Projecting A Sweep Path On A Cylinder

I am trying to create a sweep path by projecting a plane sketch onto a cylinder. I get the path shape I want but the problem is that I can't get rid of the cylinder without getting rid of my path also. Is there a way to either make the cylinder a reference body or even better, project onto a curved plane (if there is such a thing as a curved plane in SW).

This is a path for a bent tubing design and the tube is coiled like a spring but the ends come off at a different radius and make some other turns. Any help anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Tom B

I think you can delete your cylinder but keep your sweep path in the following way:


Open a 3D sketch. Highlight the sweep path (every single element if more than one). Use "Convert Entities" to make a 3D sketch of the sweep path. Highlight the 3D sketch so that the "Existing Relations" window is showing, with "On Edge" listed in the window. Highlight the "On Edge" existing relation and delete it (delete button!). Close the 3D sketch.


I believe you should now be able to delete the cylinder, which will still get rid of the path - but you've still got your 3D sketch!


This "work around" works in other circumstances, but as I say I'm not sure if it will work for a sweep path on a cylinder. Incidentally, it may be sufficient to highlight the sweep path and delete the "On Edge" relationship and completely bypass the 3D sketch.

Yes Chris Booth has rightly point a method which is quite good. or you may even go for a Cylindrical surface option instead of Solid Cylinder by which ur cylinder will not be consider under mass properties and u can very well hide the surface body after creation of the curve.

I have also used the surface metthod venugopal stated.

Hi TomB


You try link to this address to solve:


[url]http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/content/DSG322/SolidWorks%20Tut orials/SolidWorks%20Tutorial%2011.pdf [/url]