Lofting non-parallel sketches

[jacques]

Is it possible to loft two profiles that are not parallel?

[SBix26]

What version of Inventor, and what were your results when you tried it?

Sam B

Inventor Professional 2018.2.3
Windows 7 SP1

[jacques]

Well, it depends on which way I try. The original model is extracted off Revit.

The sides are parallel but with a curve in between. If I try to loft from the side, it tells me: "The attempted loft operation had problems with the specified rail curve not being smooth. Try with a different rail or try to make the curves of the rail smooth across interior vertices."

If I try it from the ends, it tells me: "The attempted operation did not produce a meaning result. Try different inputs."

Thus the question. The curve is smooth. If I extrude each profile alone it works fine. So, the profiles are not the issue.

[jacques]

B y the way, it is 2018.

[SBix26]

Can you post the file here? Or at least some images (please insert them in the message - Photos button) or a Screencast video?  I doubt anyone can give a helpful answer without seeing the situation.

Sam B

Inventor Professional 2018.2.3
Windows 7 SP1

[jacques]

Here is a sample of the original revit file exported onto Inventor.

[SBix26]

OK, I've got these panels open, wondering what it is you want to loft?  Re-create the existing geometry?

Sam B

Inventor Professional 2018.2.3
Windows 7 SP1

[jacques]

Recreate the geometry so that it can be manufactured as sheet metal.

[JDMather]

---

@jacques wrote:

Recreate the geometry so that it can be manufactured as sheet metal.

---

Pretty important part of your problem description!

[SBix26]

These panels are curvy in ways that Inventor Sheet Metal won't flatten. 

The easiest way to get a consistent thickness, though, is to use the Delete Face tool to delete the back surface and all the edge surfaces, then use the Thicken/Offset tool to thicken that surface to whatever sheet thickness you need.  But it won't flatten.

I also tried using the edges as 3D sketches to loft a surface (this technique sometimes results in a flattenable piece), but that resulting surface wouldn't thicken.

Sam B

Inventor Professional 2018.2.3
Windows 7 SP1

[jacques]

Yeah, thanks for that. I am getting the same results you described.

[JDMather]

@jacques

Using MeshMixer might give you "close enough" results.

Screencast will be displayed here after you click Post.

2583d244-f4ea-4a63-9468-439873c55466

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Inventor has two flavors of Loft: Loft in part modeling and Lofted Flange in sheet metal. The former is a super versatile command taking almost all geometric types and shapes (point, line, face, edge, loop in 2D and 3D). The latter only allows two 2D sketch profiles to create a sheet metal body which can be flattened.

As JD indicated, there is indeed a workflow involving MeshMixer to unwrap any shape. See below thread for further detail. Just to let you know that we are working on a solution to unwrap faces. It is not available yet.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-forum/unfold-complex-surface/m-p/7249578/highlight/true#M652...

Many thanks!