To Trim, Extend, or Sculpt Surfaces

Trim a Surface

Trim surface features by selecting a cutting tool and the surface areas to remove. A single trim feature acts only on a single surface body.

  1. click 3D Model tab Surface panel Trim .
  2. In the Trim dialog box, select the Cutting tool and then click the geometry to use as the cutting tool:
    • Surface quilt
    • Single part face (from the part solid body or a surface body)
    • Single, nonintersecting path composed of 2D sketch curves
    • Work plane
  3. Click the Remove to indicate the areas to remove. The areas to remove include any surface body that intersects the cutting tool. All the surface bodies that intersect with the cutting tool are considered to indicate the areas to remove. The first selection sets the surface body. Subsequent areas to remove are limited to that same body.
  4. To remove more areas than you want to keep, select the area to keep, and then click Invert Selection to reverse the selection set.
  5. To add or remove from the selection set, hold down CTRL and click the surface body.
  6. Click OK.
    Note: Pattern, Mirror, and Derived are supported like a fillet feature when patterned with the parent feature.

Extend a Surface

Make surfaces larger in one or more directions.

You can extend surface edges and one or more individual edges of a quilt. You can extend only boundary edges.

Note: You cannot extend part faces using Extend Surface.

  1. Click 3D Model tab Surface panel Extend .
  2. Click only the individual surface edges on a single surface or quilt to extend. To select a new surface, clear current selections.
    Note: If the boundary of a selected face has more edges on update, those edges are not automatically added to the extend feature A nonspline face that does not fully intersect the extended face extends automatically.
  3. In the Extents drop-down list, select the method to terminate the extension:
    • Distance. (Default) Extends edges at a specified distance. Enter a value or drag the direction arrow to extend the surface dynamically.
    • To. Select an ending face (of a solid or surface body) or work plane on which to terminate the extension. Optionally, once the termination face is selected, clear the checkbox to terminate to the entire body rather than just the selected face.
  4. Optionally, click More and specify how the edges extend, based on adjacent edges:
    • Extend. Creates extended edges along the curve direction of edges adjacent to the selected edges.
    • Stretch. Creates extended edges in a straight line from the edges adjacent to the selected edges.
  5. Click OK.

Sculpt a Surface

Sculpt a surface to create a solid body, or to add or delete material from a solid body.

  1. Click 3D Model tab Surface panel Sculpt .
  2. In the Sculpt dialog box, specify an operation:
    • Add . Adds material to a solid or surface based on the geometry that is selected. By default, the application selects both sides of all selected surfaces.
    • Remove . Removes material from a solid or surface based on the geometry that is selected. By default, the application selects the side opposite the center of the bounding box of all selected surfaces.
    • New Solid . Creates a solid body. This selection is the default if the sculpt is the first solid feature in a part file. Select to create a body in a part file with existing solid bodies. Each body is an independent collection of features separate from other bodies. A body can share features with other bodies.
  3. Select the geometry to sculpt:
    • For New Solid or Add, click Surfaces and select one or more surfaces or work planes that form the boundaries of the region to add. Any existing solid bodies that contribute to the closed, selected region are automatically selected.
    • For Remove, click Surfaces and select one or more surfaces or work planes that form the boundaries of the region to remove. If more than one solid is present in the file, you can click the Solid selector to choose the participating body.
  4. To calculate the resulting body based on the current selection, click Preview. The new area that results is represented as green. To turn off Preview, clear the checkbox.
    Note: After the initial preview generates, if you change the selection set, click Preview Solid to recompute.
  5. If the results are not what you expect, click one:
    • Surfaces. Change the current selection set.
    • Solid. Change the participating body.
    • Side Selection. (Under More) Lists the surfaces in the selection set and the direction of the side selection. Click a direction command to select a different direction for the listed surface.
  6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you achieve the desired results.
  7. Click OK.
Parent topic: About Trimming, Extending, or Sculpting Surfaces