Instructor’s Guide to Teaching SolidWorks Software

Lesson 10
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 Loft Feature Overview

 Blends multiple profiles together.

 A Loft feature can be a base, boss, or cut.
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To Create a Simple Loft Feature:

1. Create the planes required for the profile sketches.

Each sketch should be on a different plane.
2. Sketch a profile on the first plane.

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 Creating a Simple Loft Feature:

3. Sketch the remaining

profiles on their
corresponding planes.
4. Click Features >
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Lofted Boss/Base .

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 Creating a Simple Loft Feature:

5. Select each profile. Preview curve

6. Examine the preview curve and

the connectors.
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7. Click OK .

Connectors

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 Additional Information About Lofts:

 Neatness counts!
 Select the profiles in order.
 Click corresponding points on
each profile.
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 The vertex closest to the

selection point is used.
 Drag the connectors to
improve if necessary.
 A preview curve connecting
the profiles is displayed.
 Review the curve in order to
address adjustments.

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 Neatness Counts!
 Unexpected results occur when you don’t pick corresponding points on
each profile.
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 Neatness Counts!

 Rebuild errors can occur if you select

the profiles in the wrong order.
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 To Create an Offset Plane:

1. Hold down Ctrl and drag the Front plane in

the direction you want the offset to go.

NOTE: Ctrl-drag is a common Windows technique for

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copying objects.

2. The Plane PropertyManager appears.

3. Enter 25mm for Distance.

4. Click OK .

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Creating an Offset Plane – Results
 Setting up the Planes

Additional offset planes are required.

 Plane2 is offset 25mm from

Plane1.
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 Plane3 is offset 40mm from

Plane2.
 Verify the positions of the planes.
 Click View, Planes.
 Double-click the planes to see their
offset dimensions.

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 Sketch the Profiles

 The Loft feature is created with 4

profiles.
 Each profile is on a separate
plane.
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To Create the First Profile:

1. Open a sketch on the Front

plane.
2. Sketch a square.
3. Exit the sketch.

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 Best Practice

There is a better way to sketch a centered

square:
1.Sketch a Center Rectangle starting at the
origin. This keeps
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the rectangle centered.

2.Add an Equal relation to one horizontal and
one vertical line. This makes the rectangle a
square.
3.Dimension one side of the square.

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 Sketch the Remaining Profiles:

1. Open a sketch on Plane1.

2. Sketch a circle and dimension it.
3. Exit the sketch.
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4. Open sketch on Plane2.

5. Sketch a circle whose
circumference is coincident
with the corners of the square.
6. Exit the sketch.

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 To Copy a Sketch:

1. Select Sketch3 in the FeatureManager design tree or graphics

area.
2. Click Edit, Copy.
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3. Select Plane3 in the

FeatureManager design tree
or graphics area.
4. Click Edit, Paste.
A new sketch, Sketch4, is created on Plane3.

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 More About Copying Sketches
 External relations are deleted.
 For example, when you copied Sketch3, the geometric relations
locating the center and defining the circumference were deleted.
 Therefore, Sketch4 is underdefined.
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 To fully define Sketch4, add a Coradial relation between the copied

circle and the original.
 If you sketch a profile on the wrong plane, move it to the correct
plane using Edit Sketch Plane. Do not copy it.

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 To Move a Sketch to a Different Plane:

1. Right-click the sketch in the FeatureManager

design tree.

2. Select Edit Sketch Plane from the shortcut

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menu.

3. Select a different plane.

4. Click OK .

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 Loft Feature

The Loft feature blends the 4 profiles to

create the handle of the chisel.

1.Click Features > Lofted

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Boss / Base .

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 Creating the Loft Feature:

2. Select each profile.

Click on each sketch in the same
relative location – the right side.
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3. Examine the preview curve.

The preview curve shows how the
profiles will be connected when the
loft feature is created.

Preview curve

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 Creating the Loft Feature:

4. The sketches are listed in the Profiles box.

The Up/Down arrows are used to

rearrange the order of the profiles.
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5.
Click OK
.
Creating the Loft Feature:

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 A Second Loft Feature Creates the Bit of the Chisel:

The second Loft feature is composed of two

profiles: Sketch5 and Sketch6.

To Create Sketch5:
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1.Select the square face.

2.Open a sketch.

3.Click Sketch > Convert

Entities .

4.Exit the sketch.

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 To Create Sketch6:

1. Offset Plane4 behind the

Front plane.
Hold down Ctrl and drag the
Front plane in the direction you
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want the offset to go.

2. The Plane PropertyManager appears.

3. Enter 200mm for Distance.

4. Click OK .

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 To Create Sketch6:

5. Open a sketch on Plane4.

6. Sketch a narrow rectangle.

7. Dimension the rectangle.

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8. Exit the sketch.

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 To Create the Second Loft Feature:

1. Click Features > Lofted

Boss / Base .
Sketch 6
2. Select Sketch5 in the
lower right corner of
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the square.
3. Select Sketch6 in the
lower right corner of
the rectangle. Preview
4. Examine the preview Sketch 5
curve.
5. Click OK.

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Lofted Chisel

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 Tips and Tricks

Remember best practices:

 Only two dimensions are required for
the narrow rectangle.
 Use a Center Rectangle to
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center the rectangle.

 This technique eliminates two
dimensions and it captures the
designintent.

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 Tips and Tricks

 You do not need Sketch5

(the sketch with the
converted edges of the
square face).
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 Lofts can use the face as a

profile. Select the face near
the corner.
 OR, you can re-use Sketch1
instead of creating Sketch5.

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