Still grappling with the helix

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Haude Daniel 19 years ago

Hello folks,

a few days ago I asked about how to make a helix and got quite a few helpful comments (sadly I couldn't look at some of the examples as they were made with a "future version" -- I have "Academic year 2005-2006".

Anyway, I got my spring made but it somehow fell apart again because of some reason or another. The composite path wasn't composite any more, and sure enough, with enough zooming in I found that the ends of the helix had for some reason become disjoint from the ends of the connecting 3D sketches.

So I opened one of the 3D sketches and tried to add a "coincident" relationship between the helix endpoint and the spline in the sketch. But SW doesn't let me. I can make the spline tangent to the helix; I can make the spline's endpoint coincident with the helix itself, but not with the helix's endpoint.

Why is that? I'm sure it worked when I first made the spring because otherwise I doubt SW could have joined the splines and the helix to a composite path.

Thanks,

--Daniel

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Gil Alsberg 19 years ago

I encountered similar cases in my work with solidworks 2006. Sadly I'm in the same boat as you, and don't know why it is so.

Sorry that I can't help.....maybe someone of the gurus here will enlighten us...

Gil

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Bo 19 years ago

I suspect connecting a spline is the issue, though I don't quite know what you are doing exactly.

Put the end of the helix on a plane on a known point.

Put an end of a small line in the 3D sketch on that known point.

That is the best I can suggest.

Bo

Haude Daniel wrote:

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matt 19 years ago

SW has different levels of usability, and curve entities seem to be on the bottom of the list. What I do is use Convert Entities on the spline in the 3D sketch, and then as a sketch entity the endpoint is more accessible. Plus, if you want to do a tangent spline connection between the helix and the "composite" part of the curve, you can get a smooth transition.

Haude Daniel wrote:

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asow34 19 years ago

Another cool way of making a helix is to make a surface sweep of a straight line (representing the radius of the spring from centre to circumference) profile along a line trajectory using the twist option (degrees or by number of turns) - then use the edge of the surface to make the helix.

SWX Guru UK >>>>>>>>>>>>

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asow34 19 years ago

Another cool way of making a helix is to make a surface sweep of a straight line (representing the radius of the spring from centre to circumference) profile along a line trajectory using the twist option (degrees or by number of turns) - then use the edge of the surface to make the helix.

SWX Guru UK >>>>>>>>>>>>

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jmather 19 years ago

Why not post your part file at

formatting link

someone can take a look.

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Still grappling with the helix

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