When Helix is selected from the Create>Sweeps Menu, the Helix dialog box appears. Through this dialog, your are able to specify the pitch and the sweep direction. These settings are discussed below.

 

Dialog Options:

Use Axis Length

Check this option to determine overall sweep length based on start/end axis locations (first prompts in the conversation bar for helix creation.)  Unchecked the length will be determined by the Length input option.

Length

When Use Axis Length is unchecked the length of the helix sweep will be determined by the input value in part units set here.

Pitch

Enter the pitch value for the solid. The default value is 1. The pitch is the distance that's required to make one full rotation of the helix. The pitch is the actual distance per turn, not the number of turns per inch (as in threaded fasteners). For example, if you want your helix to be a total of 5" long, with 2 complete revolutions, then the pitch would be 2.5.

Pitch = Total length / Revolutions

 

Taper

Enter the angle value for the sweep to create a conical helix.

Handedness

Select either right or left handedness to determine the direction of the sweep. The direction is determined by right or left handed rule with the thumb pointing in the direction of the axis of the sweep.

• Right - This is the default direction. When selected, the sweep will be performed in the right direction.

• Left - When selected, the sweep will follow the left direction.