I am trying to project a helix onto the face of a cylinder. I have done it before but I forgot how.
Bob
I am trying to project a helix onto the face of a cylinder. I have done it before but I forgot how.
Bob
We have to ask why?
TOP
To model threads on a wood screw.
Bob
I got it to work but the results are quite ugly. the sweep cut or bossbass on a projected helix is quite ugly. It has to be done with helixes made from circles to look decent.
Bob
If you project a helix onto the surface of a cylinder then it is no longer a helix but just a projection. As such there is some approximation going on because of that process. That approximation may make the result somewhat jagged.
If you are making a thread on a wood screw a cylindrical helix or even a tapered helix may not work. In that case you may need to make a curve by defining points and using them to define your curve.
TOP
If you want to add a thread to a non-cylindrical face, try it this way:
When you make your thread section, be sure the section has positive penetration into the shank surface. If you go line-to-line, there may be zero-thickness issues when generating your thread.
I used a similar method for creating a barrel-shaped spring. See spring model in "hinge.zip" at
I used 3 merge helixes for the path. I had to make two one for each cutter shape.
Bob
Is it possible to force a sweep with a self intersecting profile? I think Inventor will do it with a warning.
Bob
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