Question about multiple points to a part

[2143531]

So I am taking both engineering and physics classes and in physics we are going over Multiple Electric feilds on a 2-D surface. We collected the data and made a 3-D graph representing the magnitude of the electric feild in excel. I translated my data into an "inventor friendly" format and inventor read it in and projected the points into a 3-D sketch. 

MY question is, how do I turn these points into a curved, flowing part? I want to be able to print out the part on a 3-D printer so my teacher can use it as a demo item. Any ideas?

(i attatched an .ipt file with the example data I created (500 points) as a reference.)

[karthur1]

Can you post the original data?  I think you will have to go into ReCap, then bring this into Inventor.  

Never done it before, but would be interesting to try it.

Kirk

[2143531]

Here is the data in the inventor format. 

**ALSO as a note to Autodesk, I had to re-save this as a '97 - '05 version of excel. the new format (.xlsx) is not supported by the website. Just a minor tid-bit)

[karthur1]

I brought your file into Recap and got out a .rcs file.  Not real sure what to do with it now.  I could not figure out how to smooth it from the points.

Kirk

(If you want to use this, rename the file by removing the .txt from the filename)

[karthur1]

I brought your file into Recap and got out a .rcs file.  Not real sure what to do with it now.  I could not figure out how to smooth it from the points.

Kirk

(If you want to use this, rename the file by removing the .txt from the filename)

[PaulMunford · Accepted solution]

In inventor, you would connect the points together with spines, and use these to build a surface. 500 points sounds time consuming!

I too think that a mesh based modeler would suit this better. I was going to suggest recap as well!

Do you have access to studio max?

[2143531]

I was hoping for a simplier way besides splines. Thanks guys!

[karthur1 · Accepted solution]

Forget Recap.  Here is the way to do it.  See attached file.

File is attached. When you open it, pull the EOP marker all teh way to the bottom.  The part has been thickened, so you can output to a 3d printer.

The ivb that I used to import the points is in the attached .zip.  There is also a macro there that allows you to update the points in your data also. Some of them look to be off the curve. 

Thats pretty cool...........Let us know how it turns out.

Kirk

[2143531]

Its just fake data I made to test it before I put all the time and effort into real data. But thatnks tho! give me liek a week and I'll show the finished part 🙂

[karthur1]

If you have any questions with the real data, post back to this thread, that way I will be sire to see it.

Later.
K

[2143531]

So I'm trying it again to make sure I get it and I'm having some trouble after I import it with the macro (ty for that btw). The point and poly-line work fine but I can't figure out how to give it thickness. 

[JDMather]

Did you create the Loft surface feature?

Attach your *.ipt file here.

[karthur1]

Here is what I did.  

When I brought in the points, I used the polyline option and did not check "Close" option.  For each set of "X" values, it connected each point in that set.That was good, but It also created a pline from the last point in a given x-set to the first point in the adjacent x-set.  If you view the 3d sketch looking directly into the XY plane, these are the diagonal lines.  You will need to delete those.

Now use loft (surface output) and pick sketch for X=1, then x=2, x=3...... and so on.  It must be in order, top to bottom or bottom to top.... just cant skip around.  This will make a lofted surface.  To give it thickness, use the thicken command.  If you make it too thick it will probably error on you, so you will have to play with that.

Kirk

[PaulMunford]

Wow - I did not know you could do that. Great tip!

[karthur1]

Just an FYI.... I ran across another add-in that will import the excel data in the Inventor App Store.  From the apps description it will also allow the data to be "updated" just like the ivb that I posted, but this will be in an add-in, so it should be a little more friendly to run.

I have not tried it out, just read the description and it sounded cool.

Check it out here.

Kirk