Difference between Flat Pattern profile and Unfold Feature profile

[Anonymous]

I have noticed something I guess it is an issue or mistake from inventor itself. While working in Sheet Metal Environment, there is a difference between the extracted sheet profile from Flat Pattern and from the profile after using Unfold Feature. 

Below I share an example that illustrates that mistake:

1. Sheet Profile Extracted from Flat Pattern

 

2. Sheet Profile from Unfold Feature

 

N.B: Flat Pattern from the Unfold Feature is more logic than that extracted from Flat Pattern.

There is any update that fixes this mistake ? Any help would be appreciated.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! This question comes up from time to time. Although Unfold command flattens folded sheet metal part like Flat Pattern, the objectives of the two are quite different. Flat Pattern is meant to be the final result of a sheet metal design, ready to be cut. So, it includes the designated relief shape at bends and corners. Unfold and Refold is more for modeling. The two commands act like a time machine bringing the model back to the state when the selected bends were flattened. And then bring it back to present. The bend and corner relieves may or may not be appear on the folded model.

You may ask why sometimes such relieves do appear on the unfolded model. This is because such relieves are relatively simple and the topology between unfolded state and refolded state does not change. Like the image you shared here, to properly refold the three-bend round corner (Jacobian corner), the detail face at the round will have to be broken into multiple pieces. Depending on the relief size, thickness, and bend radii, the solution could be fairly complicated. It seems to be an overkill to represent a piece of geometry in a temporary state.

Could you elaborate the need to have the relief shape preserved in unfolded state? Are you trying to export the part in unfolded state?

Many thanks!