Create a point by parameter. You can also select a local coordinate system (LCS). You can also sketch points directly onto any plane by checking Sketch on Plane.

Create points by projecting the selected point onto the selected curve.

Create points by projecting the selected point onto the selected surface.

Edit curve's end by selecting vertex and freely dragging. The curve must be from independent edge or edge from independent wire.

Figure 5.8: A wire contains four curves. Two line segments, one circular arc and one B-spline curve

Figure 5.9: Drag the curves' end between arc and B-spline curve to edit the whole wire

Edit b-spline curve or b-spline surface by modify their control points. You can modify the curve or surface by dragging, adding or removing control points.

Figure 5.10: Select one B-spline curve

Figure 5.11: Drag one control point to modify curve

Batch creating points by inputting a serial of coordinates. It will automatically analysis the input text. Such as pasting "(23, 12.1, 1.0e-3) [123.00 3 8" into the text control, and click Apply. It will generate two points (23, 12.1, 0.001) and (123, 3, 8).

Search to find points in the curve that have the same tangent vector as the direction of the selected line.

Figure 5.12: Two points found by comparing their tangent vector with the selected line.

Create a line by two points' parameters. You can also sketch lines onto any plane when "Sketch" is checked.

Create a line or multiple connected lines by select points in order. If more than two points selected, you can check "Closed" to make the loop close. If lots of unsort points are area selected into the list box, you can check "Sort Points" and it will automatically sort points according distance gap.

Create a line by a point and a direction, the distance define the length of the line segment. If the distance is negative, the line direction will be reversed. "Project" option will project the selected points to the selected edge/direction vector, and the results are line segments.

Figure 5.13: Project points to line

Figure 5.14: Two lines

Create two lines which pass the point and tangent with the circle. The selected point must locate at the plane of the circle.

Figure 5.15: Vertex and circle

Figure 5.16: Two tangent lines

Create lines which tangent with two circles. If two circles intersect with each other, it will also create the intersecting line. The selected two circles must locate at the same plane. 'Centers Line' will make a line segment between two centers of circles.

Figure 5.17: Two circles

Figure 5.18: Create 3 lines by two circles

Create lines which pass the intersection of two selected lines and have the same angle with two selected lines. 'Middle Curve Line' will make a line between centers of two virtual boundaries.

Figure 5.19: Select two lines

Figure 5.20: Create two middle lines

Figure 5.21: Result after checking 'Middle Curve Line'

Fit a line segment by the selected points using least square fitting method (LSQ). 'Scale' will scale the fit line to proper length. 'Whole Edge' will dense more points in the selected curve to fit.

Figure 5.22: Fit a line by points

Figure 5.23: Fit a line by checking 'Whole Edge'

Extend a line segment by distance, ratio or destination objects.

Create a circle by center, normal and radius parameters. You can also sketch circles onto any plane when "Sketch on Plane" is checked. "Radius" button is an option to change its value to "Radius", "Circumference" or "Area".

Create a circle by select a center point, an axis and define the radius. You can select any curve(non-linear curve), and the selected point will be projected to the edge and the axis will be the tangent vector of the projection position on the curve. You can also check the "Rotate" option, and the selected point will rotate with the axis. "Radius" button is an option to change its value to "Radius", "Circumference" or "Area".

Figure 5.24: The vertex is one end of the edge

Select a vertex and an edge. The vertex is one end of the edge. The circle's center will locate at the vertex and the normal of the circle's plane is the tangent of the vertex on the edge

Figure 5.25: The vertex is not on the edge

Select a vertex and an edge. The vertex is not on the edge. The circle's center will locate at the vertex and the normal of the circle's plane is the tangent of the vertex projected on the edge

Figure 5.26: Result of check "Rotate" option

Create a circle by selecting a coordinate system, and define the radius. "Radius" button is an option to change its value to "Radius", "Circumference" or "Area".

Create a circle by selecting 3 points. When "Inscribed Circle" is checked, it will create an inscribed circle. "Center/Start/End" will make a circle by different meaning. Suppose the three points are P1, P2 and P3. P1 will be the center of the circle, and P2 will locate at the bound of the circle. That means the radius will be |P2-P1|. P3 will be used to calculate the axis vector of the circle. The axis vector is (P2-P1)*(P3-P1).

Create circles which are tangent with the selected line and another circle, it also need to define the radius. "Radius" button is an option to change its value to "Radius", "Circumference" or "Area".

Figure 5.27: Select a line and a circle

Figure 5.28: Create tangent circles using radius 0.3

Create circumscribed or inscribed circles by three lines.

Figure 5.29: Circumscribed circle

Figure 5.30: Inscribed circle

Select a point and a line. The point will be the center of the circle, and the circle will be tangent with the selected line.

Figure 5.31: Select a point and a line.

Create a circular arc by center, normal, radius, start and end angle. You can also sketch circular arcs when "Sketch on Plane" is checked.

Create a circular arc by select a center point, an axis and define the radius, start and end angle. "Rotate" option will make the selected point rotate with the axis.

Create a circular arc by selecting a coordinate system, and define the radius, start and end angle.

Create a circular arc by 3 points. "Center/Start/End" will make a circle by different meaning. Suppose the three points are P1, P2 and P3. P1 will be the center of the circle, and P2 will locate at one end of the circular arc. That means the radius will be |P2-P1|. P3 will be used to calculate the axis vector and the end point of the circular arc. The axis vector is (P2-P1)*(P3-P1).

Create a circular arc which is tangent with two selected lines and the radius is given firstly. If two lines are parallel with each other, the radius of the tangent circular arc will be calculated automatically. "Ref Position" will make the circular arc pass through the selected point.

Figure 5.32: Select two lines

Figure 5.33: Create tangent arc using one end of red line as the reference position

Create a circular arc which tangent with the selected line and pass two selected points.

a. Select one line and two points

b. Create tangent arc

Create circular arcs passing two selected points and using defined radius. The circular arcs will located at a default plane calculated by two points.

a. Select two points

b. Create circular arcs using radius 1.0

Create an ellipse by center, normal, major and minor radius. You can also sketch ellipse when "Sketch on Plane" is checked.

Create an ellipse by select a center point, an axis and define the major and minor radius.

Create an ellipse by select a coordinate system, and define the major and minor radius.

Create an elliptical arc by center, normal, major, minor radius, start and end angle parameters. You can also sketch elliptical arcs when "Sketch on Plane" is checked.

Create an elliptical arc by select a center point, an axis and define the major and minor radius, start and end angle.

Create an elliptical arc by select a coordinate system, and define the major and minor radius, start and end angle.

Create a B-spline curve by interpolating the selected points. If you just want to create piecewise b-spline curve (one degree, similar as polygon), check "Piecewise". "Closed" will close the B-spline curve. If lots of unsort points are area selected into the list box, "Sort Points" would sort them. You can also sketch B-spline curves on any plane when Sketch on Plane is checked. If you want to define the start and end points' tangent vector, check Use Tangent. Tangent constraint is only available when "Piecewise" is unchecked.

Interpolation points

Check Closed option

Check Piecewise

B-Spline without tangent constraint

With tangent constraint

Create a B-spline curve on the surface by interpolation points locating at the same surface. It will automatically find the surface which the selected points locate at. You can create the point on the surface by using Geometry Tools, Project. If you want to close the B-spline curve on the surface, check Closed.

a. Only interpolation points

b. Interpolating curve on surface

You can sketch curves directly onto mesh. Check Closed if the curve want to be closed. If you want to create one curve only, uncheck Multi-Curves. When Elastic on All Mesh is checked, the curve will be the convex hull of the sketched results.

a. Sketch four corner points onto mesh

b. The final four sketched curves

c. Check Elastic on All Mesh and sketch two points

d. The final sketched curves

Select Node, Part, Edge from shell elements. Especially, when you check "ByEdge" and "Prop" options, you can use angle tolerance to select multiple continuous edges by one click of the seed edge.

a. Raw shell

b. Curve from Mesh. See check option in figure c.

c. In gen. sel dialog, check "ByEdge", check "Prop", input "Ang" as 30.

Select shells to intersect with each other.

a. Two shells

b. Intersection curve of two shells (the yellow curve)

Select independent edges to snap with each other. Internally the software projects each edge's end to a neighbour edge and move the end to the projecting position if the distance is under the given tolerance. If you don't know how to give a proper distance tolerance, you can go to GeomTools->Measure and select the vertex which you want to project and select the destination edge, there is a distance column in Measure dialog.

a. Raw curves

b. After snapping, By Extend is checked.

c. Using Trim->Mutual to trim edges, and delete the small curves

To convert a curve to piecewise (one degree) b-spline curve, Respace will resample points and create a new curve. An advanced option of "Bias" is provided if you want to sample curve non-linearly. To sample points in specified direction, change Direction.

a. Raw curve

b. Respace By Number, num = 7

c. Respace By Number, num=5

Project or map already spaced curves to unspaced curves. When "Projection" is checked, the points in spaced curve will project to unspaced curve. The unspaced curve will copy the spaced parameter from spaced curves when "Mapping" is checked.

a. Raw curves. The green curve is a spaced curve. Respace the red curve by the green curve.

b. Respace result by Projection using Direction as Default

c. Respace result by Projection using Direct as "Y"

d. Respace result by Mapping

Map curves to surface.

a. Raw curves "LSTC" and a cylinder surface

b. Map "LSTC" to surface. U scale is 0.6, V scale is 0.2

Search inner or outer boundaries from shell mesh and create b-spline curves using the boundary nodes.

Search inner medial axis from a planar face.

a. Raw planar face

b. Medial axis extraction

Adjust end point in a closed curve. "Reverse" is an option to reverse close curve's direction.

a. End point in raw closed curve

b. Curve after adjusting the end point

Creates a helix defined by distance between each loop and loop number (the number of turns).

Creates a helix defined by the total height and loop number.

Creates a helix defined by total height and distance between each loop.

To create a composite curve into a single wire, select the edges in order. If the neighbour edge are not strictly connect with each other, check "End Constraint" to make them connected. Then you can use the wire to construct more complex shell/solid feature. If you click "Search", it will search neighbour edges automatically according to the highlight edges in the list box. If the raw edges in the list box are independent edges, when "Hide raw edge" is checked, they will be hide after creating wire.

a. Create Composite Curve (Wire)

b. Create an Extrude feature(shell) using wire as profile

Select the shell, and create the wires out of the shell.

a. Shell has a boundary

b. Extract boundary to wire

Select a curve, it will automatically search the break points on the curve according to angle and distance tolerance.

a. Raw curve

b. Searched point lists. "Max. Ang" sets as 60.0

c. Searched point lists. "Max. Ang" sets as 60.0 and check "Use Step Len"

Select a curve and some break points on the curve. It will break curve manually.

a. Closed curve

b. Select five reference points to split curve

c. The final 6 curves split from raw curve

Select one or more faces. It will automatically break the face boundaries according to angle tolerance.

a. Face has only one edge

b. Batch break face, "Max. Ang" set as 60.0

Using parameter to break curve. Suppose curve's parameter is [u0, u1], the input parameter is s, s in (0, 1.0). The mapping break parameter in curve will be u0+(u1-u0)*s. If N Segment is checked, the curve will be break uniformly by distance.

It will sample lots of points in the selected curve, and compare each point's tangent with its neighbor point's tangent. If the angle difference is less than a given value, the point will be chosen as a break point.

a. Raw curve

b. Tangent Span breaking result

To merge several neighbour curves into a single curve, select the curves. In fact, it's not necessary to select curves in order, the Merge Curve will sort the curves automatically according to neighbour distance. If the merged curve is not smooth, check "Refitting" to refit the merged curve. If you want to merge curves to a polygon, check Piecewise.

a. 6 neighbour curves

b. Merge into one single curve

Merge curves into several B-spline curves according to gap tolerance. If the merged curves are not smooth, check "Refitting" to refit the merged curves.

a. Raw edges

b. Merge into two curves using "Multiple" method

To bridge two curves naturally, select two curves and define the module length of the tangent directions properly. If two selected edges lay on the same surface, you can check "Same Surface" to constrain the new bridge curve on the surface. If you want the bridge curve's tangent module length is the same as the selected curve, check "Native Tan Module".

a. Bridge two curves on the same surface. Check "Same Surface"

b. Using the bridge curve to replace one edge on the surface (See Heal Model, Edge, Replace)

You can also create a bridge curve by selecting four points. .

Bridge curve by 4 points

Middle curve locates between two selected curves. You can also create a middle curve between a curve and a point, or even create a middle point between two selected points. "Merge Wire to Edge" will firstly merge the selected curves into one curve.

a. Two source curves and one point.

b. Middle curve between two source curves.

c. Middle curve between one source curve and one source point.

Extract axis from pipe like shapes.

a. Source solid shapes

b. Axis of pipe

Define a segment by selecting two points on the curve and morph this segment by picking one point.

Select a curve, the control point of this curve will show, pick the control point to morph the curve.

Select a curve, the curve points will show, pick the curve point to morph the curve.

Select a curve and smooth it by adjusting smoothness factor.

Convert the sampled points from the selected curves to XYZ file. You can use raw points in selected curves or resample points from curves by number or size. Check "LS_DYNA XYZ" to convert points to a DYNA XYZ file format. Convert points array from the selected curves to different files, check "Batch Exporting".

Convert XYZ points to piecewise b-spline curve. If the XYZ file is DYNA XYZ format, check "LS_DYNA XYZ". Load the points from the XYZ file but don't make B-Spline curve, check "Only to Points". If the point only contains X and Y component in the XYZ file, check "2D Point Format". "Check Duplicate" will remove neighbor duplicated points. "Piecewise" is an option to make points into one degree B-Spline curve or fit points to high degree B-Spline curve.

Convert the selected edges or all edges to IGES/STEP file. There are three types of edges: independent edge, edge in wire, and edge in face. "Show Only" write shown edges only.

Load edges from IGES/STEP file. There are three types edges in IGES/STEP file: independent edge, edge in wire, and edge in face.

Convert the selected edges to keyword *DEFINE_CURVE_TRIM_3D, *DEFINE_TARGET_BOUNDARY, and *DEFINE_CURVE.

Load curves from keyword *DEFINE_CURVE_TRIM_3D and *DEFINE_TARGET_BOUNDARY.

Convert sampled points from the selected curves to DXF/VDA file. You can use raw points in selected curves or resample points from curves by number or size. Convert every selected curve to a file, check "Batch Exporting".

Convert points in VDA file to piecewise b-spline curve or line segments.

Convert 2d curves to sketch board.

Create parabola by center, normal, start direction, focal, start and end parameters.

Create parabola by selecting a point, an axis and define the start and end parameters.

Create parabola by selecting a coordinate system, and define the focal, start and end parameters.

Create hyperbola by center, normal, start direction, major and minor radius, start and end parameters.

Create hyperbola by selecting a coordinate system, and define the major and minor radius, start and end parameters.

The curve is defined as polynomial.

Parameter curve defined by x=f(t), y=g(t), z=h(t).

Here you can write C like formulae to define curve.