Corners can be tricky when adding them into a sketch or wireframe. Adding them the right way can make your model more robust and predictable when modifications are made. Sketches in general can be tricky when there are a lot of curvature/corners to your wireframe and when modifications are made. The sketch can easily turn into a pretzel pretty quickly, adding a lot of rework time to your day! Here I'm going to examine 5 different ways to create the exact same shape. Some of these methods will be more robust than others.
Here’s an example of our overall shape that we created using 5 different methods.
Figure 1-1
Method 1:
This method consists of adding everything into the sketch. The sketch is fully dimensioned and corners are added right into the sketch as shown below.
Figure 1-2
Method 2
This example consists of creating the same shape but leaving the corners out of the sketch as shown in Figure 1-3. The sketch is linear lines and the corners were added in by using the corner icon in the Generative Shape Design workbench. Since it is a sketch, the corners can be added in by using the corner on vertex option as shown in Figure 1-4.
Method 3
This example shows the sketch containing lines only again, however, this time each line element was output so that they could be selected individually. This means that the corner on vertex option cannot be used, however, each corner will be added by selecting the sketch output line as shown in Figure 1-5 and 1-6.
Method 4
In this example we did not use the sketcher workbench at all. This shape was completely created by using the wireframe toolbar in the Generative Shape Design workbench. Take a look at Figure 1-7 below to see the tools that were used to create our shape. You will notice that the corner on vertex option could not be used since the lines were individual elements and not joined or trimmed together.
Method 5
This is our last method. This method shows the shape being created by only wireframe tools from Generative Shape Design. We added in the step of trimming the shape before adding in the corners. This means that the shape is all one piece and allows us to use the corner on vertex option in the corner dialog box as shown in Figure 1-9 and Figure 1-10.
Design Change
Now that we have seen how to create the same shape using 5 different methods, let’s examine which ones are the most robust.
For this exercise, let's assume our design intent has changed. We need to change the distance of the outer most vertical line. Right now the distance is 40. We need to change it to 15. Let’s examine each solution to see which ones update without any rework. An example of our current shape and new shape are shown in Figures 1-11 and 1-12.
Method 1
When we go back to the original method of only using the sketcher workbench, you can see what happens to our shape when we change the 40mm dimension to 15. The corners cannot update appropriately therefore leaving us with rework to do in order to create our desired shape, as shown in Figure 1-13. Not the most robust way to create this shape!
Figure 1-13
Method 2
This is where the corners were created outside the sketcher workbench using the corner on vertex option. Let’s see how this ones updates as shown in Figure 1-14 and 1-15. The sketch updates just fine. When you exit out of the sketcher workbench, the corners automatically update into our desired shape. No rework needed on this one.
Method 3
In method three, we used lines in the sketcher workbench then output each line. This caused us to not be able to use the corner on vertex option but instead add in the corners by selecting the individual line. Let’s change the 40mm dimension to 15 and see what happens. Results are shown in Figure 1-16 and 1-17. The sketched lines update no problem however, when we exit out of the sketcher workbench the corners do not. This leaving us with some rework. Not the most robust way to create this shape.
Method 4
This method used all wireframe features to create the shape. Since all the lines were separate, the corner on vertex option was not available to use. The corners were added in by selecting the individual lines. Parallel 2 is the feature that we want to change from 40mm to 15mm, however, we receive an error message. The results are shown in Figure 1-18 and 1-19. This would cause us to have to put some rework in to correct our shape. Not the most robust way to create this geometry.
Method 5
Our last method used all wireframe features but before the corners were added in, the shape was trimmed together. This means corner on vertex could be used as it was all one piece. The results are shown in Figure 1-20 and 1-21. The results show that everything updates without any rework.
Method 5 is the most robust way this geometry shape could be generated. Whenever possible, sketches should be avoided and wireframes should be created in the Generative Shape Design workbench for the most flexibility. As for corners, the best option is to trim the shape together and turn on the Corner On vertex option as shown in Figure 1-22.
Figure 1-22
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