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Surfaces in the repair environment

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    Imported surfaces

    In the part browser, right-click the repair node and select Repair Bodies or double-click the node to enter the repair environment. In the repair environment, specialized commands help you analyze errors in imported surfaces and repair the data. You can stitch and unstitch surfaces, reverse the normal direction, extend a face, and break or trim intersecting faces.

    Later, you can use the surfaces or solid bodies in the part environment. Even if the surface or solid has errors, you can still use the data in some operations.

    Procedures

    Trim or break intersecting faces

    Use Intersect Faces to trim or break intersecting faces. Perform in conjunction with Extend Faces to ensure that faces intersect.

    1. Open a file that contains surfaces.
    2. If necessary, click the Repair Bodies command in the Surface panel and select the base body to create a repair body.
    3. Double-click the repair body node in the browser to enter the repair environment.
    4. On the ribbon, click Repair tabModify panel Intersect Faces.
    5. Choose one of the following methods to select surfaces:
       

      Trim: Click Trim, and then select two intersecting faces or bodies, making sure to select the area you want to keep. Surfaces are trimmed to the intersection.

       

      Break: Click Break, and then select two intersecting faces or bodies. The surfaces are split at the intersection. All are placed in the same browser group.

      NoteIf more than two surfaces intersect, only two are trimmed at one time.
    6. Continue to click Trim or Break and select surfaces in the graphics window.
    7. When finished, click Done.
    NoteYou can use multiple surfaces to trim. For example, you can stitch two connected surfaces together into a quilt. Select Intersect Faces, and click the quilted body. Select a surface that intersects the quilt to create two trimmed bodies.

    Extend faces

    Sometimes surface edges do not match on a translated part. To stitch a body into a solid, the edges must match. Use Extend Face to lengthen or match surface edges.

    1. Open a file that contains surfaces.
    2. If necessary, click the Repair Bodies command in the Surface panel and select the base body to create a repair body.
    3. Double-click the repair body node in the browser to enter the repair environment.
    4. On the ribbon, click Repair tabModify panel Extend Faces.
    5. In the graphics window, click a surface edge to extend. At the selection point, a line extends to preview the distance the face extends.
    6. Enter a distance in the dialog box.
    7. Click Apply, and continue selecting edges to extend.
    8. When finished, click Done.

    Edit regions

    In some instances, a translated region may require editing. Reasons include the following:

    • A surface is translated with trim going the wrong way.
    • A loop meant for the outer edge is used as the inner edge.
    • The natural border of the surface is used as the outer edge.
    • The surface contains a hole that must be removed.
    • The region includes a self-intersecting loop.

    Inner and outer regions can be repaired on faces. Only inner regions can be repaired on a quilt.

    1. Open a file that contains surface geometry.
    2. If necessary, click the Repair Bodies command in the Surface panel and select the base body to create a repair body.
    3. Double-click the repair body node in the browser to enter the repair environment.
    4. On the ribbon, click Repair tabModify panel Edit Regions.
    5. In the graphics window, click a face to repair. The selected face is highlighted.
    6. Click regions in the face to keep. Filled holes are not planar but follow the contours of the underlying surface.
    7. Click Done. The selected regions are retained while unselected regions and unneeded loops are removed.

    Reverse normal direction of a translated face or body

    1. Open a file that contains surfaces or solids.
    2. If necessary, click the Repair Bodies command in the Surface panel and select the base body to create a repair body.
    3. Double-click the repair body node in the browser to enter the repair environment.
    4. On the ribbon, click Repair tabModify panel Reverse Normal.
    5. Click one:
      • Select Individual Face to flip a face within a body.
      • Select Lump or quilt to flip.
    6. In the graphics window, click one or more surfaces on a single body.
    7. A temporary arrow is displayed in the graphics screen, showing the current normal direction. For a closed shell (solid), a green arrow indicates what the system determines as the proper direction.
    8. Click Apply. The selection is reversed, and the new direction is shown.
    9. Continue to select surfaces to flip. When finished, click Done to quit.

    References

    Intersect Faces

    Break or trim intersecting faces or bodies in the repair environment.

    Access:

    Ribbon: Repair tab Modify panel Intersect Faces

    Faces

    When no faces are selected, the arrow is red. When you select the first of two intersecting faces, the arrow turns white. When the second intersecting face is selected, the arrow turns red again.

    Method

    Click a method to specify the Trim or Break operation.

     

    Trim

    Click to trim two faces or bodies at their intersection.

     

    Break

    Click to break (split) two faces or bodies at their intersection.

    Extend Faces

    Extend surfaces in the repair environment.

    Access:

    Ribbon: Repair tab Modify panel Extend Faces

    Edges

    Click to select a face to extend.

    Distance

    Specify the distance to extend a face from the selected edge.

    Edit Regions

    Edit translated regions in the repair environment. Use Edit Regions to reverse the side a surface is trimmed on, or to remove inner loops on a surface.

    Access:

    Ribbon: Repair tab Modify panel Edit Regions

    Regions

    Select a surface to edit.

    Select the surface regions to be kept.

    Reverse Normal

    Reverse the normal direction of a face or lump in the repair environment.

    Access:

    Ribbon: Repair tab Modify panel Reverse Normal
     

    Select individual face

    Specifies an individual face to be reversed.

     

    Select lump

    Specifies all faces of a lump to be reversed.

    NoteA temporary arrow displays in the graphics screen, showing the current normal direction. For a closed shell (solid), a green arrow indicates what the system determines as the proper direction. A red arrow indicates what the system determines as a backward direction.