About the Blend User Interface
The
Blend tab consists of commands, tabs, and shortcut menus. Click
Model >
Shapes >
Blend to open the
Blend tab.
Commands
• 
—Creates a solid blend.
• 
—Creates a surface blend.
• 
—Creates a blend using internal or external sketched sections.
◦ Sketch plane definition
▪ 
—Defines the sketch plane location using an offset from another sketch plane.
▪ Sections list—Displays the section from which the current sketch is offset.
▪ Offset value box—Sets a distance value between the current sketch and the sketch from which it is offset.
▪ 
—Defines the sketch plane location using a reference.
▪ Reference collector—Displays the reference that defines the sketch plane location.
◦ 
—Adds a thickness to the sketched section.
▪ Value box—Sets a thickness value.
▪ 
—Toggles the thicken direction to one side, the other side, or both sides of the sketch.
• 
—Creates a blend using selected sections.
◦ Curve collector—Displays a curve to use for the active section.
• —Opens Sketcher to define or edit the sketch for the active section.
• 
—Removes material along the blend to create a cut.
◦ —Switches the side of the sketch for the removal of material when creating a cut, or switches the side for the addition of material when creating a protrusion.
• Quilt collector—Displays a quilt to trim when
and
are selected.
◦ (to the left of the
Quilt collector)—Toggles the side of the quilt to remove to one side, the other side, or keep both sides of the quilt.
◦ (to the right of the
Quilt collector)—Toggles the side of a quilt to retain the ID of the original quilt if you keep both sides of the quilt.
Tabs
• Sections
◦ Sketched sections—Creates a blend using sketched sections.
▪ Sketch collector—Displays a sketch to use for the first section of a blend.
▪ Define—Opens Sketcher to define an internal sketch for the first section.
▪ Edit—Opens Sketcher to edit the internal sketch of the first section.
▪ Unlink—Breaks the association with the external sketch and copies the sketch as the internal sketch of the first section.
▪ Sketch plane location defined by
▪ Offset dimension—Sets the sketch plane location by an offset dimension.
▪ Offset from collector—Displays the section from which the current sketch is offset.
▪ Offset value box—Sets a distance value between the current sketch and the sketch from which it is offset.
▪ Reference—Sets the sketch plane location through a reference.
▪ Through collector—Displays the reference that defines the sketch plane location.
▪ Sketch—Opens the Sketcher where you sketch a section.
◦ Selected sections—Creates a blend using selected sections.
▪ Section collector—Displays a curve to use for the active section.
▪ Details—Opens the Chain dialog box.
▪ Add Blend Vertex—Adds a blend vertex in the active section.
◦ Sections table
▪ Sections—Lists the sections in the order in which they are blended. You can change the order and have a different blending order than the sketch definition order.
▪ #—Displays the number of entities in the section.
▪ Insert—Inserts a new section below the active section.
▪ Remove—Deletes the active section.
• Options
◦ Straight—Forms straight surfaces between the sections.
◦ Smooth—Forms smooth surfaces.
◦ Capped Ends check box—Closes both ends of a blend feature when
is selected.
• Tangency
◦ Boundary—Sets the blend tangency at the start or end section.
▪ Free—Sets the surface with no influence from side references.
▪ Tangent—Sets the surface to be tangent to the surface reference.
▪ Normal—Sets the surface to be normal to the surface reference.
◦ Entities—Sets the reference surface for the active entity.
• Properties
◦ Name box—Sets a name for an extrude feature.
◦ 
—Displays detailed component information in a browser.
Shortcut Menus
Right-click the graphics window to access the shortcut menu commands.
• Sketch Collector—Activates the Sketch collector.
• Curve Collector—Activates the Section collector.
• Define Internal Sketch—Opens Sketcher so you can create an internal sketch.
• Edit Internal Sketch—Opens the internal sketch in Sketcher for editing.
• Trim Quilt Collector—Activates the quilt collector.
• Clear—Clears the active collector.
• Surface—Switches from solid geometry to surface geometry.
• Solid—Switches from surface geometry to solid geometry.
• Remove Material—Toggles
remove material off and on.
• Thicken Sketch—Toggles
thicken sketch off and on. Available for sketched sections.
• Flip Depth Direction—Switches the direction of the feature creation to the other side of the sketching plane.
• Flip Material Side—Switches the side of the sketch for the removal of material when creating a cut, or switches the side for the addition of material when creating a protrusion.
• Sketched sections—Creates a blend using internal or external sketched sections.
• Selected sections—Creates a blend using selected sections.
• Insert—Inserts a new section below the active section.
• Sketch—Opens Sketcher.
• Show All Section Dimensions—Shows all section diameters.
• Hide All Section Dimensions—Hides all section diameters.
Right-click a start or end section to access the shortcut menu commands.
• Free—Sets the blend boundary with no influence from side references.
• Tangent—Sets the blend boundary to be tangent to the surface reference.
• Normal—Sets the blend boundary to be normal to the surface reference.