

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3 . You can modify the S a g value, that is the maximum distance between the geometry and th

triangles:

it has been increased to 1

4 . You can also check the S t e p box to control the length of triangles:


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5 . Click OK to validate. A T e s s e l a t i o n . x element is created in the specification tree.

q The free edges of the tessellation are those of the surfaces or solids.

q To avoid free edges between the tessellations of several contiguous faces, you can join them wthe J o i n action of Quick Surface Reconstruction or Generative Shape Design. They will then beprocessed as a single surface.


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Offsetting a Mesh

This task shows how to offset a mesh and create a watertight mesh.

Open the Offset1.CATPart model from the samples directory.

1 . Select the O f f s e t icon . The O ff s e t Me s h dialog box is displayed.

2 . Select the mesh.

3 . Enter an O ff s e t v a l u e . The offset mesh is displayed, together with a green vector represen

the offset. The direction of the offset is given by the sign of the value.

http://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/stlug_c2/samples/Offset1.CATParthttp://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/stlug_c2/samples/Offset1.CATPart

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4 . Check the Cr e a t e s h e l l option to create a watertight offset::

Cr e a t e s h e l l unchecked Cr e a t e S h e l l checked

5 . Click A p p l y to check or update the result. Then click OK to confirm the result and exit the

action. The element M e s h O f f s e t . x is created in the specification tree.


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q The offset is computed in the direction of the weighted normals of the points.

q For better results, you should avoid to enter a high offset value.


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Flip Edges

This task shows you how to flip edges of triangles of a mesh, for a better respect of sharp edges, byrotating the triangles common edges without modifying their vertices. The meshing may become lesharmonious but will provide a better respect of the shape of the part because the triangles will beoriented in the direction of the shape, in particular for sharp edge fillets. This is particularly importamilling operations that may follow.

This action reorganizes the meshing without modifying the geometry because the vertices are notrecomputed.

The first picture shows a blunted edge.

The second picture shows the same edge after thereorientation of the triangles.

Open the Cloud.CATPart model the from the samples directory. For a better understanding, use the

Clo u d D is p la y O p t i o n s icon to display the triangles of the mesh.

1 . Click the F lip E d g e s icon and a mesh. The dialog box is displayed.

2 . Sets the value ofD e p t h , that determines the amplitude of the reorganization of the mesh:

q The value ofD e p t h ranges from 0 to 10.

q The default value is 2.

q When the value ofD e p t h is 0, the action processes a triangle and its direct neighbors.


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q When the value ofD e p t h is 1, the action processes a triangle, its direct neighbors and

their direct neighbors, and so on as you increase the value of Depth.

q This may lead to a temporary degradation of the energy function of the mesh, but results

in a final optimal solution.

q The computation time depends on the value ofD e p t h , and on the size of the mesh to

process.

3 . Click A p p l y to start the first reorganization iteration. Click Apply again to start another itera

You may repeat this step as many times as you wish.

4 . Click OK to validate the result. A F l i p _ E d g e . x element is created in the specification tree. Th

initial mesh is sent to the No Show.

q The new mesh inherits the graphic properties and display mode of the initial mesh.

q During the process, the mesh is displayed in Flat Shading mode.

q This action should not be used on meshes with non-manifold edges.

q Undo/Redo are available.

q You may create several Flip_Edge.x elements in the specification tree, corresponding to variousdegrees of reorganization of a given mesh. You may then delete any of them, according to yourneeds.


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Smoothing Meshes

This task shows you how to smooth a mesh.

The cloud of points you import in Digitized Shape Editor may be noisy, for various reasons, mainlybecause of a poor digitalization accuracy on the edges of parts. This noise is found again on the meshcomputed from these clouds of points or imported in STL format.

The consequences are:

q very noisy scans produced with the P la n a r S e c t io n s or Segmentations actions or

q the reconstruction of wavy curves or surfaces and/or of very high order.

This can be partly avoided by smoothing the mesh.

q Since the volume of the part is reduced, some small facets may be inverted by the meshing. Therwe recommend you alternate Me s h S m o o t h i n g and F lip E d g e s actions.

q Use the Activate function to process only a portion of a cloud.

Open the SmoothMesh01.CATPartfrom the samples directory

1 . Click the Me s h S m o o t h in g icon and a mesh.

2 . The S m o o t h i n g dialog box is displayed.


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3 . Select the type of smoothing:

Choose S in g le e f fe c t if there is no sharp edge on the mesh to process.

q Small radii will be erased.

q The volume of the part will be reduced (contraction towards the center

of gravity of the part).

Choose D u a l e f f e c t to reduce the distance between outliers and thesurface, and reduce the erasing of small radii.

q The reduction of the volume of the part is smaller.

q A large displacement of one vertex inwards may cause the neighboringvertices to move outwards.

4 . Two other controls are available:

q C o e f f i c i e n t : It balances the effect of the new theoretical position incomparison with the original position. It varies from 0 (the vertex is notmoved) to 1 (the vertex is moved to the computed position).

q Ma x D e v i a t i o n : Check this option to control the maximum deviationallowed (the displacement will remain under the value set.)

q The deviation is the distance between a vertex and its initial position (not between its current posand that of the previous iteration).

q Therefore, if you want to control the maximum deviation, you have to check the Ma x D e v i a t i o n option b e f o r e the first A p p l y (it is no longer available after the first Apply).

q For a better appreciation of the quality of the intermediate meshes, the meshes are displayed in FShading within the action.

q In addition, for each step the maximum and the mean deviations (distances between a vertex aninitial position) are displayed in the dialog box.


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5 . Click A p p l y: a new mesh is computed. This action is an iterative one: click A p p l y again to sm

the proposed mesh.

6 . Click OK once you are satisfied. A S m o o t h i n g . x element is created in the specification tree,

original mesh is sent to the No Show.

Examples:Original part, before entering the action, i.e. in Smooth Shading:


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Original part as you enter the action, i.e. in Flat Shading:

Single effect, in Flat Shading


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Single effect, in Smooth Shading (after exiting the action)


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Dual effect, in Flat Shading

Dual effect, in Smooth Shading (after exiting the action)


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Mesh Cleaner

This task will show you how to clean a mesh.

Imported STL files or generated meshes may present some irregularities such as:

q Corrupted triangles, i.e. triangles that have the same vertex twice,

q Duplicated triangles, i.e. triangles that share the same three vertices,

q Inconsistent Orientation, i.e. triangles that can not be oriented consistently with respect to each o

q Non-manifold edges, i.e. edges shared by more than two triangles,

q Non-manifold vertices, i.e. vertices shared by two or more connected shells.

A mesh may also present some structural problems such as:

q Orientation problems, i.e. all the triangles are not oriented in the same direction,

q Isolated triangles, i.e. triangles belonging to small connected areas of the mesh,

q Disconnected zones, i.e. the mesh is made of several disconnected zones,


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q Triangles with long edges.

Mesh cleaner proposes two families of treatments on such meshes:

q Deletion, i.e. visualization and deletion of corrupted or duplicated triangles, of triangles with an

inconsistent orientation, of non-manifold edges, or non-manifold vertices, of isolated triangles antriangles with long edges.

q Structure, i.e. e-orientation or split.

You can process simultaneously several types of problems in the Deletion tab. Structure problems mube processed separately.

Open MeshCleaner1.CATPart the from the samples directory.


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4 . You can visualize the problems found:

q Check the line(s) of the problem you want to visualize. By default, they are displayed in

white. You can choose another color in the P r e v i e w c o l o r s combo box.

5 . For I s o la t e d Tr ia n g le s , use the slider to define the maximum number of triangles that a

disconnected area may contain. If you set the slider to n, all the areas containing between 1 a

triangles will be visualized, then deleted. The limit values of the slider are defined according t

mesh.

For Lo n g Ed g e s , use the spinner to define the maximum allowed length edge of triangles. All

triangles with edges longer than this value will be deleted.

6 . Click Apply to delete the unwanted elements and OK to exit the action and save the processe

part.

In the S t r u c t u r e tab:


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1 . Check the O r i e n t a t i o n line and click Apply to re-orient triangles, if that is possible.

or

1 . Check the S p lit in C o n n e c t e d Z o n e s . The text box below is updated with the number of

connected zones found. You can then choose to split them in D i s t i n c t zones or in one G r o u p

zone by checking the appropriate option and clicking Apply. S u b M e s h . x elements are then

created in the specification tree.

2 . Click OK to exit the action and save the processed part.


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Filling Holes on Meshes

This task shows you how to fill holes on meshs with the following advantages:

q

You can either select the holes manually or automatically.q The filling can be basic (no point inserted, basic remeshing) or more sophisticated (points are

inserted, and the meshing can be flat or curved).

Open the Fillhole1.CATPartfrom the samples directory.

1 . Select the Fi ll Hole s icon and Cloud Import.1.

2 . The dialog box is displayed. A first recognition of the holes is done:

q X means the hole is not selected,

q V means the hole is selected,

q The biggest hole found is considered as "exterior". Since you usually do not want to fill theoutside of the part, this hole is not selected, but you can change its status.

3 . Click on the label to select or de-select a given hole or right-click on a label to call the conte

menu:


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Use Selected/Not selected as a toggle on a single hole, and Select all/De-Select all as a toggle

on all holes.

4 . If you want to select the holes to fill automatically, check the Hole size option. A sphere is

displayed. You can change its diameter in the box on the right:

q either enter a value,

q or right-click to call the contextual menu:

All the holes smaller than this sphere are selected.


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5 . Click Apply. A basic meshing is computed to fill the hole:

6 . Check the Points insertion option and click Apply. A new meshing is computed, with more

meshing points:

With this option, you can set a Sag and a Step (i.e. the maximum length of the mesh edges)

value, either directly or with the contextual menu.

7 . By default, the filling is flat:

Check the Shape option for a curved filling. The filling is computed on a virtual surface, the


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curvature coefficient of which is controlled by the slider on the right: increase this coefficient to

increase the curvature of the filling.

8 . Click Apply to visualize the filling with given parameters. If you are not satisfied, click Undo,

modify the parameters and click Apply to refresh the filling. Once you are satisfied, click OK t

validate and exit the action

q Undo is available within the action, not after you have exited the action.

q The holes to fill must be closed.

q When no coherent result can be computed, an error message is displayed.


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This task will show you how to create mesh triangles interactively:

q to create or modify a mesh quickly or

q to simplify hole filing by creating bridges within a hole.

Open the Fillhole1.CATPartfrom the samples directory.

1 . Click the I n t e r a c t iv e Tr ia n g le Cr e a t io n icon . The Interactive Triangle Creation dialog b

displayed.

2 . To create a new mesh triangle, you can input:

q three points (vertices of an existing mesh or not), or

q two neighboring edges of a mesh (with a vertex in common), or


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q an edge of an existing mesh and a point (vertex of an existing mesh ornot).

To make the selections easier:

q As you pass the cursor over a mesh, the edge or the vertex under the cursor are highlighted:

q As you pass the cursor over a point, it is highlighted:

When the first selection is a point, it is displayed in red.


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q If the next selection is another point, a red line is displayed between those two points. At the nexpoint selection, a triangle is proposed and displayed in blue.

q If the next selection is an edge, a triangle is proposed and displayed in blue.

When the first selection is an edge, it is displayed in red. At the next selection, a triangle is proposed displayed in blue.

3 . Once a triangle is proposed:

q you can select other elements to define more triangles. They will beproposed and displayed in blue, or

q click Apply. The triangle(s) displayed in blue is(are) created temporarily.You can create further triangles.

4 . Click OK to validate the creation of triangles:

q if the first element picked was a point that did not belong to a mesh, a

new Mesh.x element is created (even if the other elements selected

belong to a mesh),

q if the first element picked was a vertex or an edge of an existing mesh,

this mesh is modified and no other mesh is created.

or Cancel to exit the action without creating any triangles.

The first element picked is P o i n t . 2 . A new mesh is created.


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The first element picked is an edge ofClo u d I m p o r t . 1 . Clo u d I m p o r t . 1 is modified, no new mesh iscreated.


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Decimating Meshes

This task will show you how to decimate a mesh.

Decimation is a command reducing the triangle count of a mesh for a quicker execution of commands. It areduces the memory requirements for the model. Many large meshes can be represented accurately with ltriangles.

Decimation can be performed on the entire region or a selected region of the mesh.

Open the SmoothMesh01.CATPartfrom the samples directory

1 . Click the D e c im a t i o n icon and select a mesh. The dialog box is displayed:

2 . Check the type of decimation you want to apply:

q by Ch o r d a l D e v i a t i o n if you want to preserve the shape of your model, even in areas with a

high curvature,

q by Ed g e L e n g t h if you want to remove triangles with tiny edges and obtain a more uniform

mesh. However this may result in a loss of accuracy in areas with a high curvature.


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3 . Then, decide how you want the decimation to stop:

q For a decimation by Ch o r d a l D e v i a t i o n , you can check M a x i m u m and enter a value. It is the

chordal deviation that should not be exceeded during decimation. Decimation stops when the

chordal deviation limit has been reached.

q For a decimation by Ed g e Le n g t h , you can check Min i m u m and enter a value. The command

stops when further decimation could collapse edges of length greater than the value entered.

q For both types of decimation, check Ta r g e t P e r c e n t a g e if you want to obtain a given final

number or percentage of triangles. Enter either the percentage value or the T a r g e t T r i a n g l e

C o u n t . Those fields are linked to each other and updated simultaneously.

Cu r r e n t Tr ia n g l e Co u n t indicates the current number of triangles, either of the original model when

you enter the action, or of the result model when you have clicked Apply.


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4 . You may need to control the decimation of free edges, when a rectangular shape sees its corners c

after decimation. You can avoid this by checking F r e e E d g e D e v ia t i o n . This activates the maximu

allowable deviation that can occur for vertices on the boundary. The resulting decimated boundary

not be at a distance greater than this parameter from the original boundary.


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Optimizing Meshes

This task will show you how to optimize an existing mesh, i.e. redistribute and reshape the triangles wthe mesh. This way you will obtain a more homogeneous mesh, e.g. for analysis purpose.

q Be aware that this optimization tends to modify the shape of the model!

q Non-manifold meshes can not be processed. You should use the Mesh Cleaner.

q Mesh Optimize is an iterative operator using edge splits and edge collapses. If an edge is too long, split in two. If an edge is too short it is collapsed. Consequently, there is a minimum ratio betweenminimum and maximum edge length; otherwise an edge that has just been split could be collapsedthe next step and then split again and so on.

Open the SmoothMesh01.CATPartfrom the samples directory. You may want to display the triangles o

mesh, using the Clo u d D is p la y command.

1 . Click the O p t i m i z e icon and select the mesh.

2 . Set the Min i m u m Le n g t h , Ma x im u m Le n g t h and D i h e d r a l A n g l e according to your needs.


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Operations

s chapter deals with the operations on meshes.

Meshes Merge

Split

Trimming or Splitting a Mesh


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q If the selection is empty, or if the whole input element is selected, no split element is created.

q To retrieve the original input element, recall it from the No Show, or merge the two split eleme

q When you split a mesh using the T r a p option, the triangles are smoothly cut by the trap line.


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Trim/Split

This task will show you how:

q to split a mesh in several meshes (displayed in different colors below):

q and/or trim portions of the mesh delimited by curves, planes, surfaces or other meshes:

Open TrimSplit1.CATPart from the samples directory.


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4 . Select the P r o j e c t i o n t y p e

When scans or curves are used as cutting elements, those entities are close to the mesh but not on the mesh. To compute the intersectionnecessary to project those scans or curves on the mesh to create intersection curves. Three projection options are proposed:

q V i e w ,

q C o m p a s s ,

q N o r m a l.

The projection option applies to all cutting elements.

5 . Check P r e v i e w if you want to see the projection of the cutting elements on the mesh.

This is an example of the Preview of a plane.


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A contextual menu is available on scissors and crossed-scissors:

q D e l e t e : Deletes the occurrence,

q D e l e t e A ll: Deletes all occurrences,

q I n v e r t A ll: Replaces all occurrences of scissors by crossed-scissors and vice-versa.


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q If you check G r o u p e d , the new meshes will be cells grouped in a single body.

Ke e p I n i t ia l controls whether a new mesh is created in the specification tree or if the input mesh is replaced by another when the commanexecuted.

IfKe e p I n i t i a l is checked:

q the input mesh is sent to the NoShow and remains in the specification tree,

q the output meshes are created in the specification tree and the graphic area:

r D i s t i n c t is checked

q G r o u p e d is checked


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If Ke e p I n i t i a l is not checked:

q ifD i s t i n c t is checked, the input mesh is removed from the specification tree, the output meshes are created in the specification tree angraphic area.

q ifG r o u p e d is checked, the result multi-cells mesh replaces the input mesh:

r the input mesh is removed from the graphic area but its name remains in the specification tree,

r the result multi-cells mesh is created in the graphic area and under the name of the input mesh in the specification tree.


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We recommend that you do not keep initial large meshes.

1 0 . Click Ap p ly to preview the result.

1 1 . Click O K to validate and exit the action.


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Display Options and Graphic Properties

This task shows how to change the display option of clouds of points.

Open the Visu1.CATPart model the from the samples directory. It consists of four clouds of points:

q a mesh,

q a cloud of points,

q a set of scans,

q a set of grids.

Their default colors are respectively:

q orange,

q green,

q cyan,

q cyan.

The display options are available from the Clo u d D is p la y O p t io n s b o x . Further graphic properties available from the Ed it / P r o p e r t i e s menu, in the G r a p h i c tab.

From the Clo u d D is p la y O p t i o n s box, you can:

q Choose the sampling of clouds of points (N of 100 points are displayed).

q Choose to display scans or grids as polylines, points, or both.

q Choose to display triangles, free edges, non-manifold edges of meshes. You can also choose thedisplay mode: flat or smooth.

From the Ed it / P r o p e r t ie s menu, you can:

q Choose the fill color of the mesh and its transparency level,

q Choose the color and symbol of the points of a cloud,

q Choose the color, type and thickness of scans and grids,

q Choose to elements pickable or not.

Clo u d D is p la y O p t io n s b o x

The images below are only examples.

1 . Click the Clo u d D is p la y icon at the bottom of the screen. The Clo u d D i s p l a y O p t i o n

dialog box is displayed.


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2 . Select the cloud to modify. Display options are proposed according to the type of the cloud

selected:

Following options are not yet available:

q Protected,

q Orientation,

q Shrink,

q Normal.

3 . For the cloud of points, you can choose to display only a percentage of the points making th

cloud, using the S a m p l i n g option. By default, 100% of the points are displayed. You can ch

this value with the associated spinner.


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Sampling=100 Sampling=25

The S y m b o l options are not available in that box, but in the Graphic Properties menu.

For the sets of scans or grids, you can display them as line of points or points or both:

For the mesh, you can:

q display the triangles,


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q visualize only the vertices for a lighter display (do not forget to de-activate the Smooth, Flat orTriangles options)

instead of


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q the free edges in yellow,

q the non-manifold facets and their vertices in bold white lines.

q If you choose the display of triangles, the triangles accepting a non-manifold edge have their eddisplayed as regular white lines.


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q if you remove a portion of a cloud of points, the free edges of the remaining portion are displaye

q If you move a cloud of points or a mesh, its graphic display options (not the graphic properties)lost.

q The display options are not saved in the CATPart while the graphic properties are.

Ed it / P r o p e r t ie s m e n u ( Gr a p h i c t a b )

For more information about this menu, please refer to the Displaying and Editing Graphic Propertieschapter in the CATIA Infrastructure user's guide.

The images below are only examples.


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q The color displayed in the G r a p h i c P r o p e r t i e s toolbar applies to meshes only.

q The graphic properties are saved in the CATPart.

q Use F il l/ C o lo r and T r a n s p a r e n c y to modify the color and transparency of meshs:

Please note that :

q the color of mesh free edges is yellow, and is not editable,

q the color of non-manifold edges is white, and is not editable,

q the default color of scans has changed to cyan.

For a higher transparency quality, go to To o ls / O p t io n s / Dis p la y / P e r fo r m a n c e s and check the H( Alp h a b le n d in g ) option.


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q Use Ed g e s / Co lo r , Line type and T h i c k n e s s to modify the display of scans and grids or of thetriangles of a mesh :

q Use P o in t s / Co lo r and S y m b o l to modify the display of clouds of points:

q

Use the P i c k a b l e check box to make an element pickable or not, and choose the pick option in list below.


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Information

This task shows you how to get information on a cloud of points.

Open Info1.CATPartfrom the samples directory.

1 . Click the I n f o r m a t i o n icon and select a cloud of points.

2 . An information box is displayed, with the statistics about the selected cloud:

r Bounding box ,and active bounding box,

r Number of points, of active points, of selected points, of filtered points,

r Total number of triangles and of active triangles.

3 . If you select another cloud, the information box is updated with the statistics of that cloud.

4 . Push the C l o se button when you are finished to exit the action.


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q Besides the update modes, you can also choose to visualize the update on the geometry as it ishappening by checking the A c t i v a t e L o c a l V i su a l i z a t i o n option from the To o l s - > O p t io n s - >I n f r a s t r u c t u r e - > P a r t I n f ra s t r u c t u r e , G e n e r a l tab.

In this case, as soon as you have clicked the U p d a t e icon :

1. the geometry disappears from the screen2. each element is displayed as it is updated, including elements in No Show mode. Once

they have been updated, they remain in No Show mode.

Interrupting Updates

This task explains how to update a part and interrupt the update operation on a given feature by meaa useful message you previously defined.

Open any document containing geometric elements.

1 . Right-click an element from the specification tree and choose the Properties contextual menu

The Properties dialog box is displayed.

2 . From the M e c h a n i c a l tab, check the As s o c ia t e s t o p u p d a t e option.

3 . Enter the text to be displayed when the updating process will stop when reaching this elemen

4 . Click OK to confirm and close the dialog box.

The Stop Update.1 feature is displayed in the specification tree,below the element for which it was defined.


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5 . Whenever it is needed, click the U p d a t e icon to update the whole part.

The updating process stops after having updated the element selected above, and issues the

message as has been defined earlier:

6 . Click Yes or No, depending on what you intend to do with the geometry created based on the

selected element.

Would you no longer need this capability, you can:

q right-click the element for which the stop was defined, choose the Properties contextual commancheck the Deactivate stop update option from the Mechanical tab: the update will no longer at thielement.

You notice that when the capability is deactivated, the Stop Update icon changes to: in the

specification tree.

q right-click Stop Update.1 from the specification tree, and choose the D e l e t e contextual command


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Creating Datums

This task shows how to create geometry with the History mode deactivated.In this case, when you create an element, there are no links to the other entities that were used tocreate that element.

1 . Click the Cr e a t e D a t u m icon to deactivate the History mode.

It will remain deactivated until you click on the icon again.

If you double-click this icon, the Datum mode is permanent. You only have to click again theicon to deactivate the mode.

A click on the icon activates the Datum mode for the current or the next command.

The History mode (active or inactive) will remain fixed from one session to another: it is in fact a set


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Geometrical sets enable to gather various features in a same set or sub-set and organize the specifictree when it becomes too complex or too long. You can put any element you wish in the geometrical it does not have to be structured in a logical way. The order of these elements is not meaningful as taccess as well as their visualization is managed independently and without any rule.

This task shows how to manage geometrical sets within the specification tree. This involves:

q inserting a geometrical set

q removing a geometrical set

q changing body

q sorting the contents of a geometrical set

q reordering components

You will find other useful information in the Managing Groups and Hiding/Showingchapters.

q You can insert and manipulate geometrical sets in the specification tree in much the same way asmanage files in folders.

q These management functions have no impact on the part geometry.

q You should refer to the Copying and Pasting section for information about how geometrical sets c

used in a part edition context.

q When loading the Generative Shape Design workbench, a Geometrical Set automatically becomescurrent body.This also means that only the results of the Hybrid Body, i.e. the result of all the operations perfoon geometry, is visible and not any intermediate state of the Hybrid Body.

q You can define the Generative Shape Design feature that is to be seen when working with anotheapplication, such as Generative Structural Analysis for example.

To do this, while in the Generative ShapeDesign workbench:

1. Choose the To o ls - > Ex t e r n a l Vie w . ..menu itemThe External View dialog box isdisplayed.

2. Select the element belonging to a

Geometrical Set that should alwaysbeen seen as the current element whenworking with an external application.

3. Click OK in the dialog box.

http://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/cfyug_C2/cfyuggroups.htmhttp://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/cfyug_C2/cfyughideshow.htmhttp://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/cfyug_C2/cfyugcopypaste.htmhttp://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/cfyug_C2/cfyugcopypaste.htmhttp://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/cfyug_C2/cfyughideshow.htmhttp://e%7C/www/CATEvmuCXR14/Doc/online/cfyug_C2/cfyuggroups.htm

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Mo v in g a Ge o m e t r ic a l S e t t o a Ne w Bo d y

1 . From the specification tree, select the element

then choose the Ge o m e t r ic a l S e t . o b j e c t - >

Ch a n g e Ge o m e t r ic a l S e t . .. item from the

contextual menu.

Multi-selection of elements of different types is supported. However, note that in this case, the contemenu is not available, and that you can access this capability using the Edi t menu item.

The Change Body dialog box is displayed.

The list of destinations is alphabetically sorted.

2 . Select the D e s t i n a t i o n body where the geometrical set is to be located.

Here we selected Geometrical_Set.3.

You can do so by selecting the Body in the specification tree, or using the drop-down list from

the dialog box.

By default, if you select a body, the geometrical set is positioned last within the new body.

However, you can select any element in the new body, before which the moved geometrical set

will be located.


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3 . Select the element above which the one you

already selected is to be inserted.

You can directly select this positioning element. In this case the D e s t i n a t i o n field of the Change Boddialog box is automatically updated with the Body to which this second element belongs.

4 . Click OK to move the geometrical set to the new

body.

The element selected first is moved to its new

location in the specification tree, but geometry

remains unchanged.

q Check the Ch a n g e b o d y u n s h a r e d p a r e n t s optionto move all parents of the first selected element to itsnew location, provided these parents are not sharedby any other element of the initial body.In this case, all the unshared parents are highlightedprior to the move.


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The Geometrical_Set.1 contains two extruded surfacesbased on point-point lines. The specification tree lookslike this:

1 . Right-click the Geometrical_Set.1 from the

specification and choose the G e o m e t r i c a l _ S e t . 1

o b j e c t - > Au t o S o r t command.

Instantly, the contents of the Geometrical Set

are reorganized to show the logical creation

process.

The geometry remains unchanged.

Reordering Components within a Geometrical SetThis capability enables you to reorder elements inside the same geometrical set.

1 . Right-click the Geometrical_Set.1 from the

specification tree and choose the O r d e r e d

Ge o m e t r ic a l Se t . 1 o b j e c t - > R e o r d e r Ch i ld r e n

command.

The Reorder Children dialog box is displayed.

2 . Select an element.

3 . Use the arrows to move an element up or down.

Reordering Features


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The Reorder command allows you to move a feature in a Geometrical Set. These features can be:

q solids

q shape features

q sketches

Replacing FeaturesThis capability is only available on shape features.

Please refer to the Replacing or Moving Elements chapter in the Part Design User's Guide .To manage this capability, the Do r e p l a c e o n l y fo r e le m e n t s s i t u a t e d a f t e r t h e I n W o r k O b j e c t option is available in To o ls - > O p t io n s - > P a r t I n f ra s t r u c t u r e - > Ge n e r a l tab. It allows you to mthe Replace option possible only for features located below the feature in Work Object and in the sambranch.


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Tessellating an Object

Offsetting a Mesh

Flip Edges

Smoothing Meshes

Mesh Cleaner

Filling Holes on Meshes

Decimating Meshes

O p e r a t i o n : Merging Meshes

Splitting Meshes

Trim/Split

InformationA n a l y s i s

r the other menu items, please refer to the Infrastructure User's Guide.


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Creation Toolbars

ey are the following:

STL Files

Edition

Mesh

OperationsAnalysis


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STL Edition

For See

ActivationActivating a Portion of a Cloud of Points

Remove Removing Elements


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Tessellation

For See

Me s h Re g e n e r a t i o n Mesh Creation

S u r f a c e T e s s e lla t io n Tessellating an Object

O f f s e t Offsetting a Mesh

F lip E d g e s Flip Edges

Me s h S m o o t h in g Smoothing Meshes

Me s h Cle a n e r Mesh Cleaner

I n t e r a c t i v e Tr ia n g l e Cr e a t io n Interactive Triangle Creation

Fil ling Hole s Filling Holes on Meshes

D e c i m a t i o n Decimating Meshes

O p t i m i z e Optimizing Meshes


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Operations

For See

Me s h e s Me r g e Merging Meshes

Spl i t Splitting Meshes

Tr im / S p l it Trim/Split


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e s h A mesh consists of a set of polygonal faces (triangles) which represent the surface of model. A triangulation is computed to describe the neighborhood relation of all points

A mesh can be used to check the quality of the points, or can be processed in otherapplications.

A mesh may present some irregularities such as:

q Corrupted triangles, i.e. triangles that have the same vertex twice,

q Duplicated triangles, i.e. triangles that share the same three vertices,

q Non-manifold edges, i.e. edges shared by more than two triangles,

q Non-manifold vertices, i.e. vertices shared by two or more connected shells.

A mesh may also present some structural problems such as:

q Orientation problems, i.e. all the triangles are not oriented in the same direction,

q Isolated triangles, i.e. triangles belonging to small connected areas of the mesh,

q Disconnected zones, i.e. the mesh is made of several disconnected zones,


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Activate

AutoSort Open Body

Change Body

Cloud Display

Decimation

Export

Fill Holes

Flip Edges

Import

Information

Insert Geometrical Set

Merge

Mesh Cleaner

Mesh Creation

Mesh Regeneration

Offset

Properties

Remove

Remove Geometrical Set

Reorder Body

Show Historical Graph

Split a Mesh or a Cloud

Tessellate an Object

Update

Constrained

Meshing

reating

datum

Creating a shell

Offsetting the mesh

Current Triangle Count

Decimation

http://-/?-http://-/?-

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atum

creating

Decimation

Chordal Deviation

command

Current Triangle Count

Edge Length

Free Edge Deviation

Target Percentage

Target Triangle Count

Deletion

Mesh Cleaner

Delimitors

Import

Depth

Flip Edges

Direction

Import

Distinct

Mesh Cleaner

dge Length

Decimation

lements

xport

command

Stl


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acets

Import

ill Holes

command

Hole size

Points insertion

Sag

Selection of holes

Shape

Step

lip Edges

command

Depth

ormats

Import

ree Edge Deviation

Decimation

ree edges

Import

eometrical sets

inserting

managing

removing

reordering

Graphic properties

Cloud Display

Grouped

Import

Mesh Cleaner


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istory

Hole size

Fill Holes

mport

Bounding box

command

Delimitors

Direction

Facets

Formats

Free edges

Grouped

Minimal point quality

Statistics

System

Update

nformation

command

nsert Geometrical Set

command

nserting

geometrical sets

nteroperability

solated Triangles

Mesh Cleaner


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ong Edges

Mesh Cleaner

managing

geometrical sets

Max Deviation

Mesh Smoothing

Merge

command

Mesh Cleaner

Analyze

command

Deletion

Distinct

Grouped

Isolated Triangles

Long Edges

Orientation

Preview colors

Split in Connected Zones

Statistics

Structure

Mesh Creation

command

Mesh Regeneration

command

Mesh Smoothing

Max Deviation

Meshing

Constrained

Mode

http://-/?-http://-/?-

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Neighborhood

Sphere

Minimal point quality

Import

Mode

Meshing

moving

open bodies

Neighborhood

Meshing

on-updated

Offset

command

Offsetting the mesh

Creating a shell

pen bodies

moving

sorting

Orientation

Mesh Cleaner

ick

Remove

oints insertion

Fill Holes

olygonal

http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-

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Trap

olyline and Point

Cloud Display

review colors

Mesh Cleaner

roperties

command

Rectangular

Trap

Remove

command

Pick

Trap

Remove Geometrical Set

command

emoving

geometrical sets

Reorder Body

command

eordering

geometrical sets

Sag

Fill Holes

Tessellate an Object

Sampling

Cloud Display

Selection of holes

Fill Holes

Shape


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Trap

Polygonal

Rectangular

Remove

Spline

Triangles

Cloud Display

Update

command

Import

pdating
