Align With Next Section/Normal

[Maha Nadarasa]

Do you know the different between these two?

[mattpeneguy]

That's simple, the first entry aligns with next section and the second entry aligns with next section...

[Lucas]

I tried some different shapes, but couldn't make different uses from those options...

From the SW Help:
Tangent Type: Normal to Profile
(Available when the curves are not attaching a boundary feature to existing geometry.) Applies a tangency constraint normal to the curve. Set the Draft angle and Tangent influence (%).

Alignment: (Available only for single-directional cases.) Controls alignment of the iso parameters, which control the flow of the surface.

Basically we can just control the draft angle and the influence which would be the length.
The Next Section is not Normal to the profile (in this pic), perhaps SW cannot figure where it is and we end up with the same result?

[Lucas]

There is more explanation in Boundary Surface Help:

Align with next section: Aligns the boundary surface iso parameters to the iso parameters of the start and end surfaces, based on distance.

Align with section normal: Aligns the boundary surface iso parameters normal to the selected curve.

https://help.solidworks.com/2021/englis ... 7d4a3d#Pg0

Trying with a Boundary Surface (two splines in parallel planes), it also does not change a thing.

BUUUT it does change if you are making Boundary from Edges, all four create different results:

image.png (12.06 KiB) Viewed 717 times

I don't know why those options are available in Boundary Boss/Base, nor Boundary Surface from Sketches...

[Lucas]

Here is what I got:

SolidWorks creates surfaces from isoparametric curves (in U and V directions), the so called iso parameters are both curves. These curves are the mesh represented on the Mesh Preview option.
In a Boundary Surface using sketches as the Directions the alignment won't change anything, since one sketch cannot represent them. You need to use edges to get the U-V directions from other solids/surfaces to align the curves. (I am assuming here)

If you create two surfaces from circles and use their edges as Directions in a Boundary feature, the Normal to Profile alignment still does not work (lol). But you can use Tangency to Face, and Align with Next Section/Section Normal will change the isoparametric curves.

But still, why the Align in Normal to Profile does not work? Why is it there? I have no idea. I might be wrong too, this topic is confusing.

[Maha Nadarasa]

@Lucas

Thanks for doing research on this. But still I am in a confused stage. If anything I can find I will let you know.

[matt]

The alignment options refer to the relationship of the iso parameter curves to the next section or the section normal or whatever is selected in the box. This is one reason it's good to have the mesh preview turned on - the mesh is the iso parameter curves. If you select Section Normal, then the U curves should be perpendicular to the V curves. If you select Other Geometry, there is a Next Face option so you can cycle through several faces and the iso parameter curves of the new surface will be aligned with the iso parameter curves of the selected surface.

In the end, people just try all the options because it's hard to actually predict which option you're going to want. The options could just as easily be named 1, 2, 3... or Tom, d*** and Harry, for all that those labels mean.

image.png (6.09 KiB) Viewed 662 times

[Maha Nadarasa]

@ matt

Problem is, if all the options are giving almost the same result it is very difficult to make a conclusion.

[matt]

@ matt

Problem is, if all the options are giving almost the same result it is very difficult to make a conclusion.

If all the results are the same, why does it matter?

[Lucas]

If all the results are the same, why does it matter?

Just to understand the tool (at least for me hehe)

I could not get different results changing the Alignment with the Normal to Profile option - with both Boundary Boss and Surface.
The Alignment with Tangency to Face changes properly, though.