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Keep profile orientation during a loft

kenn_sebesta167kenn_sebesta167 Member Posts: 96 ✭✭

Sweep provides support for keeping a profile's orientation, and for aerodynamics reasons I would like to accomplish something similar with a loft.

Screenshot 2025-07-01 at 9.59.35 PM.png

Ideally, this motor mount would have every section aligned with the relative wind, which comes right to left. Whereas as OnShape does it, the profiles twist to basically be normal to the path at every point. This is good enough, but I'd like something better.

Is this doable?

Screenshot 2025-07-01 at 10.01.59 PM.png

Comments

  • MDesignMDesign Member Posts: 906 ✭✭✭

    Yes. although not like sweep. With loft you would have to build additional profiles to include in the loft feature

  • GregBrownGregBrown Member, Onshape Employees, csevp, pcbaevp Posts: 317

    With Loft feature you can provide a Path separately from Guides….

    Screenshot 2025-07-02 at 8.58.06 AM.png
  • kenn_sebesta167kenn_sebesta167 Member Posts: 96 ✭✭

    @GregBrown that looks interesting! Do you have a direct link to that document, and I can study it?

    Although I have a terrible time with lofts in general. They are very brittle, and tiny changes in a loft frequently— the majority of the time, really— result in breakage downstream, esp. for any other features which depend on the loft. I feel like I still have learning to do here…

  • kenn_sebesta167kenn_sebesta167 Member Posts: 96 ✭✭
    edited July 2

    @GregBrown, here's my document: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/ed242a5f4bfe2609597631f4/w/d3c497e444a49976ad8920b6/e/c5cb29074d9e06784ece1a7e?configuration=List_V3nHLnixArWfvh%3DDefault&renderMode=0&uiState=68656fdf9bef0a2a742a2811

    I cannot get guidelines to work at all. If I have a straight-line path in addition to the guidelines I get "Failed to generate intermediate sections." and if I have just the guidelines I get "Could not create loft with given information".

    Screenshot 2025-07-02 at 1.45.53 PM.png Screenshot 2025-07-02 at 1.46.19 PM.png

    But if I use the same arc for a Path instead of a Guideline, I get a useful output.

    Screenshot 2025-07-02 at 1.47.50 PM.png

    You can see why the guideline is necessary, because my lofted shape has to completely encompass the metal mount on the right, and then head off toward the purple motor on the left.

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