Introduction to Freeform

Surface Modeling In
SolidWorks - Lab 3

by
Dr. J.D. Mather
Assistant Professor
CAD & Product Design
jmather@pct.edu
http://home.pct.edu/~jmather
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

You can probably follow this tutorial

without actually doing the steps, but I
strongly suggest you do every step and
experiment - my experience is that tools
or methods that are not practiced are not
used by modelers.
jmather@pct.edu

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Open the Screwdriver Handle.SLDPRT and

select the centerline of the Palm End Sketch.
Surface-Revolve the arc as shown.
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
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permission of the author.

Repeat the Surface-Revolve for the Finger End

Sketch.

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

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permission of the author.

Show and select the Grip Sketch and Extrude

as a solid Up To Surface in Direction 1 and 2.

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Hide the revolved surface bodies and any

visible sketches. Apply a color property as
desired.
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Create a Circular Pattern of the extruded solid

as shown.
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
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permission of the author.

Save and close the file.

How would you have made this part without using
surfaces?
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Open the Screwdriver Blade.SLDPRT file, show

and edit each sketch one-by-one to examine
how they were created. Notice that where
symmetrical sketches were created they were
done by mirroring construction lines and then
projecting these construction lines to new
sketches.

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Hide all sketches except Sketch1, 2 & 4. We

want to loft Sketch1 to Sketch4 using Skecth2
as a Guide Curve. It would make sense to have
a symmetrical curve on the other side.
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
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permission of the author.

Make Sketch3 visible. Notice that Sketch3 was

projected from a mirror construction in Sketch2.

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Loft as a solid using Sketch2 & 3 as Guide

Curves.

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

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permission of the author.

If you examine the results carefully you will see

that the loft followed the Guide Curves when
mapping two points but mapped in a straight
line with the other two points.
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Edit the loft feature definition and add Sketch5

& 6 as Guide Curves. Save the file often when
doing complex functions like lofts.
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Show Sketch7 and Surface-Extrude

Through All in Direction 1 & 2.

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

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permission of the author.

Split the solid using the Surface-Extrude cutting

the bodies above and below the surface. Hide
the surface body.
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Show Sketch8 and Surface-Extrude

Through All in Direction 1 & 2.

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Split the solid cutting the bodies above and

below and the extruded surface.

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Hide the surface bodies and any visible

sketches. Save and close the file. How would
you make this part without using surfaces?
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

Re-open the Screwdriver Handle file and from

the pull-down menu select Insert>Part and
insert the Screwdriver Blade. Move the blade
as shown.
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
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permission of the author.

Insert>Feature>Combine and select Subtract as

the Operation Type. Select the Handle as the
Main Body and the Blade as the Bodies to
Subtract.
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
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permission of the author.

Save the file. You may start an assembly file

and assemble the two parts.

Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather

Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.

How would you do this part without

surfaces?
Please let me know if you have any
questions or comments.
These tutorials are also available for
Autodesk Inventor.
jmather@pct.edu
Copyright 2005 J.D. Mather
Do not reproduce without
permission of the author.