Redefining the normal surface

[nkpham]

I am looking at a reference book on Pro E to understand sweeps better. Is states that in 2001, the program only prompts you to choose a normal surface if there is ambiguity. Otherwise, they choose it for you. Is there a way to choose the normal surface without it prompting you? I am trying to set my horizontal and vertical references to the default planes.



Also, does Wildfire solve this problem by always prompting you? I might upgrade if it does solve this problem for me.

 

[Nose Bleed]

I know this may sound like a really stupid/obvious no-sh#$ sherlock reply, but have you tried redefining the sweep by right clicking on the feature in the model tree, and picking redefine or edit references and re-picking which planes/surfaces you wish to sketch on?

 

[bhayden]

I am NOT the expert to be giving advise on sweeps (or swept blends) but I am in the process of trying to understand how and why ProE treats sweeps and swept blends so differently.



It is my understanding that with a plain sweep you don't have the option of redefining (or defining for that matter) the surface you're sketching on. This is because by definition the sketched section will be normal to the origin traj and the plane in which the origin traj exists. As far as up and down on the screen you might try defining/redefining the orientation in which you sketch the origin traj.



On a related grip, I've found it annoying that flipping the direction of a protuded feature seems to define the up and down orientation of the sketch. As a work around I just accept the default direction of feature creation and then redifne that before finishing the feature. That way the sketch will always open in the orientation that makes sense.



-Bernie-

 

[nkpham]

actually... i create the trajectories first. then i use sel traj from the menu. it never gives me an option to choose my reference for the horizontal plane. from the manual i am looking at, that is normal. all it asks is for me to choose the upward direction, not the plane itself. apparently, the program is supposed to be smart enough to choose which normal i would like to use. my problem comes in because Pro E does not make the correct assumptions. It is not the plane of surface i need to choose for the sketch. it is the reference and i can't seem to find where this is defined. i do not understand the process Pro E goes through in choosing the references for me, so I do not know how to counter it. the sketching plane it chooses is correct, but it is tilted at the wrong angle.

 

[Lozanoraul]

ppf ??? what is it?



I was ask to export a proe part to ppf.

 

[lcoates68]

What are you talking about...variable section sweeps or regular sweeps? With normal to origin traj variable section sweeps you can define the sketch orientation by defining origin traj and X-traj then select the sweep trajectories and define the section.

 

[miked]

lozanoraul,

Do you mean pdf?

Mike

 

[nkpham]

i am doing a regular sweep. i am in the process of calculating multiple trajectories to solve my problem. Can someone give me a detailed steps to perform a var sec sweep? I have never done this before.

 

[noppenbd]

Nkpham,



There is a detailed guide to var sec sweeps at:



http://www.proecentral.com/portal/articles/articlesDetail.asp?id=25



I think the issue with standard sweeps is that if the trajectory you select is a curve that is contained with a single plane, Pro will automatically select the plane that the curve is contained within.



However, if the trajectory is a surface edge chain with two related surface sets, Pro will ask you which one to use as the normal reference.

 

[nkpham]

I was reading through the article on variable section sweeps and I had a question. It seems that most of the examples use this option to shape an object. Can you use it to confine an object to muliple trajectories? My crossection will not be changing. I created multiple datum curves because using one causes my object to be rotated at an undefined angle.