SolidWorks® Surfacing and Complex Shape Modeling Bible

Chapter 5. Creating Curves

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Using the Helix/Spiral feature

• Creating a projected curve

• Curve through reference points

• Curve through XYZ points

• Creating composite curves

• Split lines

• Tutorial

Curve features in SolidWorks are different from sketch entities. This might seem like an obvious statement, but as you work with curves, you may begin to wonder why curves are different from 3D sketches. You cannot manipulate the shape of curve features directly like you can with entities such as 3D splines; you must edit curves in dialog boxes or change the associative entities that drive the curves, such as sketches or other model edge, point, or vertex data.

Some additional factors can sometimes make curves difficult to deal with, and you need to be aware of these issues so you can work around them. Chapter 4 discusses using 3D sketches to work around some limitations with curves, and this chapter shows additional workaround techniques. As of SolidWorks 2008, SolidWorks Corporation has not paid much attention to enhancing curve features since the variable pitch helix several releases ago. It is hard to say what this means in terms of looking forward to new or improved functionality in future releases. Curve functionality is certainly due to receive some enhancement attention.

Regardless of what may or may not be happening in the future with curve functionality, curve features can be very useful in many situations, and in some cases, they are indispensable.

Using the Helix/Spiral Feature ...