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Flat Patterns in ViaCAD Pro? - Is there a way to generate a flat pattern from an object?
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dmyers7  
#1 Posted : Tuesday, September 6, 2016 10:42:26 AM(UTC)
dmyers7

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Is there a way to generate a flat pattern from a 3D solid or even a surface with an assigned constant thickness? Say I want to model an airfoil and then generate a flat pattern from that to lay on a material of a constant thickness to cut out and fold into the designed airfoil? I currently own V9 Pro as my starting point.
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Tim Olson  
#2 Posted : Tuesday, September 6, 2016 11:45:12 AM(UTC)
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We are adding an Unfold command in PowerPack 10 that will work with developable surfaces such as a ruled surface between two airfoils. I will test with a wing body and post an example. You can also try it out in the upcoming beta.


Tim

Edited by user Tuesday, September 6, 2016 12:07:47 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Tim Olson
IMSI Design/Encore
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dmyers7  
#3 Posted : Tuesday, September 6, 2016 5:37:20 PM(UTC)
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I look forward to giving that a try.
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Felo  
#4 Posted : Tuesday, September 6, 2016 10:56:02 PM(UTC)
Felo

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GREAT!!!, Hi Tim, have a question about the ruled surface, is this surface fully developable?, is it capable to create a surface without twist or double curvature? will be a way to check the developability of the surface?, I really want to try it, looking forward to beta test!

Thank you
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Antoine  
#5 Posted : Wednesday, September 7, 2016 1:45:47 AM(UTC)
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Thank you Tim for this new tool!!!
it's a good start.

Antoine
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Tim Olson  
#6 Posted : Wednesday, September 7, 2016 9:42:41 AM(UTC)
Tim Olson

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>> have a question about the ruled surface, is this surface fully developable?

All ruled surfaces are developable. In ViaCAD there is a tool specifically that creates ruled surfaces.

>>will be a way to check the developability of the surface?
You could check the degree in one direction of a surface. A ruled surface is degree 1 in one of the directions.

The unfold/flatten tool displays the area/perimeter before and after to check for any stretching or compression.


Tim
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murray  
#7 Posted : Wednesday, September 7, 2016 3:45:44 PM(UTC)
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TurboCAD has two kinds of development tools, an unbend tool that's essentially a sheet metal layout tool, so develops solid, constant thickness cylindrical sections that have parallel edges, to a specified neutral depth, so it's really an 'unroll' tool. TC calls its other development tool 'unfold', it's a tool that generates flat patterns of ruled faces that can be zero-thickness surfaces, but only cylindrical and conical sections, or ruled surfaces that have no twist, which effectively means surfaces that are extruded curves or sections of such surfaces. Will PowerPack's new tool raise the bar above that limitation?
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Tim Olson  
#8 Posted : Wednesday, September 7, 2016 3:59:44 PM(UTC)
Tim Olson

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>>an unbend tool that's essentially a sheet metal layout tool

I have been experimenting with an unbend but nothing to release. ACIS has an unbend API but I need more time to put together an implementation.

>>calls its other development tool 'unfold', it's a tool that generates flat patterns of ruled faces that can be zero-thickness surfaces, but only cylindrical and conical sections, or ruled surfaces that have no twist, >>which effectively means surfaces that are extruded curves or sections of such surfaces. Will PowerPack's new tool raise the bar above that limitation?

Hopefully, I'm anxious to have beta testers try the unfold tool and provide feedback. Next build should have a good pass on the implementation. Attached is a sphere mesh unfolded.

Tim




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murray  
#9 Posted : Wednesday, September 7, 2016 7:26:16 PM(UTC)
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Isn't unbending a parallel-edged cylindrical section a relatively trivial subset of unfolding a ruled surface? Seems to me that all you need to extrapolate is the axis of the cylinder (isn't that what mesh to analytics does too?) and the arc length at the neutral depth, unfold projects the unbent trimming curves.

The sphere illustration must include some simplification, since a sphere is compound curvature....so there's something more there than vanilla development?

Edited by user Wednesday, September 7, 2016 7:29:44 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified
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KSimmons  
#10 Posted : Tuesday, November 29, 2016 5:37:22 PM(UTC)
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For future development of the unbend tool, suggest looking into adding Bend Lines being placed on layout pattern. Also use TurboCAD, but Bend Lines do not not automatically show up on Pattern layout. Have requested and been waiting for years for a proper Sheet Metal for TurboCAD. Had to fall back to using Medusa4 Personal. Also would like to see input data box for K-factors. Pattern layout work in still in the aviation field. Have done some aircraft sheet metal work for the Castle Air Museum.
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