Loft between 3D sketch and normal sketch

[wolterh6]

I have a cylinder on top of a curved surface; I want to make the cylinder land adaptively to the surface, so I projected the circular face of the cylinder in the surface, which ended up being a 3D sketch. I tried to loft a solid between both curves, but it always gives me errors. Some examples are:

• The attempted operation did not produce a meaningful result. Try with different inputs.
• Multiple disjoint loops found in a profile section.

I have attached a test case.

I have had success when trying to do the same thing with curved surfaces in two dimensions only (e.g. extruding a 2D curve), but I think the error is produced since the curved face I am trying to use belongs to an elipsiod.

[JDMather]

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@ipi wrote:

Let me jump into the fray:

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You should have started a new thread for this problem.
It is solvable - but you will have to learn surface modeling.

And you will have to continue the discussion showing various attempts as others help you work towards the solution.

I would start by doing all work in Inventor and forget forget forget AutoCAD.

Given the nature of your work - a scanned hand-drawn sketch attached here might get you to your Inventor solution faster.

Do you have any intentions of continuing this discussion?

[ipi]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@ipi wrote:

Let me jump into the fray:

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You should have started a new thread for this problem.
It is solvable - but you will have to learn surface modeling.

And you will have to continue the discussion showing various attempts as others help you work towards the solution.

I would start by doing all work in Inventor and forget forget forget AutoCAD.

Given the nature of your work - a scanned hand-drawn sketch attached here might get you to your Inventor solution faster.

Do you have any intentions of continuing this discussion?

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I used AutoCAD initially because it seemed the tools available to me in 3D sketch mode are somewhat limited (i.e.. No mirror or pattern)

Yes, I would like to continue this discussion.

[JDMather]

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@ipi wrote:

 I used AutoCAD initially because it seemed the tools available to me in 3D sketch mode are somewhat limited (i.e.. No mirror or pattern)

Yes, I would like to continue this discussion.

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Forget 3D sketch for now - almost every 3D sketch I create is actually created from an intersection of 2D sketches or in some other way directly created from 2D rather in 3D as it is much much much easier to contol, example

http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/content/DSG322/Inventor%20Tutorials/Inventor%2011%20Tutorial%207.pdf

and another

http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/content/DSG322/Inventor%20Tutorials/Inventor%202011%20Tutorial%2014.pdf

Can you provide a hand sketch - when  you say nozzle - I envision something thin-walled. I think I understand the geometry you are after (without ever seeing anything except a limited first attempt you attached here and a dwg and a couple of references.  But I would like to avoid a game of 20 questions where you tell me that attempt-after-attempt that I make is not really what you are after.

If you provide enough information to get started - several users will probably jump in here with alternate solutions.
If you see that a post isn't generating much interest - it is probably because you haven't provided enough information for anyone to meet the challenge.

[JDMather]

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@ipi wrote:

  I used AutoCAD initially because it seemed the tools available to me in 3D sketch mode are somewhat limited (i.e.. No mirror or pattern)

 .

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Uhmm, your AutoCAD work that you attached is all 2Dsketches - what does this have to do with 3Dsketch?

The first thing I would do if I were tackling your problem is reverse engineer your AutoCAD work and reproduce it in Inventor (as what is is - 2D sketches).  But I don't have time to do that right now.

[razortje777]

Last 2 weeks I tried a lot but it still gave many errors.

Finally I was able to simplify my model, but strangely enough it is still to o big !!?? (3,7 mb!)

How is it possible that the IPT file is 3,7 mb for just 5 lines? (3D Sketches...)

Now I can't upload my file here, so I can't even share my modell, because I still can't loft this feature...

Hope someone can help me.

Thanks for the help allready!

Gr, Lennart

[JDMather]

Drag the red End of Part marker to the top of the browser hiding the sketfhes.
Save the file with the EOP in a rolled up state.
Right clickon the filename and select Send to Compressed (zipped) Folder.

Is the resulting *.zip still greater than 1.5Meg?
no - attach here
yes - attach here http://www.augi.com

[razortje777]

I've tried to compress it (with EOP en ZIP/RAR) but could not get it smaller then 3,65mb.

I have searched for half an hour on the website augi.com but don't understand how this website could upload a file with a link that I can place here or another way of uploading my file...??

I have uploaded my file on a universal upload website. Is that ok with you?

https://www.wetransfer.com/dl/2a4F0ayv/73193d4a3dd719c8c90844758e73f2bcc04391c23b3b393f76501607c8539...

Hope this will do.

Thanks for the help allready.

[JDMather]

I will be in meetings all day today and won't get much time to work on this -

but first thing I did was get rid of the unneeded 3D sketches as the geometry was simply 2D.

The rails or centerline curves for the Lofts will end up being 3D sketches, but of course I will create them using 2D sketches.

[JDMather]

Here is a quick example using center line loft.

More control would be achieved using rails loft and perhaps surface-by-surface rather than several surfaces at once as I have done here.

The key to creating the rails is to define the shape from top view and side view and then find the 3D intersection (and must intersect desired points on profiles).

For example: Rails would keep the faces created from those parallel lines - parallel (or closer to parallel).

[razortje777]

Thank you for your help allready JDMather (and others), these forums are rare in the world where you'll get so much help, I appreciate that!

Your file looks exactly how I would like it to be! But I have tried to copy it, or to reproduce your steps in my filefor hours and hours, but I failled unfortunately. I am sorry, I am just not an expert in Inventor and I have learned through this model (that is almost finished, this is the last step...), that I first have to learn the basics more and more from Inventor. Because I think that's why I have so many errors and that's why I don't know many basics steps (it is probably not good builded up from the beginning). I will try some courses on youtube from now on....

But fow know, I have uploaded my complete file.

Is there a way to copy your IPT file in my complete IPT file (no IAM file..)? Or could you draw those into the cylinder?

Because I don't know eather how to get those inlet-ports through your cylinder wall and that those 'windows' are cutted out of the cylinder wall.

The file:   http://wtrns.fr/O7tJol7s1gspztj

Again, thanks for the help allready... a very good forum from Inventor!!

[razortje777]

Hello JDMather

I have 'researched' your loft.ipt file and try to copy it step by step in my own CAD file from the cylinder.

But a few things I don't understand:

Where can I find the option 'Edges' in the menus?

What are the functions of those 3D lines you have drawn?:

When I thicken the wall-surface for instance with 10mm to the outside (to get a cylinder wall), how can I let these 'holes' filed up so that they are smooth rounded around the inlet ports?:

Thank you in advance!!

[JDMather]

I did not know whether the information you provided before was to the inside bore of the cylinder or the the outside.

I was simply providing a quick example.  (For example, I didn't bother to get those sides between the ports created by parallel lines with parallel sides).

To model the actual geometry I would have to know more information and spend a day or two on experimentation.

Edges are edges of existing geometry by selecting a face or a surface.

[razortje777]

Thank you for your answer.

But I don't understand it quit well. For question 2 and 3 I'm still looking for an answer because I don't know yet how I could fill those 'holes' up arround the inletports.

And I have searched again for more then an hour but I can't find the option 'edges'. Could you please let me know where to find it?

Thank you.

[razortje777]

I am sorry that I reply another time, but after days of searching on the internet, help topics... I still can't find that option 'edges'

And also the other problems, I can not solve.

I hope that someone could help me find that option, and could help me solve those other problems.

Thanks in advance! I really appreciate it, because it get's me a bit frustrated this problem after 2 months 😞

[JDMather]

When you select a face or a surface Inventor selects the Edges.  Edge selection gives more functionality than sketch selection.

You should put your part aside for a bit and go through the tutorials in my signature.

Especially this one

http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/content/DSG322/Inventor%20Tutorials/Inventor%202011%20Tutorial%2014.pdf

and this one

http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/content/DSG322/Inventor%20Tutorials/Inventor%2011%20Tutorial%207.pdf

[razortje777]

Thank you, now I finally found the 'edge function' and therefore I was able to draw the inlet ports.

For now, the cylinder is finished exept for one last anoying thing...

For some reason I can't 'Thicken' the cylinder wall, or 'extrude' it between the two sketches...

Could you please help me with this last step?

Then this model is finished, and I will start with some Inventor courses to learn more of it (basics for instance).

Here is the file:

http://wtrns.fr/tioDo-2-CpBxt6

Hope you really could help me with this last step.

Thanks in advance!

Gr,

Lennart

[rafa.demetrio.cam]

Hey guys, I know the issues on this post were solved a long time ago, but I have a similar problem now and I couldn't solve it with what was posted here, so I thought I'd use the same post to ask for help.

I need to connect two 3D sketches through loft. The sketches are projections of 2D sketches of blade profiles on two cylinder-like shapes. Should be pretty simple, but I've been trying it for days and just couldn't find the error. Anyone there knows how to solve it?

Thanks in advance!

[JDMather]

1. You should have started a new thread and referenced this one (but I don't know why).

2. You can use the Windows Snipping tool or Print Screen to do screen captures rather than using a camera.

3.  You should have noticed that the original OP attached an actual Inventor *.ipt file here.

Attach your *.ipt file if you really want help.

[rafa.demetrio.cam]

Good points! This is my first time asking for help here, so thanks for the tips. Here goes the ipt file.

[JDMather]

Sketch1 does not have any dimensions.

I do not work without dimensions.