9. Two Rail Sweep and Weaves

ArtCAM 9. Two Rail Sweep and Weaves

9. Two Rail Sweep and Weaves

Overview

Two Rail Sweep and Weave reliefs can only be generated by vectors.

They can be found on the Relief Toolbar or on the assistant.

Two Rail Sweep Relief

This swept profile allows freeform shapes to be created by sweeping vector cross sections between two vector drive rails. The height of the resulting shape can also be controlled using a Z Modulation vector.

Example

Open a NewModel and set the size of the relief to 25mm by 25mm.
Createtwopolylinevectors and an open ellipse as shown.

The vertical vectors are mirrored to make them symmetrical, but this is not a requirement of the command. By having sharp edges a crease in the relief will be generated.

Select the Two Rail Sweep button on the Relief toolbar.

The Two Rail Sweep Swept Profile form appears.

This form helps you to pick the required vectors in order. The two drive rails must have their direction, as indicated by arrows, identical.

The modulation vector is also picked in this area of the form.

This cross section area allows you to pick where you want the cross sections to happen along the drive rail. It also lets you remove cross sections.

The behaviour of the 2 rail sweep relief is controlled by this section.

Finally, the usual ArtCAM combine options are to be selected.

The Reset option unselects all of the vectors.

Select the left vertical vector.
Click the Select button next to Top Drive Rail press Select.
Select the right vertical vector.
Click the Select button next to Bottom Drive Rail

The top drive rail has been labelled as A and the direction shown by arrows. The bottom drive rail has been labelled as B and is also shown by the arrows.

The arrows also indicate the flow of the relief so on this case the start is at the top.

The direction of each rail can be reversed on the form to suit.

Note: Drive rails can be of any shape but need to be one vector.

Select the curved vertical vector.
Click the Select button next to Add Cross Section.

The curved section is labelled as number one and the number 1 appears at the start of the drive rails to indicate where that section begins.

If no other sections are selected, the one section is used along the whole drive rails.

TickSweep between spans and Scale Height with Width only.
Select Add and press Calculate and then Close.

The relief is generated. As the relief goes wider the Z height increases as the Scale cross section height with width option was chosen.

Example 2.

Reset the Relief and generate the following vectors.

These four vectors will be used to generate a new relief.

Select the Two Rail Sweep button on the Relief toolbar.

Select the large curved vector.
Click the Select button next to Top Drive Rail
Select the angled polyline vector.
Click the Select button next to Bottom Drive Rail

Make sure that your arrows are pointing in the same direction. You may need to reverse on of the drive rails.

This shape is going to blend from a boxed shape down to an arc shape.

Select the open square vector.
Click the Select button next to Add Cross Section.
Select the open ellipse vector.
Click the Select button next to Add Cross Section.

The sections are numbered and their relative locations along the rail vectors are shown.

Press Calculate (do not close this page).

The relief is displayed. However by adding in other sections the shape of the relief can be further constrained.

Reset the Relief from the Relief top menu.
Select the open ellipse vector.
On the page press Add Cross Section.

With the addition of another section, the position of section 2 has moved along the drive rails.

However the position of section 2 may not be ideal and it can be moved.

In the 2 rail sweep page a new section appears. Sections can be removed by selecting the X.

On section 2 press the position button.
Click and drag a line to indicate position of section 2.

This fixes the location of section 2 and will move the number to indicate the new position when the line is finished.

Press Calculate and then Close.

A new relief has been generated.

Example 3

Reset the Relief and generate the following vectors.

These four vectors will be used to generate a new relief with the bottom vector being the Z control curve.

Select the Two Rail Sweep button on the Relief toolbar.

Select the top horizontal vector.
Click the Select button next to Top Drive Rail
Select the bottom horizontal vector.
Click the Select button next to Bottom Drive Rail
Select the lowest curved vector.
Click the Select button next to Z control vector

The bottom curve is labelled up as Z. Note that the start point of the Z control curve is the same as the drive rails. This means that a positive Z relief will be produced.

Make sure your curves are travelling the same way.

The Z control curve will change the relief in the Z axis only. The actual length of the curve does not matter, as ArtCAM will change it proportionally to suit the drive rails. The ends however must lie on the same Y coordinate (horizontal line).

Select the open ellipse vector.
Click the Select button next to Add Cross Section.
Press Calculate and then Close.

The relief now travels up and down in the Z, following the control curve.

Weave Relief

A Weave relief is generated form a series of overlapping vectors and a section vector, using the Weave Wizard.

Example

Open a NewModel and set the size of the relief to 25mm by 25mm.
Create three vectors for the drive curves, and a small vector for the cross-section.

The overlapping vectors will be used as the centrelines for the drive curve.

The smaller vector will be the cross-section of the weave pattern, and must be an Open vector. The small vectors section is actual size.

Shift select the drive curve vectors and the cross-section vector last

The vectors turn pink as they are selected and a box appears around the extents of the vectors to show that they are selected.

Select the Weave Wizard button

ArtCAM creates the weave pattern at the places where the vectors crossover each other.

The direction of the vectors determines which vector goes under or over the others.

Length of Crossover determines the length of the weave that will be lowered or raised at the crossover point. This is usually Relative to cross-section.

% Depth of Underpass and % Height of Overpass allow you to determine the percentage that the height of the weave cross-section is lowered or raised at the crossovers.

Te Corner Shape can be Round or Square, and the relief is combined in the same manner.

Leave the options as they are, and click OK.

ArtCAM generates the weave pattern:

Example2

Create the following vectors, including the small half ellipse cross section vector.

If the cross section is to big the weave will cross over itself.

Select the Weave Wizard button

Select Relative to cross section as 1.5, set Square and click OK.

With square corners set the weave has sharp edges, rather than rounded.

Weave Pattern Exercise

Create a new model of height 100 and width 100 with a resolution of 800 x 800 pixels and the origin in the centre of the model.
Switch grids on, snapping to a distance of 2mm.
Create a vertical guide line at 0.
Create a horizontal guide line at 0.
Create the vectors shown in the top right hand corner.

This weave is of an angular design and therefore the option square will be used when generating the weave.

Once generated, the weave will be copied using the merge mirror command.

Select the rectangle vectors and then the small section last.

Select the Weave Wizard button

Fill in the values as shown and press OK.

The weave is produced and needs to be mirrored to the other sides.

Select Relief Mirror Merge.

This command works around the centre of the model.

Select Right over left.
Select Top over bottom and then Close.

The finished relief is complete.

Fruit Plate Exercise

Open the model fruits-on-plate.art.

These vectors will be turned into a plate relief, using swept profiles.

Select the pineapple dome vector and generate an AddedDomeRelief with an angle of +45, start height of 0.4 with No Limit.

Use the diamond vectors and generate an Added Pyramid Relief withan angle of +25, start height of 0 with No Limit.

The generated relief goes over the edge of the pineapple. To remove the excess relief is to flatten the area outside of the vector by using Zero Rest.

Double click the roundpineapple vector and select Zero Rest.

Use the left middle leaf vector and generate an Added Dome Relief with an angle of +45, start height of 0.1 with No Limit.

Use the right middle leaf vector and generate a Merge High Dome Relief with an angle of +45, start height of 0.2 with No Limit.

Use the outer leaf vectors and generate a Merge High Dome Relief with an angle of +45, start height of 0.4 with Limit to Height at 1mm.

Select the three vectors for the banana and generate an added two rail sweep relief.

Generate an extrudedrelief using the line as a drive curve, the arch as the first section and the angle as the endsection. Use Merge High.

Select the pear shape vector and generate an AddedTurnRelief.

Select the stalk vector and generate a Merged High Turn Relief.

Use the leaf vectors and section to generate a Merged HighTwo Rail Sweep Relief.

From the polylinevectorAdd a SpinRelief.

Select the grouped chaindesign of vectors and then the nearby small vector.

Add a weaverelief with the following values and select OK.

Select the text fruit and generated an Added Pyramid relief with No limit at a start height of 0 and an angle of +60 degrees.

Issue ArtCAM-PRO 8 1