topic Re: creating a grove on a curved surface in Inventor Forum

creating a grove on a curved surface

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:10:18 GMT

So I am trying to create a channel for a USB cable as you can see below however I cant seem to do it sweep doesn't seem to follow the path I have set and i cant just cut into it as the cable obviously wouldn't sit flush :'( help please what am I doing wrong

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

JDMather — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:21:36 GMT

Are all of your sketches fully defined?

Are you a student?

Attach your *.ipt file here.

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:27:05 GMT

I think so 😄

and is it that easy to tell 😛

I not sure if I want to upload it because its probably terrible

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:31:27 GMT

I also think I have just done it 😄 I seem to find work arounds all the time 😛

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

JDMather — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:47:23 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

I not sure if I want to upload it because its probably terrible

I can tell you that if this were my project - I would start over from scratch now, using what was learned from the first attempt. I would replace splines with tangent arcs and lines as much as possible (using Design for Manufacturability considerations in mind right from the first sketch entity).

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:53:42 GMT

I guess thank you, is it even possible to create a shape like this following that method you can see in sketch 1 what I had to work with and built from that, the design does work for what I am using it for and I am able to 3D print this and test it against one that is currently being used, the more organic shape from mine is a lot better

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

el_jefe_de_steak — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 13:26:59 GMT

Another option to consider is using an "emboss" feature. You would first have to draw the sketch on a flat plane, but then you could emboss it to the curved surface and specify a depth.

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 13:37:45 GMT

I did think about this but it needs to be even throughout the channel so that the cable will sit in it flush

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

el_jefe_de_steak — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 13:51:50 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I did think about this but it needs to be even throughout the channel so that the cable will sit in it flush

To achieve this effect, you can select the "wrap to face" option in the emboss command. This will ensure that the emboss is a consistent depth when measured normal to the surface.

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

johnsonshiue — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 21:55:30 GMT

Hi! The issue you are encountering is due to sloppy modeling practice. When you design in a 3D feature-based parametric solid modeling tool like Inventor, you need to make sure geometry is as precise as possible. Looking right does not cut it. Graphics in 3D can be elusive and deceiving. You need to make sure the dimension is correct. The curve is on the surface and the direction is intended.

I don't believe starting from scratch will help. You will run into more issues if you keep modeling like this. Attached is the part I modified so that the Sweep can be done. There are multiple issues with this model. 1. The 3D Sketch33 is not precisely on the surface. It is close but it is not there. I had to project the curve to the nearest point on the surface (3D Sketch34). The original profile in Sketch54 is not at the start and normal to the path (3D Sketch33). I created WorkPlane31 at the start of 3D Sketch34. Then I created Sketch55 and projected the geometry from Sketch54. I did not bother creating the profile since you can do that later. Lastly, I created Sweep Cut following the path and the guide surface. As you can see, the surface looks very smooth now.

Please feel free to ask any further question.

Many thanks!

Re: creating a grove on a curved surface

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 07:00:45 GMT

Thank you I think 🤔 I am trying this is the first thing I’ve ever done tbh I come from a film background so this is very different and I’m kinda learning as I go I have seen issues with it but with little idea of how to resolve them 😣