Re: Modelling a fillet weld

"David Janes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> "dakeb" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> <snip>
> : It is for no other reaon than to generate a realistic rendered image of the
> : part.
> 
> The only time I've seen weld represented as a feature was on Caterpillar truck
> struts which went from 3 feet long up to 9 feet fully assembled and weighing over
> 3 tons. The welds needed to be represented for inspection and analysis. They just
> made it a a rib type feature, but a real thick rib and of course, flat.
> 'Realistic', in this case, was large welds, machine filled with rod big enough,
> and hot enough, that they came out very smooth to begin with, then they were snag
> ground and painted so you could hardly tell they were welds.
> 
> : Its a small part so the visibility of the bead will be significant. I
> : wouldn't make it a part of an assembly because I don't have an assembly part
> : number for that component, and it will be received in stores as a single
> : part.
> 
> Then why not make it an assembly feature, an eliptically shaped, extruded surface
> that 'joins' both parts. Without doing something like a swept blend or VSS, I
> don't know how you'd give the impression of a 'lumpy' bead. And that sounds like
> too much trouble. What you came up with is probably as good as anything I could
> suggest.
> 
> Since this is a render issue, had you thought of making the weld feature straight,
> then using a rendering material to make it look like weld bead with the effect
> created by shading. A photo, perhaps.
> 
> David Janes

One method you might consider for creating a 'Realistic' weld is Free
Form .
Feature, Create, Surface, (new), Advanced, and Done. From the ADV FEAT
OPT menu select Free Form and Done. or see link below
http://www.ptc.com/cs/cs_21/howto/suf805/suf805.htm
Best of luck and Happy Thanksgiving to All

Mike C