This operation allows to wrap one or more thin planar sheets or shapes
around a solid. Sheets can be created by covering
a planar curve or by creating a brick
with zero height.
You may bend on solids that consist of a developable surface (e.g.
planar, cylindrical, conical, or spline surfaces) or on solids that consist
of a not developable surface (e.g. spherical, toroidal surfaces or faces
created by sweeping a spline
curve along a non-linear path).
Note that when bending on solids with not developable surfaces then
it is not assured that the edge lengths are preserved.
First select the sheets or thin shapes you
want to bend and then follow the steps on the screen.
Bend Shape
Please note: For multiple selected sheets
or shapes it is necessary that all sheets or shapes lie in the same plane,
and at least one sheet or shape lies on the surface of the solid.
For bending a sheet on a cylinder or a cone,
it is important to align the sheet correctly on the cylindrical or conical
shell.
Note that the bending might not work if the sheet intersects the solid.
To ensure that the sheet is placed correctly on the solid, follow the
next steps.
1. Step: Align the local wcs
on a point on the solid
2. Step: Pick the cylindrical
or conical surface
3. Step: Align wcs on the picked
face
4. Step: Create or align your
sheet in the u-v-plane
5. Step: Bend the sheet on the
solid as explained in the previous example
Example: Bend sheet on sphere
When bending a sheet on a sphere then the sheet
is bent on the parameter space of the sphere. Spheres are singular in
u at the poles. Therefore bending is not possible when the projection
of the sheet lies on the pole of the spherical
face.
To display the poles of the sphere, you may use ViewView Options Specials () and check Draw
surface mesh.
The next steps show the bending of a sheet on a sphere:
1. Step: Align the sheet on
the sphere
2. Step: Pick the spherical
surface
3. Step: Bend the sheet on the
sphere
Example: Bend sheet on a
solid that consists of a not developable surface
For creating a solid with a not-developable
or doubly-curved surface, we are sweeping a spline curve along a non-planar
path.
1. Step: Create a spline curve,
and align local wcs on an endpoint of the curve and rotate it 90 degree
by v-axis
2. Step: Create a new spline
curve by starting in the origin of the local wcs
3. Step: Sweep first curve along
second curve (each curve item has to be in its own curve component)
4. Step: By thickening the selected
face you get a solid with a doubly-curved surface
5. Step: To create your sheet(s)
which you want to bend, first align local wcs with a point on the face,
and then with the face of the solid.
6. Step: Now bend the sheet(s)
on the solid as explained in the firsts example
Example: Bend a printed-circuit
board (PCB) design with thick layers on a solid
For
bending a PCB please note the following:
Layers
which have the same bottom coordinate should be bent together.
Vias
must be bent together with the bottom or top layer.
Multiple selection of material
layers is possible and very useful for the selection.
1. Step:
Import your PCB data. In the EDA import dialog, for all layers use the
setting "above" for the "Filling from" option.
2. Step: Create the solid on
which you want to bend the PCB. Position the solid such that one planar
face of the solid touches the bottom of the layer stackup.
3. Step: Select the layer which
is touching the top face of the brick.
4. Step: Start the bending operation
and select the brick by double-clicking in the 3d view.
5. Step: Select the faces on
which you want to bend the PCB layer, and confirm the bending by pressing
RETURN.
6. Step: Select the next layers
which have the same bottom coordinate and are touching the already bent
solder mask layer.
7. Step: Select the already
bent solder mask layer.
8. Step: Select the faces on
which you want to bend, and confirm the bending by pressing RETURN.
9. Step: Select the next layers
which have the same bottom coordinate and are touching the already bent
dielectric layer.
10. Step: Select the already
bent dielectric layer.
11. Step: Select the faces on
which you want to bend, and confirm the bending by pressing RETURN.
12. Step: Now you may continue
in the same way to bend the remaining layers of the PCB.