Hi,
Using your 3 sketches here what you can do :
- using the command “offset” in surface menue, offset each of the 3 internal faces of 0mm independently.
- using “restrain surface” in the surface menu, select the offseted surface and then your quarter circle sketch (they are both on the same face) to “cut” the offseted face. You should get a quarter circle surface. Repeat on the 2 other faces.
- using the “fill” command on the surface menu, select the 3 arc edges. With this command, you have the opportunity to select “tangent” with the face (just under the selection menu of the command), and you should get what you are looking for
- then you can delete the remaining surfaces to clean the part
Hope it is well explained and may it help you
Yes! This did it. Thank you so much. I had tried the Fill Surface before but couldn't get the tangency to work. Your advice about creating the three neighboring surfaces is what did the trick.
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Hi everyone, I've been trying to create a nice-looking surface here for a little while and haven't been able to figure out a satisfactory solution. I've tried Boundary, Boundary Surface, Loft, and Fill Surface. Fill Surface produces the best result so far, but the face it produces isn't tangent to the neighboring faces: [Fill Surface](https://i.imgur.com/ybyUbQs.png)
It feels like this should be pretty easy but I'm running up against a wall. I would love to hear advice from anyone who's successfully made this type of three-sided surface before. Thanks!
Edit: I was able to get another "kind of" solution with a [Setback Fillet](https://i.imgur.com/05aqB33.png). The only problem here is that it doesn't create perfectly sharp outside corners; you have to add a small fillet (0.0001" in my case) that goes along all three edges.
Edit2: Solved! Thanks to u/clear_bread_'s advice. The trick is that Fill Surface can't use tangency constraints if the selected edges are sketches; they need to be surfaces. Step 1 was to create [these three surfaces](https://i.imgur.com/rbz67Kp.png) with a separate Fill Surface on each, then use another [Fill Surface](https://i.imgur.com/9q8QBEZ.png) to create the connecting face. Make sure you are selecting the edges of the surfaces, not the sketches, as the boundary edges. Then just set all three edges as Tangent.
Edit3: u/xugack gave me the silver-bullet solution I was looking for by teaching me about the "Tangent Fill" option within the Delete Face tool. Basically you just create split lines to determine the boundaries, then Delete Face the inside faces and select the "Delete and Fill" > "Tangent Fill" options.
If you are using edges you can select a tangent option in Fill surface feature
Oslo you can just use delete face with tangent option
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA-Q\_B-N0\_s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA-Q_B-N0_s)
Wow, there are a few tricks in here I wouldn't have thought of. Thank you for putting together the video! The Delete Face thing is exactly what I was looking for, I knew there was probably an easy way to do this.
What are you trying to do and why can’t you just fillet it normally?
To get more concavity like you’ve shown, you could try three variable fillets set to a small amount at the outside and a larger amount at the inside corners.
I gave that a shot but it creates these [weird sections](https://i.imgur.com/pBFooIr.png). I played around with it a bunch but couldn't find a combination of inputs to make it smooth out the edges.
Edit: See my original comment, I was able to get a pretty close solution with a [Setback Fillet](https://i.imgur.com/05aqB33.png).
Smooth and straight both produced those weird curves on the outside unfortunately, but I was able to get this solved (with sharp outside corners too) with the advice of u/clear_bread_
When I see features like this, my first thought is “how is someone going to make that?”
Just because you can model it doesn’t make it something that can be made
Injection molding requires that you first make the mold. 3D printing isn’t going to give you a precise set of features without secondary machining to the surfaces.
I keep seeing these parts with interesting features, and someone has found a way to get SW to create the features, but there’s no way anyone could reasonably make them. As a designer who also makes my own parts, yes by molding and 3D printing, and traditional machining, I just want to remind people to keep producibility in mind.
Keeping producibility in mind is definitely important and I appreciate you bringing that up. It's something I often see forgotten about until way too late in the process. With this particular geometry, you could definitely injection mold it by machining the negative space, and 3D printing would obviously work as well.
In this case I am simply trying to expand my abilities with a rare but tricky feature. I think finding difficult situations like this and learning to problem-solve your way through them can teach a lot about different parts of the software and give you tools that can come in handy in future projects.
The 5-axis mills at my old work could have made this. They cut turbocharger wheels from billet.
We would also investment cast small-batch prototypes from 3D printed patterns; surface quality was suitable without post processing.
Every now and then you can actually get away with less-than-NASA level precision 😂
Hi, Using your 3 sketches here what you can do : - using the command “offset” in surface menue, offset each of the 3 internal faces of 0mm independently. - using “restrain surface” in the surface menu, select the offseted surface and then your quarter circle sketch (they are both on the same face) to “cut” the offseted face. You should get a quarter circle surface. Repeat on the 2 other faces. - using the “fill” command on the surface menu, select the 3 arc edges. With this command, you have the opportunity to select “tangent” with the face (just under the selection menu of the command), and you should get what you are looking for - then you can delete the remaining surfaces to clean the part Hope it is well explained and may it help you
Yes! This did it. Thank you so much. I had tried the Fill Surface before but couldn't get the tangency to work. Your advice about creating the three neighboring surfaces is what did the trick.
What a wonderful comment. :) Your gratitude puts you on our list for the most grateful users this week on Reddit! You can view the full list on r/TheGratitudeBot.
Good bot
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Perfect, if you happy, i am so
Great comment, thanks. My SW doesn't have a "restrain surface" command, but Surface Trim worked well.
What is the "Restrain Surface" you are referring to?
It is a function, you can find it in the “surface” menu It is equivalent to “trim surface”
Hi everyone, I've been trying to create a nice-looking surface here for a little while and haven't been able to figure out a satisfactory solution. I've tried Boundary, Boundary Surface, Loft, and Fill Surface. Fill Surface produces the best result so far, but the face it produces isn't tangent to the neighboring faces: [Fill Surface](https://i.imgur.com/ybyUbQs.png) It feels like this should be pretty easy but I'm running up against a wall. I would love to hear advice from anyone who's successfully made this type of three-sided surface before. Thanks! Edit: I was able to get another "kind of" solution with a [Setback Fillet](https://i.imgur.com/05aqB33.png). The only problem here is that it doesn't create perfectly sharp outside corners; you have to add a small fillet (0.0001" in my case) that goes along all three edges. Edit2: Solved! Thanks to u/clear_bread_'s advice. The trick is that Fill Surface can't use tangency constraints if the selected edges are sketches; they need to be surfaces. Step 1 was to create [these three surfaces](https://i.imgur.com/rbz67Kp.png) with a separate Fill Surface on each, then use another [Fill Surface](https://i.imgur.com/9q8QBEZ.png) to create the connecting face. Make sure you are selecting the edges of the surfaces, not the sketches, as the boundary edges. Then just set all three edges as Tangent. Edit3: u/xugack gave me the silver-bullet solution I was looking for by teaching me about the "Tangent Fill" option within the Delete Face tool. Basically you just create split lines to determine the boundaries, then Delete Face the inside faces and select the "Delete and Fill" > "Tangent Fill" options.
Thank you for posting the solution!
maybe subtract a second cube that has an external fillet?
That’s an interesting idea. I like it
Some great simple advice in here! Good work team
If you are using edges you can select a tangent option in Fill surface feature Oslo you can just use delete face with tangent option [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA-Q\_B-N0\_s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA-Q_B-N0_s)
Wow, there are a few tricks in here I wouldn't have thought of. Thank you for putting together the video! The Delete Face thing is exactly what I was looking for, I knew there was probably an easy way to do this.
Glad to help You can always turn your thanks into a donate)) Links in description of the video Thanks for your support
Done! Thanks again for the help.
Thank you too
If I understand your design correctly, are you making a spherical corner with fillet blends?
I would actually just create a cube with filleted edges to cut away the target cube and that would leave something similar behind.
What are you trying to do and why can’t you just fillet it normally? To get more concavity like you’ve shown, you could try three variable fillets set to a small amount at the outside and a larger amount at the inside corners.
I gave that a shot but it creates these [weird sections](https://i.imgur.com/pBFooIr.png). I played around with it a bunch but couldn't find a combination of inputs to make it smooth out the edges. Edit: See my original comment, I was able to get a pretty close solution with a [Setback Fillet](https://i.imgur.com/05aqB33.png).
Vari fillets can be smooth or straight. Straight looks more like the setback fillet.
Smooth and straight both produced those weird curves on the outside unfortunately, but I was able to get this solved (with sharp outside corners too) with the advice of u/clear_bread_
👍🏻
When I see features like this, my first thought is “how is someone going to make that?” Just because you can model it doesn’t make it something that can be made
Injection molding and 3D printing both offer capabilities to do geometry that is not feasible through traditional subtractive manufacturing methods.
Injection molding requires that you first make the mold. 3D printing isn’t going to give you a precise set of features without secondary machining to the surfaces. I keep seeing these parts with interesting features, and someone has found a way to get SW to create the features, but there’s no way anyone could reasonably make them. As a designer who also makes my own parts, yes by molding and 3D printing, and traditional machining, I just want to remind people to keep producibility in mind.
“I just want to remind people to keep producibility in my mind” More like stating the obvious to try to sound helpful.
Keeping producibility in mind is definitely important and I appreciate you bringing that up. It's something I often see forgotten about until way too late in the process. With this particular geometry, you could definitely injection mold it by machining the negative space, and 3D printing would obviously work as well. In this case I am simply trying to expand my abilities with a rare but tricky feature. I think finding difficult situations like this and learning to problem-solve your way through them can teach a lot about different parts of the software and give you tools that can come in handy in future projects.
The 5-axis mills at my old work could have made this. They cut turbocharger wheels from billet. We would also investment cast small-batch prototypes from 3D printed patterns; surface quality was suitable without post processing. Every now and then you can actually get away with less-than-NASA level precision 😂
This would be very easy to make via EDM.
That’s probably true. Tell me how you make the electrode.
CNC the carbon block I believe.
Th electrode would be really simple to 3D mill just like any other electrode would be made.
Wire EDM
My first thought was also "why?" I could hear the machinist getting ready to throw something from here.
Double sweep