Surfaces > Skin Surfaces > Skin

Creates a surface across a set of curves.

Note: This tool is new in Alias 2013 and is intended to replace the older version of the tool, now called Skin 2012.

Procedures

Create a surface connecting profile curves

Skin Control Options

Proportional Crown

Select this option to raise or lower the midpoint of the surface between two input curve sets so that the height or crown of the surface is proportional to the distance between the curves. This option is not available when more than two curve sets are selected.

Explicit Control

Select this option to specify the exact degree and number of spans in the new surface(s).

Deviation

Select this option to display the maximum deviation indicator (displays only if Deviation is not 0).

Chain Select

If this option is selected, selecting a surface curve also selects all other surface curves that are tangent continuous with it.

Explicit Control Options

These options are availably only when Explicit Control is selected.

U/V Degree

The degree of the new skinned surface in the U and V directions. Values range from 1 to 7.

U/V Spans

The number of spans for the skin surface in the U and V direction.

Flow Control

Start/End

Defines the extent of the surface through a snapping point on each input curve set. You can define the range manipulator snapping points to be at the following locations:

Default – The extent of the surface is defined as the closest point from one curve set endpoint to the second curve set. This maintains the control layout "normal to curve sets.

Extend – The end of the surface can be extended to match the endpoint of the opposite surface. This also maintains the control layout "normal" to curve sets.

Connect Ends – The endpoint of the initial curves set is connected to the endpoint of the second curve set. This is the default construction.

Modify Range

Select this option to use range manipulators to define a portion of each curve set as input for the surface.

Surface Structure

Surface Type

Single Surface – A single skin surface is built.

Multiple Surfaces – A separate surface is created for each of the input curves you selected, and the surfaces are grouped.

Bezier surfaces

This option only appears if Surface Type is set to Multiple Surfaces. If it is selected, each surface will be a Bézier patch.

Bézier patches have a single span, and their maximum degree in the U direction is set through the Explicit Control section.

Short Edge Tolerance

In the case of cross-knot insertion, the system will not allow spans of a length smaller than the Short Edge Tolerance.

Topology

Open – Leave the resulting surface open.

Closed – Connect the first curve to the last curve to create a closed (periodic) surface.

Control Options

Auto Update

Automatically update the surface as curves are added.

Continuity Check

Select this option to see the level of continuity between the newly created surface(s) and the original surface(s).

P – Positional continuity

T – Tangent continuity

C – Curvature continuity

Create History

Save the history of the new surface for later editing. If you turn Create History on, when you modify the curves that were used to create the surface, the surface updates.