[Ticket #4203] Loft improvement - PartDesign
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- Pauvres_honteux
- Posts: 728
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[Ticket #4203] Loft improvement - PartDesign
BlendCurve discussion
.
My wishes:
- function for coupling/selecting point-to-point between sketches (controlling what connects to what).
- force the loft to accept the BlendCurve as a spine.
- force the loft start/end to be tangent/curvature correct to a surface (not seen in the picture) connected to each sketch at each end of the sweep.
- force the loft to be tangent/curvature correct to surfaces (not seen in the picture) connected to each sketch section along the sweep.
- GUI visible vectors per connection point, to visually confirm everything goes in intended direction and doesn't create a surface kink. This includes the sketches.
- GUI preview of the surface (separate sandbox/window?)
- double clicking on the finished loft surface brings up the same window again.
- An overhaul of today's GUI. See inspiration from CATIA. It aint pretty but it works and it's logical and I'm confident we can come up with something prettier and less "click prone".
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BlendCurve is discussed here: .
My wishes:
- function for coupling/selecting point-to-point between sketches (controlling what connects to what).
- force the loft to accept the BlendCurve as a spine.
- force the loft start/end to be tangent/curvature correct to a surface (not seen in the picture) connected to each sketch at each end of the sweep.
- force the loft to be tangent/curvature correct to surfaces (not seen in the picture) connected to each sketch section along the sweep.
- GUI visible vectors per connection point, to visually confirm everything goes in intended direction and doesn't create a surface kink. This includes the sketches.
- GUI preview of the surface (separate sandbox/window?)
- double clicking on the finished loft surface brings up the same window again.
- An overhaul of today's GUI. See inspiration from CATIA. It aint pretty but it works and it's logical and I'm confident we can come up with something prettier and less "click prone".
.
Last edited by Pauvres_honteux on Sat May 08, 2021 7:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: [Feature request] Loft improvement - PartDesign
I wonder what are you actually trying to do... Do you have your tree set up the way you have it because you really want to have it this way or just because it looks to you similar to what you are maybe used to in Catia?
First in FreeCAD you should probably use the sweep for this (if you absolutely want to work with FreeCAD part design and body, if not, there is also Part sweep and Curves PipeShell), it allows you to pick a path and set one or more sections for it, this would then already check off at least one of your wishes
Second, here is how this tree that you have here in FreeCAD would actually look like in Catia:
- you would have an assembly and four parts in it
- in the body of part one you would have what you have in "Body"
- in the body of part two you would have what you have in "Body001"
- in a geometrical set (or a hybrid body) of part three you would have those objects that you have between Body001 and Body002, Link_to_DatumPointXXX would be "past special result with link" of points from part one and part two
- and in part four you would have again some "past special result with link" of objects from part three and the multi-section solid from it
(PS: I don't know if this would actually all work in Catia, but I promise you, from a correct analogy of objects and tree structure this is how this would look in Catia)
Is this what you actually want to have?! Or would you do this in Catia all in one part with multiple bodies and/or geometrical sets? As I said many times before FreeCAD bodies are implemented wrongly, don't get confused by the name, if you write chicken on a cow it is still not a chicken, FreeCAD Bodies are actually "special" limited parts, same as if you would have in Catia a special type of a part where you would be able to have inside of it only one body and be able to use in it only the tools from Catia part design. And this is wrong, and this is why they should be fixed. Proper bodies don't have their own origin, all the objects inside the body still references back to the origin of its part.
If what you want is actually to have like a single part, then my best suggestion, at least for now is to move everything out of the bodies and try to use other workbenches instead of the part design (if you want just solids with ordered features set then part design is fine), in this topic you will find a link to a model that shows some of the possibilities that IMO work quite ok https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=38388
We could talk a bit more about some of your wishes but in general they are good, however I don't see much sense in improving this (and similar things) before some much more fundamental things get fixed and improved in FreeCAD first. I still stand by the suggestions I made here https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 10#p320885
First in FreeCAD you should probably use the sweep for this (if you absolutely want to work with FreeCAD part design and body, if not, there is also Part sweep and Curves PipeShell), it allows you to pick a path and set one or more sections for it, this would then already check off at least one of your wishes

Second, here is how this tree that you have here in FreeCAD would actually look like in Catia:
- you would have an assembly and four parts in it
- in the body of part one you would have what you have in "Body"
- in the body of part two you would have what you have in "Body001"
- in a geometrical set (or a hybrid body) of part three you would have those objects that you have between Body001 and Body002, Link_to_DatumPointXXX would be "past special result with link" of points from part one and part two
- and in part four you would have again some "past special result with link" of objects from part three and the multi-section solid from it
(PS: I don't know if this would actually all work in Catia, but I promise you, from a correct analogy of objects and tree structure this is how this would look in Catia)
Is this what you actually want to have?! Or would you do this in Catia all in one part with multiple bodies and/or geometrical sets? As I said many times before FreeCAD bodies are implemented wrongly, don't get confused by the name, if you write chicken on a cow it is still not a chicken, FreeCAD Bodies are actually "special" limited parts, same as if you would have in Catia a special type of a part where you would be able to have inside of it only one body and be able to use in it only the tools from Catia part design. And this is wrong, and this is why they should be fixed. Proper bodies don't have their own origin, all the objects inside the body still references back to the origin of its part.
If what you want is actually to have like a single part, then my best suggestion, at least for now is to move everything out of the bodies and try to use other workbenches instead of the part design (if you want just solids with ordered features set then part design is fine), in this topic you will find a link to a model that shows some of the possibilities that IMO work quite ok https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=38388
We could talk a bit more about some of your wishes but in general they are good, however I don't see much sense in improving this (and similar things) before some much more fundamental things get fixed and improved in FreeCAD first. I still stand by the suggestions I made here https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 10#p320885
- Pauvres_honteux
- Posts: 728
- Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:05 am
- Location: Far side of the moon
Re: [Feature request] Loft improvement - PartDesign
Easy now! Please reread this post headline!!!
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My updated FreeCAD just made Curves crashing... ooh well, what's a ball at the castle anyway?
Perhaps you could show a fully working, linked and parametric, lofted surface here. Where the user can select point inter connectivity. Attaching a file to play with: .
I've discussed this with @realthunder and he promised to have a look at it since, as you type, the whole concept is one level off. At the very least designation wise.
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Indeed the very purpose of this thread...
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Fair enough and I generally agree, be it in another order, but agree I do.saso wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 2:08 pm I still stand by the suggestions I made here https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 10#p320885
- Pauvres_honteux
- Posts: 728
- Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:05 am
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Re: [Feature request] Loft improvement - PartDesign
For the interested ; this is how it's done in CATIA:
Re: [Feature request] Loft improvement - PartDesign
Pipe test through a standard workflow.
The blend curve is 3rd degree limited, otherwise freecad freeze.
Could be made with bodies as well.
The blend curve is 3rd degree limited, otherwise freecad freeze.
Could be made with bodies as well.
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- Pauvres_honteux
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Re: [Feature request] Loft improvement - PartDesign
I tried to manipulate your model @GlouGlou, but my FreeCAD got into an infinite loop / hanged.
On top of that the surfaces have kinks -> it's a no-go workflow.
And finally: this topic is about Loft improvement. One can also denote it multi section surfaces.
The only way to make an advanced tube surface is make it with the principle workflow showed in the earlier attached pdf's.
To make that workflow work we must first have the points, lines and planes creation working, see [Feature requests] Working points, lines and planes
PS. This is just the very basics of creating an exhaust gas manifold or some automotive in cab AC air distribution tubes. Or an A-pillar or ...
On top of that the surfaces have kinks -> it's a no-go workflow.
And finally: this topic is about Loft improvement. One can also denote it multi section surfaces.
The only way to make an advanced tube surface is make it with the principle workflow showed in the earlier attached pdf's.
To make that workflow work we must first have the points, lines and planes creation working, see [Feature requests] Working points, lines and planes
PS. This is just the very basics of creating an exhaust gas manifold or some automotive in cab AC air distribution tubes. Or an A-pillar or ...
Re: [Feature request] Loft improvement - PartDesign
Yours pdfs seem to require great effort to carry out a nice surface, but are very interesting.

It crash because the path is very sharpy and too small, I guess. The surface is near to intersect it self.Pauvres_honteux wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:49 pm I tried to manipulate your model @GlouGlou, but my FreeCAD got into an infinite loop / hanged.
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Re: [Feature request] Loft improvement - PartDesign
Something like this. 

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- Pauvres_honteux
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Re: [Feature request] Loft improvement - PartDesign
How to force it to follow your profile?
How to force it to be tangent to the other surfaces?
I see you heavily utilize approximations in your design. To what degree does that correspond to the original straight line or curve?
. The point that is supposed to rule the plane position along the Blend_Curve (aka Main curve). I can not find that point or see how you force it to follow the Blend_Curve (aka Main curve)?
How to force it to be tangent to the other surfaces?
I see you heavily utilize approximations in your design. To what degree does that correspond to the original straight line or curve?
. The point that is supposed to rule the plane position along the Blend_Curve (aka Main curve). I can not find that point or see how you force it to follow the Blend_Curve (aka Main curve)?
- Pauvres_honteux
- Posts: 728
- Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:05 am
- Location: Far side of the moon
Re: [Feature request] Loft improvement - PartDesign
I made a small part of the tube in catia and exported it as a stp-file with different languages. Of course catia made everything stone dead...
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anyway, you who read this get the idea.
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anyway, you who read this get the idea.