ISDX (Interactive Surface Design eXtension)

 

Significant enhancements to ISDX make it even easier and faster to achieve more advanced/complex shapes demanded by today's products.

Enhancements in this tutorial include:

  1. Style Tree
  2. Curve Ghost
  3. Direct Surface Edit
  4. Surface Merge

Note:  Please complete these tutorials in the sequence shown. 

Style Tree

 

Style features now display a tree for easy visibility, naming and selection.

1. File > Set Working Directory... select the SURFACING folder.

2. File > Open  isdx_drill.prt.

3. In the Model Tree, select the feature, "HANDLE"

4. RMB-Click and choose Edit Definition.

5. Observe the tree for this Style feature at the bottom of the model tree.

 

 

The Style Tree makes it easy to see what is contained within the Style feature.   

Note:  This Style Tree can also display columns with sub-feature attributes.

You have completed this Exercise, continue to Next Page.

 

Curve Ghost

Style curves now have capabilities like extending a curve-on-surface to the boundary and a "curve ghost" while editing. 

1. Switch to the Saved View  "CURVE-GHOST"

 

The next step assumes you are still editing the "HANDLE" Style feature.  If not, then please select it and Edit Definition, as described on the previous page. 

2. Move your cursor over this planar curve...

3. Double-click to edit this curve.

4. Drag this curve point and observe the curve ghost. This makes it very easy to see where you started!

 

Note:  The Curve Edit dashboard has a check-box for to toggle the ghost curve display called "Show Original."  Try it out. 

5. Complete the curve editing by selecting the check

6. The Drop curve-on-surface Extend function now allows for easy, robust editing in ISDX.  Edit the "grip" curve by selecting it from the Style Tree.  RMB and choose Edit Definition. 

7. In the dashboard, selection Options to toggle the Extend curve for the Start or the End.  Observe the model to see its effect. 

8.  Complete the curve editing by selecting the check

You have completed this Exercise, continue to Next Page.

Direct Surface Edit

This is a powerful new way to make flexible changes directly to any surface in a Pro/ENGINEER model.  It is applied and manipulated within a Style feature, but it can work on any surface in a model. 

1. Select the Saved View   "SURF-EDIT"

2. Click on the handle surface to select it.

3. Styling > Surface Edit...  (also available on the Style toolbar).

At the bottom of your screen, you will see the dashboard display for Direct Surface Edit.  Choose the surface transparency toggle button  in the dashboard.

 

 

With this new Direct Surface Edit, you can make quick work of style changes.  It's Simple.  AND Powerful!

4. The initial mesh density is too coarse.  This is easily adjusted.  Set the number of Rows and Columns to 9 in the dashboard.

    This will give us enough control. 

 

If you type in the numbers, be sure to hit the Enter key after the number. 

5. Select the row shown below, holding down the mouse button, and pull it up. 

6. Then select this lower row and pull it down. Nodes may be moved, also. 

 

The Direct Surface Edit dashboard presents many other powerful options for manipulating surface geometry.  Notice the options for Move (Direction) and Filter (Changes with distance).  The dashboard also presents display toggle buttons for original surface or mesh, transparency, and mesh control. 

7. Select the check   to complete the Surface Edit.

8. In the Style toolbar on the right, check  to complete the Style feature

You have completed this Exercise, continue to Next Page.

 

Surface Merge

 

Surface Merge / Join is much faster and easier now because you have multi-quilt selection!

  1. Select View > Orientation > Refit .
  2. Change the Selection Filter in the dashboard area from Smart to Quilts.

  3. Select the BODY and the HANDLE quilts using Ctrl+LMB.

  1. Edit > Merge  Merge (also on the right toolbar).  
    Since the surfaces do not share a common boundary, the tool will automatically use the Intersect option.
  2. MMB or Click Accept  in the dashboard.

  1. Next, merge 3 surfaces in one feature (New in Wildfire 4.0)
  2. Select the 3 quilts, in the order indicated, using Ctrl+LMB.

  1. Edit > Merge Merge (also on the right toolbar).  This will create a Merge Join of these selected quilts.

 

If you pick more than two surfaces before selecting Merge Tool, it will automatically set Join option.  You can also use Region (pick-box) select once inside the tool.

  1. Click MMB or   on dashboard to complete the Merge feature.

Bonus:

  1. Select the HANDLE feature in the Model Tree.

  2. RMB > Info > Reference Viewer
    Take a look at the new & improved Reference Viewer:

Reference Viewer

  1. Select Window > Close  .

You have completed the Surface Design Tutorial.