Loft

Create one or more surfaces that extend from the part to the binder, to aid in stretching and forming.

  1. On the ribbon, click the Die Design tab.
  2. Click the Addendum Loft icon.
  3. Select the Loft tool on the secondary ribbon.
  4. Choose a selection method and then select the Addendum Start Edges (these are like the "profiles" in the regular Loft surface tool). Selectable edges are green.
    If you select this method Then do this
    Chain selection (default) Click an edge and all connected edges are selected automatically.
    Tangent selection Click an edge and the tangent edge is also selected automatically.
    Single selection Click an edge.
    To reselect the addendum start edges, in the guide bar, select Clear Selection , and then select different addendum start edges.
    Note: The binder for the addendum is implicitly assigned from the selected edges.
  5. Select a rib type:
    • Start with Line (default): The rib extends from the part with a line with tangent continuity and drops down to the binder with a smooth fillet between them.

      The rib is parametric. To edit the dimensions, select the respective handles.

    • Start with Arc: The rib extends from the part with an arc, ensuring tangent continuity, and drops down to the binder with a smooth fillet between them.

      The rib is parametric. To edit the dimensions, select the respective handles.

    • Line with Arc: The rib extends from the part with a line, ensuring tangent continuity, and then follows with an arc and flat before dropping down to the binder with a smooth fillet between them.

      The rib is parametric. To edit the dimensions, select the respective handles.

    • Straight Line: The rib extends from the part with a line, ensuring tangent continuity, and is continuous down to the binder.
      Tip: You can align Straight Line ribs with an existing edge using the Reference Edge option detailed below.

      The rib is parametric. To edit the dimensions, select the respective handles.

  6. Create the ribs and the surfaces that extend from the part to the binder:
    • To automatically create ribs at standard locations (sharp corners where edge continuity is broken), right-click. To add ribs at custom locations, see the next step.
    • By default, Create surface is selected so surfaces are automatically created between the ribs. If you don’t want to automatically create surfaces between the ribs, deselect Create surface.
  7. Adjust the addendum:
    To Do this Note
    Edit the ribs In the guide bar, select Edit Ribs. You can add, delete, and adjust ribs.
    • To add ribs at custom locations, first hold down Alt while hovering over an addendum start edge, and then click a blue or green dot. A green dot indicates a sharp corner where edge continuity is broken.
    • To delete a rib, select it and press Delete.
    • To adjust a rib, select it and configure the options in the microdialog or Control Panel. See Rib Options.
    Interactively edit rails By default, rails are created automatically (Auto create rails is selected in the Control Panel).
    1. In the guide bar, select Interactively edit rails.
    2. Do one of the following:
      • Hover over the rail to display handles. You can do the following:
        • Drag the upper arrow to change the length of the addendum extension from the part.
        • Drag the lower arrow to change the angle of the rib plane.
      • Select a handle and enter an Angle or Length in the microdialog.
    Copy some parameters of a source rib to target ribs
    1. In the guide bar, select Pass Rib Parameters.
    2. Select the source rib.
    3. To select the target ribs, do one of the following:
      • Alt+click
      • Right-click, and then select Select ribs except source or Select ribs of same type.
    4. To copy the parameters from the source to targets, right-click, and then select Update.
    		 The following parameters are passed on:
    • Addendum configuration
    • Angle
    • Length
    • Tangency (G1) to the part
    • Radius
    The following parameters are not passed on:
    • Rib plane orientation
    • Align to XY draw plane
    To pass these 2 parameters from the source ribs to the target ribs, see Auto-align Ribs below.

    See Rib Options for parameter definitions.
    Create a copy of a rib
    1. In the guide bar, select Copy Rib.
    2. Select the rib to copy.
    3. To paste a copy of the rib, Alt+click.
    Automatically align ribs to a source rib
    1. In the guide bar, select Auto-align Ribs.
    2. Select the source rib.
    3. To select the ribs to align, do one of the following:
      • Alt+click
      • Right-click, and then select Select ribs except source or Select ribs of same type.
    4. To align the ribs, right-click, and then select Update.
    		 Using this option, you can basically copy the following parameters from the source ribs to the target ribs:
    • Rib plane orientation
    • Align to XY draw plane
    See Rib Options for parameter definitions.
    Translate or rotate the rib plane If none of the options to automatically align the ribs produces the desired result, use the graphic manipulator to reposition the rib plane.
    1. In the guide bar, select Edit Ribs.
    2. Click and drag one of the red, green, or blue arrows to rotate the rib plane around the corresponding colored axis. The angle measures the rib angle with respect to the corresponding axis.
    Align Straight Line ribs with an existing edge
    1. Do one of the following:
      • Select the Straight Line ribs you want to align.
      • Select the desired rib and, in the guide bar, change the rib type to Straight Line.
    2. In the guide bar, select Reference Edge.
    3. Select the reference edge. Tangency is maintained between the straight line ribs and the reference edge, so if the straight line edge is next to the reference edge, they become one continuous edge.
      Figure 1. The Straight Line edge (black and lighter blue) and the Reference Edge (cobalt blue) are now like one continuous edge
    Smooth the addendum wall where it intersects the binder
    1. In the Control Panel, select Apply smoothing.
    2. If desired, adjust the Smoothing distance.
    		 To return to modifying the addendum, turn off Apply smoothing.
  8. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.
Next, finalize the draw die.

Rib Options

Microdialog Options

These options apply to the selected rib. To access these options, hover over a rib to display the blue handles, and then click one of the handles. Each rib type may have different handles with one or more of the following microdialog options.
Option Description Note
Start Direction Select the first handle on a rib, and then do one of the following:
  • In the microdialog, select:
    • Normal to edge to rotate the rib plane normal to the external edge of the part surface.
    • Normal to XY Projection to rotate the rib plane parallel to either the X or Y plane, whichever is closer.
    • Tangent to internal edge to rotate the rib plane tangent to the internal edge of the part surface.
  • In the modeling window:
    • Drag the blue, yellow, or red arrows along the dotted line.
    • Click an arrow and enter an Angle.
Addendum Tangency Status Select one of the following options:
  • Tangency (G1) (default): The addendum surface is created with G1 continuity between adjacent surfaces at the rib location.
  • Auto Decide: Use G0 when G1 is not feasible.
  • Split Addendum: The addendum surface is created in pieces with breakage at this location, where there is G0 continuity with the adjacent surface.
 This option is not available when the rib is coincident with the symmetry plane.
Flatten Surface Turn on this option to smooth the surface extension between rib pairs.
Tangency (G1) to the part Create ribs with tangent (G1) continuity to the part at the start of the rib. This option is not available when the rib is coincident with the plane.
Angle Enter a value to change the angle of the selected rib.
Length Enter a value to change the length of the selected rib.
Radius The radius of the selected fillet.

Control Panel Options

These options apply to all ribs.
Table 1. Rib Options
Option Description
Addendum Tangency Status Legend

This legend represents addendum surface continuity at rib locations in the model.

Use the Addendum Tangency Status rib microdialog option to manually change the status of a rib.
  • Click a rib handle.
  • The rib microdialog options appear.
  • Select an option from the Addendum Tangency Status dropdown menu.
  • The rib changes color to indicate its status.
Note: When you create the rib on a symmetry plane, it's constrained to that plane by default.
Edge discontinuity tolerance To achieve tangency discontinuity, define the minimum value of the common angle between the tangent edges along the addendum start edge.

On the part edge, when tangency discontinuity is greater than the specified Edge discontinuity tolerance, a discontinuity vertex results (indicated by a red dot), and a rib is created.

The default value is 3 degrees. Enter a value between 0 and 3 degrees.

Min. edge discontinuity for corner To be considered a corner, define the minimum value of the common angle between the tangent edges along the addendum start edge.

On the part edge, when tangency continuity is greater than the specified Min. edge discontinuity for corner, a corner results (indicated by a red dot), and two or more ribs are created here.

The default value is 45 degrees. Enter a value between 30 and 90 degrees.
Auto create rib locations Select where you want to automatically create ribs:
  • Discontinuity vertices: Vertices, points, or locations on the part edge where tangency discontinuity is greater than the specified Edge discontinuity tolerance. In the modeling window, discontinuity vertices (and corners) are indicated by red dots.
  • T-intersection vertices: Vertices, points, or locations where internal edges meet with external edge forming T-intersections and discontinuity vertices.
  • All vertices: All vertices, points, and locations on the part edge. This includes vertices on the edge, T-intersection vertices, and discontinuity vertices.
Table 2. Addendum Options
Option Description
Continuity at part edge Define the continuity of the addendum surface with the part edge by selecting one of the following options:
  • Positional (G0)
  • Tangency (G1)
Auto create rail Select this option to automatically create additional rail curves at the start of addendum wall. These rail curves are used to create the addendum surface.
Surface creation method Choose from the following:
  • Loft: Create the addendum surface using the Loft method.
  • Sweep: Create the addendum surface using the Sweep method. If the addendum start edges of the part are tangent continuous without breaks (except for the symmetry plane), the Sweep method is used by default.
Sweep Option (only available if the Surface creation method is Sweep) Choose from the following:
  • Normal (default): Make the orientation of the surface follow the natural curve of the extrusion path.
  • Parallel: Keep the orientation of the surface parallel to the extrusion path.
Swap Loft inputs (only available if Auto create rail is turned off) Swap inputs used for the Loft surface creation method.
Draft analysis Select this option to display severe negative drafts in red and marginal negative drafts in yellow.
Note: To return to modifying the addendum, deselect Draft analysis.
Smoothing distance Adjust the smoothness level of the area where the addendum intersects the binder.