The Curve Mesh function can be used to build surfaces with more geometric constraint than the other surfacing functions, and can also be used to trim and/or join faces.

First, the Curve Mesh routine prompts you for a curve fit tolerance. Next, you will be prompted for a set of surface flow curves in both the U and V directions. This routine calls the first set of curves the Primary set and the second set of curves is called the Secondary set.

The Primary and Secondary sets of curves should intersect or nearly intersect over one another. If the UV curves do not intersect, then the mid-point between a pair of UV curves is used as the surface node point.

However, if one set of surface flow curves were closed like circles around a cylinder, then the closed set of curves must be selected as the Primary (first picked) set. If one set of flow curves has just one closed curve, then all the curves in that set must be closed, and you must select this set first. The secondary set of curves cannot be closed. Therefore, you cannot use the Curve Mesh routine to define the shell of a torus (donut).

One of the extra features in the Curve Mesh routine is that it auto matically trims the Primary and Secondary curves if they extend beyond the outermost boundary curves.

For example, you could have an ordinary surface modeled on the screen, with its U and V flow curves displayed. You could then define some new set of boundary curves on the surface and place them inside the original 4 boundary curves. The original U and V flow curves would extend beyond these new boundary curves. Both the original surface flow curves and the new boundary curves would define a new surface with new boundaries by using the Curve Mesh function.

Sometimes joining several surfaces is as easy as selecting the flow curves off of each surface while using the General Curve Surface function. In other instances, more constraint is required along the surface across the sections..

It is required that splines are connected and traverse across the surfaces. You get these CROSS splines off of each surface from the flowline curves. You then form the long splines that run across the surfaces by using the Chain select option. Chain together the splines into to one entity. You now have a set of splines that run the length of the surfaces to be joined, and you still have the original section curves off of each individual surface. Use these curves as the Primary and Secondary set of curves to define a surface that joins the individual surfaces.

Click on one of the links below to view the dialog options or steps on how to use the function:

Dialog Options

Using the Function