Surface

1
PRO/SURFACE
USING PRO/SURFACE
MANAGING QUILTS
About Quilts
In Pro/ENGINEER, when you create or manipulate nonsolid surfaces, you are working with quilts. A
quilt represents a "patchwork" of connected nonsolid surfaces. A quilt may consist of a single
surface or a collection of surfaces.
A quilt contains information describing the geometry of all the surfaces that compose a quilt and
information on how quilt surfaces are "stitched" (joined or intersected). A part can contain several
quilts. You can create or manipulate quilts using a surface feature.
Accessing the Surface Functionality

You can access most surface commands through the Insert and Edit menus.
Naming a Quilt
You can assign a name to an entire quilt or an individual surface using Edit > Setup > Name >
Other.
To Blank a Quilt
To turn off the display of individual quilts, place them on a layer and then blank the layer.
You can also right-click and click Hide from the shortcut menu to temporarily blank a quilt.
Note: You can blank individual quilts in a merge feature. If the first quilt in the merge is blanked,
the whole merge is blanked. If only the second quilt is blanked, the merge will not be blanked.
To Assign a Color to a Quilt

You can assign a color from the existing user-defined colors to a specified side of a quilt or surface.
1.
Click View > Color and Appearance. The Appearance Editor dialog box opens.
2.
Assign the color.
3.
Select Surfaces as the object type. Each side can be colored differently, and it is only visible
when shaded edges do not change color with this method.
To Shade a Quilt
1.
2.
To shade an entire model, click View > Shade.

To set the shading by default, click View > Display Settings > Model Display. The Model
Display dialog box opens.
3.
Click the General tab and select Shading for the display style.
4.
Click OK.
Note:
You can also set the shading by default by setting the shade_surface_feat configuration option.
To override the environmental or cosmetic shading selection, click the Shade tab from the
Model Display dialog box. Under Shade, click or clear the Surface features check box and
click OK.
To Mesh Quilts and Surfaces

1.
Click View > Model Setup > Mesh Surface. The Mesh dialog box opens.
2.
Select the object type, Surface or Quilt.
3.
Select the surface or quilt for creating a mesh.
4.
5.
For a surface, specify the mesh spacing in the first and the second direction. For a quilt,
specify the change density.
Click Close.
Note: To remove the mesh, redraw the current view (repaint).
CREATING A SURFACE FEATURE

About Creating a Surface
You can create surface features by using any of the following options on the Insert menu:
ExtrudeCreates a quilt by extruding the sketched section at a specified depth in the

direction normal to the sketching plane.
When you use Up To Surface as a depth option, the new surface can be extruded to planar
surfaces, a quilt, or a datum plane that is parallel to the sketching plane.
RevolveCreates a quilt by rotating the sketched section at a specified angle around the
first centerline sketched in the section. You can also specify the rotation angle.
SweepCreates a quilt by sweeping a sketched section along a specified trajectory. You can
sketch the trajectory, or use an existing datum curve.
BlendCreates a smooth quilt connecting several sketched sections. Parallel blends can
only be Blind. You can also create Rotational or General blends, or blends From File.
Boundary BlendCreates a quilt by selecting boundaries in one or two directions.
Variable Section SweepCreates a quilt using the variable section sweep geometry
Swept BlendCreates a quilt using swept blend geometry.
Helical SweepCreates a quilt using helical sweep geometry.
AdvancedOpens the Advanced menu, allowing you to create surfaces using complex
feature definitions.
You can also create surface feature by using any of the following options on the Edit menu:
CopyCreates a quilt by copying existing quilts or surfaces. Specify a selection method, and
select the surfaces to copy. Pro/ENGINEER creates the surface feature directly on top of the
selected surfaces.
FillCreates a planar quilt by sketching its boundaries.
MirrorCreates a mirrored copy of existing quilts or surfaces about the specified plane.
ExtendCreates a quilt or surface by extending the existing quilts or surfaces. Specify a
chain of boundary edges of the existing surface to extend. You can also specify the extend type,
length, and direction of the extended surface or quilt.
OffsetCreates a quilt offset from a quilt or surface.
Note: For more information about the creation of surfaces, refer to the Part Modeling module of
Pro/ENGINEER Help.
Creating a Feature with an Open or Closed Volume

When creating a surface feature with Extrude, Revolve, Sweep, or Blend, you can create a quilt
that encloses a closed volume by capping the ends of the feature, or you can leave the ends open.
To create a surface feature without closing the ends, click Options from the dashboard and
clear the Capped Ends check box. Else, click Capped Ends from the ATTRIBUTES menu. For
example, an extruded circular section creates an open-ended tube with the open ends displayed
with yellow edges.
To create a surface feature with a closed volume, click Options from the dashboard and click
the Capped Ends check box. Else, click Capped Ends from the ATTRIBUTES menu. For
example, an extruded circular section would result in a closed cylinder so all edges of the quilt
are two-sided, shown in magenta. Note that the section must be closed for this option.
To Create a Joined or Unattached Quilt

A simple sweep created along the outer edges of another quilt or along datum curves created on
these edges can be joined with the reference quilt. A swept blend can be joined along the origin
trajectory.
Once you have selected a valid reference edge or a datum curve, the SRFS JOIN menu appears
with the following options:
JoinJoins the surface feature with the existing quilt.
No JoinCreates a surface feature that is not attached to the existing quilt.

You can redefine the Join/No Join attribute when you redefine the features trajectory using
Modify.
CREATING ADVANCED SURFACE FEATURES

About Advanced Surface Features
Use Insert > Advanced to create the following advanced surface features:
Conic Surface and N-sided PatchCreates a conic quilt and creates a quilt from more
than four boundaries.
Blend Section To SurfacesCreates a quilt as a blend from a section to tangent surfaces.
Blend Between SurfacesCreates a quilt as a blend from a surface to tangent surfaces.
Blend From FileCreates a blended surface from a file.
Blend Tangent to SurfacesCreates a surface as a blend from an edge or a curve to

tangent surfaces.
Surface Free FormCreates a surface by dynamic manipulation.
Vertex RoundTrims a surface by filleting a flat surface.
Flatten QuiltCreates a flattened quilt.
CREATING BLENDED SURFACE

About Creating a Blended Surface from a File
You can create a blended surface by importing curves from a file in the IBL (.ibl) format.
You can also redefine the surface by redefining the curve definitions in the .ibl file. Using
Associative Topology Bus (ATB), you can relink the changed .ibl file to the surface feature created.
This allows ease of design modification without having to create another surface and re-route the
old surface references to the new surface. The dependent geometry can easily refer to the changed
surface.
As the data for the surface feature is stored in the part as well as in the file, even if the file is
deleted from the disk, you can still modify the feature.
ATB does not support blending a surface from a file for features created prior to the J-03 release of
Pro/ENGINEER.
You can:
Unlink the feature from the .ibl file to remove the associativity between the feature and the
data file.
Link another file to the feature.

Note: To be able to update the surface when the .ibl file changes, you must set the environmental
variable topobus_enable to "yes" in your config.pro file before you start the Pro/ENGINEER
session. If the environment variable is set during the Pro/ENGINEER session, it does not work.
To Create a Blended Surface from a File

1.
Click Insert > Advanced > Blend From File > Surface. The SURFACE: Blend from File
dialog box opens, listing the following elements from the surface feature:
o
2.
Coord SystemDefines the coordinate system for the surface feature to be created.
File NameSpecifies the file name from which to create the surface. By default,
Pro/ENGINEER searches for this file in the current working directory. When using
Pro/INTRALINK, link the .ibl file with respect to the parent part and then export the file from
the workspace to the Pro/INTRALINK startup directory. You cannot read the .ibl file from the
workspace.
MaterialSideSpecifies the side for adding the material. To change the direction, click Flip
and then click OK.
Click OK to create the defined surface.
To Update a Blended Surface from a File

1.
2.
To redefine and update a blended surface from a file, open the .ibl file and edit it.
To update the feature geometry with the changed data file, click File > Associative
Topology Bus. The following options are available :
o
Check StatusChecks the selected feature for outdated imported geometry.
UpdateUpdates outdated geometry for the selected feature.
Change LinkChanges the file associated to the selected feature.
Make IndependentRemoves the associativity between the .ibl file and the selected
feature created from file.
Auto Check Status on ActivateAutomatically verifies outdated features while activating a

part.
Auto Check Status on RetrieveAutomatically verifies outdated features while retrieving a

part. This option is selected by default.
Auto Check Status on UpdateAutomatically verifies outdated features while updating a

part.
Show LogShows a log of updates to geometry.
CREATING OTHER SURFACES FROM BOUNDARIES

To Create a Conic Surface
1.
2.
Click Insert > Advanced > Conic Surface and N-sided Patch.
Click Conic Surf, Shouldr Crv or Tangent Crv, and Done from the BNDRS OPTS menu. A
dialog box opens and lists the following elements of the surface feature:
o
CurvesSpecifies geometrical references for this feature.
Conic ParamSpecifies the conic parameter.
3.
The Boundaries option in the CRV_OPTS menu is active. Define opposite boundaries of the
conic surface by selecting two curves or edges.
3.
After bounding curves are defined, click Shoulder Crv or Tangent Crv from the OPTIONS
menu and select the conic curve in the same way as you selected bounding curves.
3.
Click Done on the OPTIONS menu.
3.
Enter the conic parameter value; it must be from 0.05 to 0.95. Sections of the surface are
one of the following types, according to their conic parameter value:
0.05<parameter<0.5ellipse
parameter=0.5parabola
0.5<parameter<0.95hyperbola
7.
Conclude feature creation by clicking OK in the dialog box.
Defining a Conic Surface
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There are two types of conic surfaces listed in the OPTIONS menu:
Shouldr CrvThe surface passes through the control curve. The control curve defines the
location of conic shoulders for each cross section of the surface.
Tangent CrvThe surface does not pass through the control curve. The control curve
defines the line that passes through the intersections of the conic sections asymptotes.
Rules for selecting curves or edges:
Only single-segment composite curves can be selected as boundary or control curves.

When selecting curves or edges with the Chain option, the chain cannot have more than one
edge/curve component.
Example: Conic Surface

This figure shows a conic surface created ShouldrCrv.
1 Boundaries
2 Control curve
The next figure shows a conic surface created with the Tangent Crv option.
1 Boundaries
2 Intersection of asymptotes
3 Control curve
To Create a Surface from More Than Four Boundaries

1.
Click Insert > Advanced > Conic Surface and N-sided Patch. The BNDRS OPTS menu
appears.
2.
Click ADV FEAT OPT > Boundaries > Done > N-Sided Surf > Done. The system opens a
dialog box and lists elements of the surface feature. They are:
CurvesSpecifies geometrical references for this feature.
Bndry Conds(Optional) Defines Boundary Conditions.
Select at least five boundaries in the consecutive order for the N-sided surface. Using the
One By One option in the CHAIN menu, select at least five curves or edges forming a loop.
When finished, click Done from the CHAIN menu.
Note: The boundaries of the N-sided surface cannot include tangent edges/curves.
4. To define Boundary Conditions, click Bndry Cond and Define in the dialog box. The
BOUNDARY menu lists all surface boundaries. As you move the cursor over the boundary
name, the corresponding boundary highlights in cyan.
4.
Click the boundary for which you want to define Boundary Conditions. For the selected
boundary, the system opens a dialog box with the Bndry Cond element selected for definition.
4.
Specify the boundary condition by choosing one of the following options in the BNDRY
COND menu, followed by Done:
7.
FreeNo tangency conditions are set along the boundary.
TangentThe blended surface is tangent to the reference surface along the boundary.
NormalThe blended surface is normal to the reference surface or datum plane.

For conditions other than Free, accept the defaults or select reference surfaces.
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7.
To complete the feature creation, click OK in the dialog box.
Tip: Creating an N-Sided Surface

The shape of the N-sided patch depends on the geometry of the boundaries to be patched together.
For some boundaries, the N-sided patch may produce geometry with undesirable shape and
characteristics. For example, bad geometry may occur if
The boundaries have inflections

The angles between the boundary segments are very large (more than 160 degrees) or very
small (less than 20 degrees)
The boundaries consist of very long and very short segments
If the N-sided patch does not create a satisfactory geometry, you can either create a series of Nsided patches on a smaller number of boundaries, or use the Blended Surf functionality.
About Blend Tangent to Surfaces

The Blend Tangent to Surfaces functionality allows you to create a draft surface (blended
surface) tangent to surfaces from an edge or a curve. You may need to create a parting surface and
a reference curve such as a draft line, before using the Blend Tangent to Surfaces functionality.
The types of tangent draft surfaces are:
Curve-driven tangent draft surfaceCreates a surface on one or both sides of a parting surface
between a reference curve (such as a parting curve or a sketched curve) and selected surfaces of
the reference part, tangent to these surfaces. The reference curve must lie outside the reference
part.
Constant-angle tangent draft outside a draft surfaceCreates a surface by following the
trajectory of the reference curve and creating surfaces at a specified constant angle to the pull
direction. Use this feature to add tangent draft to surfaces that cannot be drafted with the regular
Draft feature. You can also use this feature to add tangent drafts to a rib with rounded edges and
preserve tangency to the reference part.
Constant-angle tangent draft inside a draft surfaceCreates a surface with a constant draft
angle inside the draft surface. This surface is created on one or both sides of a reference curve
(such as a draft curve or a silhouette curve) at a specified angle to the reference part surfaces and
provides a rounded transition between the draft surfaces and the adjacent surfaces of the reference
part.
When creating a tangent draft, you must select the draft type, the draft direction, and specify the
pull direction or accept the default draft direction. Next, select a reference curve and define other
draft references such as tangent surfaces or draft angle and radius, depending on the tangent draft
type.
The optional elements of a tangent draft are:
Closing SurfacesLets you trim or, in some cases, extend the tangent draft up to selected
surfaces. Use this element when adjacent surfaces are located at an angle to the surface being
drafted.
Note: A closing surface must always be a solid surface. A datum plane or a surface geometry
cannot be a closing surface.
Spine CurvesLets you specify an additional curve that controls the orientation of normals
to the sectioning plane. Use this element if using the reference curve alone results in the
geometry intersecting itself.
Cap AngleFor one-sided curve-driven tangent drafts. Controls the draft angle for additional planes
that are automatically created when a draft line does not extend to the surface borders and you
have not specified the closing surfaces. If you do not specify a value, Pro/ENGINEER uses a zero
angle.
Finally, you can edit the reference curve by using the Curves tabbed page in the Tangent Surface
dialog box. Select the reference curve segments to include in the draft line or exclude from the draft
line. Use this functionality when Pro/ENGINEER has trouble creating the tangent draft, for example,
when the reference curve intersects itself.
To Create a Quilt Tangent to a Surface

1.
Create a reference curve.
2.
Click Insert > Advanced > Blend Tangent to Surfaces. The Tangent Surface dialog box
opens, with
3.
4.
selected by default.
Specify the draft direction by selecting one of the following:

o
One SidedThe draft is created only on one side of the reference curve.
Two SidedThe draft is created on both sides of the reference curve.

Specify the pull direction.
4.
Click the References tab, click
under Draft Line Selection, and select the reference
curve. The reference curve must lie outside the reference part geometry.
Note: If you have selected One Sided as the draft direction earlier, then you can click
under Parting Surface and select the parting surface.
6.
Pro/ENGINEER automatically determines the surfaces that the draft is tangent to. However, if
you are not satisfied with the automatic selection, click

appropriate surfaces on the reference part.
under Tangent To and select the
6.
Click
to preview the tangent draft geometry. If required, you can change the draft
geometry by specifying the Closing Surfaces, Spine Curves, or Cap Angle, located on the
Options tabbed page. You can also edit the reference curve by using the Curves tabbed page.
6.
When satisfied with the feature geometry, click
the feature.
to close the dialog box and create
Reference Curve Requirements for Curve-Driven Tangent Drafts

To create a curve-driven tangent draft, you must first create a reference curve. You can create a
reference curve as a sketched curve, a parting curve, or a silhouette curve with an offset. The
reference curve must,
Be continuous, tangent, and nonintersecting.

Lie outside the reference part and be visible along the pull direction from both sides of the
part.
Lie on the parting surface when creating a solid one-sided draft.
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The following example shows the correct placement of the reference curve.
1.
Reference part (side view)
2.
Reference curve (viewed on end)
3.
Pull Direction
The next example shows an incorrect placement of the reference curve, because if you look from
the bottom of the part along the pull direction, the reference curve is obscured by the part
geometry.
1.
Reference part (side view)
2.
Reference curve (viewed on end)
3.
Pull Direction
Example: Creating a Curve-Driven Tangent Draft

This example shows how to create a tangent draft on both sides of the reference curve plane. You
can use any type of curve to create a curve-driven tangent draft, but to control the draft angle,
create the curve as a parting line with the appropriate angle, as shown in this example.
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1.
opens, with
selected by default.
2.
Click the References tab. The Menu Manager and the CHAIN menu appear.
3.
Select a curve or an edge and click Done.
4.
Click
5.
under Tangent To and select the appropriate reference surface.
Click
. The following illustration shows a tangent draft on both sides of the
reference curve plane.
Example: Specifying Cap Angle and Closing Surfaces

This example shows how to create a curve-driven solid tangent draft on one side of the sketched
reference curve (1). In this example, the feature is added in Part mode.
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1.
Create a flat surface that passes through the part, as shown in the following illustration.
2.
opens.
2.
Select One Sided under Direction.
2.
To specify the pull direction, select the surface created in Step 1 and click Okay.
2.
curve.
2.
Select the Tangent To reference curve (the default is automatic) and click Done.
2.
Click
under Parting Surface and select the surface created in Step 1.
2.
Click
. The tangent draft is created on one side of the reference curve, according to
the pull direction, as shown in the following illustration.
9.
Click the Options tab, type 30 in the Cap Angle Value box, and press ENTER.
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9.
Click
. The angle of the planar surfaces (1) changes on both sides of the tangent draft feature, as shown
in the next illustration.
11.
Depending on your design intention, you may want the tangent draft to extend the complete
length of the part. Therefore, instead of specifying the Cap Angle, click
under Select Surfaces
on the Options tabbed page and select the two closing surfaces of the part (1 and 2).
The resulting tangent draft geometry is shown in the following illustration.
Note: Depending on the draft line geometry, Pro/ENGINEER may or may not be able to extend the
draft surface up to the closing surfaces. It is recommended that you use appropriate tools to create
and modify curves to ensure that the draft line extends up to or past the intended closing surfaces,
and then create a tangent draft.
To Create a Constant-Angle Tangent Draft Outside a Draft

Surface
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1.
opens.
2.
Click
2. Specify the draft direction by selecting one of the following:
4.

Note: If you are creating a one-sided draft, the pull direction must point from the reference
curve in the same direction that the draft is being created.
5.
curve. The reference curve can be any chain of edges or curves (such as a draft curve). The
reference curve must lie on a surface of the reference part.
Note:You cannot select an assembly level silhouette curve as a reference curve for a tangent
draft. To create a tangent draft in the reference model, you must create a silhouette curve in the
reference model itself.
6.
In the Angle box, type the value for the draft angle.
6.
In the Radius box, type the value for the radius of the fillet that connects the draft surfaces
with the adjacent surfaces of the reference part.
6.
Click
geometry by specifying the Spine Curves or Closing Surfaces on the Options tabbed page. You
can also edit the reference curve by using the Curves tabbed page.
6.
the feature.
Example: Creating a Constant-Angle Tangent Draft Outside a

Draft Surface
In this example, a 5-degree draft is added to a rib, that has a 0.4" fillet at the bottom, as shown in
the following illustration. To preserve the fillet at the bottom, you must add a constant-angle
tangent draft (in this example, the feature is added in Part mode).
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1.
2.
opens.
Click
. The draft direction changes to One Sided.
3.
Specify the pull direction by selecting the top surface of the housing. A red arrow pointing in
the upward direction appears.
4.
Click Flip so that the red arrow points down, because the pull direction must point from the
reference curve in the direction of the tangent draft creation. Click Okay.
5.
Click the References tab and select the top edge of the rib (1), as shown in the next
illustration. Click Done.
6.
In the Angle box, type 5 and press ENTER.
6.
In the Radius box, type .4 and press ENTER (the radius is the same as the radius at the
bottom of the rib).
6.
Click
. The feature geometry is as shown in the following illustration.
9.
To make the tangent draft extend all the way to the side of the rib, click the Options tab,
click
under Select Surfaces, and select the side of the rib (1), as shown in the previous
illustration. Note that a gap exists between the tangent draft geometry and the central cylinder of
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the housing. To avoid this gap, hold down the CTRL key and select the side surface of the central
cylinder (2) as the second closing surface. Click OK in the SELECT dialog box.
9.
Click
. The new feature geometry is as shown in the next illustration.
11.
Click
. The constant-angle tangent draft is created.
11.
Repeat the procedure to create a constant-angle tangent draft on the other side of the rib.
To Create a Constant-Angle Tangent Draft Inside a Draft Surface

1.
opens.
2.
Click
3. Specify the draft direction by selecting one of the following:
4.

4.
curve. The reference curve can be any chain of edges or curves (such as a draft line). The reference
curve must lie on a surface of the reference part.
4.
In the Angle box, type the value for the draft angle.
4.
In the Radius box, type the value for the radius of the fillet that connects the draft surfaces
with the adjacent surfaces of the reference part.
4.
Click
geometry by specifying the Spine Curves or Closing Surfaces on the Options tabbed page. You
can also edit the reference curve by using the Curves tabbed page.
4.
the feature.
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Example: Creating a Constant-Angle Tangent Draft Inside a

Draft Surface
This example shows how to draft the walls of the reference part by 5 degrees, while maintaining the
dimensions at the bottom of the part and preserving the 0.4" fillet at the top.
1.
opens.
2.
Click
. The draft direction changes to One Sided.
3.
Accept the default pull direction.
4.
curve.
4.
On the CHAIN menu, click Tangnt Chain, select a bottom edge of the reference part as
shown in the following illustration, and click Done.
6.
In the Angle box, type 5 and press ENTER.
6.
In the Radius box, type .4 and press ENTER (the radius value is the same as the radius of
the top fillet).
6.
Click
. The tangent draft cut is created as shown in the next illustration.
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Tip: Creating a Solid Draft from a Non-Solid Draft

To create a solid draft from a nonsolid draft, you must create a quilt tangent at both sides, cap the
ends, and merge the quilted surfaces, then create the solid protrusion with either the Use Quilt or
Patch command.
Note: The system cannot generate drafts (solid or nonsolid) if any portion of the draft line is parallel
to the pull direction.
To Create a Surface-to-Surface Blend

Use the Blend Between Surfaces command to create a smooth surface or solid transition between
two surfaces.
The surfaces used for this feature must have matching tangency points for each point on their
surfaces, such as with two spheres. The surfaces must be inclined toward each other by at least a
30 angle.
1.
Click Insert > Advanced > Blend Between Surfaces > Surface. The SURFACE: Surface
to Surface Blend dialog box opens.
2.
Select the first surface to form the tangent surface boundary.
3.
Select the second surface and middle-click. The blend is created.
CREATING A RIBBON SURFACE

About a Ribbon Surface
A Ribbon surface is a datum that represents a tangent field created along a base curve. The Ribbon
surface is tangent to reference curves that intersect the base curve.
You can use a Ribbon surface to impose tangency conditions between two surface features. With the
Ribbon surface you can define the patch structure so that adjacent surfaces can be made tangent to
each other without using one of them as a tangent reference. In this way, the Ribbon surface acts a
tangent reference. Using this method, you first create the Ribbon surface. They you can create each
surface and make it tangent to the Ribbon surface. After you have created tangency between two
adjacent surfaces, you can put the Ribbon surface on a layer and blank it.
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You can predefine a layer for ribbon surfaces. To do this, specify the name for the layer using the
def_layer(LAYER_RIBBON_FEAT) configuration option. Each time you create a ribbon surface, the
system automatically adds it to this layer.
To Create a Ribbon Surface

1.
2.
Click Insert > Model Datum > Ribbon. The DATUM: Ribbon dialog box opens.
On the Menu Manager, Add Curve in the RIBBON ITEM menu is active. Select the base
curve. You can select a single curve or a chain of curves. The system uses the base curve as a
trajectory for the ribbon surface.
You can remove the curve with the Remove Curve command and show selected curves with the
Show All Curves command. When finished selecting the base curve, click Done Curves.
3.
Select the first reference curve. You can continue selecting additional reference curves. When
you are finished, click Done Curves.
The system creates the Ribbon surface with the default width.
4.
Optionally, you can define the width of the ribbon surface. Select the Width element in the
dialog box and click Define. Enter the width of the surface.
4.
Click OK to finish.
Example: Using a Ribbon Surface

This example shows how to create two boundary blends on both sides of the middle curve that are
tangent to each other. To impose tangency between two boundary blends, create a Ribbon surface
along the middle curve. When defining reference curves for the Ribbon surface, select the three
inner curves on both sides of the middle curve.
The Ribbon surface (shown with red boundaries) is now tangent to all the reference curves.
Create the boundary blend on the left side of the middle curve. When defining boundary conditions,
specify a tangency condition on the middle curve by referencing the Ribbon surface. Because the
Ribbon is tangent to the inner side curves on the right, the boundary blend on the left is now
tangent to the curve on the right.
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Create the boundary blend on the right and make it tangent to the Ribbon surface.
TRIMMING QUILTS
About Trimming Quilts
You can trim quilts in several ways:
By adding a cut or slot as you do to remove material from solid features
By trimming the quilt at its intersection with another quilt or to its own silhouette edge as it
appears in a certain view
By filleting corners of the quilt
By trimming along a datum curve lying on the quilt

For more information refer to the topic About the Trim Feature of the Part Modeling module of
Pro/ENGINEER Help.
To Trim a Quilt Using a Basic Form

1.
2.
3.
Click Insert > Sweep, Blend, Helical Sweep or Swept Blend > Surface Trim. The
SURFACE TRIM dialog box opens.
Select the quilt to trim.
Start creating the cut geometry, as you do for solid protrusions. The surface definition that
you create is used only for trimming and will not appear in the model.
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4.
If you create geometry using the Solid option, specify the side of the quilt to keep by
choosing Side 1, Side 2, or Both Sides from the DIRECTION menu. Click Done. Selecting
either side of the quilt to keep preserves references of the original quilt.
5.
If you chose Both Sides, an additional element Primary Quilt is added to the dialog box so
that you can specify which of the two new quilts will inherit the children of the original quilt. To
do this, click Primary Quilt and Define in the dialog box. Click Side 1 or Side 2 and Done
from the DIRECTION menu.
6.
Click OK.
Trimming a Quilt Using Curves

You can trim a quilt along a chain of datum curves or edges.
The rules for defining a surface trim using a datum curve are as follows:
You can use a continuous chain of datum curves, inner surface edges, or solid model edges
to trim a quilt.
Datum curves used for trimming must lie on the quilt to be trimmed and should not extend
beyond the boundaries of this quilt.
If the curve does not extend to the boundaries of the quilt, the system calculates the
shortest distance to the quilt boundary and continues the trim in this direction.
Example: Trimming a Quilt Using Curves
1 Select these datum curves.

2 This arrow indicates the portion to keep.
To Trim a Quilt Using Vertex Round

Use Vertex Round to create fillets on outer quilt edges.
1.
Click Insert > Advanced > Vertex Round. The SURFACE TRIM: Vertex Round dialog
box opens.
22
2.
Select vertices at the corners of the quilt to be rounded and click OK. All selected vertices
must belong to the same quilt.
3.
Enter the fillet radius. This radius will be applied to all selected vertices.
4.
Click OK in the dialog box.
Example: Trimming with Vertex Round

This figure shows the corners to be rounded with the Vertex Round command.
1 Select these vertices to be rounded.
The next figure shows the resulting quilt.
FLATTENING AND BENDING FEATURES

To Create a Flattened Quilt
1.
Click Insert > Advanced > Flatten Quilt. The FLATTEN QUILT dialog box opens.
2.
Select a source quilt to flatten.
3.
Select a datum point on the quilt to be the origin point. Two red arrows indicate the u-v
directions of the quilt.
4.
Specify one of the following methods for determining the parameterization of the quilt:
o
Automatic(Default) The system defines the parameterization.

Note: If the system cannot perform a transformation, use the Aided or Manual option.
AidedSelect four vertices or datum points on the quilt boundary. The system uses these
four points to create a reference surface.
23
o
ManualSpecify a reference surface to use for parameterization. The reference surface

must exist in the model prior to the operation.
5.
Optionally, you can position the flattened quilt so it lies in the XY plane of a selected
coordinate system and orient the quilt as desired. To do this, select Specify Placement and specify
the following:
o
o
To define the XY plane, select or create a coordinate system.

To orient the flattened quilt in the XY plane, select a point on the original quilt. The system
creates a vector from the origin point to the selected x-direction point. The system orients the
flattened quilt to align this vector with the x-axis of the plane.
6.
Specify the number of steps for each direction of the quilt by typing an integer from 10 to
100 in the Number of Steps 1 and Number of Steps 2 boxes respectively. The number of steps
determines the density of the grid used for the surface parameterization. When you click in the
respective box, a red arrow shows the corresponding direction of parameterization.
6.
Click
to create the feature.
Using Flatten Quilt

Use Flatten Quilt to unfold a quilt.
To unfold the quilt, the system creates a uniform parameterization of the surface and then unfolds
it, preserving the parameterization of the original quilt. To create the parameterization of the source
quilt, the system uses a reference surface that approximates and encloses the source quilt. The
system can define the reference surface internally, or you can create a surface and then use it for
parameterization.
Note: A Flatten Quilt feature is a single surface of the type Plane.
The system unfolds the quilt with respect to the fixed origin point that you select. By default, the
system places the flattened quilt on the plane that is tangent to the original quilt at the origin point.
Optionally, you can specify a different placement plane and orient the quilt as desired. To place the
quilt, select a coordinate system whose XY plane will be the placement plane. To orient the quilt,
select a datum point on the quilt. The system creates a vector from the origin point to specified
datum point and aligns this vector with the x-axis of the coordinate system.
Consider the following rules and recommendations:
The origin and the x-direction points must lie on the source quilt.
Surfaces of the source quilt must be tangent to each other.
For the Manual transformation method, a reference surface must be present in the model
before you start the Flatten Quilt operation.
When you use the Aided option, the corner points must lie on the boundaries of the source
quilt or their extensions.
If the system fails to transform the quilt using the Automatic and Aided option, click the
Manual transformation method and select a reference surface that you have previously created.
Tip: You can create a reference surface for a quilt as a boundary blend by using the source quilt
boundaries and several additional curves to approximate the original quilt.
Example: Flattening a Quilt
24
Case 1: Flattening a Quilt Using the Default Placement

This figure shows a quilt to flatten. The datum point PNT0 is selected as the origin point.
The next figure shows the flattened quilt (shown on top of the source quilt) in its default placement.
Notice that the flattened quilt is tangent to the source quilt at the origin point PNT0.
Case 2: Flattening a Quilt with the Placement Option

The next figure shows a quit to flatten. The datum point PNT0 is selected as the origin point. The
coordinate system CS1 and datum point PNT1 are used for positioning the resulting quilt.
25
The next figure shows the results of the Flatten Quilt operation. The flattened quilt lies in the XY
plane of the coordinate system CS1. A vector created from PNT0 to PNT1 is aligned with the x-axis
of the XY plane.
To Create a Solid Bend

After you have created a flattened quilt, you can use Solid Bend to flatten curves and bend a solid.
1.
Click Insert > Advanced > Bend Solid. The SOLID BEND dialog box opens.
2.
Select a Flatten Quilt feature.
3.
Specify the Bend Options by choosing one of the following options:

o
Flatten CurvesTransform datum curves from the original quilt to the flattened quilt.
Bend SolidTransform a solid from the flattened quilt to the original quilt.
4.
If you are flattening curves, select the curves on the flat quilt that you want to transform. To
reselect the curves, click Source Curves.
4.
Click
to create the feature.
Using Solid Bend

You can use Bend Solid to:
Flatten (unbend) curves
Bend solids
Use Bend Solid to transform the solid that lies in the vicinity of the flattened quilt to the source
quilt. Alternatively, you can transfer datum curves from the source quilt to the flattened quilt using
the Flatten Curves option.
Consider the following restrictions:
Selected curves must reference the surfaces of the source quilt of the Flatten Quilt feature.
The solid should lie in the vicinity of the flattened quilt and should not cross the boundaries
of this quilt.
26
CREATING SOLID GEOMETRY USING QUILTS

About Creating Solid Geometry Using Quilts
To create solid geometry using quilts, you must first select the quilts before using the required
commands. There are three methods of creating solid geometry by using quilts:
Replace an entire part surface with a quilt. Surface replacement differs from protrusions and
cuts because it can add material in some places and remove it in others. Surface replacement is a
surface deformation feature, and is created using Offset on the Edit menu.
Create a "patch", a feature that replaces a portion of a solid surface (or surfaces) with a quilt
whose boundaries lie on the surfaces being patched. This feature is created using Solidify on the
Edit menu.
Create a construction feature (protrusion, cut, or slot) by using a quilt as the solid features
boundaries. Geometry will be added or subtracted up to the border of the quilt used. This is done
using Solidify on the Edit menu.
To Replace a Solid Surface with a Quilt

Offset allows you to replace a specified solid surface on the model with a datum plane or a quilt. By
default, when you replace a solid surface with a quilt, the system consumes the quilt. To preserve
the quilt, define the Keep Quilt element in the dialog box.
1.
Select the solid surface that needs to be replaced.
2.
Click Edit > Offset. The dashboard appears.
3.
From the list of offset types on the dashboard, select Replace
4.
Pick the replacement quilt.
4.
By default, the system consumes the replacement quilt. If you want to keep the quilt, click
Options and click the Keep Quilt check box.
6.
To complete feature creation, click
Note: If a child feature references the quilt that was kept with Keep Quilt, redefining the features
so as to not keep the quilt causes the references of the child to be missing.
FREEFORM SURFACES
About Creating Freeform Surfaces
You can create a freeform feature either as a solid tweak feature or as an advanced surface feature.
Surface Free Form allows you to "push" or "pull" on a surface, interactively changing its shape
either to create a new surface feature, or to modify a solid or quilt. Whenever the underlying
surface changes shape, the freeform feature also changes shape proportionally. The real-time
surface definition feedback allows you to immediately evaluate and modify the surface as required.
Display options for the surface include porcupine curvature, deviation, Gaussian curvature, sectional
curvature, slope, intersection curves, reflection curves, and cosmetic shading.
27
For a freeform surface, you can use the boundaries of the underlying base surface. Alternatively,
you can sketch the boundaries of the freeform surface; the system will then project them on the
underlying base surfaces.
The grid boundaries may extend beyond the underlying base surface. When creating a freeform
surface, you can trim or extend it to fit the underlying surface boundaries.
Example: Sample Freeform Surface

In this figure, the underlying surface boundaries appear in dashed font. The base surface is shown
meshed.
1 Base surface grid boundaries
To Select an Entire Surface for the Freeform Surface

1.
Click Insert > Advanced > Surface Free Form. The SURFACE: Free Form dialog box
opens.
2.
Select an existing surface. The system displays a grid of red isolines in the first direction.
3.
Enter the number of control curves in the first direction. The system displays a grid of red
isolines in the second direction.
4.
Enter the number of control curves in the second direction. The Modify Surface dialog box
opens. You can select a point on the grid to drag, or optionally you can use the Modify Surface
dialog box to define the Poly Motion region, turn on the dynamic diagnostics, or use sliders.
5.
When finished tweaking, click
in the Modify Surface dialog box.
6.
Click OK in the dialog box to create the freeform feature.
To Sketch a Boundary Region

1.
Click Insert > Advanced > Surface Free Form.
2.
The SURFACE: Free Form dialog box opens.
3.
Click Sket On Pln and Done on the FORM OPTS menu.
4.
Select the sketching plane and specify model references. Sketch a circle or a rectangle.
28
5.
The system displays a grid of red isolines in the first direction. Enter the number of control
curves in the direction of the arrow.
6.
The system displays another grid of isolines in the second direction. Enter the number of
control curves in the direction of the arrow.
7.
The Modify Surface dialog opens. You can select a point on the grid to drag, or optionally
you can use the Modify Surface dialog box to define the Poly Motion region, turn on the
dynamic diagnostics, or use sliders.
8.
9.
To Create a Freeform Quilt

1.
Click Insert > Advanced > Surface Free Form. The SURFACE: Free Form dialog box
opens.
2.
Select an existing surface to provide the solid or quilt reference (base) surface for the
freeform surface definition. The system displays a grid of red isolines in the first direction.
3.
Enter the number of control curves in the first direction. The system displays a grid of red
isolines in the second direction.
4.
Enter the number of control curves in the second direction. The Modify Surface dialog box
opens. You can select a point on the grid to drag, or optionally you can use the Modify Surface
dialog box to define the Poly Motion region, turn on the dynamic diagnostics, or use sliders.
5.
6.
COPYING A TRIMMED PORTION OF THE QUILTS

To Copy a Trimmed Portion of the Quilt
You can copy a trimmed portion of a quilt (surface patch). To define the portion of the quilt to copy,
you must select edges and curves that form a single closed loop.
1.
Select the quilt from which you want to copy a patch.
2.
Click Edit > Copy. The dashboard appears.
3.
Click Options and click Copy Inside boundary.
4.
5.
Click inside the Boundary curve collector. Select a closed contour as the boundary of the
patch.
Click
. The system creates a new quilt on top of the selected portion of the quilt.
29
STYLE
USING STYLE
TUTORIALS
An Overview of the Style Tutorials
This project contains several short tutorials addressing different Style functionality. The tutorials
are:
Overview of the Style User Interface
Overview of Modeling Techniques
Creating Curves and Surfaces
Understanding Connections
Redefining Surfaces
Using Proportional Update
Creating Curves On Surface (COSs)
Using the Internal Resolve Mode
Using Style with Reference Data
Overview of the Style User Interface

The Style module has its own user interface (similar to Sketcher), and it requires some explanation
as to what actions the various icons, dialog boxes, and menus perform. The following figure shows
the Pro/ENGINEER window with the Style interface displayed. The Style Quickbar is displayed
horizontally at the top of the window, and the Style Toolbar is displayed vertically at the right of the
window.
30
Style Toolbar
The geometry tools in the following figure duplicate many of the functions found on the Styling
menu:
Select
Set the active datum plane
Create curves
Edit curve
Create COS by projection
Create surfaces
Connect surfaces
Trim quilts
Done
Style Quickbar
The tools on the Quickbar shown are commonly used functions in Style.
Style Analysis Quickbar

The tools on the Quickbar shown are commonly used analysis functions in Style.
Curvature: curvature, radius, tangent options for curve, normal options for
surface.
Sections: curvature, radius, tangent, position options for cross sections and
position for highlight.
Offset: curve or surface
Shaded Curvature: gaussian, max, section options
Reflection
Draft Check
Slope
Display the Saved Analysis dialog
Delete all saved analyses
Styling Menu
The Styling menu contains several commands.
31
Style Commands on Other Menus

The Edit menu contains several Style commands.
The View menu also has Style options.
32
Style preferences are available on the Styling menu to set preferences for display, curvature plots,
and surface mesh. If you click Styling > Preferences, the following dialog box opens:
33
Shortcut Menus
The shortcut menus are as follows.
Right-click anywhere in the main window to open the view shortcut menu.
Right-click a tangent to open the tangent shortcut menu.
Right-click a soft-point to open the soft-point shortcut menu.
Right-click an endpoint (not a soft-point) on the curve to open the point shortcut menu.
Right-click an internal point (not a soft-point) on the curve to open the point shortcut menu.
34
Right-click anywhere on a selected curve (not on a point) to open the curve shortcut menu.
Four-View Layout
In Style you can work in a single view as in top-level Pro/ENGINEER, or you can click
View > Show All Views) and switch to the four-view layout shown. Click
single view.
(or click
again to return to
35
1 Vertical sash
2 Horizontal sash
Overview of Modeling Techniques

This tutorial demonstrates an overview of some basic Style modeling techniques, including creating
curves and surfaces, redefining surfaces, and understanding surface connections. For more detailed
tutorials on each subject, refer to the Table of Contents for individual titles.
To Build Four Curves

In this exercise you use a cylinder as the basic shape for a pitcher and build four curves to define
the shape of a spout.
1.
Drag the following file into the Pro/ENGINEER graphics window:

isdx_overview_start.zip
The File Open dialog box opens.
2.
Select isdx_overview_start.prt and click Open. The start part, consisting of a parametric
cylinder and a datum point, opens in the Pro/ENGINEER graphics window.
The cylinder height is 270, and the radius is 80. The point is offset from the surface by 30.
3.
Click Insert > Style.
36
3.
Click
. The Style dashboard displays the curve-related options.
Now create a spout shape at the top of the cylinder. The shape consists of four curvestwo
curves on surfaces (COSs) and two free curves.
5.
Click COS.
6.
Select two locations on the surface on which to create two points of a COS to be the side of
the spout.
6.
Click
(or middle-click).
6.
Select two locations on the surface on which to create two points of the COS to be the
bottom of the spout as shown in the following wireframe model:
1 Two free curves

2 Two COSs
9.
Click
(or middle-click).
9. Click Free.
9. Hold down SHIFT and select two locations to create two points of a free curve to be the top
edge of the spout (one point is snapped to the datum point, the other to the COS).
9. Middle-click.
9. Hold down SHIFT and select two locations to create two points of a free curve to be the outer
edge of the spout (one point is snapped to the datum point and the other to the COS). See the
preceding figure.
9. Click
Displaying Points
When a curve references some other geometry, the curve is said to be the child of the other
geometry, and the points on the curve are said to be soft. A point is displayed in one of four shapes
depending on what it references.
A free point in space is displayed as a solid dot.
37
A soft-point referencing a curve, facet data, and a solid or surface edge is displayed as a
circle.
A soft-point referencing a surface or solid face is displayed as a hollow square.
A fixed point is fully constrained and is displayed as an x.
To Build a Surface
This exercise shows how to build surfaces from curves.
1.
Click
. The Style dashboard displays the Surface-related options.
2.
Holding down CTRL, select the four curves you created previously. The surface is created.
3.
Click
. See the following figure:
38
To Connect the Free Curves to the Surface

The type of connection between curves and surfaces makes a tremendous difference in the shape of
the transition from the curve to the surface.
1.
Select the free curve that is the top edge of the spout.
2.
Click
3.
Click the endpoint that lies on the surface to display the tangent.
4.
Right-click the tangent to display the following tangent shortcut menu:
to edit the selected curve.
39
5. Select Surface Tangent.

5.
Repeat this procedure for the other free curve.

5. Click
5. Click
to regenerate the feature.
Understanding Updates
The Style feature is a superfeature that contains curves, surfaces, relations, and internal history. For
this reason, it has an internal regeneration and update mechanism.
resembles a traffic light.
When you modify a component of a superfeature, you must update its children using
To Connect the Style Surface to the Pro/ENGINEER Surface

Even though the curves are now connected, you must still make surface connections.
1.
Select the Style surface.
2.
Click
The connection icons are displayed as arrows on the surface as shown in the following figure:
3.
Click on the connection arrows to change their direction and level.

o
Clicking on the end of the icon changes the connection direction.
40
4.
Clicking in the middle of the icon raises the continuity level (if the curve connections allow).
Clicking with SHIFT held down removes the connection.

Click
To Create Normal Tangency

In this exercise, you connect the top and bottom horizontal curves of the Style surface to be normal
to a datum plane, and then make the spout surface centerline continuous.
The two criteria for establishing normal tangency are:
The curves that run into the center plane must have tangents of type Normal where they
touch the center plane.
The curve that lies on the center plane must be flat (either a planar curve, or a free curve
with a 2D shape).
1 Curve on the center plane

1.
Click
2.
Turn on the display of datum planes.
3.
and select the curve for editing.
Click the endpoint of the top horizontal curve that is attached to the datum point to display
the tangent.
4.
Right-click the tangent to display the tangent shortcut menu.
5.
Select Normal from the menu.
6.
Select the datum plane.
7.
Repeat steps 2 through 5 for the bottom horizontal curve.
8.
Connect the surface to the datum plane.
41
1 Connect this edge

2 To this plane
Note: If you see surface connect icons that do not have a neighbor surface, they are likely these
"normal to plane" connections.
To Exit the Style Feature

Exiting the Style feature allows you to merge the two surfaces into one quilt.
1.
Click
(Done).
2.
Merge the two surfaces into one quilt.
42
To Redefine the Style Feature

In this exercise you redefine the Style feature and edit the two curves on surfaces (COSs) to change
the shape of the spout.
1.
Select the Style feature.
2.
Right-click to display a shortcut menu in the feature tree.
3.
Click Edit Definition.
4.
Select one COS.
5.
Click
6.
Move the points of the curve to modify the shape of the curve, being careful to keep the
centerline curve on the centerline plane so it mirrors correctly.
7.
Middle-click to repeat.
8.
Select the other COS.
9.
Move the points of the curve.
10.
Click
43
11.
Click
12.
Exit the Style feature.
Now you can modify the datum point parametrically to increase or decrease the depth of the
spout opening.
Creating Curves and Surfaces

The techniques presented here are examples of the curve and surface creation tools. In this
procedure you learn how to modify the surfaces of a toaster model by inserting a blister to reduce
the weight and improve its aesthetics. The techniques you use can be applied to many products.
To Open the Start Part

In this exercise you open and set up the base model of a toaster.
1.

isdx_create_curve_surf.zip
2.
Select isdx_create_curve_surf.prt and click Open. The start part opens.
44
3.
In the Model Tree, drag the Insert Here arrow up until it is just below the datum curve.
Note that after you have moved the insert arrow, the features below it are suppressed in the Model
Tree and in the graphic window, as shown in the following figure:
45
Create Curves on the Model

In the next exercises you create three curves to drop onto the surface of the toaster model as you
begin shaping the side of the model to improve its aesthetics. To do this you drop three lines of the
sketched rectangle, as shown in the preceding figure, onto the outer curved surface of the
extrusion.
The type of feature you create is called a COS by Drop. COS (Curve on Surface) is a special kind of
curve constrained to lie on a single surface.
To Create a COS by Drop

1.
2.
3.
Click Insert > Style to create a new Style feature.

Click
to indicate the target surface, the curves to drop onto it, and the datum plane to
define the drop's direction.
Select the surface on which to drop the COS and middle-click.
4. Select the top and side curves of the sketched rectangle as indicated in the following figure:
1 Select these curves

2 Select this surface
5.
Select the Right datum plane as the direction for the drop.
5.
When you select the datum plane the curve is dropped onto the surface, and the Surfaces
text box on the dashboard is filled with names of the entities you selected.
46
5.
Click
to finish the COS.
Create the Remaining Curves

In this section you will create two more curves: one to define the bottom of the surface, and
another to create the blister in the side of the toaster.
The curve will be on planes that pass through each datum point. Both curves will have midpoints
attached to the datum points.
To Create the Curve for the Blister

1.
Click
2.
Click Planar from the dashboard.
3.
Click Refs to open the Planar or Free dialog box.
4.
Type 80 in the Offset box and press ENTER.

The active datum plane moves to pass through PNT1.
5.
Hold down SHIFT and click each of the vertical COSs that you dropped onto the surface in
the previous exercise.
5.
Middle-click to complete the curve. The new curve lies in a plane 80 units offset from the
bottom surface.
5.
Click
5.
Click Free.
5. Click Yes to convert the curve to a free curve. This also converts the end points to softpoints.
5. Click
and select the end points of the curve.
5. Right-click on the curve and select Midpoint. The midpoint is created.

5. Click
5.
Hold down SHIFT while you select the midpoint and move it toward the datum point PNT1
until the point highlights in red. This snaps the midpoint to PNT1.
5.
Click
to complete the curve.
To Create the Bottom Curve

1.
Click
2.
Click Planar.
3.
Hold down SHIFT and click to create a point at the bottom of each vertical drop curve. This
creates a planar curve at the base of the model.
4.
Middle-click to complete the curve.
5.
Click
6.
Click Free.
7.
Click Yes to convert the curve to a free curve. This process also converts the end points to
soft-points.
47
8.
Click
and select the end points of the curve.
9.
Right-click on the curve and select Midpoint. The midpoint is created.
10.
Click
11.
12.
Hold down SHIFT while you select the midpoint and move it toward the datum point PNT3
until the point is highlighted. This snaps the midpoint to PNT3.
Click
Create Surfaces and Change Connections

With the five curves on the model you will create two surfaces, and then edit the default surface
connections.
To Create the Surfaces

1.
Click
2.
Holding down CTRL, select four boundary curves (the three drop curves and the planar
curve) to create the top surface and middle-click.
3.
Holding down CTRL, select four boundary curves (the two vertical drop curves, the planar
curve, and the bottom curve) to create the bottom surface.
4.
Click
The surfaces look like the following figure in a wireframe display:
48
To Break the Default Surface Connections

1.
Hold down CTRL and select the two surfaces.
2.
Click
3.
4.
. The connection arrows are displayed on the model.
Hold down SHIFT and click on the middle of each connection arrow to break the connection.
The arrows are displayed as dashed lines.
Click
Make a Solid Cut with the Style Quilt

1.
Click
to finish the Style feature.
2.
Select the Style quilt.
3.
Click Edit > Solidify. Select the icon for trimming.
4.
Click Side 1 (red) to make a solid cut using the Style quilt.
5.
Click
to finish the cut.
The resulting model looks like the following figure:
6.
Resume all of the later features to reapply them to this new solid shape.
49
Understanding Connections
In the tutorial Creating Curves and Surfaces you made a solid cut in the model of a toaster to
lighten the model's contours. In this tutorial, you learn how to use Style connections to round the
edges of the cut, blending them smoothly with the rest of the model.
Begin with the toaster model as it was at the end of the Creating Curves and Surfaces tutorial, or
load the start part for this tutorial, isdx_connect_redefine.prt.To load the start part:
1.

isdx_connect_redefine.zip
2. Select isdx_connect_redefine.prt and click Open.
About Curve to Curve Connections

The key to establishing connections between surfaces in Style is to first make connections between
the parent curves. Connect the curves, and the surfaces will follow. Curve connections use the
concept of leader/follower (parent/child) curves. The leader maintains its shape while the follower
adapts its shape to meet the leader.
To Redefine the Free Curves

In this exercise, you redefine the two horizontal free curves shown in the following model:
50
1.
Select the Style quilt and right-click.
2.
Select Edit Definition.
3.
Select one of the free curves.
4.
Click
5.
Click one of the curve's endpoints to activate its tangent.
6.
Right-click on the tangent to display the following shortcut menu:
7.
Select Surface Tangent.
7.
Click the curve's other endpoint and repeat the two preceding steps for its tangent.
7. Select the other free curve and repeat the steps 5 through 8.
7. Click
51
About Surface Connections

Surface connections use the concept of leaders (parents) and followers (children). A leader surface
does not change its shape, while a follower surface changes its shape to meet the leader. Surface
connection icons are displayed on the surface as shown. Arrows point in the direction of influence
(from parent to child).
1 No connection (G0)
2 Tangent connection (G1)
3 Curvature connection (G2)
About Normal Connections

As you make surface connections, you may notice connection icons where there is no apparent
connecting surface as shown outlined by the white box in the following figure. These are
connections to the datum plane.
The two criteria for establishing centerline tangency are as follows:
The curves that run into the center plane must have tangents of type Normal where they
touch the center plane.
The curve that lies on the center plane must be flat (either a planar curve, or a free curve
with a 2D shape).
To Make Style Surface Connections

Even though the curves are now connected, you must still make surface connections.
52
1.
Select both Style surfaces.
2.
Click
3.
Click each connection icon. These connections change according to the following rules:
o
Clicking on the end of the icon changes the connection direction (if the curve connections
allow it).
Clicking in the middle of the icon raises the continuity level (if the curve connections allow
it).
o
4.
Clicking in the middle of the icon with SHIFT held down removes the connection.
Click
to complete the Style feature. The cut is updated to look like the following figure:
Making Further Modifications

The final cut shown in the preceding figure could be modified by free form or by parametric
methods.
Freeform modifications can create sculpted appearances by varying the length of curve tangents,
and by varying the type of surface connections of the two Style surfaces.
Parametric modifications can be made to the initial rectangle and the datum points.
Redefining Surfaces
In this tutorial you learn how to redefine Style surfaces by changing boundary references and
adding internal curves.
53
To Create a Curve to Redefine a Surface

1.

isdx_surface_redefine.zip
2.
Select isdx_surface_redefine.prt and click Open. The start part as shown in the following
figure, opens in the Pro/ENGINEER graphics window:
3.
Select the Style quilt in the Model Tree. Right-click and select Edit Definition on the
shortcut menu. See the following figure. The white arrow shows the new curve being added.
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4.
Click
4.
Holding down SHIFT, click near the bottom of one vertical curve and then click near the
bottom of the other.
4.
4.
Click
4. Click
. Right-click on the curve and select Midpoint to add a midpoint to the curve.
and press SHIFT to snap the midpoint to PNT3.
4.
Move one endpoint of the new curve to the bottom of the vertical curve, and repeat for the
other endpoint.
4.
Click
To Redefine the Boundary References of the Surface

1.
Select the bottom Style surface.
2.
Right-click and select Edit Definition on the shortcut menu.
3.
Click the Boundary selection arrow.
4.
Select the new curves for the surface boundary.
4.
Click
to finish the surface definition.
To Add Internal Curves to the Surface

In this exercise you create an internal curve on the redefined surface. The internal curve changes
the shape of the surface by adding loft.
1.
Click
2.
Click
to select the active datum plane.
3.
Select the FRONT datum plane as shown in the following figure:
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4.
Click Planar from the Style dashboard. The offset should be 0.0 by default.
4.
Hold down SHIFT and snap to the top curve of the surface, then snap to the bottom curve,
creating a planar curve on the FRONT datum plane.
4.
Edit the curve shape as desired.
4.
Click
Add the Internal Curve to the Surface

1.
Select the Style surface.
2.
Right-click and select Edit Definition on the shortcut menu.
3.
Click the Internal selection arrow.
3.
Select the new internal curve as shown by the arrow in the next figure, and middle-click.
3.
Click
3.
Click
to finish the Style feature.
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Using Proportional Update

Proportional update allows a curve's free points to move in proportion to the soft-points. So, the
curve retains its shape proportionally while being edited.
In this tutorial you modify the shape of a vacuum cleaner model to reduce its internal volume while
maintaining the overall design intent.
First, you see a simple example of proportional update with a single curve. The next figure shows a
curve with two soft-points snapped to two other curves, which is the minimum requirement for a
curve to change proportionally.
The next figure shows the results of an edit moving the right soft-point when the Proportional
Update option is turned off for this curve. Only the point being dragged is moved.
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The next figure shows the same edit on the curve when Proportional Update is turned on. You can
see in Figure 3 that the other points on the curve move in proportion to the point being dragged.
To Begin the Exercise

1.

isdx_proport_update.zip
2. Select isdx_proport_update.prt and click Open. The model, as shown in the following
figure, opens in the Pro/ENGINEER graphics window:
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To Redefine a Feature Proportionally

Proportional update works when a curve has two (or more) soft-points, so you need a construction
curve to guide the proportional change. The construction curve is built onto the two ends of a profile
curve, and then unlinked from it.
1.
Select the feature STYLEBODYLOWER from the Model Tree, right click and select Edit
Definition.
Now the model appears as is shown in the figure below. You will create a construction curve
between the top corners and unlink the soft-points.
2.
Click
2.
Snap (by clicking and holding down the SHIFT key) to the top corners of the profile curve
creating a new curve.
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1 Soft-points created by snapping

2 Top profile curve
4.
Click
and select the curve.
4.
Right-click on one of the soft-points to open the shortcut menu shown below:
6.
Click Unlink to unlink the soft-point, and repeat step 5 & 6 for the other soft-point on the
curve.
6.
Select the top profile curve.
6.
Press the SHIFT key while you click to select one endpoint, and then drag the endpoint to
snap to the end of the construction curve.
6. Repeat the steps for the other endpoint of the profile curve. If you click one of the endpoints
now and move it, only the one point moves.
6.
Click the front endpoint and move it to see that the curve scales non-proportionally.
6.
Select the Proportional Update option from the Style dashboard.
6.
Click the front endpoint and move it to see that the curve scales proportionally now.
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1 Profile curve is resized proportionally now
To Make Proportional Updates to the Rest of the Model

You may want the front (vertical) curve on the model to move proportionally when it is updated.
1.
Undo the last edit where you moved the curve in the previous procedure.
2.
Click
3.
Select the front (vertical) curve.
4.
Select the Proportional Update option.
5.
Now edit the shape of the top curve, until you are satisfied with the shape.
6.
Click
to complete the Style feature.
The final model is shown in the following figure. Both curves have proportional updates turned on.
61
1 Curves with proportional updates
Creating Curves on Surfaces (COSs)

This tutorial teaches you to create Curves on Surfaces (COSs) by dropping curves on a surface or by
creating points for the curve on a surface.
To Create the Curve Profiles

In this exercise you will create two curves and drop them on the model's surfaces to shape the front
edge of the model.
1.

isdx_create_cos_start.zip
2.
Select isdx_create_cos_start.prt and click Open. The start part opens. The start part,
consisting of two flat surfaces that act as the top and front faces of the model, opens in the
Pro/ENGINEER graphics window.
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3.
Create two datum planes that are offset from the FRONT and TOP datum planes, as shown in
the following figure.
4.
4.
Click
4.
Select the DTM1 datum plane.
4.
Click
4.
Create a curve that is the profile for the front face of the model.
4.
4.
Click
4.
Select the DTM2 datum plane.

4. Click
to specify the active datum plane.
to change the active datum plane.
4.
Create a curve that is the profile for the top face of the model.
4.
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The following figure shows the two curve profiles.
1 Two curves
To Drop the Profile Curves onto the Surfaces

1.
Click
. The Style dashboard opens.
2.
Select the top surface and middle-click.
3.
Select the curve on the DTM2 datum plane and middle-click.
4.
Select the TOP datum plane to specify a direction for the drop.
5.
5.
Middle-click again.
5. Select the front surface and middle-click.
5.
Select the curve on the DTM1 datum plane and middle-click.
5.
Select the FRONT datum plane.
5.
Click
The following figure shows the dropped curves.
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1 Two dropped curves
To Create a Fillet Surface from the Dropped Curves

1.
2.
Click
Hold down the SHIFT key and snap to the ends of the dropped curves to create a free curve
that connects the two ends.
3.
Repeat step 2 and connect the other ends of the dropped curves.
4.
Click
4.
Right-click on an endpoint of the free curve and select Surface Tangent on the shortcut
menu.
4.
Repeat step 5 for other endpoints of the free curves.
7.
Click
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7.
.
Click
7.
Click Planar on the dashboard.
7.
Create a planar curve on the RIGHT datum plane by holding down the SHIFT key and
snapping the endpoints of the planar curve to the dropped curve.
7.
Click
7.
Click on an endpoint of the planar curve.
7.
Move the tangent to edit the shape of the planar curve, as shown.
14.
Repeat steps 12-13 for other endpoints of planar curves.
14.
Click
14.
Select the four boundary curves.
14.
Click OK in the Select dialog box.
14.
Click the Internal selection arrow on the Style dashboard. The Select dialog box opens.
14.
Select the planar curve as the internal curve.
14.
Click OK in the Select dialog box. A boundary surface is created.

14. Click
.The Style dashboard and the Select dialog box open.
. The following figure shows the boundary surface.
66
22.
Click
to trim the surface using the dropped curves.
22.
Select the top quilt and middle-click.
22.
Select the dropped curve on the top surface and middle-click.
22.
Select the smaller of the two meshed surfaces.
22.
Click
27.
Repeat the above trimming quilt operation for the front surface.
The following figure shows the two trimmed surfaces.
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To Add Detail to the Surfaces using COS

In this exercise, you will create four curves on the surface, and use them as boundary curves to
create a detail surface on the front of the model.
To Create COSs
1.
Click Insert > Style to create another Style feature.
2.
Click
3.
Click COS.
4.
Create a COS, as shown in the following figure.
1 Curve on Surface (COS)

5.
5.
Repeat steps 4-5 to create four COSs as shown in the following figure. Use the SHIFT key to
snap each COS to the end of the other.
68
1 Four curves on surface (COSs)

7.
Click
7.
Select the RIGHT datum plane as the active plane.
7.
Click
7.
Create a planar curve and snap the endpoint to the COSs near the front and top surface.
7.
Click
7.
Right-click on the endpoints of the planar curve and click Surface Tangent on the shortcut
menu.
7.
Right-click on the planar curve and click Add Midpoint on the shortcut menu. A midpoint is
added.
7.
Select this midpoint and move it slightly inside to modify the shape of the planar curve as
shown.
69
1 Planar curve
To Trim the Fillet Surface

1.
Click
2.
Select the fillet surface that you created earlier from the dropped curves and middle-click.
3.
Select the four COSs created earlier and middle-click. The portion between the COSs from
the surface is removed. The final quilt is as shown in the following figure.
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4.
Click
. The Style dashboard and the Select dialog box opens.
4.
Select the four COSs as the boundary curves.
4.
4.
Click the Internal selection arrow on the Style dashboard. The Select dialog box opens.
4.
Select the planar curve as the internal curve.
4.
Click OK in the Select dialog box. The surface is created.
4.
Click
. The final model is as shown in the following figure.
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Using the Internal Resolve Mode

In this tutorial you learn how to use Style's internal resolve functionality to fix failed updates within
the Style feature. One unique aspect of Style's internal resolve mode is the ability to continue
working on a model even though regeneration has failed.
To Understand Resolve
1.

isdx_resolve_mode.zip
2.
Select isdx_resolve_mode.prt and click Open. The following part opens in the
Pro/ENGINEER graphics window:
72
3.
Select the Style feature in the Model Tree.
3.
Right-click and select Edit Definition.
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5.
Select the internal curve on the top of the phone.

5. Click Edit > Delete (or press DELETE).
The Delete dialog box is displayed. The Delete dialog box appears because the entity you are
deleting has children, and Style must be able to handle the children after the parent curve is
deleted.
o
DeleteDeletes the children.
UnlinkRemoves the internal curve from the surface.
SuspendSuspends the failure for later resolution.
CancelCancels the Delete command.
7. Click Suspend.
The Regenerate traffic light turns yellow because entities are out of date. Clicking the yellow
traffic light opens the Resolve dialog box and turns the light red. Other methods to access the
Resolve dialog box are:
o
Try to exit a Style feature that has a failure.
Click Edit > Resolve. The Resolve dialog box opens.
A blocked entity is a child of a failed entity. The regeneration system does not try to regenerate
children of failed entities, but considers them blocked.
8.
In the Resolve dialog box, select the name of the failed entity (SF-21) and notice that the
explanation is "Missing reference for internal curve."
8.
Click Unlink to unlink the failing reference.
10.
Click the traffic light to regenerate the feature. The light changes from red to green
indicating the regeneration is complete and successful.
Make Another Change to the Phone Model

1.
Select the Style curve shown by the arrow at the top of the phone.
74
2.
.
Click
2. Click on the endpoint of the curve to display the tangent.
2.
Right-click on the tangent to display the tangent shortcut menu:
5. Select Natural.
5.
Click
to see the failure.
The Resolve dialog box opens with the failure of entity SF-21. The explanation is "Cross curves
are not consistent with surface connection," because you have just broken a curve connection,
but Style is trying to maintain the surface connection.
In Style, the Resolve dialog box does not prevent you from further work. In this case you can
use
to remake all curve connections and resolve all features.
7.
Click
7.
Click on the curve's endpoint to display the tangent.
7.
Right-click on the tangent to display the tangent shortcut menu.
7.
Select Tangent.
7.
Click
and see the feature regenerate successfully.
Make a Third Change to the Phone

1.
Select one of the short vertical curves on the side of the phone.
2.
Click
3.
Click on a curve endpoint to display the tangent.
4.
Right-click on the tangent to display the tangent shortcut menu.
5.
Select Natural.
6.
Click Edit > Resolve to see the failure in the Resolve dialog box.
This failure is the surface connection normal to the TOP datum plane.
7.
Click Unlink to unlink the failed surface connection.
75
7.
Click
and see the feature regenerate successfully.
Other Options on the Resolve Dialog Box
Redefine the failed entity, for example, by selecting new boundary curves for a surface.
Operate on the failed entity. Completely unlink all references. If the failed entity is a
COS, planar curve, or drop curve, the Unlink option also converts the curve type to free.
Convert a planar or COS curve to a free curve.
Delete the failed entity.
Obtain information about the failed entity.
Perform a local regeneration on the failed entity.
Using Style with Reference Data

Style features can build geometry that references most other types of geometry, including other
Pro/ENGINEER solid data, imported scan curves, and facet data. This tutorial demonstrates the main
Style tools for this.
Part 1: Freeform Blending between Pro/ENGINEER Features

In this exercise, you learn how Style can create smooth freeform blends between two
Pro/ENGINEER parametric features.
1.

isdx_reference_data_1.zip
2.
Select isdx_reference_data_1.prt and click Open. The following figure which shows part
of a model of an engine air intake, opens in the Pro/ENGINEER graphics window. You will create the
surfaces to blend these parts together.
76
3.
3.
Click
3. Create four free curves that attach to the surface edges as shown below.
77
Make sure you attach these Style curves to the edge in each case. You will notice the edge is
briefly highlighted when you snap to it, but if you have doubt as to what entity you are snapping
to, use the Sel Bin as described below:
a.
Right-click to open the shortcut menu.
b.
Click Show Sel Bin to open the Selections dialog box.
c.
From the Query bin, select the edge you want your curve snapped to.
d.
Click Accept.
To Connect the Curves to the Surfaces

To successfully use the Style curves to create surfaces for the intake model, you will create two
kinds of tangent connections, edge and surface.
Tangent Edge Connection

1.
Click
2.
Select one of the curves attached to the interior of the existing surface.
3.
Click an endpoint to display the tangent.
4.
Right-click the tangent to display the shortcut menu.
5.
Select Tangent.
5.
Repeat for the other curve attached to the interior of the surface edge.
1 Endpoints with tangent connections
Surface Tangent Connection

1.
Select one of the remaining curves.
2.
Click an endpoint to display the tangent.
3.
Right-click the tangent to display the tangent shortcut menu.
4.
Select Surface Tangent.
4.
Repeat steps 2 through 4 for the other endpoint of the curve.
4.
Repeat steps 1 through 5 for the other three curves.
To Create Surfaces
You can use solid or surface edges as well as datum curves as boundaries for Style surfaces.
78
1.
Click
.
2.
Select four boundary curves.
3.
Middle-click to repeat to build three Style surfaces.

You can adjust the connection length, length and angle of the tangent vectors for the smoothest
shape.
Changes to the parent parametric features will flex the Style surfaces, and editing the Style
curves will also change the shape of the Style surfaces.
Part 2: Scan Data

In this part of the tutorial, you will learn that Style features can reference scan data. The start part
has scan curves, and you will create a new Style feature that references scan curves that you
select.
1.

isdx_reference_data_2.zip
2.
Select isdx_reference_data_2.prt and click Open. The following part opens in the
Pro/ENGINEER graphics window:
79
For this exercise, you will concentrate on only the main spoke of this wheel.
3. Click Insert > Style to create a new Style feature.
3.
Click
You will use the curve tool to create curves with soft-points on the scan data.
5.
Hold down the SHIFT key while you define points on the scan lines making a curve.
Typically, you do not need many points to define the shape, and you can use the curve edit to
refine the shape after it is defined. Notice that the soft-points float along the scan data.
6.
Hold down the SHIFT key and click to create a second curve on the scan section.
After you have the two curves defined, you can create two more curves to define a closed
rectangle for a surface.
80
1 First two curves on scan line

2 Two curves across scan line
7.
Click
7.
Select the four curves you just made, and middle-click.
9.
Click
to exit the Style feature.
Analyze the Data

You can analyze the deviation of the surface from the scan data. Remember, this is not intended to
be accurate fitting (as in Restyle, for example) but rather capturing design intent.
You may find it necessary to modify the surface by editing the defining curves or adding internal
curves to the surface.
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Redefine the Feature

1.
Select the Style surface from the Model Tree and right-click to select Edit Definition.
2.
Click
Now you can add an internal curve by building a curve just as you built the first two boundary
curves for the surface.
3.
Press the SHIFT key and click to define points on the curve across a scan line.
3.
Click
3.
Rebuild the surface and add the internal curve.
Part 3: Facet Data

A technique similar to the one used in Part 2 to build the surface on scan data can be used to build
curves and surfaces onto facet data. You can use this technique to capture design intent from a
facet model.
First open an empty part and import the scan data.
1.
Click the following link and save the file at a location of your choice:
phone.zip
2.
Click File > New > Part.
2.
Click Insert > Shared Data > From File. The Open dialog box opens.
2.
Select the phone.zip file and click Open.
2.
Select the phone.stl file and click Open. The Import Options dialog box opens.
6.
Click OK. The facet model shown below appears:
82
Next, you start Style to build a surface directly onto the model.
7.
7.
Click
7.
Build four curves directly on the area of the model that you want to capture.
7.
Click OK when you are satisfied with the curves.
83
1 Boundary curves
11.
Click
11.
Select the four curves as boundary curves.
13.
Changing the color of the surface will make comparison with the facet reference easier.
You may want to create another curve to use as an internal curve to refine the surface. You also
may add points to the boundary curves to hold them closer to the facets.
USER INTERFACE
About Style Features
Style is a design environment within Pro/ENGINEER that allows you to create free-form curves and
surfaces quickly and easily, and to combine multiple elements into superfeatures. Style features are
called superfeatures because they can contain limitless numbers of curves and surfaces.
The new Style user interface offers the best of both worldsit is a self-contained, intuitive modeling
environment and also a Pro/ENGINEER feature. The user can create truly free Style features and
take advantage of the parametric and associative Pro/E capabilities.
Style features are flexible; they have their own internal parent/child relationships, and can also
have relationships with other Pro/ENGINEER features.
You can accomplish all of the following tasks with Style:
84
Work in single- and multiple-view environments. The multiple-view environment is a powerful feature
in Pro/ENGINEER; you can display and work in four model views at one time.
Create curves and surfaces at the part level.
Create simple features or multiple-element superfeatures.
Create a Curve on Surface (COS), a special curve type that lies on a surface.
Create surfaces from boundaries that do not have to be trimmed to corners.
Edit individual geometric entities or a combination of entities in the feature.
Create internal parent/child relationships for Style features.
Create parent/child relationships between Style features and model features.

The Style environment consists of the following elements:
Styling menu in the top menu barcontains the main set of Style commands for curve and
surface creation and modification.
Style commands in the Edit, View, Analysis, and Info menuscommands such as those to
undo and redo Style curve operations, enter Resolve mode, display curvature plots, and set Style
preferences (surface mesh, curve quality).
Style quickbarcontains shortcuts to the Style commands found in the Edit, View, and
Analysis menus.
Style toolbarcontains shortcuts for the Styling menu commands.

Multiple-view displayswitches between top, isometric/trimetric, front, and right views, or
displays all four views at once. The views are positioned in the window as shown below:
Top view
Isometric/Trimetric/
Front view
Right view
User-defined
About Multiple Views

A multiple-view environment is available in Style as an alternative to modeling in a single view.
Multiple views support direct 3D creation and editing of geometry. You can edit geometry in one
view and simultaneously view the geometry in the other views. Multiple views allow for the creation
of curves in 2D (specifying the third dimension after the 2D shape) or directly in 3D.
In the multiple-view environment, the four views are displayed as shown:
Top view
User-defined
Front view
Right view
Note: The isometric/trimetric view is identical to the single view in Pro/ENGINEER.

A four-view display allows you to resize the panes by dragging the sash that divides the view into
four panes.
To Start Style
Click Insert > Style on the top menu bar to start Style. You can also click
from the toolbar.
85
A Styling menu is added to the menu bar, and two Style toolbars are added, one each at the top
and side of the Pro/ENGINEER window.
To Exit Style
Click
or Styling > Done to save and exit the current Style feature, finalizing all geometry in the
Pro/ENGINEER geometry database.
Click
or Styling > Quit to cancel all changes to the current Style feature.
Styling Menu
The Styling menu contains the following options:
PreferencesOpens the Styling Preferences dialog box, which allows you to set preferences for
display, curvature plots, and surface mesh.
Set Active PlaneAllows you to set the active datum plane for geometry creation and edits.
Internal PlaneOpens the DATUM PLANE dialog box where you create datum planes internal to
the Style feature.
Trace SketchOpens the Trace Sketch dialog box where you create trace sketches from the
referenced images.
SnapToggles snapping on and off. By default it is turned off. (You can also enable snap by
pressing and holding the SHIFT key while you press the mouse button.)
CurveDisplays the options to create Style curves using interpolation or control points.
Drop CurveDisplays the options to drop a curve onto a surface to create a COS.
Offset COSAllows you to offset a COS on the same surface as that of the COS or perpendicular to
the surface on which it lies.
Curve from DatumConverts curves or edges created outside Style to Style Free curves.
Curve from SurfaceAllows you to create a free or COS curve from an isoparametric line of a
surface.
Curve EditAllows you to edit a curve or multiple curves by dragging points or tangents.
SurfaceDisplays the options to create three or four boundary surfaces from boundary and internal
curves.
Surface ConnectDisplays the options to change connections between surfaces.
TrimAllows you to trim surfaces and quilts using a set of curves.
DoneExits Style, completing the Style feature and finalizing all geometry in the Pro/ENGINEER
geometry database.
QuitCancels all changes to the Style feature.
Additional options on the Edit, View, Analysis, and Info menus allow you to control Style views
and access information about Style entities.
Edit Menu
The Edit menu contains the following options for Style:
Regenerate AllAllows you to regenerate geometry locally within Style. During Style regeneration,
only the entities contained in the Style feature are regenerated and not the entire Pro/ENGINEER
model.
86
UndoUndoes the last Style operation.
RedoRedoes the last Undo operation. See Undo above.
CopyDuplicates the selected Style curves and allows you to position them. Soft-points are
preserved during a copy if valid; otherwise this option is disabled.
Copy ProportionalDuplicates the selected geometry, retaining the original proportions when the
endpoints of the first curve in the selected geometry are moved to new positions during duplication.
MoveAllows you to reposition selected Style curves.
ConvertAllows you to convert curves from one type to another.
UnlinkBreaks the associativity between Styling entities and any of their optional references.
Optional references for surfaces include internal curves and connections. Optional references for
curves include soft-points. Drop curves have no optional references.
DeleteDeletes selected Style curves, surfaces, internal datum planes, or trimmed quilt pieces.
ResolveAllows you to resolve a Style feature that has failed regeneration. Opens the Resolve
dialog box.
Edit DefinitionAllows you to redefine Style geometry. Opens the appropriate dialog box where
you can edit entities such as curves or surfaces.
Note: Move and copy functionality in Style applies to Style curves only. It applies to planar and free
curves but not COSs.
View Menu
The following Style options are on the View menu:
Show All ViewsDisplays all four views for modeling. This command is also available on the
shortcut menu.
Show Next ViewDisplays the next view counter-clockwise from the active view when you are in
single view display.
OrientationAdjusts the view as follows:
Default OrientationAdjusts the view to the saved default view.

Active Plane OrientationAdjusts the view so that the active datum plane is normal to the
screen.
PreviousDisplays the model in the previous view.
RefitFits the object to fully display it in the graphics window.
ReorientOpens the Orientation dialog box where you can specify the view orientation.
VisibilityAllows selective display of entities. You can use Hide, Unhide, or Unhide All.
Analysis Menu
The following Style options are on the Analysis menu:
Show CurvatureDisplays the curvature plot on the selected curves.
Clear CurvatureRemoves the curvature plot for the selected curves.
Clear All CurvaturesRemoves all displayed curvatures from the display.
Saved AnalysisDisplays the Saved Analysis dialog box.
Delete AllDeletes all saved analyses.
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The following Style options are available when you click Analysis > Geometry:
CurvatureEvaluates and displays the curvature of curves, edges, or surfaces. Mathematically, the
curvature is equal to 1/radius.
SectionsEvaluates surface continuity, especially across shared boundaries. Allows you to highlight
section curves on the surface or display cross-sections parallel to the selected reference plane.
OffsetEvaluates and displays an offset for a selected set of curves, edges, or surfaces.
Shaded CurvatureEvaluates and displays the smallest and largest normal curvature values for
every point on a surface.
ReflectionDisplays curves that represent the reflection due to linear sources of light on a surface
when viewed from the specified direction.
DraftAnalyzes a part design to determine if a draft is necessary for the part to be used in a mold.
Displays a color plot of the draft.
SlopeDisplays, in color, the slope of a surface relative to a reference plane, coordinate system,
curve, edge, or datum axis on a part.
Info Menu
The following Style options are on the Info menu:
EntityDisplays information about selected Style entities in an information window.
Current FeatureDisplays information about the current Style feature in an information window.
Note: You can modify certain Style parameters outside Style by clicking the check boxes next to
these parameters in Style. Clicking Info > Feature outside Style also displays the information
about these parameters.
Style Toolbars
Two Style toolbars are added to the Pro/ENGINEER interface by default when you are creating a
Style feature. The Quickbar is added to the top of the window, and the Toolbar is added to the right
side of the window.
Style Quickbar
The following icons are available in the Quickbar which is, by default, displayed at the top of the
graphics window:
Icon
Command
Description
Undo
Undoes the last Style operation.
Redo
Redoes the undo Style operation.
Repeat
Executes the last Style tool (command) that you used.
Show All Views
Toggles between showing four views or one full size view.
Show Curvature
Displays the curvature plot for each selected curve.
Clear All Curvatures
Removes all curvature plots from the display.
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Regenerate All
Regenerates any Style features that are out of date. The

traffic light is green when the model is up-to-date; yellow
when the model is out-of-date; and red when there has
been a failed regeneration.
Style Toolbar
The icons on the Toolbar provide shortcut access to the most common Style operations located on
the Styling menu. By default the Toolbar contains the following icons:
Icon
Command
Description
Select
Allows you to select Style geometry.
Set Active Plane
Allows you to set the current datum plane for geometry creation
and edits.
Internal Plane
Allows you to create datum planes internal to the Style Feature.
Curve
Displays the curve creation options on the Style dashboard, which

allow you to create curves.
Curve Edit
Displays the options for editing curves on the Style dashboard.
Drop Curve
Displays the curve projection options on the Style dashboard,

which allow you to create a COS (Curve on Surface) by projecting
it onto a surface.
Surface
Displays the options for creating surfaces from boundary and

internal curves on the Style dashboard.
Surface Connect
Displays the options for creating connections between surfaces on

the Style dashboard.
Trim
Displays the options for trimming surfaces using curves on the

Style dashboard.
Done
Completes the Style feature finalizing all geometry in the

Pro/ENGINEER geometry database and exits Style.
Quit
Cancels all changes and exits Style.
To Customize the Style Toolbars

You can reposition the toolbars using the following procedure:
1.
Click Tools > Customize Screen. The Customize dialog box opens.
2.
Click Toolbars.
3.
Change the Style option to Right or Left.
4.
Change the Style Tools option to Top or Left.
Shortcut Menus
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There are several shortcut menus available with Style. Right-click while performing a task to access
its shortcut menu. The default shortcut menu contains the following commands:
NextSelects the next item in the Style Query Bin during the selection process.
PreviousSelects the previous item in the Style Query Bin during the selection process.
Show Sel BinShows the geometry in the Style Query Bin.
Unselect LastAllows you to unselect the last geometric entity that you selected.
CurveDisplays the curve creation options on the Style dashboard.
Curve EditDisplays the curve editing options on the Style dashboard.
SurfaceDisplays the surface creation options on the Style dashboard
Default OrientationSets the views to their default position.
Active Plane OrientationDisplays the model with the active datum plane parallel to the
screen.
Set Active PlaneAllows you to set the current datum plane for geometry creation.
Edit DefinitionAllows you to redefine the selected Style curve or surface.
Regenerate AllAllows you to regenerate the Style feature.
HideTurns the display off for the selected entities.
IsolateTurns the display off for all the entities other than the selected entity.
Unhide All EntitiesDisplays all the previously hidden entities as well as entities that were
not hidden.
Modifier Keys
The following modifier keys are available during Style operations:
Modifier Key
Command
Action
Right-click
All commands
Shortcut menu appears.
Left-click
All commands
Selection (default)
CTRL + left-click
Selection
Cancel selection of previously selected

entity
Select multiple entities
Middle-click
All commands
Complete current operation

Repeat
Double-click
Selection
Redefine
SHIFT
Curve Create
Snap to existing geometry. When the

SHIFT key is pressed and the mouse
button is held down, the pointer is
followed by a snap cursor. When the
SHIFT key is not pressed, snapping is
turned off.
Curve Edit
Note: You can also snap to existing
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geometry by using Styling > Snap in
the top menu bar.
CTRL
Selection
Copy geometry then move
CTRL + SHIFT
Selection
Move geometry without copying
ALT
Curve Create and

Edit
Normal drag lock
SHIFT + ALT
Curve Edit
Extend Point
CTRL + ALT
Curve Create and

Edit
Horizontal/Vertical drag lock
ALT
Curve Edit
Constrain tangent angle while tangent

vector is visible
CTRL + ALT
Curve Edit
Constrain tangent length while tangent

vector is visible
For more information on configuring the

ALT key on UNIX, refer to the topic
Enabling the ALT Key.
Enabling the ALT Key

Use the following procedure to correctly configure the ALT key to work on systems running the
Common Desktop Environment (CDE), including the following systems:
Sun Solaris
Hewlett Packard HP-UX
IBM AIX
Compaq OSF1
1.
If you do not have the file /.dt/dtwmrc in your home directory, copy it from the systems area
by entering the following:
cp/usr/dt/config/C/sys.dtwmrc~/.dt/dtwmrc
2.
Edit the file to comment out the following lines with a pound sign (#) at the beginning of
each line:
ALT<Btn1Down>icon|windowf.move
ALT<Btn3Down>windowf.minimize
3.
Restart the window manager by logging out, and then logging back in.
ABOUT SNAPPING IN STYLE

About Snapping
In Style you can snap curve points to other existing entities. Curve points can be snapped to the
following: datum points, vertices, quilt and solid surfaces, quilt and solid edges, datum planes,
curves, and facets.
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To Enable Snapping
There are two ways to enable and use snapping as discussed below:
Enable Snap With a Menu Option

Click Styling > Snap to turn on the Snap option (default is off).
When snapping is on, a snap cursor (identifiable as a red +) follows the pointer.
While snapping is on, any geometric entity that you copy or move snaps to the nearest available
geometric entity. As you press the mouse button and drag the snap cursor across the screen,
entities are highlighted indicating they are selected for snapping.
Note: If there are multiple entities in one place available for snappingas in the case of several
curves intersecting the same pointyou can verify which entity is selected in the Query Bin as
follows:
Click the right-mouse button to open the default shortcut menu.
Click Show Sel Bin to open the Style Query Bin which displays the selected entity's name.
Enable Snap With the SHIFT Key

Press the SHIFT key and hold down the mouse button.
If you use the SHIFT key, snapping is turned on only when the SHIFT key is pressed and the mouse
button is pressed.
SETTING PREFERENCES
To Set Style Preferences
Use the Preferences dialog box to set preferences for display, curvature plots, and surface mesh.
1.
2.
Click Styling > Preferences to open the Styling Preferences dialog box.
Toggle the Default Connections option for surfaces off or on. When turned on, connections
are established automatically when you create surfaces, if possible.
3.
Select from the following Display options:

o
GridDisplays the grid for ease of modeling.
Curvature PlotDisplays curvature plots.
4.
Toggle the Auto Regenerate options off or on. Available options are:
o
CurvesWhen turned on, the child curves within the Style feature are automatically
regenerated during the modification of a parent.
SurfaceWhen turned on, the child surfaces within the Style feature are automatically
regenerated during the modification of a parent when the display mode is wireframe. You may
want to turn this off if your Style feature contains many surfaces and you need more
interactive control for curve edits.
Shaded SurfaceWhen turned on, the child surfaces within the Style feature are
automatically regenerated during modification of a parent when the display mode is wireframe
or shaded. You may want to turn this off if your Style feature contains many surfaces and you
need more interactive control for curve edits.
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5. Enter a value for Grid spacing to change the number of lines displayed on the grid of the
active datum plane.
5.
Enter Curvature options:

o
QualityIncrease the quality to display more normal lines on the curvature plot.
SizeIncrease the size to exaggerate the curvature of the curve.
TypeSpecify whether you want to display the curvature values or the radius of curvature
values along the curve.
7.
Set Surface Mesh optionsthese let you set display preferences for the surface mesh. The
surface mesh is displayed with the values specified in the Surface Mesh container, according to the
option you set. Available options are as follows:
o
OnDisplays the surface mesh.
OffTurns off display of the surface mesh.
Off When ShadedDisplays the surface mesh except when the model is shaded.
8.
Modify the Surface Mesh quality. You can increase or decrease the number of mesh lines
displayed in both directions.
8.
Click OK to close the dialog box.
About Curvature Plots

A curvature plot is a graphical representation that shows the curvature at a set of points along a
curve. Curvature plots are used to analyze the smoothness of a curve.
The curvature plot shows the curve smoothness and mathematical curvature by displaying lines that
are perpendicular to the curve (normals). The longer these lines are, the greater the amount of
curvature.
1 Area of relatively high curvature

2 Area of relatively low curvature
Ideally, a curvature plot should be smooth. Dips and bumps in the curvature plot are signs that the
curve has a rapid change in shape. However, a corner or crease in the curvature plot does not
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indicate a crease in the curve, only a sharp change in the curvature. The curve is still tangent
continuous internally.
1 Abrupt change in curvature

Curvature plots are interactive. They update as the curve is modified. Use Styling > Preferences
to modify the display settings of the curvature plots. You can change the number of plotted
segments, the relative size of the plot, and the type of curvature.
To Analyze Curves with Curvature Plots

1.
Click
or Analysis > Show Curvature. The curvature plot updates dynamically during
curve edits. You do not have to save the analysis to make them dynamic.
2.
Click Styling > Preferences to modify the display settings of the curvature plots, if
necessary. The following options are available:
o
o
o
QualityThe number of segments on the plot. Increasing the quality increases the amount
of time to plot.
SizeThe relative size of the plot.
TypeCurvature displays the curvature values along the curve, Radius displays the radius
of curvature values along the curve.
To Clear Curvature Plots
Select the curves, and then click Analysis > Clear Curvature to clear displayed curvature
plots only from selected curves.
Click
the screen.
or click Analysis > Clear All Curvatures to clear all displayed curvature plots from
Example: Types of Curvature
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1 Curvature Plot
2 Radius of Curvature Plot
To Display Surface Mesh

Displaying the surface mesh allows you to more carefully check surface quality. It computes a set of
closely-spaced isolines on all surfaces.
1.
Click Styling > Preferences. The Styling Preferences dialog box opens.
2.
Under Surface Mesh, click On to turn on surface mesh plotting.
3.
To see the meshes only in the wireframe display mode, click Off When Shaded.
4.
Under Surface Mesh, use the slider to set the quality for surface mesh.
VIEWS AND DATUM PLANES

About Multiple Views
A multiple-view environment is available in Style as an alternative to modeling in a single view.
Multiple views support direct 3D creation and editing of geometry. You can edit geometry in one
view and simultaneously view the geometry in the other views. Multiple views allow for the creation
of curves in 2D (specifying the third dimension after the 2D shape) or directly in 3D.
In the multiple-view environment, the four views are displayed as shown:
Top view
User-defined
Front view
Right view
Note: The isometric/trimetric view is identical to the single view in Pro/ENGINEER.

A four-view display allows you to resize the panes by dragging the sash that divides the view into
four panes.
About Setting the Active Plane Orientation

When you define curves in Style, all unconstrained points are projected onto the active datum
plane, which is indicated by the grid display. It is important to be aware of the current setting of this
plane whenever you are building curves. An active plane is set when you enter the Style
environment. You can reset an active plane at any time, even as you define points for a curve.
Asynchronous datum planes that you create while within Style are listed in the model tree above the
Style feature and are hidden by default.
The internal datum planes that you create within a Style feature are not listed in the Model Tree.
They are internal to the Style feature. On creation, the internal datum plane becomes active by
default.
The multiple view environment in Style is particularly useful if you need to use several different
datum planes which are not parallel with the default datums. You can easily align the four views to
any datum using the Active Plane Orientation command.
Active Plane Orientation reorients the model so that the active datum plane is parallel to the
screen.
You can access the Active Plane Orientation command in the following ways:
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Click View > Orientation > Active Plane Orientation. The Front view (lower-left) is oriented with
the active datum plane parallel to the screen, and the Top and Right views are oriented to their
respective 90-degree rotations of the active datum plane.
Press the right mouse button in any view, and then click Active Plane Orientation. The
specified view is oriented with the active datum parallel to the screen. No change is made to the
other views.
About Selective Display of Entities

Selective display of the geometric entities in Style is available using the following functionality:
HideAvailable as a button on the shortcut menu. This option suppresses the display of the
selected Style entities.
Unhide AllAvailable using View > Visibility. This option displays all the previously hidden
features or Style entities.
Unhide All EntitiesAvailable as a button on the shortcut menu. This option displays all the
previously hidden Style entities. The Style entities within that Style feature get displayed.
IsolateAvailable as a button on the shortcut menu. This option suppresses the display of
all the Style entities except the selected entities.
The selective display in Style works on curves, surfaces, and internal datum planes created in Style,
in the current Style feature within the current session.
When redefining a Style feature, all the hidden entities are displayed when you select Done or Quit
to exit the feature.
Note: Internal datum planes are not displayed outside the Style feature.
When a feature is redefined within the current session, all the hidden entities remain hidden.
Pro/ENGINEER displays a warning message to let you know that some entities are hidden.
Note: You can add Hide, Unhide All Entities, and Isolate as icons to the Style tool bar using
Tools > Customize Screen.
Creating and Editing Curves in Multiple Views

Style curve creation and editing are customized so that you can take full advantage of the multiple
view environment. Some common scenarios include the following:
Sketch all points of a curve in one view, then move the mouse to another view and click once
to set the depth of the curve. Repeat this step with various depths to easily create a family of
cross curves or sections without having to make any additional datums.
Sketch curves in the Front, Top, and Right views by repeating the above steps to create the
skeleton curves of the model without having to reorient the display. Use the isometric/trimetric
view to get a good 3-D feel for the shape as you work.
Sketch the 2-D shape of a curve in one view, then switch to edit mode and drag the points or
tangents in the other views. Observe the shape changes in the other views as you drag. This
shows a true 3-D (non-planar) curve without having to rotate any views.
In general, defining the depth of any point on a curve can be postponed until after you enter a
series of points. The green line displayed indicates when one or more points can have their depth
adjusted. Click anywhere along the green line to set the depth for those points. If you choose not to
change the depth, the curve points stay at their default positions when you complete the curve.
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To Set the Active Plane

If you are working in Style, before setting the model view to the active plane orientation, make sure
you have specified the datum plane you want to be the active plane. Use the following procedure:
1.
2.
Click
or Styling > Set Active Plane.
Select a datum plane. The specified plane becomes the active plane. Style also displays the
horizontal and vertical directions for this plane.
To Set a View to the Active Plane Orientation

In Style, the following procedure allows you to display the model with the active datum plane
parallel to the screen. This makes it easy to create and edit Style geometry.
Click View > Orientation > Active Plane Orientation. The model view adjusts with the active
plane parallel to the screen. Optionally, right-click and select Active Plane Orientation on the
shortcut menu.
To Show All Views
Click
To return to a single view, click View > Show All Views or
or View > Show All Views to display all four views for modeling.
again.
Note: This command is also on the default shortcut menu.
Example: Four-View Display

The following picture shows the four-view display in Style. The views are in the active plane
orientation. The view types are as displayed:
Top view
User-defined
Front view
Right view
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1 Vertical sash
2 Horizontal sash
To reset the sash to the center, double-click the sash.
To Resize the Panes in a Four-View Display

1.
Move the pointer over the sash that divides the view into four panes. The pointer changes its
shape to a double-headed arrow.
2.
Drag the sash. The arrow indicates the direction in which you can drag the sash.
o
You can drag the vertical sash horizontally and the horizontal sash vertically.
You can also drag the intersection of the two sashes horizontally and vertically.
To reset the sash to the center, double-click the sash.
Note: You cannot drag the sash beyond a certain limit. The sash location and the corresponding
pane size apply to a single window only within the current session.
To Show the Next View

Click View > Show Next View to display the next view counter-clockwise from the active view
when you are in single view display. This command is also available on the shortcut menu.
To Reset a View
Click View > Orientation > Default Orientation to reset views to their default orientation.
Note: Only the view orientation, not the screen layout, changes.
About Creating Datum Planes

You can create datum planes in Style using these methods:
Create an asynchronous datum plane while creating a Style feature. This datum plane is
inserted in the model tree before the active feature and is hidden by default.
Create a datum plane while creating a feature so that the datum plane is internal to the
active feature. This internal datum plane is not seen at the top level in the model tree. You can
reference any Style entity such as Style curve endpoints, Style surface vertices, and other
internal datum planes besides the regular Style references for creating the internal datum planes.
When creating or defining Style features, you can create datum planes as internal to the Style
feature, but you must create datum points and datum axes asynchronously. The advantage of using
an internal datum plane is that it can have references to other entities in the current Style feature.
To Create an Internal Datum Plane

To create an internal datum plane in the active Style feature,
1.
Click Styling > Internal Plane. Optionally, click
on the Style toolbar.
2.
Choose the desired constraint option from the DATUM PLANE menu.
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3.
Pick the necessary references on the model. You can select any curves and surfaces as
references for the internal datum plane.
For more information about constraining the datum plane, refer to the topic About Datum Planes
from the Part Modeling module of Pro/ENGINEER Help.
4.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have established the necessary constraints.
4.
Click OK to create the datum plane or Cancel to cancel the datum plane creation.
If you clicked OK, the internal datum plane is created. This plane is active by default and is
displayed with a grid. Style also displays the horizontal and vertical directions for the internal
datum plane.
About Modifying and Regenerating Internal Datum Planes

You can:
Modify an internal datum plane created in Style by using the top level Edit command. Using
the Feature Edit command displays the numeric parameters used to create the internal datum
plane. You can modify these parameters.
Delete an internal datum plane by selecting the internal datum plane and clicking Edit >
Delete from the top menu bar.
Display information about the selected internal datum plane in the Style feature using Info
> Entity on the top menu bar.
Use the Show, Hide, and Isolate options to show or hide internal datum planes.
Regenerate internal datum planes in the same way as other Style subfeatures. An internal
datum plane can reference geometry defined in the Style feature in which it is created. Therefore,
an internal datum plane can regenerate successfully only if the parent features also regenerate
successfully.
Resolve an internal datum plane, but you cannot unlink it from its parent feature.
Note: You cannot modify or redefine the internal datum planes within Style.
Example: Internal Datum Plane Offset from a Datum Plane

The next figure shows the internal datum plane DTM1 created by specifying an offset from the TOP
datum plane.
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Example: Internal Datum Plane Through a Blend Section

The next figure shows an internal datum plane that passes through a blend section.
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CURVES
UNDERSTANDING CURVES
About Creating Curves in Style
A curve is any path drawn through two or more defining points. A set of internal points and
endpoints define the curve.
In Style, creating good curves is the key to creating a feature with high-quality surfaces, because all
surfaces are defined directly from curves.
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1 Tangent for selected endpoint

2 Internal point
3 Endpoint
Every point on a curve has a position, a tangent, and a curvature. The tangent determines the
direction that the curve flows through the point. The tangents of internal defining points are created
and maintained by Styleyou cannot change them. However, you can change the direction and
magnitude of a tangent to an endpoint.
The curvature at each point is a measure of how rapidly the curve is changing direction. A straight
line has zero curvature at each point, and a circle has a constant curvature at each point that is
equal to the reciprocal of the radius. Curves typically have a different curvature value at every
point.
About Defining Points for Curves

You create curves by defining points with the Curve tool. There are two basic categories of points:
FreePoints that are unconstrained.
ConstrainedPoints that are constrained in some way, may be "soft" points or "fixed" points.
To create a curve you first specify two or more points. Free points are displayed as small white dots.
They are projected by default onto the current datum plane, but their depth may be specified from
another view. If you are working in 4-view display mode, you can specify the depth in one of the
other panes where the green depth line is visible. In single-view display mode, you can rotate the
view until you see the green line through the point, and then click anywhere along the green line to
specify the depth of the point.
Soft-Points
Create a soft-point by snapping to any curve, edge, quilt or solid surface, scan curve, or facet. As
you create a soft-point, the entity you are snapping to is highlighted briefly. A soft-point is
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considered partially constrainedit can slide on its parent curve, surface, edge or facet. Soft-points
are displayed as open circles when they reference other curves and edges. Soft-points are displayed
as open squares when they reference surfaces.
Note: To snap, press the SHIFT key while holding down the mouse button, or click Styling > Snap.
If there is a possibility of snapping to multiple entities, you can use the shortcut menu and click
Next, Previous, or Show Sel Bin to select the referenced entities.
Fixed Points
A fixed point is a fully constrained soft-point. A fixed point is displayed as an x. It cannot slide on its
parent because it is constrained in x, y, and z. When you create fixed points, see the note above on
snapping which applies to fixed points as well.
There are several ways a soft-point becomes a fixed point:
A curve is snapped to a datum point or vertex.
Soft points on free curves become fixed points if the option Lock to Point is used. Lock to
Point will move a soft-point to the nearest defining point on its parent curve.
When planar curves are snapped to existing entities, the points are fixed because the plane
forms an intersection with the other entity.
Point Types
In Style you can create and edit curves in two modes:
Interpolation point editing
Control point editing
Interpolation Points
By default, Style displays the interpolation points of a curve while creating or editing the curve. You
can edit the curve by clicking and dragging the points that actually lie on the curve.
Editing Control Points

Select the Control Point option on the Style dashboard to display a curve's control points. You can
edit the curve by clicking and dragging these points. Only the first and last control points on a curve
can be soft-points.
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Example: Curve Control Points

The next figure displays the control points of a curve.
CREATING CURVES
To Create a New Curve
1.
Click
or Styling > Curve to open the Style dashboard.
2.
Select Free, Planar, or COS to specify the type of curve you want to create.
o
Freecreates a curve that lies in three-dimensional space.
Planarcreates a curve that lies on a specified plane.
COScreates a Curve On Surface, a curve that is constrained to lie on a specified single

surface.
3.
Define points for the curve. You can create Style curves using control points as well as
interpolation points.
3.
Middle-click to complete the curve and create another, or click
To Create a Free Curve

Free curves can lie anywhere in three-dimensional space.
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1.
Click Styling > Set Active Plane to set the active datum plane to where you want to enter
your first point.
2.
Click
3.
Click Free.
4.
Define points for the curve on the active datum plane.
5.
To define the curve to lie off of the current plane, rotate the view.
6.
Click along the green line to determine the depth of the curve.
If you do not specify a depth, the curve lies on the active datum plane by default.
7.
To Create a Planar Curve

This creates a curve that lies on a specified plane at creation and does not allow you to move any of
its points off of the plane while editing, unless you convert it to a free curve.
1.
Click Styling > Set Active Plane to set the active datum plane where you want to enter
your first point.
2.
Click
3.
4.
If necessary, click Refs to open the Planar or Free dialog box and enter an offset value.
The default setting is 0.0. Any other value moves the datum plane by the specified amount. To
be able to modify the Offset value outside Style, click the check box.
5.
Click on the active plane to define the points for the curve.
5.
About Curves on Surfaces

You can create a COS by manually specifying points through which you want the curve to pass on a
surface or by dropping (that is, projecting) a curve on a surface. However, all points on a COS are
constrained to lie on a single surface so that the curve is also on the surface. The curve is a child of
the surface.
Note: You can set curvature continuity for a valid COS.
When you drop a curve on a composite surface, individual COS curves are created for each
component of the composite surface. Similarly, you can a create COS by specifying points on the
individual components of a composite surface.
To Create a COS by Points

In this procedure, you use the Curve tool to create a COS by defining points.
1.
Click
2.
Click COS.
3.
Define points along a selected surface, and Style creates a COS that goes through the
definition points.
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When you define COS points, you can use snapping functionality to snap to other vertices or
datum points as long as they all lie on the same surface.
4.
Click
To Create a COS by Drop

1.
Click
or Styling > Drop Curve to open the Style dashboard.
2.
Select a surface or surfaces on which to drop the curve, and then middle-click.
3.
Select the curve or curves that you want to drop onto the specified surface, and then middleclick.
4.
Select a datum plane. Style orients the curve or curves normal to the selected datum plane
and then drops them onto the surface.
5.
Click
About Offsetting Curves On Surface

You can offset a COS on the same surface as that of the COS or perpendicular to the surface on
which it lies using Styling > Offset COS.
Redefining Offset Curves

Offset curves maintain history. Therefore, you cannot edit offset curves using the Curve Edit tool,
but you can redefine them and change the offset options using Edit > Edit Definition. If you unlink
the offset curves from the parent curve using Edit > Unlink, then you can edit the curves using the
Curve Edit tool.
To Create an Offset of a Curve On Surface

1.
Select a Curve On Surface (COS).
2.
Click Styling > Offset COS.

o
An offset of the COS is created on the same surface as that of the COS.
The Style dashboard opens.
Offset box, Offset check box, and Normal check box are available on the dashboard.
3.
Click the Normal check box to offset the COS perpendicular to the surface on which it lies.
3.
Type a value as the distance for the offset in the Offset box.
Type a negative value to reverse the direction of the offset.
Note: Some offset values can produce cusps or self-crossing curves where the curve splits into
multiple curves to retain the cusp-point. This results in more than one offset curve.
5.
Click the Offset check box to export the offset value for modification outside Style.
5.
Click
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Example: Offset of a Curve On Surface

The next figure shows an offset of a COS which lies on the same surface as that of the COS.
The next figure shows an offset of a COS which is perpendicular to the surface on which the COS
lies.
About Curves from Surface

You can create a free or COS curve from an isoparametric line of a surface.
If you apply Curve From Surface to,
A trimmed surface, the resulting curve from surface is limited to the edge of the trimmed
surface.
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A composite surface, separate curves are created for each component of the composite surface.
Curves from surface do not maintain history.
To Create a Curve from Surface

1.
Click Styling > Curve from Surface to open the Style dashboard.
2.
Click Free or COS on the Style dashboard.
3.
Select a point on the surface through which the curve must pass. A curve from surface that
displays the default orientation is created.
4.
5.
Press CTRL and click on the surface to change the curve direction.
Drag the curve to slide across the surface and position it. Alternatively, on the Style
dashboard click the Options tab and type a value in the Value box.
6.
Press SHIFT to snap the curve to the surface.
7.
Click
About Radial-Path Planar Curves

You can create a curve that lies on a soft-plane that it is normal to the parent curve at a selected
point on the parent curve. The soft-plane can slide along its parent curve while remaining normal to
the parent curve. When the parent curves are updated, the planes and the planar curves are
regenerated.
To Create a Radial-Path Planar Curve

1.
Click
or Styling > Curve. The Style dashboard opens.
2.
3.
Click the Refs tab.
4.
Click Reference selection arrow under Planar or Free.
5.
Click anywhere on the parent curve to construct a soft-plane at that point. The soft-plane:
o
Displays a grid that is similar to that of the active datum plane.
Is normal to the parent curve at the selected point.
6.
Select points on the soft-plane to create the radial-path planar curve.
6.
To determine the position of the plane and how this position updates during regeneration,
a.
Select one of the following options in the Type box under Radial Plane. The default is
Length Ratio.
Length RatioMaintains the position of the soft-plane to the percentage of the length from
the start of the parent curve to the plane, relative to the total length of the parent curve.
This is the default.
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LengthDetermines the distance from the start of the parent curve to the soft-plane.
ParameterMaintains the position of the soft-plane by keeping its parameter constant
along the curve.
Offset from PlaneDetermines the position of the soft-plane by intersecting the parent
curve with a plane at a given offset. If multiple intersections are found, the value
parametrically closest to the previous value is used.
Lock to PointLocks the soft-plane at a defining point on the parent curve, finding the
closest defining point on the parent curve, typically an endpoint.
b. Type a value for the selected type in the Value box.
8.
Click the Value check box to export the value for modification outside Style.
8.
Middle-click to complete the creation of this curve.
8.
Repeat steps 4-9 to create more curves, or click
to complete and exit the Curve tool.
Example: Radial-Path Planar Curve

For explanatory purposes the next figure shows a merged image of three Radial-Path Planar Curves
with their respective soft-planes in the curve edit mode.
Note: On the screen, you can only see the soft-plane associated with a radial-path planar curve
that is being edited currently.
1 Parent curve
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2 Soft-plane
3 Radial-path planar curve
EDITING CURVES
About Proportional Update

A curve with proportional update allows the free points of the curve to move in proportion to the
soft-points. During curve edits, the curve retains its shape proportionally.
A curve without proportional update only changes shape at the soft-point during edits.
To Select Curves for Edit

You can select curves for editing in two waysdirectly or using the Query Bin. Use of the Query Bin
is helpful when you have to select one curve from a spot where many curves exist.
1.
Click
or Styling > Curve Edit to open the Style dashboard.
2.
Select the curve to edit. You can also select the curve and then click
To Edit Curve Points

1.
Click
2.
Select the curve to edit. You can also select the curve and then click
3. You can perform editing tasks directly as described below:

o
o
Click and drag a free point anywhere on the screen. Free points move in a plane parallel to
the current datum plane and through the original position of the point.
Use the ALT key to drag points normal to the active plane.
Use CTRL + ALT to move points vertically or horizontally with respect to the view.
4.
Click and drag a soft-point along the curve, edge, or surface.
Enter xyz coordinate values for placing the point of a Free curve. The coordinate values can
be specified relative to the original placement, or at absolute distances from the coordinate
system origin.
Click
To Change the Curve Type
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Free curves can change to planar, and planar curves can change to free. Neither free nor planar
curves can be changed to COSs.
1.
Click
2.
Select the curve to edit.

The three curve typesfree, planar, and COSare displayed as options.
3.
Select the new curve type.

If you change a free curve to a planar curve, you can define the datum plane or offset for the
curve to lie on. The curve is projected onto the current datum plane.
4.
Click
To Constrain Point Movement While Editing

1.
Click
2.
3.
Click Point to display the point movement options. Under Point, select the Drag options.
The available options are as follows:
FreePoint movement is not constrained.
Horizontal/VerticalPoint movement is constrained to either horizontal or vertical, whichever
direction you move the cursor in initially. You can also constrain the movement in this manner by
pressing CTRL + ALT.
NormalPoint movement is constrained to normal to the current datum plane. You can also
constrain the movement in this manner by pressing ALT.
To Change the Soft-Point Type

1.
Click
2.
3.
Right-click on the soft-point to display the soft-point shortcut menu. You can also click Point
from the dashboard to display the Soft-Point options. The available options are as follows:
o
LengthDetermines the distance from the beginning of the referenced curve to the point.
Length RatioMaintains the position of the soft-point to the percentage of the length from
the beginning of the curve to the point, relative to the total length of the curve. This is the
default.
ParameterMaintains the position of the point by keeping its parameter along the curve
constant.
OffsetDetermines the position of the point by intersecting the referenced curve with a
plane at a given offset. If multiple intersections are found, the value closest parametrically to
the previous value is used.
Lock to PointLocks the soft-point to a defining point on the reference curve, finding the
closest defining point on the parent curve (typically an endpoint).
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o
LinkedIndicates that the point is a soft-point, but that none of the above soft-point types
are applicable. This includes soft points on a surface or a plane and soft-points to a datum
point or vertex. For example, a curve point that is snapped to a surface is linked.
Note: Linked indicates a state; it is not an action.
Unlinkdisconnects the soft-point from the parent geometry. The point becomes free and
defined at the current location.
To Change a Planar Curve Position

You can change the datum plane that a planar curve lies on, or you can offset a planar curve from
its current position.
1.
Click
2.
Select a planar curve.
3.
Click Refs to display the Planar options.
4.
5.
Click the Reference selection arrow and select a new datum plane or a planar surface for
the curve to lie on, or go to the next step.
Type a value for Offset.
This is the value to offset the curve from its current position. Alternatively, holding down the ALT
key, drag the grid display to change the offset value.
6.
Click
About Editing Curve Tangents

Using curve tangents, you can change the shape of the curve and create connections with another
curve or surface. You display the tangent vector by clicking on the end point of a selected curve.
Click and drag the end of the tangent vector to change its angle and length. Direct manipulation of
the tangent vector on the screen can be affected by settings in the Tangent options on the Style
dashboard.
About Direct Manipulation of Curve Tangents

Direct manipulation of curve tangents that are not connected to another curve is quite simple.
If the tangent is completely free you can change both length and direction by dragging the
displayed vector. Most other constraints (such as Align or Fix Angle) allow you to modify only the
length since the direction is constrained.
In the case of a connected curve, the tangent handle has two parts: a regular tangent vector
on the leader and an arrow tangent vector on the follower. The follower tangent can be dragged
to change length only (the direction is constrained by the leader). The leader tangent may have
any of the other constraints (except Tangent or Curvature) applied. Changing the type of the
follower tangent to anything except Tangent or Curvature breaks the connection with the leader
curve.
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You can align the tangent of a curve to another unconnected curve.
You can swap the leader/follower direction (and the underlying soft-point) by clicking on the
end of the leader tangent to move the arrow.
To Change a Tangent's Directional Constraints

You can change a curve's shape in two ways by changing its tangent's directionclick and drag the
tangent vector on the screen, or use the Tangent options on the Style dashboard.
1.
Click
2.
Select a curve.
3.
Click the curve's endpoint to display the tangent vector for a curve with interpolation points.
For Curves with control points, the segment between the endpoint and the previous point is
selected.
4.
Click the tangent vector and drag it around the screen, changing the vector's length and
position, or go to the next step.
5.
Click Tangent on the Style dashboard, or right-click over the tangent vector to display the
Tangent options.
6.
Under Constraints, select one of the following primary tangent constraints from the First
box:
o
NaturalUses the natural mathematical tangent for the defining points. This is the default
for newlycreated curves. The tangent may change direction as you modify the defining
points.
FreeUses a userspecified tangent. Natural tangents change to free as soon as you

manipulate them. After you modify them, the direction and length you specify are respected,
and you can drag the tangent freely.
Fix AngleSets the current direction, but allows you to change the length by dragging.
HorizontalSets the current direction to horizontal relative to the grid of the current datum
plane, but allows you to change length by dragging.
VerticalSets the current direction to vertical relative to the grid of the current datum
plane, but allows you to change the length by dragging.
NormalSets the current direction to be perpendicular to a reference datum plane that you
select.
AlignSets the current direction to a reference location on another curve.
7. Under Properties, specify the following if applicable:

o
AngleType an angle into the Angle box to specify a tangent's exact angle, if desired.
LengthType a value into the Length box to specify a tangent's exact length, if desired.
ElevationElevation is a measure of how much the tangent comes out with respect to the
tangent reference datum plane, and is measured in degrees. Type a value in the Elevation
box, if desired.
Note: You can specify elevation only for Free curves. While changing constraints, you can
use the horizontal and vertical direction reference (H/V axis) of the datum plane.
8.
ReferenceClick the selection arrow to choose a new reference plane for this tangent.
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8.
Changing the Drag setting changes the way the tangent vector is directly manipulated on
the screen:
o
FreeMotion of the tangent is unconstrained.
Angle + ElevLocks the current length of the tangent so that only the angle and elevation
change. Alternatively, hold down the ALT key while dragging the tangent.
LengthLocks the current direction of the tangent so that only the length changes.
Alternatively, hold down the CTRL and ALT keys while dragging the tangent.
Note: The drag setting does not apply any constraints to the currently selected tangent, but
only affects dragging any tangent using the mouse.
10.
Click
Note:
Every tangent can have its own unique reference plane, for constraining primary and
elevation angle.
You can constrain the control point tangents as well as interpolation point tangents.
If the value of the tangent elevation angle is 90 degrees, modifying the tangent angle has no
effect on the tangent direction as the elevation controls the tangent direction.
To Create Curve Connections Using Tangent Constraints

1.
Click
2.
Select a curve and click the curve's endpoint to display the tangent vector.
3.
Click Tangent on the dashboard, or right-click over the tangent vector to display the
Tangent options.
4.
box that apply to connections with neighboring curves and surfaces:
SymmetricSets the tangents of two adjoining curves to be the average of the tangents at the
end points. If the selected endpoint is a soft-point, the tangent is constrained to follow the
tangent of the neighbor, which becomes the leader.
TangentSame as symmetric, but the original tangent value of the leader curve is maintained.
CurvatureSame as tangent, but the original curvature value of the leader curve is maintained.
The following options create connections with neighboring surfaces:
Surface TangentSets the selected curve tangent to follow the tangent curvature of the
parent surface. This requires that the selected endpoint is a soft-point to a surface boundary.
You can also add secondary constraints.
Surface Curvaturesets the selected curve tangent to follow the cross-boundary curvature of
the parent surface. This requires that the selected endpoint is a soft-point to a surface. You can
also add secondary constraints.
5.
Click
About Dual Constraints for Surface Tangents
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When the primary constraint on a curve tangent is Surface Tangent or Surface Curvature, the
tangent gets projected on the tangent plane. You can further constrain its placement by specifying
the second tangent constraint.
The following secondary constraints are valid:
Natural
Free
Fix Angle
Horizontal
Vertical
Normal
Align
To Create Dual Constraints for Surface Tangents

1.
Select the required curves with surface tangents for adding secondary tangent constraints.
You can select those tangents with the primary tangent type Surface Tangent or Surface
Curvature.
2.
3.
Click
or click Styling > Curve Edit.
Select the tangent and click Tangent on the Style dashboard. The Tangent dialog box
opens.
4.
Type the secondary constraint type in the Second box. Optionally, you can also change the
values of the available parameters by directly dragging the tangent as required.
5.
Click
Note:
You can constrain the control point tangents as well as interpolation point tangents.
You can use the secondary constraint type Normal only if the active datum plane normal lies
in the tangent plane.
You can use the secondary constraint type Align only if the curve tangent for the curve
selected for alignment lies in the tangent plane.
Tip: Setting the Secondary Tangent Type

If you use the shortcut menu to set the tangent types, there is an easy way to set secondary types.
Right-click on the tangent and select the secondary type for the tangent, then right-click again and
choose Surface Tangent or Surface Curvature. The original tangent type becomes the secondary.
To Add Points to Curves

When you add a point to a curve Style refits the curve through the defining points, which can visibly
change the shape of the curve.
1.
Click
or Styling > Curve Edit.
115
2.
Select a curve.
3.
Right-click anywhere on the curve and select one of the following options:
o
o
4.
AddAdds a point at the location selected.

MidpointAdds a point at the midpoint of the two existing points on each side of the
selected location.
Click
To Combine Curves
1.
Click
2.
Select an endpoint of the curve.
3.
Right-click and select Combine.
4.
If there is more than one neighbor curve at the endpoint, Pro/ENGINEER prompts you to
select which curve to combine with the selected curve.
5.
Click
to complete the curve operation. The two curves are merged into a single curve,
which changes shape in order to maintain smoothness.
To Split a Curve
You can divide a single curve into two pieces at a selected point. The two resulting curves are joined
by a soft-point at their ends.
1.
Click
2.
Select a point on a curve.
3.
Right-click and select Split.
4.
Click
. The curve is split at the specified point. The resulting curves change shape as they
refit to the new defining points.
To Extend a Curve
1.
Click
2.
Select a curve.
3.
Select the end point and drag the curve to extend it. This retains the number of points on the
curve.
4.
To extend a curve by adding points to it, press SHIFT + ALT, click the endpoint of the curve
and click outside the curve. A point gets added to the curve.
5.
To extend a curve by adding a point along the tangent or curvature extension of the curve,
click Point and select Tangent or Curvature from the Extend list. Then press SHIFT + ALT,
and drag the new endpoint of the curve to the desired location along the tangent or curvature
line.
6.
Repeat the steps to add the required number of points.
7.
Click
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About Making Curves Planar Between Their Endpoints

You can make free curves planar between their endpoints. When you make curves planar between
their endpoints the curves and their endpoints lie on a plane that is perpendicular to the active
datum plane. Pro/ENGINEER modifies free tangents, if necessary, while making the curves planar
between their endpoints. The curves do not maintain history when they are made planar between
their endpoints.
Note: You cannot make curves planar between their endpoints if they contain constrained internal
points or endpoints with tangent constraints.
To Make a Curve Planar Between Its End Points

1.
Select a curve or a set of curves.
2.
Click
3.
Right-click on a curve to display the shortcut menu.
4.
Select Planar on Endpoints on the shortcut menu.
5.
Click
To Redefine a Radial-Path Planar Curve

1.
Select a radial-path planar curve.
2.
Click
3.
Drag the points on the curve to edit the curve.
4.
Click the Refs tab.
5.
Click the Reference selection arrow under Planar or Free.
6.
Reselect a datum plane or curve reference.
or Styling > Curve Edit. The Style dashboard opens.
Note: Change the reference to change from a radial-path planar curve to a planar curve.
7. To change the position of the plane and how this position updates during regeneration,
a.
Select one of the following options in the Type box under Radial Plane.
Length RatioMaintains the position of the soft-plane to the percentage of the length from
the start of the parent curve to the plane, relative to the total length of the parent curve.
This is the default.
LengthDetermines the distance from the start of the parent curve to the soft-plane.
ParameterMaintains the position of the soft-plane by keeping its parameter along the
curve constant.
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Offset from PlaneDetermines the position of the soft-plane by intersecting the parent
curve with a plane at a given offset. If multiple intersections are found, the value
parametrically closest to the previous value is used.
Lock to PointLocks the soft-plane at a defining point on the parent curve, finding the
closest defining point on the parent curve, typically an endpoint.
b. Type a value in the Value box under Radial Plane to reposition the plane along the parent
curve. Alternatively, hold down ALT and drag the soft-plane to reposition the plane
dynamically along the parent curve.
8.
Click the Value check box if you want to export the value for modification outside Style.
8.
Click
About Importing Curves

You can create new Style free curves by importing curve entities created outside the Style feature.
Importing curves in this fashion is helpful when working with curves created from other sources
such as IGES and Adobe Illustrator.
You can import the following types of curves into a Style feature.
Datum curves imported into Pro/ENGINEER (For example, IGES)
Datum curves created in Pro/ENGINEER
Style curves created in another Style feature
Curves created using Adobe Illustrator

Note:
Pro/ENGINEER ignores any selected curves that already belong to the current Style feature.
Some curves require an approximation. This approximation is controlled by the internal

tolerance.
The new curves created in Style after importing the curves are independent of the original
curves.
To Import Curves
1.
Create or redefine a Style feature.
2.
Click Styling > Curve from Datum.
3.
Select any curve or edge that is not a current Style curve or edge. New Style free curves are
created from the selected curves.
EDITING MULTIPLE CURVES

About Multiple Curve Edits
118
Multiple curve edits are supported using Styling > Curve Edit.
Multiple edits include the following:
Move multiple points or tangents on one curve.
Move one point or tangent on multiple curves.
Move multiple points or tangents on multiple curves.

Using the Styling > Curve Edit option for multiple curves, you can:
Change the point location by dragging the selected points on the selected curves, or by
entering the values for the changed location.
Change the tangent type for selected curves.
Change the length and angle of the tangents for selected curves either by dragging the
tangents, or by entering the required values.
Offset multiple planar curves by directly dragging them or by entering the offset value.
Change references for planar curves from one datum plane to another.
Convert planar curves to free curves and vice versa.
Convert COS curves to free curves.
Make selected parameters for the selected curves visible.

For multiple curve edits, Style does not allow you to:
Add points to or delete points from multiple curves.
Perform combine or split operations on multiple curves
Change the soft-point constraints; including the unlink operation.
To Edit Multiple Curves

This is the generic procedure to edit multiple curves.
1.
Make sure that no curves or points are selected by clicking in the graphics window outside
the model.
2.
Select a curve to be edited.
3.
Select additional curves to be edited using CTRL + click.
4.
Select free points or tangents for editing on the selected curves using CTRL + click.
5.
Move points and adjust tangents as required.
6.
Click
to edit the selected curves as specified.
To Change the Location of Multiple Points

1.
Holding down the CTRL key, click and select the required curves.
2.
Select points on the selected curves for changing the location using CTRL + click.
3.
Drag the point selected last to drag all these points directly in the graphics window or click
the Point tab on the dashboard to open the Point dialog box.
119
Optionally, you can type the coordinate values for placing the point. The coordinate values can
be specified relative to the original placement, or at absolute distances from the coordinate
system origin.
4. Click
Note:
All these points are displaced by the same relative offset.
Use the ALT key to drag points normal to the active plane.
Use CTRL + ALT to move points vertically or horizontally with respect to the view.
Snapping of a point applies only to that point. All other points are moved without snapping.
You cannot drag constrained soft-points that are fixed such as points snapped to a vertex or
a datum point, soft-points at planar intersections with other curves, or soft-points with plane
offset constraints.
To Change the Tangent Options for Multiple Curves

1.
Holding down the CTRL key, click on the curves to select them.
2.
Click Styling > Curve Edit or click
3.
Holding down the CTRL key, click at the endpoints of the curves to select their tangents.
4.
from the Style toolbar.
To change the tangent type, click Tangent on the dashboard and change the required
tangent type using the Tangent dialog box. You can also right-click on the tangent to display
the Style shortcut menu and select the required tangent type.
o
Optionally, type a value into the Length text box to specify a tangent's exact length.
Optionally, type an angle into the Angle text box to specify a tangent's exact angle.
Optionally, type an angle into the Elevation text box to specify a tangent's exact elevation
angle.
Note: You cannot change the tangent types to Symmetric, Tangent, Curvature, Surface Tangent,
or Surface Curvature while editing multiple curve tangents.
5.
Click
To Offset Multiple Planar Curves

1.
Holding down the CTRL key, select the planar curves to be edited.
2.
3.
Click Refs on the dashboard.
4.
from the Style toolbar.
Type an offset value in the Offset box. Style offsets the selected curves with the specified
value.
120
In addition, you can also choose to change the datum reference for these curves. Click the
Reference arrow icon and select the datum plane to be used as a new reference for the
selected curves.
5.
Click
To Change References for Multiple Planar Curves

1.
Select a planar curve to be edited.
2.
Select additional planar curves to be edited using CTRL + left-mouse button.
3.
4.
Click Refs on the dashboard.
5.
Click the Reference arrow icon and select the datum plane to be used as a reference for the
selected curves.
In addition, you can also choose to offset the selected curves with reference to this datum plane
by entering a positive or negative value in the Offset box.
6.
Click
to edit the selected curves as specified.
To Convert Multiple Curves

1.
Select a curve to be edited.
2.
Select additional curves to edit using CTRL + left-mouse button.
3.
4.
To convert free curves to planar curves, after selecting the curves, click Planar on the
dashboard and click
5.
To convert planar curves to free curves, after selecting the curves, click Free on the
dashboard and click
6.
To convert COS curves to free curves, after selecting the COS curves, click Free on the
dashboard and click
STYLE PARAMETERS
About Parameters in Style
Parameters in Style features are supported for modification outside the style feature.
You can make the following types of Style parameters visible outside Style:
Tangent Length, Angle, and Elevation Angle
Offset Plane value for planar curves
Soft point options Parameter, Length, Length Ratio, and Offset from Plane
Internal datum parameters such as translation offset and angular offset
121
To Make Style Parameters Visible

For Style parameters, selecting the check box next to the parameter makes the parameter visible
outside Style. Toggling the visibility for parameters is allowed at any time while editing the object.
Parameters for internal datums are automatically visible outside the Style feature, but other types
of parameters must be explicitly exposed.
To Edit Parameters Outside Style

To be able to edit parameters outside Style, you must first make them visible by selecting the
checkbox next to the parameter in Style.
To edit the Style parameters outside Style,
1.
Select the feature from the Model Tree, right-click, and select Edit.
2.
Double-click the required dimension and type a new value for it.
3.
Click Edit > Regenerate. The model regenerates to reflect the changed parameter values.
To Obtain Information on Parameters

Visible parameters are displayed by entity using the Info menu. You can check the parameters that
have been exposed after completing the Style feature by clicking Info > Feature.
SURFACES
About Surfaces
You can create the following types of surfaces using the Surface tool with one or more defining
curves or edges:
Boundary SurfaceHas a rectangular or triangular boundary. A set of primary curves with optional
internal curves defines the complete boundary of the surface.
Loft SurfaceIs created from a set of nonintersecting curves that flow in the same direction.
Blend SurfaceIs created from one or two primary curves and at least one cross curve. A cross
curve is a curve that intersects the primary curve or curves.
These surfaces can also be composite surfaces.
The defining curves of Style surfaces must either have soft-point connections, or share vertices at
the endpoints whenever two curves need to intersect. You need not trim curves back to absolute
corners, partial boundaries are supported.
About Composite Surfaces

Surfaces with more than one curve as a single boundary or internal curve are composite surfaces.
The set of curves along a single boundary can consist of different types of curves, but they must
join at the ends with tangent or curvature continuity. Composite surfaces are composed of a set of
surfaces but are treated as a single entity. Outside Style, such surfaces are treated as a single quilt.
The surface normals of the component surfaces are oriented consistently with each other.
During creation or redefinition, you can convert any type of Style surface (boundary, loft, or blend)
to another type by selecting a different set of defining curves.
122
To Create a Boundary Surface

1.
2.
Click
or Styling > Surface. The Style dashboard and the Select dialog box opens.
Select three or four boundary curves to create a triangular or rectangular boundary surface,
respectively.
Note:
o
Press CTRL and select multiple boundaries.
Press SHIFT and select multiple curves in a single boundary.
1.
1.

Click the Internal selection arrow on the Style dashboard if you want to select internal
curves. The Select dialog box opens.
2.
Select one or more internal curves.

Note:
o
Press CTRL and select multiple internal curves.
Press SHIFT and select multiple curves in a single internal curve.
6.
6.
Click on the arrows shown across the surface boundaries to modify connections between the
new surface and its neighbors, if required.
Note: To change the natural boundary of a triangular surface, click Options on the dashboard,
and then click the selection arrow and select the new boundary.
8.
Click
About Triangular Surfaces

Triangular surfaces in Style are created in the same way as rectangular surfaces, but they have
three boundaries instead of four. Triangular surfaces have one degenerate edge. The edge opposite
the degenerate vertex is called the natural boundary. When you create a triangular surface, the first
boundary curve that you select is the natural boundary.
Surface utilities that are valid for rectangular surfaces are also valid for triangular surfaces,
including Info, View > Model Setup > Mesh Surface, Edit > Edit Definition, Edit > Delete,
Edit > Unlink. You can change a triangular surface into a rectangular one with Edit Definition by
adding another boundary curve.
To Create a Loft Surface

1.
Click
2.
Select a set of nonintersecting curves that flow in the same direction to create a loft surface.
Note:
3.
Press CTRL and select multiple defining curves.
Press SHIFT and select multiple curves in a single defining curve.

123
4.
4.
Click
Example: Loft Surface

The next figure shows a loft surface.
To Create a Blend Surface

1.
Click
2.
Select one or two primary curves.

Note:
o
Press CTRL and select multiple defining curves.
Press SHIFT and select multiple curves in a single defining curve.
3. Click OK in the Select dialog box.

Note: If you have selected two primary curves earlier, then a loft surface is created which
changes to a blend surface when you select cross curves.
4.
Select one or more cross curves that intersect the primary curve or curves. The blend
surface is created and displayed.
Note:
o
If you have selected two primary curves earlier, then select cross curves using Cross
selection arrow.
Press CTRL and select multiple cross curves.
Press SHIFT and select multiple curves in a single cross curve.
5.
Click the Options tab.
5.
Under Blend, click the following:

o
RadialCreates a surface with a radial blend.
124
o
UniformCreates a surface with a uniform blend.
7.
7.
Click
Example: Creating Radial Blend Surfaces

This example shows how to create radial and parallel blend surfaces.
In Style, create a primary curve using the Curve tool as shown below.
Set an active datum plane that is perpendicular to the plane on which the primary curve lies and
create a curve that intersects the primary curve as shown.
125
Create a blend surface using Styling > Surface. To create a blend surface, first select the primary
curve. Next, select the curve that intersects the primary curves using the Cross selection arrow on
the dashboard.
The following figure shows a blend surface that is created when the Radial check box is selected.
The following figure shows a blend surface that is created when the Radial check box is not
selected.
126
Example: Creating Uniform Blend Surfaces

This example shows how to create uniform and nonuniform blend surfaces.
In Style, create two primary curves using the Curve tool as shown.
Set an active datum plane that is perpendicular to the plane on which the primary curves lie. Create
a curve that intersects the primary curves as shown.
Create a blend surface using Styling > Surface. To create a blend surface first select two primary
curves. A loft surface is created.
127
Next, select a curve that intersects the primary curves using the Cross selection arrow on the
dashboard. The following figure shows a blend surface that is created when the Uniform checkbox
is selected.
The following figure shows a blend surface that is created when the Uniform checkbox is not
selected.
128
About Internal Curves

In Style, internal curves are curves that define the shape of the interior of a surface. Any number of
internal curves can be added to a Style surface, provided you obey the following rules:
You cannot add a COS as an internal curve.

Internal curves cannot intersect consecutive (contiguous) boundaries, as shown in the
following diagram.
1 Correct
2 Incorrect
Generally, internal curves must have soft-points wherever they intersect the surface
boundaries or other internal curves, as shown in the following diagram.
129
If two internal curves cross the same borders, they cannot intersect within the surface, as
shown in the following diagram.
1 Correct
2 Incorrect
The internal curve must intersect both borders of the surface, as shown in the following
diagram.
1 Correct
2 Incorrect
3 Incorrect
An internal curve cannot intersect the surface boundary at more than two points, as shown
in the following diagram.
1 Correct
2 Incorrect
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About Internal Curves in Triangular Surfaces

Triangular surfaces may have internal curves only if the internal curves that are perpendicular to the
natural boundary pass through the degenerate vertex. After a triangular surface has internal curves,
you cannot change the natural boundary without first removing the internal curves.
If you try to change the natural boundary for a surface that has one or more internal curves,
Pro/ENGINEER displays a message:
Changingnaturalboundarywillcausetheinternalcurvestobedeleted.Continue?
If you click Yes, the internal curves are deleted. If you click No, the natural boundary remains
unchanged.
About Editing Surfaces

There are several ways that you can edit surfaces:
Edit the boundary or internal curves using
Click Edit > Edit Definition to add or remove boundary or internal curves.
Right-click to select Edit Definition on the shortcut menu and select the surface.
Edit the connections between surfaces using
, and then regenerate.
About Trimming Surfaces

In Style, you can trim surfaces and quilts using a set of curves. You can keep or delete the resulting
trimmed quilt pieces. By default, Pro/ENGINEER does not delete any of the trimmed pieces.
Note:
Style creates a new subfeature within the active Style feature each time you use the trim
operation.
Trimming a surface does not change its parametric definition. Any soft-points or COS do not
change after the trim operation.
When using the trim operation, you can
Use an already trimmed surface for another trim operation, that is, Style allows nested trim
operations.
Create COS, dropped curves, and soft-points on the trimmed surfaces just like any other
Style surfaces.
Create connections across the trim boundaries.

Use the Info and Analysis options on the top menu bar for information and analysis of the
trimmed surfaces.
Style does not allow you to do the following.
Copy, move, unlink, or convert trimmed surfaces.
Select trimming curves such that the trimmed quilt pieces are not created.
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To Trim a Surface
1.
Click
or click Styling > Trim.
2.
Select one or more quilts to be trimmed.
3.
Select the curves that you want to use for trimming the quilt.
The quilt is trimmed using the selected curves if they form valid trim pieces.
4.
Click on the surface mesh to select the trimmed pieces that you want to keep or delete. You
can toggle the selection.
If you select all the trimmed pieces for deletion, Pro/ENGINEER displays an error message.
5.
Click
to trim the selected surface.
If creating or redefining the trim does not result in a valid trimmed quilt, you can only cancel the
trim operation.
About Redefining Trimmed Surfaces
You cannot redefine the trim operation if it does not create trimmed pieces.
If you select a trimmed surface for redefining the trim operation, Style displays the mesh
regions in colors that indicate your earlier choice of keeping or deleting them.
When redefining or inserting a trim in a nested trim operation, Style removes all the trims
created after the trim that you are about to redefine or insert. These trim features are restored
and resolved after you complete the trim operation.
To Redefine Trimmed Surfaces

1.
Select the trimmed surface that you want to redefine.
2.
Right-click and select Edit Definition.

Style displays the mesh regions in different colors that indicate your earlier choice of keeping or
deleting them.
You can:
o
Select the mesh regions to delete.
Cancel the deletion of the deleted mesh regions.
Select a new curve or curves to trim the quilt.
To Delete Trimmed Surfaces

To delete a trim surface that is created as a subfeature of the Style feature, select the trimmed quilt
piece and click Edit > Delete.
CONNECTIONS
About Curve Connections
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Curve connections are created using Styling > Curve Edit. In Style, curve connections use the
concepts of leader and follower curves. A leader curve maintains its shape, while a follower curve
adapts its shape to meet the leader. The following kinds of connections can be made between
curves:
Symmetricsets the tangents of two adjoining curves to be the average of the tangents at
the end points. If the selected endpoint is a soft-point, the tangent is constrained to follow the
Tangentsame as symmetric, but the original tangent value of the leader curve is
maintained.
Curvaturesame as tangent, but the original curvature value of the leader curve is
maintained.
The following options create connections between curves and neighboring surfaces:
Surface Tangentsets the selected curve tangent to follow the cross-boundary tangent of
the parent surface. This requires that the selected endpoint is a soft-point to a surface boundary.
Surface Curvaturesets the selected curve tangent to follow the cross-boundary curvature
of the parent surface. This requires that the selected endpoint is a soft-point to a surface.
About Direct Manipulation of Curve Tangents

Direct manipulation of curve tangents that are not connected to another curve is quite simple.
If the tangent is completely free you can change both length and direction by dragging the
displayed vector. Most other constraints (such as Align or Fix Angle) allow you to modify only the
length since the direction is constrained.
In the case of a connected curve, the tangent handle has two parts: a regular tangent vector
on the leader and an arrow tangent vector on the follower. The follower tangent can be dragged
to change length only (the direction is constrained by the leader). The leader tangent may have
any of the other constraints (except Tangent or Curvature) applied. Changing the type of the
follower tangent to anything except Tangent or Curvature breaks the connection with the leader
curve.
You can align the tangent of a curve to another unconnected curve.
You can swap the leader/follower direction (and the underlying soft-point) by clicking on the
end of the leader tangent to move the arrow.
To Create Curve Connections Using Tangent Constraints

1.
Click
2.
Select a curve and click the curve's endpoint to display the tangent vector.
3.
Click Tangent on the dashboard, or right-click over the tangent vector to display the
Tangent options.
4.
box that apply to connections with neighboring curves and surfaces:
SymmetricSets the tangents of two adjoining curves to be the average of the tangents at the
end points. If the selected endpoint is a soft-point, the tangent is constrained to follow the
TangentSame as symmetric, but the original tangent value of the leader curve is maintained.
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CurvatureSame as tangent, but the original curvature value of the leader curve is maintained.
The following options create connections with neighboring surfaces:
Surface TangentSets the selected curve tangent to follow the tangent curvature of the
parent surface. This requires that the selected endpoint is a soft-point to a surface boundary.
You can also add secondary constraints.
Surface Curvaturesets the selected curve tangent to follow the cross-boundary curvature of
the parent surface. This requires that the selected endpoint is a soft-point to a surface. You can
also add secondary constraints.
5.
Click
About Surface Connections

Surface connections, like curve connections, are based on the concepts of leaders and followers. A
leader surface does not change its shape while a follower surface changes its shape to meet the
leader. Surface connections in Style are as described:
Matched (G0)The surfaces share a common boundary, but there is no shared tangent or
curvature across the boundary.
Tangent (G1)Two surfaces have a common boundary, and that at every point along that
boundary they are tangent to each other.
Curvature (G2)The surfaces are tangent continuous across the boundary, and share
curvature along the common boundary.
Controlling Surface Connections in Composite Surfaces

You can control connections across the composite boundaries but you cannot control connections
within the composite surfaces. Connections within the composite surface operate as a group and are
shown in a different color. For example, inverting the leader-follower relationship at one of the
handles inverts all others along the boundary. The continuity for composite surfaces is the maximum
given the curvature, tangent, or position continuity of the associated boundary curves.
Style surfaces are followers of any non-Style surfaces, such as Pro/ENGINEER surfaces, or of other
Style surfaces that occur earlier in the model tree.
To Connect Surfaces
This procedure describes how to set connections between adjoining surfaces:
1.
Click
or click Styling > Connect to open the Style dashboard.
2.
Select a set of surfaces.

The arrows between the surfaces represent the connections between the surfaces. The arrow
points from the leader surface to the follower.
3. Click the connection arrow to change the connections between surfaces.
o
Click the end of the arrow to change the leader/follower.
Click the middle of the arrow to toggle between tangent or curvature connection.
o
4.
Press the SHIFT key and click the middle of the arrow to return to matched connection. A
matched connection has no connection except the shared boundary curve.
Change the surfaces for which connections are displayed, if desired:
134
o
AllShows the connections between the selected surfaces and all adjacent surfaces.
SelectedShows the connections between the selected surfaces.
5.
Modify the Icon Length value to change the size of the connection arrow, if desired.
5.
Click
About Surface Connections with Triangular Surfaces

Surface connections to triangular surfaces are handled similarly as other connections with the
following additional restrictions:
The surface's natural boundary may be a leader or follower of another surface with G1 or G2
connections.
The two edges that are not the natural boundary may be G1 leaders only.
STYLE EDITING TOOLS

To Select Entities
1.
Click
(Select tool) and select geometry directly in the main window.
2.
Use the following methods for selecting geometry with the Select tool:
o
Click on an unselected object.
CTRL + click to select additional objects.
CTRL + click on a selected object to unselect it.
Click anywhere in the window background to unselect all objects.
For example, if you want to delete multiple surfaces, hold down the CTRL key and click on each
surface. Then, when you click Edit > Delete, all selected surfaces are deleted at once.
Using Selection for Move and Copy

Use the following shortcuts in the Select tool for moving and copying curves:
Press CTRL + SHIFT and drag on selected curves to move them.
Press CTRL and drag on selected curves to copy and move them.
About Moving and Copying Style Geometry

Move and copy functionality in Style applies only to Style curves. The functions apply to planar and
free curves, but not COSs.
For planar curves, the planar constraints are not violated.
Move allows you to reposition Style geometry.
Copy duplicates the selected geometry and allows you to position it. Soft-points are
preserved during a copy. The copy may be unlinked, in which case references to the geometry
being copied are unlinked, if necessary.
Copy Proportional duplicates the selected geometry, retaining the original proportions
when the endpoints of the first curve in the selected geometry are moved to new positions during
duplication.
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Copied curves do not maintain history with the original curves. However, the copied curves preserve
the relationships that exist between the individual curves in the set of curves selected for copying.
Copying Curves with Soft-Point Constraint Proportionally

Soft-point constraints do not allow you to copy curves proportionally. You must remove the softpoint constraints to copy them proportionally or copy the constrained curves proportionally along
with the parent curves.
To Move and Copy Style Geometry

1.
Click Edit > Move or Copy.
2.
Select one or more curves.
3.
Click the Unlink check box to remove any references to the geometry being copied, if
necessary.
4.
Position the geometry by dragging, or enter xyz coordinate values to specify where to place
the moved or copied geometry.
If you click the Relative check box, the x,y,z coordinate values are treated as offsets from the
geometry's original position.
5. Click
Note: Use the following shortcuts for moving and copying curves:
Press CTRL + SHIFT and drag the selected curves to move them.
Press CTRL and drag the selected curves to copy and move them.
To Copy Style Geometry Proportionally

1.
Select a curve or a set of curves.
2.
Click Edit > Copy Proportional.

o
The Style dashboard opens.
A copy of the curve or set of curves is created.
Two vectors that indicate the original and new positions of the two defining points of the first
curve in the selection set are visible.
The default bases of the two vectors are the endpoints of the first curve in the selection set.
The heads of the two vectors are offset proportionally from the bases.
Unlink on the dashboard is off by default.
Uniform under Options on the dashboard is on by default.
3.
Click the Unlink check box to remove any references to the geometry being copied, if
necessary.
3.
Clear the Uniform check box to scale the copy nonuniformly in each coordinate.
136
3.
Drag the arrow heads of vectors to scale, translate or rotate the copied curve.
3.
Click
Example: Copy Proportional

The next figure shows a proportional copy of a single curve.
The next figure shows proportional copies of a set of curves.
To Redefine Geometry
1.
Click Edit > Edit Definition. Alternately, double-click the entity that you want to modify.
2.
Select a curve, drop COS, surface, or surface trim.
3.
Modify the entities as desired.
4.
Click
Note: You cannot redefine internal datum planes.
To Get Information on Style Features

Click Info > Current Feature to obtain information on the current Style feature.
Information including the name, type, geometry ID, the references, referenced features, and their
visibility state appears in an Information window.
To Get Information on Selected Entities

1.
2.
Click Info > Entity to obtain information on selected entities.

Information including the name, type, geometry ID, references, referenced features, and
their visibility state appears in an Information window.
Note: You can obtain information on an entire Style feature, including all its component entities by
clicking Info > Current Feature.
To Repeat a Style Command
137
Click
or middle-click to repeat a Style command.
To Unlink COSs
If a dropped curve is linked to the projected curve, modifications you make to the projected curve
are propagated to the dropped curve during regeneration. Unlinking a dropped curve breaks the
associativity between curves created with the drop operation. You cannot relink dropped curves that
you have unlinked. This is also true for COSs by point.
1.
Select the COS that you want to unlink.
2.
Click Edit > Convert.
3.
Since this operation cannot be undone, you must confirm the conversion.
DELETING GEOMETRY
About Deleting Geometry
If you attempt to delete parent geometry without deleting the children, the children are highlighted,
and you are prompted to delete, unlink, or suspend that geometry. In cases where the parent being
deleted is not essential to regeneration of the child, you can unlink the child from the parent instead
of deleting it, as in the following examples:
Soft points can be converted to fixed points on free or planar curves.
Curve connections can be deleted to unlink followers.
Surface connections can be deleted to unlink followers.
Internal curves can be removed from child surfaces.

If you choose not to delete or unlink the dependent children, you can suspend the children.
Suspension causes the children to fail to regenerate, and you will have to resolve them at a later
time.
To Delete Geometry
To delete any type of Style geometry except curve points and curve segments, select the geometry
you want to delete, and then click Edit > Delete. The selected geometry is deleted.
Note: If you attempt to delete parent geometry without deleting the children, the children are
highlighted, and you are prompted to delete, unlink, or suspend that geometry.
To Delete Curve Points

Use the following procedure to delete curve points.
1.
Click
2.
Select a curve.
3.
To delete a point, right-click and select Delete.
4.
Click
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REGENERATION
About Style Regeneration
The Style feature has an internal regeneration mechanism that regenerates entities only if they are
out of date because their parents have changed. If you click Edit > Regenerate All, all entities are
regenerated, if necessary. Any entities that are up-to-date are not regenerated.
To Regenerate the Style Feature

During Style regeneration, only the entities contained in the Style feature are regenerated and not
the entire Pro/ENGINEER model.
Click Edit > Regenerate All to regenerate all Style features that are out of date. The traffic light is
green when the model is up-to-date, yellow when the model is out-of-date, and red when there has
been a failed regeneration.
About Automatic Curve Regeneration

By default curves automatically regenerate during editing.
The Auto Regenerate > Curves option allows you to automatically regenerate curves. The option
is set using the Styling > Preferences dialog box.
If the Style feature is complicated, with a large number of curves, you can choose not to select this
option to avoid the impact on performance.
Automatic regeneration applies to all curve edit operations. Curves that are children of a modified
curve are updated. In the case of splitting a curve, all children of the original curve, and therefore of
both resulting curves, are updated.
Typically, a child curve contains a soft-point on the parent, but other situations, such as curves
having aligned tangents, can create the parent-child relationship.
While automatically regenerating curves,
Multiple curve edits are allowed.
All directly dependent curves that are not created as surfaces or COS by dropping curves on
a surface are allowed.
While automatically regenerating curves, if a child curve fails to regenerate, the processing of
other non-dependent child curves is completed. Pro/ENGINEER does not display the Resolve
dialog box. The next auto-regeneration again tries to update the failed entity.
About Automatic Surface Regeneration

By default, the Style feature automatically regenerates surfaces during editing.
To set the surface regeneration options, click Styling > Preferences. The Preferences dialog box
opens.
If you click Surface from the Auto Regenerate options, only the wireframe surfaces get
automatically regenerated.
If you click Shaded Surface from the Auto Regenerate options, both wireframe and
shaded surfaces get automatically regenerated.
While automatically regenerating surfaces,
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Editing the curves that are used to create a surface automatically regenerates the surface. If the
edited curves do not form a valid closed boundary, the surface does not regenerate. You must
resolve this by editing the curves so as to form a valid surface boundary and clicking the
icon.
Editing the internal curves also automatically regenerates the surface. Any COSs and
dependent children are also updated so as to lie on the regenerated surface.
About Resolve Mode

Although you can continue to work with a Style feature that has unresolved internal entities, you
cannot exit Style until all entities are resolved. The system automatically enters Resolve mode
under the following conditions:
You attempt to exit Style and there are failed features.
You attempt to regenerate a failed feature.
To Resolve a Style Feature

1.
2.
Click Edit > Resolve to open the Resolve dialog box.

Click Failed to list all failed internal entities. Select an item in the list to highlight it in the
view.
Click Blocked to highlight all entities that cannot be regenerated until a failed parent is
resolved. Select an item in the list to highlight it in the view.
3. Select an entity in the list to highlight it in the view and to see an explanation of the failure.
You can resolve the failure by choosing one of the following resolve actions:
o
Click
to display the information dialog for the selected unresolved entity.
Click
to redefine the unresolved entity.
Click
to unlink this entity from all of its failed references.
Click
to convert a planar or COS curve to a free curve.
Click
to delete this entity and all of its children.
If you attempt to delete parent geometry without deleting the children, the children are
highlighted, and you are prompted to delete, unlink, or suspend that geometry.
o
o
4.
Click
to attempt regeneration of the unresolved entity.
Click on the failed subfeature in the list. The Explain box displays a description of the failed
subfeature.
Click Close.
CURVES AND SURFACE ANALYSIS

About Curve and Surface Analyses in Style
140
You can create and save curve and surface analyses in Style using Analysis > Geometry. It is
often helpful to use curve and surface analyses to evaluate the quality of your curves and surfaces
as you edit them in Style. When you edit the definition of the Style feature, the saved curve or
surface analysis is dynamically updated with respect to the changed definition.
There are two ways to use the curve and surface analyses in Style.
While creating a Style feature or editing its definition, use saved geometry analysis on the
Style geometry. Continue creating or editing in Style. The analysis is dynamically updated.
Create a curve or surface analysis on any existing Style geometry and save it. This analysis
is dynamically updated when you edit the feature definition.
Note: You can also use the Measure and Model analyses in Style, but cannot save or retrieve them.
Create these analyses outside Style and save them, if required.
PRO/ENGINEER INTEGRATION
To Redefine or Reroute Style Features
Redefining Features
Clicking Edit > Edit Definition (or right-click the Style feature in the Model Tree and select Edit
Definition) returns you to the Style environment. As Style features are superfeatures, Edit
Definition allows you to add as well as edit elements.
You cannot save your model inside Style. It is good practice to create some curves and surfaces,
then exit Style and save your model, and then use Edit Definition to add more elements.
Rerouting Features
Clicking Edit > References (or right-click the Style feature in the model tree and select Edit
References) can be used to reroute the external references of a Style feature. The Edit
References command is executed from within the general Pro/ENGINEER environment.
To Resolve Style Features from Pro/ENGINEER

When a Style feature fails to regenerate and Resolve mode is invoked, clicking Quick Fix >
Redefine or Fix Model > Redefine enables you to return to the Style environment.
Style has its own internal Resolve tool to navigate and fix failures. All the Style tools are available.
If Quick Fix > Reroute or Fix Model > Reroute are used to change the external references of a
Style feature, you remain in the general Pro/ENGINEER environment to execute the reroute.
To Create Style Parameters in Pro/ENGINEER

User parameters for Style features are created similar to other Pro/ENGINEER user parameters.
1.
Click Tools > Parameters to open the Parameters dialog box.
2.
Select the parameter type Feature.
3.
Select the Style feature from the Model Tree.
4.
Click
For more information, refer to the topic About User Parameters from the Pro/ENGINEER
Fundamentals module of Pro/ENGINEER Help.
141
TRACE SKETCH
About Trace Sketch
You can import a sketch into Style on one of the three default datum planes: front, top, or right, a
user-defined datum plane, or a planar surface. Using Style, you can reference and use images to
model a part within the Style feature. The referenced image or sketch is used as an underlay for
creating geometry when you manually trace the key features of the sketch.
You can also reference a scene for creating geometry in Style. A scene is a set of correlated images
and curves created in Pro/CONCEPT. When working with a scene, the curves are defined and
maintained in the same feature as the sketches.
About Fitting Sketches

Fitting the sketch to a view is a very important step in creating a good model geometry using
sketches. Fitting the sketch before you begin tracing curves ensures that your geometry is located
and scaled correctly. In order to fit the sketch, you have to identify an origin and specify the scale of
the sketch.
To Insert a Sketch on a Default Datum Plane

1.
Click Styling > Trace Sketch. The Trace Sketch dialog box opens.
2.
Select any default datum plane in the Trace Sketch dialog box. The Open dialog box opens.
4.
Browse to the required image and select it.

4. Click Open.
o
o
6.
The image is added to the selected datum plane on the screen.

The name of the image is added to the name of the selected datum plane in the Trace
Sketch dialog box.
Click OK.
To Insert a Sketch on a Datum Plane or a Planar Surface

1.
2.
Clear the selection of views, if any, in the Trace Sketch dialog box.
3.
Click File > Open Sketch or click
4.
Select a datum plane or a planar surface. The Open dialog box opens.
4.
Browse to the required image and select it.
4. Click Open.
o
o
The image is added to the selected datum plane or planar surface on the screen.
The names of the datum plane or planar surface and the image are added to the list in the
Trace Sketch dialog box.
142
7.
Click OK.
Example: Trace Sketches on Datum Planes and Planar Surfaces

The next figure shows trace sketches on a user-defined datum and a planar surface.
143
The next figure shows a mobile phone keypad as the referenced image applied to a planar surface.
This image is used as an underlay to manually trace the key features of the keypad and create
geometry.
144
To Insert a Scene
1.
2.
Click File > Open Scene to open a set of sketches and related curves from a Pro/CONCEPT
scene file. The Open File dialog box opens.
3.
Navigate to the required scene and select it.
4.
Click OK in the Open File dialog box.

o
o
5.
The images are added to the datum planes on the screen.

The names of the datum plane and the image are added to the list in the Trace Sketch
dialog box.
Click OK in the Trace Sketch dialog box.
145
To Remove, Show, and Hide a Sketch

1.
o
To replace an existing sketch, select the sketch name in the Trace Sketch dialog box and
click
To permanently remove a sketch, select the sketch name in the Trace Sketch dialog box
and click
or click Sketch > Remove.
To remove all the sketches, click Sketch > Remove All.
To hide a sketch, select the sketch name and click
To display the hidden sketch, select the sketch name and click
To hide all the sketches, click Sketch > Hide All.
To show all the hidden sketches, click Sketch > Show All.
2.
.
.
Click OK.
To Align the Inserted Sketch

After inserting the sketch in Style, you can proceed to align the inserted sketch using the Trace
Sketch dialog box.
1.
Drag the dimensioning bars in the graphics window to align the sketch with the origin as well
as a known dimension in the sketch. For example, the origin can be at the center of the wheel
when the length of the wheel base is known.
Note: To make alignment of the sketch easier, make sure that the View > Show All is not
selected.
2.
Under Fit, click Horizontal to fit the sketch horizontally, or click Vertical to fit the sketch
vertically.
2.
Fit.
Depending on your selection, type the value of the horizontal or vertical dimension and click
The sketch is scaled proportionally to match the dimension.

4. If you do not want the origin to be located at (0,0), under Model Origin, type the X and Y
coordinates for the new origin. The Move and Scale dimensions get adjusted relative to the
values you typed.
4.
Adjust the following values if required:

o
TransparencyUse the slider to change the value between zero and 100. A value of zero
means a completely opaque sketch, whereas a value of 100 makes the sketch totally
transparent.
RotateUse the slider to rotate the sketch with respect to the origin. You can select a value
between zero and 180 degrees.
MoveUse the sliders to move the sketch horizontally or vertically.
6.
If you have fitted the sketch to the view and the origin and the sketch is to scale, you can
start creating the geometry. If the sketch is not to scale, adjust the sketch as follows:
o
If you fit the sketch horizontally, you may need to scale it vertically.
146
o
If you fit the sketch vertically, you may need to scale it horizontally.
Note: Click
to lock the horizontal and vertical dimensions for scaling. This retains the aspect
ratio of the sketch. Clear the selection to scale the two dimensions separately.
Example: Aligning a Sketch

The next figure shows the side sketch of a car. The dimensioning bars are positioned so that the
origin is at the center of the front wheel. The wheelbase is the known dimension.
About Creating Geometry from Sketches

After you create, insert, and fit your sketches well and line up the origin consistently for all views in
Style, you can create geometry using the sketches as a guideline.
You can:
Create the outline of the model using the Style curves
Connect the curves
Define regions in such a way that you can create surfaces later
Note:
Sketches that you have created in Style remain in the graphics window even after you complete the
Style feature. Therefore, you can also use other tools such as Sketcher to create geometry using
the trace sketches.
To clear the display of the Trace Sketch data when you are not working in Style,
Click View > Display Settings > Model Display. The Model Display dialog box opens.
Clear the Trace Sketch check box and click OK.
GLOSSARY
Glossary of Terms
Term
Definition
B-Spline Surface
A parametric surface (also known as a NURBS surface) that is commonly

used in geometric modeling. It accommodates a wide variety of shapes and
conveniently exchanges geometry between applications. See Surface.
147
Blend Surface
A surface that is created from one or two primary curves and at least one
additional curve that intersects the primary curve or curves.
Boundary Curve
A curve that defines the outer boundary of a Style surface.
Boundary Surface
A surface that has a rectangular or triangular boundary. The complete

boundary of the surface is defined by a set of primary curves with optional
internal curves.
Child
Any entity that references another entity. For example, a surface is a child
of the boundary curves that were used to create it. See Parent, and
Regenerate.
Composite
Surface
A surface that has more than one curve as a single boundary or internal
curve. In Style, a composite surface is composed of a set of surfaces but is
treated as a single entity. Outside Style such surfaces are treated as a
single quilt.
Connection
Specifies how a smooth join between two curves or surfaces is to be

computed. See Follower Connection.
Continuity Level
A description of the connection between two curves or along the shared

boundary between two surfaces. Curvature-continuous connections have
the same curvature at each point along the boundary. Tangent-continuous
connections have the same tangent at every point along the boundary.
Position-continuous connections have only the shared boundary, but not
shared tangents or curvature.
Control Points
Control points display the underlying B-Spline mathematics of a curve or

surface. Control points do not necessarily lie on the curve or surface.
COS
See Curve on Surface.
Curvature
How much a curve or surface bends at any given point. A straight line has
zero curvature.
Curvature
Continuous
See Continuity Level.
Curvature Plot
A graphical representation that shows the curvature at a set of points along

a curve. Curvature plots are used to analyze the smoothness of a curve.
Curve
A smooth path in space which is defined by two or more points.
Curve from
Surface
A free or COS curve that is created from an isoparametric line of a surface.
Curve on Surface
A curve that lies on one or more surfaces.
Drag (cursor)
To press and hold the mouse button while you move the mouse to a new
position.
Endpoint
A point at the end of a curve. See Internal Point.
Fixed Point
One of the points used to define a curve. Fixed points always lie on a
curve. See Internal Point and Control Point.
Follower
Connection
A type of connection in which the follower surface assumes the direction of

its leader surface along the shared boundary. The leader surface does not
change. See Connection.
148
G,G,G
0
Mathematical terms for continuity levels. G0 is position continuous. G1 is

tangent continuous. G2 is curvature continuous. See Continuity Level.
Grid
A pattern on or referencing the active datum plane of equally spaced

horizontal and vertical lines that can be used as a guide during feature
creation.
Internal Curve
A curve that defines the shape of a surface, but is not one of the boundary
curves.
Internal Point
One of the defining points of a curve that is not an endpoint. See Endpoint,
Fixed Point, and Soft-point.
Leader
Connection
A type of connection in which the leader surface governs the direction of its
follower surface along the shared boundary. See Connection.
Linked Object
An object with one or more parents that will change if the parent object is
changed. In some cases, objects can be unlinked to remove the
dependency on the original geometry. See Design History, Parent, and
Child.
Local History
A mechanism for remembering how the individual entities in the Style

feature were constructed, so that any changes to geometry are propagated
throughout the feature. See Parent, Child, and Regenerate.
Loft Surface
A surface that is created from a set of non-intersecting curves that flow in

the same direction.
Mesh
Lines that approximate the contours of the surface. Also called flow lines or
parametric lines.
Natural Tangent
The tangent at the endpoint of a curve that is computed when no fixed

tangent is specified. To insure a relaxed curve shape, a natural tangent is
recomputed whenever the curve changes shape.
Normal
A vector that is perpendicular to a curve or surface or datum at a given

point.
NURBS
See B-Spline Surface.
Orthographic
Views
The plan, side and rear views.
Parent
An entity that is used to define another entity. For example, the boundary
curves that are used to create a surface are its parents. Several parents
can make an entity. See Child, Design History, and Regenerate.
Planar Curve
A curve in which every point on the curve lies on a particular plane.
Point
A position in space that is defined by X, Y, and Z coordinate values.
Preference
Settings that determine user choices for items such as display and point
creation. Preferences are remembered throughout a session and can be
restored in later sessions if desired.
Proportional Copy
Copy of a curve that retains the proportions of the original curve, when the
endpoints are moved to a new position of the first curve in the selected
geometry are moved to new positions during duplication.
Radial-Path Planar
A curve that lies on a soft-plane that it is normal to the parent curve at a
149
Curve
selected point on the parent curve.
Regenerate
The process of recomputing child geometry when parent geometry has

changed. For example, if a boundary curve is changed, the regeneration
process would recompute the surface. See Local History.
Snapping
An option that directs the cursor to gravitate to points, curves, edges, and
surfaces.
Soft-plane
A plane that references Style curves. During curve edits, the soft-plane can
slide along its parent curve while remaining normal to the parent curve at
all times. When the parent curves are updated, the planes and the planar
curves are regenerated.
Soft-point
A point that references Style curves, datum curves, edges, and surfaces,
and can be slid along the reference curve during curve edits. Soft-points
are created by snapping to existing reference geometry. To turn on
snapping, click Styling > Snap, or hold down the ALT key as you move
around the screen. The cursor is followed by a snapping cursor (a
crosshair) when snapping capability is turned on.
Surface
An association of four intersecting curves that make an enclosed area. A

surface is a mathematical transformation that maps a simple, flat area into
a 3D continuous area in model space. See B-Spline Surface.
Tangent
The direction of a curve at a particular point.
Tangent
Continuous
See Continuity Level.
View
The multiple view environment in Style allows for the creation of curves in
either two dimensions (specifying the third dimension after the 2-D shape)
or directly in 3-D.

Surface

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1

Accessing the Surface Functionality

To Assign a Color to a Quilt

Assign the color.

To shade an entire model, click View > Shade.

To Mesh Quilts and Surfaces

Select the object type, Surface or Quilt.

Select the surface or quilt for creating a mesh.

Note: To remove the mesh, redraw the current view (repaint).

CREATING A SURFACE FEATURE

ExtrudeCreates a quilt by extruding the sketched section at a specified depth in the

Boundary BlendCreates a quilt by selecting boundaries in one or two directions.

Swept BlendCreates a quilt using swept blend geometry.

Helical SweepCreates a quilt using helical sweep geometry.

FillCreates a planar quilt by sketching its boundaries.

Creating a Feature with an Open or Closed Volume

To Create a Joined or Unattached Quilt

JoinJoins the surface feature with the existing quilt.

No JoinCreates a surface feature that is not attached to the existing quilt.

CREATING ADVANCED SURFACE FEATURES

Blend Section To SurfacesCreates a quilt as a blend from a section to tangent surfaces.

Blend Between SurfacesCreates a quilt as a blend from a surface to tangent surfaces.

Blend From FileCreates a blended surface from a file.

Blend Tangent to SurfacesCreates a surface as a blend from an edge or a curve to

Surface Free FormCreates a surface by dynamic manipulation.

Vertex RoundTrims a surface by filleting a flat surface.

Flatten QuiltCreates a flattened quilt.

CREATING BLENDED SURFACE

Link another file to the feature.

To Create a Blended Surface from a File

To Update a Blended Surface from a File

Check StatusChecks the selected feature for outdated imported geometry.

UpdateUpdates outdated geometry for the selected feature.

Change LinkChanges the file associated to the selected feature.

Auto Check Status on ActivateAutomatically verifies outdated features while activating a

Auto Check Status on RetrieveAutomatically verifies outdated features while retrieving a

Auto Check Status on UpdateAutomatically verifies outdated features while updating a

Show LogShows a log of updates to geometry.

CREATING OTHER SURFACES FROM BOUNDARIES

CurvesSpecifies geometrical references for this feature.

Conic ParamSpecifies the conic parameter.

Click Done on the OPTIONS menu.

Conclude feature creation by clicking OK in the dialog box.

Defining a Conic Surface

Only single-segment composite curves can be selected as boundary or control curves.

Example: Conic Surface

To Create a Surface from More Than Four Boundaries

CurvesSpecifies geometrical references for this feature.

Bndry Conds(Optional) Defines Boundary Conditions.

FreeNo tangency conditions are set along the boundary.

NormalThe blended surface is normal to the reference surface or datum plane.

To complete the feature creation, click OK in the dialog box.

Tip: Creating an N-Sided Surface

The boundaries have inflections

About Blend Tangent to Surfaces

To Create a Quilt Tangent to a Surface

Create a reference curve.

Specify the draft direction by selecting one of the following:

Two SidedThe draft is created on both sides of the reference curve.

you are not satisfied with the automatic selection, click

under Tangent To and select the

to close the dialog box and create

Reference Curve Requirements for Curve-Driven Tangent Drafts

Be continuous, tangent, and nonintersecting.