Smooth/Reduce Curve

To reduce curve data:

1. Select Construct tab > Curves panel > From Curves > Smooth/Reduce Curve to display the Smooth/Reduce Curve dialog.
2. Optionally enter a curve name in the Name field, or leave the default name.
3. Select the curve you want to use from the Curve menu, or click the Pick Curve button and select it in the graphics window.
4. If you want to create a new curve, select Create new curve.
5. If you want to replace the old curve with a new one, select Modify existing curve.
6. Select the curve reduction method by either:
   • Selecting Smooth spline approximation, or
   • Selecting Arc/line approximation and selecting Chain arcs/lines
7. Enter a Tolerance. This number indicates how closely the new curve approximates the original curve.
8. Click the Preview button.
9. The Data reduction % is displayed in the dialog, which shows you how much less data the new curves occupies versus the original curve.
10. If the Tolerance value results in a curve which has more data than the original, a warning dialog is displayed. To reduce the amount of data in the new curve, increase the tolerance. Creating a smoother curve requires more data. This frequently occurs with piecewise linear input curves where the tolerance is smaller than the linear pieces that comprise the curves. This operation performs a combination of both smoothing and data reduction.
11. If you want to see this curve extruded as a sample use of the new curve, select Show preview surface button and click Preview again. A surface is displayed. This surface can be shaded to check the quality of the curve.
12. Repeat steps 6 - 10 until you are happy with the resulting curve.
13. Click OK.