Creating Plastic Parts - Inventor 2013 and Inventor LT 2013 Essentials - page 204

Sculpting a Plastic Surface
In Chapter 7, “Advanced Part Modeling Features,” you used the Replace Face tool
to substitute a contoured face. The Sculpt tool could be considered an evolution
of Replace Face, but it is far more powerful. It will help you combine a series of
overlapping surfaces into a solid model. You'll use it to create the initial shape
of your model.

1. Verify that the 2013 Essentials project file is active, and then open the
c09-01.ipt file from the Parts\Chapter​9 folder.

2. Start the Sculpt tool from the Surface panel of the 3D Model tab.

3. Select all the surfaces in the Design window, including the plane at
the base of the part.

4. As the surfaces are selected, a preview of solid bodies appears. Once
all the surfaces are selected, click OK.

Selecting the direc-
tion arrows in the
surfaces allows you
to bias the direc-
tion of the volume
that will be solidi-
fied if there is any
ambiguity.

The complete solid should look like Figure 9.2.

FIGURE 9.2 The solid formed by the surfaces

TIP For creating components with a series of complex surfaces, it can
be beneficial to create the surfaces as surfaces and sculpt them together
instead of trying to construct a loft or other features.

Stitching Surfaces Together

You can combine surfaces to form a new surface, and then that surface can be
used for other things. In this example, you'll use the Stitch tool to define a sur-
face to be removed.

1. Verify that the 2013 Essentials project file is active, and then open
c09-02.ipt from the Parts\Chapter​9 folder.