Tool Palettes > Surfaces > Multi-Surface blend > Profile blend

Surfaces > Multi-Surface blend > Profile blend

Lets you create one or many transitional surface(s) between multiple continuous surface boundaries, by specifying any number of cross-sections (profile curves) between the primary surfaces.

The primary surfaces' edges may be trimmed, untrimmed, curves on surface, or isoparms.

You can place any number of profile curves (cross-sections) at any point between the primary surfaces' boundaries. Profiles can be any type of curves, including blend curves and surface boundaries.

See Create a blend surface by specifying profiles.

Continuity

Choose Position, Tangent or Curvature to determine the level of continuity between the blend surfaces and primary surfaces.

If more than one blend surface is created, we do not guaranteed curvature continuity between them, even if the primary surfaces are curvature continuous. We guarantee (at most) tangent continuity.

Span Placement

ONE-PER-BOUNDARY: if a single blend surface is built, it will have isoparms that line up with the boundaries of the primary surfaces, on both sides. If multiple blend surfaces are built, they will break at the boundaries between the primary surfaces, as long as their edge in the U direction is longer than the Short Edge Tolerance.

FREE: a single blend surface is built and its isoparms can be located anywhere along the surface.

Short Edge Tolerance

This tolerance controls the minimum length of a blend surface (in the U direction), or the minimum distance between isoparms for a single surface.

This option only appears when Span Placement is set to ONE-PER-BOUNDARY. Blend surfaces will only break at boundaries if their U-length is larger than this tolerance. The distance between the isoparms of a single blend surface will be larger than this tolerance.

Single Surface

If this box is checked, a single blend surface is calculated. This option only appears when Span Placement is set to ONE-PER-BOUNDARY. If Span Placement is set to FREE, a single surface is always built.

Interior Edge Align

If this box is checked, the tool tries to colinearly align the blend surfaces' edges or isoparms (for single surface) to the edges of the boundary surfaces in the V direction. The level of continuity (position, tangent or curvature), depends on the Continuity setting.

If the box is unchecked, the interior edges (in the V direction) meet the boundaries at a 90 degree angle.

Explicit Control

If this box is checked, you can specify the degree and maximum number of spans for the blend surfaces in the U direction.

> Explicit Control Options

U Degree

Controls the degree of the blend surfaces in the U direction. This option only appears if Explicit Control is turned on.

Max. Span

Controls the maximum number of spans allowed on the blend surfaces in the U direction. This option only appears if Explicit Control is turned on.

> Control Options

Chain Select

If this box is checked, selecting a boundary input curve also selects all other boundary curves that are tangent continuous with it.

Continuity Check

If this box is checked, continuity locators appear along the boundaries between primary surfaces and blend surfaces indicating the level of continuity.

Auto Recalc.

If this box is checked, blend surfaces are recalculated automatically when an option is changed, or when input curves are modified, added, or removed.