The best way to explain the feature I'm trying to model is to have a rectangular profile follow along a sweep path which is shaped like a horseshoe "U". {A handle if you will] The rectangular profile will have a constant thickness of 1/4" and a width of 1" at both the start and end of the sweep path with it pinching in to 5/8 wide at the bottom of the "U".
Is the sweep feature the best approach? I can manage a simple straight forward 1" x 1/4" sweep, but its the pinching I need a lead and guidance on.
From your description, it appears that you could sketch the horseshoe with the dimensions you want and extrude it. You could sweep it with guide curves to give you the desired profile but I do not see this being necessary.
Thanks for the attempted link, but I'm using 2003 and your part must be newer version. Some sort of guide curve is needed I believe just as you mentioned, I'm just not familiar enough on how to utilize them.
What you have to do is to constrain the sweep contour to the guide curve and the profile in your case it is a rectangle so you constrain the midpoint of the contour to the profile of the centerline. and the Edge of the contour to the guide curve. This will cause the edge to follow the guide curve and the center to follow the profile. Or you can constrain each end or have a profile for every point, Make sure that your profile sketch is only dimensioned in the places you want a consistent dimension thruout the sweep. Clear as mud?
Think about how you'd build a wireframe model of the part. you have the big U shape that has a dip in the bend of the U in a direction out of the plane of the U.
Think about building just that edge. You know what the edge should look like from two orthogonal directions. From the top, it looks like a U and from one side it looks like a "pregnant stick" or something. From that info, you can make a projected curve (sketch on sketch) that combines the U with the "pregnant stick".
Now if you have the regular flat U at some distance above the projected curve, you can make a rectangle at one end of the U and use the "pierce" constraint between one corner of the rectangle and the U and another corner of the rectangle and the projected curve.
Use the rectangle as the profile, the U as the Path and the projected curve as the guide curve, and all should be well. The part that confuses most people is the projected curve.
It's a lot of words, but I don't have 2003 installed to build an example for you.
matt
"krupnikas" wrote in news:0F8Lc.13604$ snipped-for-privacy@nwrdny03.gnilink.net:
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