Creating Freeform from STL

[dkohfeld]

Hello all,

I'm wondering if anyone has a solution to "wrap" a surface around the vertices of an STL.  I want to recreate several organic shapes, but it gets very frustrating using lofts and sweeps.  I know how to apply a freeform face, but unfortunately it wraps to the inside of the part, making it smaller.  It's acting like a Vertex Spline instead of an Interpolation Spline.  I'd like it to behave like wrapping a net around a tree, stretching across the points.

Re: the attachment... not the best example as I could create most of this with Revolve and Sweep, but this is what I'm currently playing with to see if I can get a surface around the round "fruit" of the part.  Plus you guys don't have to go hunting for your own STL 😉

Anyone know how to do this, or if it can even be done?

(Stuck in IV2016, btw.)

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Inventor is a 3D feature based parametric solid modeler. It creates Brep bodies measureable with high precision. It has limited ability to model or alter mesh geometry currently. I suggest you may want to look in to Autodesk Mesh Mixer, a free tool avaiilable at http://www.meshmixer.com/.

Many thanks!

[dkohfeld]

"Inventor is a 3D feature based parametric solid modeler"

Yeah, I'm very aware of that, but I figured there might be a solution now since IV is getting into more organic features.

I tried Meshmixer a bit, but it doesn't help with what I'm trying to achieve.  I want that IV precision and I still want hard primitives that I can use constraints on.  Freeform almost achieves this now (in 2016 at least), but averages the surface to inside the part.

Thank you for the advice, though.

[S_May]

@dkohfeld,

you can do that with inventor
Do it with freeform etc, but you have to decide what is beautiful

how much experience do you have with freiform?

[dkohfeld]

No, I'm pretty green with Freeform.  I'll take whatever advice I can get.

I'm trying to recreate existing parts.  Is there a way to "snap" the freeform to the vertices of the STL?  Or am I going to have to stretch and pull it into place when I'm done?

(I haven't creased yet.)

[S_May]

Hi @dkohfeld,

here is a tutorial with "snap" to an edge

tutorial autodesk

tutorial youtube

[S_May]

Kanten brechen...

[S_May · Accepted solution]

Kanten verbinden "Snap"

[dkohfeld]

Thanks S_May,

I accepted your solution, although it's not really a solution but it answered my question.  Looks like IV is just limited for what I want to do.  The video for Part5.ipt, where you stretch the top area up, is what I was fearing I had to do.  What would be perfect for what I'm trying to do is, since you can create freeform points, use constraints to snap those freeform points to the vertices of the mesh.

Thank you for taking the time with this.

Actually, I have a follow up question.  Since I'm rather new to Freeform, I'm unsure of my workflow.  Here's what I'm doing (reference the bear pic I posted above):

- Open STL, transparency, enter Freeform environment, etc.

- Create Freeform>Face

- Create faces - mostly quads, some tris - directly on the STL faces.  These automatically smooth together

- Make adjustments, stretch things around.

- Create Creases where necessary.

Am I approaching this correctly for copying STL parts?

Thanks again.