Modeling Preferences Free Form

Overview Options
Curve Fit Method

This option controls the fitting method used when curves must be approximated by
splines. Select one of the following methods.

Cubic

Uses degree 3 splines. If you need to transfer your spline data to another system that only
supports degree 3 splines, you must use this option.

Quintic

Uses degree 5 splines. Curves created with the Quintic fit method have a smaller number
of segments than those created with the Cubic fit method, and are therefore easier to edit
by moving poles. The curvature distributions are smoother, and better replicate the
curvature properties of the true curve.

Advanced

The Advanced setting enables the Advanced Rebuild Options and gives you control
over the degree and segmentation of developed curves. Use these options to create curves
that are more suitable for styling related tasks, and use Cubic and Quintic for curves you
want to be in tolerance.

Maximum Degree

Lets you specify a maximum number of degrees to use with the curve fitting method.

Maximum Segments

Lets you specify a maximum number of segments to use with the curve fitting method.

The system will try to build the surface without segments until the number of degrees
specified by the Maximum Degree parameter is reached. If tolerances cannot be met with
the Maximum Degree, segments are added until the number defined for Maximum
Segments is reached. If the maximum degree and maximum segments combined still
does not allow the tolerance to be met, the curve is created and a message displays stating
that it does not meet the specified tolerance.

Curve Fit Method only affects the result when the fitting curve must be an
approximation. If the result can be exactly replicated by a spline of any degree, that
 spline will be created.

The Advanced option is available on certain feature edit dialogs when the Curve Fit
Method is presented. The Maximum Degree and Maximum Segments settings are also
used by certain functions that use the Rebuild option when it is set to Automatic.

Free Form Construction Result

This option lets you control free form feature creation when using the Through Curves,
Through Curve Mesh, Swept, and Ruled options.

When the Plane option is on and the creation geometry would produce a planar surface, a
bounded plane is created instead. Using the B-Surface option tells the system to always
create a B-surface.

Using bounded planes instead of B-surfaces enhances the performance and reliability of
downstream applications. However, if the isoparametric curves or flowlines of the surface
are important to your application, the B-Surface option gives you control over this data.

Animation

The Animation options control surface animation functions in certain surface edit and
Move Pole operations. You can change these settings at any time and see immediate
results.

Preview Resolution

This option controls the resolution of the preview grid, either in shaded or wireframe
mode. The six options, None, Coarse, Standard, Fine, Extra Fine, Super Fine and Ultra
Fine, produce a preview grid that is respectively more detailed.

Figure. Preview Resolution with Move Pole: Coarse (left) and Fine (right)

The None option shows no grid at all in wireframe mode.

Enable Trimmed Animation

Select this option to see animations of trimmed surfaces during certain surface create and
edit operations (for example with Swoop, Law Extension surfaces and Styled Blend).

Use Triangular Mesh

Select this option to see a triangular mesh on surfaces during certain surface create and
edit operations (for example with Swoop, Law Extension surfaces and Styled Blend).

Associative Edit Freeform

Lets you specify whether the output you get when editing certain free form features
remain as free form features or as unparameterized features.

If selected, this option causes freeform features to be created for the following edit
functions:

Snip Enlarge * Degree Move Pole

Match Edge Refit Face Change Edge Pole Smoothing

Iso-Trim Divide Xform Deform Sheet

Stiffness Transform Move Defining Point

Among these functions, features created by X-Form, Move Defining Point, Move Pole,
Deform, Transform, Isoparametric Trim/Divide, Change Edge, Degree and Stiffness will
only recall the result of the editing, instead of how it was created. Although this does not
allow you to edit these features using their creation parameters, it is useful in not
disrupting the feature hierarchy and allows you to return to the original shape by deleting
or suppressing these features.

If not selected, this option causes unparameterized features to be created when using the
edit functions shown above.

* The Enlarge function disregards the Associative Edit Freeform setting If you select Edit
a Copy.

Modeling Preferences Analysis

 Overview Options
B-Curve Pole, B-Surface Pole

Use these options to specify the color of the pole control polygons for B-curves and B-
surfaces. You can:

Click the currently assigned color for either type and then choose the color you
want for each from a palette.
Click the Curve Color check box to make all B-curve pole control polygons the
same color as their underlying curves.

Click the Face Color check box to make all B-surface pole control polygons the
same color as their underlying surfaces.

Curve Curvature Display

This option lets you choose the way in which curvature is displayed, either as a curvature
comb or as a radius of curvature comb. This is a global setting, affecting all locations
where the system displays curvature.

Use of these combs makes it is easier to detect discontinuities in curvature, abrupt

changes and inflection points, all of which are undesirable in most cases. You can turn on
a curvature display by selecting the desired curves or edges and clicking the Combs icon
toggle button on the Analyze Shape Toolbar, or by clicking the Combs option switch on
the Analysis Curve pull-down menu. After that, with one of the curvature comb types
displayed, you can edit the curve until you get the desired result.

Curvature Displays curvature as a curvature comb. Each of the teeth in this type of
Comb comb represents the curvature of the curve at that point.

Radius of Displays curvature as a radius of curvature comb. Each of the teeth in this
Curvature type of comb represents the radius of curvature at that point. This method
Comb emphasizes different characteristics of the curve when compared with the
Curvature Comb option. In particular, inflection points are always evident
with a Radius of Curvature Comb, which is not always the case with a
Curvature Comb.

The figure below shows how the two types of curvature comb appear for the same curve.