www.kxcad.net Home > CAM Index > EdgeCAM Index >
A surface curve is a set of (u, v) parameter pairs defining a series of points lying on a surface.
|
Unlike surfaces, surface curves do not have precise mathematical definitions, but are defined by the number of pairs of points. |
A surface curve can be produced in two ways:
The intersection of two surfaces can be used to generate a surface curve. The number of points on the curve is determined by the tolerance set.
A surface curve is generated when an entity is projected onto a surface. In Design mode, lines, arcs, curves and text can be projected to produce surface curves. (In Manufacturing mode, only toolpaths can be projected, producing a toolpath entity.)
Although a surface curve may exist only on a surface, it can be converted into an entity in its own right, by ‘exploding’ it into a 3D Spline curve. Each point on the surface curve becomes a control point for the Spline.