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done in pro/e..attempting in solidworks..

TWINTURBOTOM

New member
I'm a pro/E pro that is new to solidworks.... to start... I constantly use equations to drive curves...solidworks seems to lack this ability...i have found a nice macro that allows me to input curves but it doesn't seem to work in 3D...which i need for the housing on this part (done in pro/e)


neworiented.jpg



main questions:


1)create a 3D curve driven by an equation (for the volute, turbo housings tube)


2) vary a dimension with in across section as it travelsa pathwithout using guide curves


if anyone could do something similar and send it ove i'd love to learn from it.... [email protected]


i was also thinking of a way to possibly "blend" one cross section to the next as below...it won't rebuild though.... any insight on this type of procedure?? i guess it would be a loft using two profiles and guides.... i tried a sweep but it didn't like each section being on the same sketch...i'll try another way... thanks guys!!


turbo_housing-0000.jpg



any advice on the part shown above? idid that in relatively no time at all so i'm hoping solidworks will be as easy...


I have also been running into over dimensioning issues...how do I TELL SOLIDWORKS WHAT I WANT... and not have it ASSUME everything?? an example... i was using the hole wizard to place four holes... before I did this I sketched a box so that each corner could have a hole and i could control the position via the box dimensions.....solidworks came up with an error saying I can't place a hole point on a sketch point?? so I made the hole and then drew center lines... i then added relations such as along x, along y, mid point (for my "cross hairs" that were to be positioned at the origin) then clicked origin, then the intersection of the two mid center lines and solidworks had a fit... it was saying over dimensioned yet the cross hairs were no where near where i wanted them... then as i tried to manually dimension it same problem...so i eventualy delted all relations...my problem is i want to tell it what to do...not the other way around... any advice? just for a simple box (composed of 4 lines, not a rectangle) centered at origin....


sorry for my rant... the software is damn good though...i just have alot to learn....


also it seems like the only way to vary a dimension in a cross section as the cross section travels along a path is to use guide curves...is there a way to do this by an equation or some type of graph??? pro/e (sorry if i'm insulting you solidworks guys but it's all i know at the moment) allows you to create datum graphs which relate the X and Y axis to the dimension and the position the cross section is at on the path....very very very usefull....its how i controlled the changing cross section of the turbo's tube... in solidworks i've done this with a guide curve...


how would you guys make a square turn into a circle over a path??? a guide curve for each radius??? pro/e I could make one graph and conrol different points by the graph or write a relation that varies from 0-1... called trajpar... and use that to vary dimensions with equations....


in short...as this was very long...thanks for sticking with me!!!! i need to know how i can


1)create a 3D curve driven by an equation (for the volute, turbo housings tube)


2) vary a dimension with in across section as it travelsa pathwithout using guide curves


thanks guys!!!
Edited by: TWINTURBOTOM
 

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