topic Re: Creating Fabric Panels using Sheet Metal in Inventor Forum

Creating Fabric Panels using Sheet Metal

Anonymous — Tue, 19 May 2020 09:17:55 GMT

I am trying to create fabric panels for a structure that my company is developing. I am working on the 'eyelid' door and need to create a lofted flange between two arches that can be unfolded in sheet metal. All of our fabric is cut in 2D so if I can't unfold the geometry it will not be useful to me.

-I created a new assembly and removed all components that are not relevant, leaving just the two arches.

-I created two planes off of the face of each arch. (picture attached)

-I created a sketch on each plane following the desired path of the fabric.

-I created a new sheet metal part and derived the sketches from the assembly I had just created. (picture attached)

-I entered .001" for the material thickness in the sheet metal defaults.

-I then attempted to create a die formed lofted flange between the two sketches. This created a preview of the loft (picture attached) so I assumed everything was working but, when I click ok I get an error and no flange is created.

Do I need to add radii to the sketches? Do I need to change my K factor or bend radius? I've also tried various other material thicknesses and nothing else will even create a preview of the loft.

I will try to attach the sheet metal file below by breaking the link to the base component (since I derived from another assembly and I can't share all of the individual parts)... not sure if this will work.

Re: Creating Fabric Panels using Sheet Metal

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 15:54:11 GMT

Here is the sheet metal file...

Re: Creating Fabric Panels using Sheet Metal

JDMather — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 17:04:57 GMT

I suspect that you will have better luck with surface Loft and the new Unwrap function.

Re: Creating Fabric Panels using Sheet Metal

3D4Play — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 18:38:00 GMT

Try this, with the part you uploaded:

Convert it to a standard part
Loft it as a surface between the two open profiles
unwrap it, using whatever reference you prefer.

I THINK that gets you what you want.

Re: Creating Fabric Panels using Sheet Metal

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 18:49:50 GMT

Yes, I tried this and it gave me exactly what I needed.

Do you have any more insight in the heat map/grid that appears initially? Is this to show where the surface is being stretched more or less?

Thank you

Re: Creating Fabric Panels using Sheet Metal

3D4Play — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 19:24:46 GMT

Yep.

http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2021/ENU/?guid=GUID-B6F205AE-B6DB-4FF7-ADA3-F55682628418