To Display Cross Sections of a Surface
1. Click > > . The Sections dialog box opens. Quick is the default analysis type.
2. Click in the Geometry collector and select a one or more surfaces, quilts, parts, or all model surfaces on which you want to perform a surface analysis. If you select a part, all solid surfaces in the part are analyzed. The name of the selected entities are displayed in the Geometry collector.
3. Click in the Direction collector and select a reference plane, coordinate system, a straight curve, edge, axis, or multiple planes to indicate the direction of sections. You can flip the reference to reverse the direction indicated by the arrow on the model.
The sections are computed for the Cross type of sections by default and displayed in the Creo Parametric graphics window. The minimum and maximum curvature values for cross sections are displayed in the result area at the bottom of the Sections dialog box.
| To clear the contents of the collector, right-click in the collector and click Remove on the shortcut menu. You can then continue to select the surfaces or direction references. |
4. Click OK to complete the analysis or Cancel to cancel the analysis. Alternatively, click Repeat to start a new analysis.
5. Optionally, to save the analysis or create an analysis feature, perform the following steps:
a. Select Saved from the list at the bottom of the Sections dialog box to save the analysis with the model, and to display and dynamically update the analysis while modeling. You can select Feature to create analysis feature.
b. If required, rename the analysis in the box adjacent to the list.
6. Optionally, click
to display the analysis result in a separate window. The
Chart-Tool window opens and the result of the analysis with the parameter values for the selected surface is graphically represented in the
Chart-Tool window.
| You can view parameter values only for the Curvature and Radius type of plots. |
7. Optionally, to customize or edit your analysis, perform the following steps:
a. Select Cross as the section type in the Sections box if it is not selected by default.
b. Select Number or Span as the sampling type in the Sample box.
c. If you select Number, then specify the number of sections in the Number box. The default value is 3.
Specify the distance between the cross sections in the Spacing box. The spacing value is displayed in the Creo Parametric graphics window.
In the Start box, specify the start position of the sections with respect to the reference plane. The start and end locations of the sections are displayed as two straight lines at right angles, spanning the selection set. The start position of the sections with respect to the reference plane is displayed in the Creo Parametric graphics window.
| The start position of the section and the spacing values can be negative. |
You can graphically drag the start and end handles to adjust the spacing between sections. Drag any handle to move all sections. Drag the start or end handles and hold down the ALT key to increase or decrease the number of sections.
d. If you select Span, you can cut sections across all selected geometry at a distance specified in the Spacing box. The number of sections is computed and the sections are equally spaced by the value specified in the Spacing box.
e. Select the plot type for cross sections in the Plot box. You can select a Curvature, Radius, Tangent, or Position type of plot. The cross sections on the selected surface or quilt are displayed in the Creo Parametric graphics window based on the plot type you select.
Curvature—Evaluates and plots the curvature of the surface in both the directions as isolines for surfaces or quilts.
Radius—Evaluates and plots the radius along the selected surfaces.
Tangent—Evaluates and plots the tangents along the selected surfaces.
Position—Evaluates surface continuity across shared boundaries and displays section curves for the selected surface.
| Feature is not available for Tangent and Position types of plot. |
f. Select the Quality, Number, or Step type of sampling in the Sample box. Quality is selected by default. Adjust the sample values using the slider.
g. Adjust the scale of the plot by using the thumbwheel or type a value in the Scale box. You can also adjust the scale graphically by using the handle on the plot.
h. Select the required plotting style.
i. Update is selected by default. You can see the effects of your selections or changes on the analysis plot as you make them. Clear the Update check box to select or adjust multiple analysis options, and then click Preview to view the result of the analysis.