Pipe bending - odd angles

I dunno if SWX is supposed to be good for this, but I'm burning a lot of time getting clunky results.

I'm doing a lot of odd-angled routed round pipe, and the odd-angles between the segments are requiring a lot of trig. The trig approximations also mean the segments are disjointed. For smaller systems, that is a cosmetic issue, but later on it gets annoyning from accumulated error. Gotta not be shy about concocting a forest of reference planes (and also axes of revolution), too.

I would rather split the tubing longitudinally (either actually or in effect), like inserting reference planes at 90-deg to, and thru the center of, a pipe-face-end (each end is a circle). I could use that split-plane to get the center of the pipe-end-face. The longitudinal centerline of each pipe segment, as I finish each one, is the objective (for beginning new geo. for each next segment). Q: Can I sketch from circle centers of extrusions (or 360-deg sweeps

- yuk) cylinders, at their "free" ends? I just can't get the references that I need for this to be a speedy, segment-by-segment process.

Reply to
DAS
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If you're unwilling to pick up the piping (routed systems) add in, you could at least try 3D sketches. Once you get the hang of the 3D sketch, you'll probably have an easier time. It sounds like you are going about things the hard way.

matt

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (DAS) wrote in news:cf29eb6.0401191749.705ed06 @posting.google.com:

Reply to
matt

I agree with Matt. You need to master the 3d sketch. Get the center of your pipes established then sweep a circle sketched at one end of the centerline. Using this technique you can create all sorts of accurate things.... pipes, wires, tubes, mandrel bent forms, etc.

- Eddy

Reply to
Eddy Hicks

If you have 2004 use the weldent funtion, it will treat each section as a seperate body that you can pull the angle from. Yyou may want to do a trick for your libray part you make where you create a square with really big radius, i.e. for a 1" pipe create a 1.315 square and then create .6 radiuses so it still appears round, then you will have a flat edge to measure off of in your blueprint.

Reply to
Brian Bahr

I am grateful that anyone responded. I am more familiar with SWX than I let on, I guess. But not much. I committed a bandwidth sin, I think, in not informing that I have

2001, and piping is installed.

sketch,

I don't see what piping does beyond sketches. I have been using sketches, and I used a couple 360 sweeps. Def down n dirty approach. Someone told me to try Inventor - but all I can see available in its routed systems is othographic extrusions - not flexible.

Sweeps still leave me withthe problem of getting a fresh centerpoint for the next segment after I have extruded the last elbow. Extrusions have no center witnesses. Ya, the straight segments are obvious, if I have the references (a flat sketching plane and something to get the center on that plane).

sounds very helpful. I got 2001.

hyuk, hyuk... sounds just crazy enough to be worth experimenting with. Vvverrry resourceful!

Any knowledgeout there how I might easily get various odd elbows, all with something pointing to the centers?

Reply to
DAS

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