Lofted Surface Twist Control

There are different levels of control. You could start by selecting each profile at the sketch point which you want to have connected. If that doesn't do it for you, you could make a guide curve and connect them that way. If even that doesn't do it for you, you could loft individual surfaces (or sheets as you might call them) until you have created the whole loft.

If you had a concrete example, I could give more concrete suggestions.

Matt

The "connectors" (what you are calling twist handles) aren't a very well defined function in SW yet. Eventually more functionality may be added like real relationships between the connector handles and the profile geometry. If you can get what you need without getting extravagant, then go with what's easy. No extra points for being a hero. You can check the "isoparms" by using the "face curve" 3D sketch function. In fact, in the loft function you can RMB in the graphics area to show the mesh on the lofted surface while it's still just previewing (why they put it there instead of in a check box in the prop mgr where people will actually see it is beyond me). This will give you a good idea if the face is twisting or doing anything untoward before finishing the command.

Fit splines could be a good or bad idea, hard to say without seeing what you're doing. If you're keeping the underlying geometry which is controlled by dimensions, or deleting it or converting the fit spline into a regular spline with control points or whatever. Also, are you using more than 2 profiles with each loft? Do your lofts have planar sides so that you can use planar guide curves? Personally, I would keep it as simple as you can and still get what you need. This means just using the connectors if that works. Planar guides may or may not be appropriate. You may have to go to a 3D guide of some sort.

Hi, I do something in my sketches that has seemed to help a lot when "aligning" the "handles. In each sketch layer that makes your loft to loft, first, make absolutely sure that there are the same number of points from one sketch to another, in relative position to where you want to loft to/from (you *can" have a different number of points, but then the software has to try and "figure out" what you want. Same number of points and it's a no brainer).

I keep the "background" layers visible so I can see the vertex(es?). Second, extend "contruction lines" THROUGH every vertex that you will use as a control loft point. In the actual lofting, select the construction line that corresponds to the vertex that you want to loft to and from. Selecting the C-lines is much easier than selecting the vertex.

Mike Tripoli