UNIT 7 – Solid Modeling

UNIT 7
SOLID MODELING

7.1 INTRODUCTION
Solid modeling is the most recent method in generating a 3D drawing. It is
the easiest among other two methods; wireframe and surface. This
chapter will lead you on generating a 3D drawing using solid modeling
method. It discuss Commands in Solid Modeling ; box , cone , cylinder ,
sphere , extrude , revolve , ‘torus’ , ‘slice’ , ‘section’ , ‘setup profile’,
Editing solid object ; intersection , subtract , union , fillet , chamfer , ‘3D
array’, ‘3D mirror’ , ‘3D rotate’ and Modeling variable control ; ’Viewres’ ,
‘Facetres’ and ’Dispsilh’. command.

7.2 LEARNINGS OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
ƒ Create a primitive object (box, cylinder, cone, sphere)
ƒ Create a new part by boundary representation (extrude, revolve)
ƒ Modify 3D modeling by using Boolean Operation (union, subtract,
intersection)
ƒ Perform others 3D operation such as fillet, chamfer, mirror 3D, rotate
3D, and array 3D.
ƒ Use modeling variable control to customize the 3D visualization.

7.3 LEARNING CONTENTS

7.3.1 Solid Modeling

ƒ A simple part can be made up of one element but a complex part is
made of individual constituent elements as shown in figure 7.1. These
elements are called features.

Figure 7.1: Concept of featured based modeling

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ƒ There are two methods to create a solid modeling feature.

o Constructive solid geometry (using primitive object)
o Boundary representation (extrude & revolve)
ƒ Constructive solid geometry method (termed CSG or C-rep for short)
and known as the set theoretical or Boolean method) which achieved
early prominence in CAD.
ƒ Boundary representation method (Sometimes called B-rep for short or
termed the graph-based method) which dominates in today’s
application.

7.3.2 Primitive Object

A primitive object is a ‘building block' that you can use to work with in 3D.
Rather than extruding or revolving an object, AutoCAD has some basic 3D
shape commands at your disposal. From these basic primitives, you can
start building your 3D models. In many cases, you get the same result
from drawing circles and rectangles and then extruding them, but doing it
one command is generally faster. Using these with Boolean operations can
be a very effective way of drawing in 3D. There are 6 six different shapes
that you can choose from the Solids toolbar:

Figure 7.2: Solids toolbar

SHAPE COMMAND ICON DESCRIPTION

BOX Creates a solid box after you
BOX
provide 2 opposite corners.
SPHERE Creates a solid sphere from a
SPHERE
center point and radius.
CYLINDER Creates a straight cylinder from a
CYLINDER
center point, radius and height.
CONE Creates a tapered cone from a
CONE
center point, radius and height.
WEDGE Creates a triangular wedge from 2
WEDGE
opposite points.
Creates a torus (donut shape)
TORUS TORUS based on center point, radius and
tube radius.

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The Cylinder Command

Toolbar Solids

Pull-down Draw Solids Cylinder

Keyboard Cylinder

Command Sequence

Command: Cylinder
Specify center point for base of cylinder or [Elliptical]
<0,0,0>: <Enter> or <Pick A Point>
Diameter/<Radius>: 6
Center of other end/<Height>: 4

Command: Cylinder
Specify center point for base of cylinder or [Elliptical]
<0,0,0>: <Enter> or <Pick A Point>
Specify radius for base of cylinder or [Diameter]: D
Diameter: 12
Specify height of cylinder or [Center of other end]: 4

7.3.2.4 Cone
Drawing a cone is the same as drawing a cylinder, except that the
resulting object tapers smoothly from the bottom to a point at the top.

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The Cone Command

Toolbar Solids

Pull-down Draw Solids Cone

Keyboard Cone

Command Sequence

Command: Cone
Specify center point for base of cone or [Elliptical]
<0,0,0>: <Enter> or <Pick A Point>
Specify radius for base of cone or [Diameter]: 4
Specify height of cone or [Apex]: 8

Command: CONE
Specify center point for base of cone or [Elliptical]
<0,0,0>: <Enter> or <Pick a Point>
Specify radius for base of cone or [Diameter]: D
Specify diameter for base of cone: 8
Apex/<Height>: 8

7.3.2.5 Wedge
One of the trickier primitives to draw is the wedge. You have to be careful
which co-ordinates you input to make the wedge lie in the position you
want. If it doesn't turn out just as you hoped for, you can always rotate it.

Here is an example of drawing a wedge:

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Command Sequence

Command: Torus
Specify center of torus <0,0,0>: <Pick>
Specify radius of torus or [Diameter]: 3
Specify radius of tube or [Diameter]:.25

7.3.3 Boundary representation method

Boundary are two-dimensional enclosed areas you create from objects
that form closed loops. Loops can be combinations of lines, polylines,
circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical arcs, and splines. The objects that make up
the loops must either be closed or form closed areas by sharing endpoints
with other objects.

You can create boundary out of multiple loops and out of open curves
whose endpoints are connected and form loops. You cannot form
boundary from open objects that intersect to form a closed area: for
example, intersecting arcs or self-intersecting curves.

From the boundary, 3D solid modeling can be create by using extrude and
revolve command. Extrude and Revolve command will create a 3D
model by extruding a boundary in 2D object (also known as profile) along a
path or revolving a profile about an axis.

To create a boundary polyline

1. Click Draw menu Boundary.
2. In the Boundary Creation dialog box, in the Object Type list, select
Polyline.
3. Under Boundary Set, do one of the following:

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7.3.3.1 Create an Extruded Solid

With EXTRUDE, you can create solids by extruding selected objects. You
can extrude closed objects such as polylines, polygons, rectangles, circles,
ellipses, closed splines, donuts, and regions. You cannot extrude 3D
objects, objects contained within a block, polylines that have crossing or
intersecting segments, or polylines that are not closed. You can extrude an
object along a path, or you can specify a height value and a tapered angle.

Profile

Extruded object Extruded and

tapered object

The Extrude Command

Toolbar Solids

Pull-down Draw Solids Extrude

Keyboard Extrude short-cut ext

Command Sequence

Command: Extrude
Current wire frame density: ISOLINES=4
Select objects: <select a profile>
Select objects: <press enter to end selection>
Specify height of extrusion or [Path]: <put value to extrude
profile up to require height or press “P” to extrude path.
Specify angle of taper for extrusion <0>: <enter if don’t
want the model to tapered.

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7.3.3.2 Create a Revolved Solid

With REVOLVE, you can create a solid by revolving a closed object about
the X or Y axis of the current UCS, using a specified angle. You can also
revolve the object about a line, polyline, or two specified points.

The Revolve Command

Toolbar Solids

Pull-down Draw Solids Revolve

Keyboard Revolve short-cut rev

Command Sequence

Command: Revolve
Current wire frame density: ISOLINES=4
Select objects: <select a profile>
Select objects: <press enter to end selection>
Specify start point for axis of revolution or define axis by
[Object/X (axis)/Y (axis)]: <select a rotational axis>
Specify angle of revolution <360>: <enter to accept 360o
rotation or put preferable value>

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7.3.4 Solid Editing

Once you have created a solid in this manner, you can create more
complex shapes by combining solids. You can join solids, subtract solids
from each other, or find the common volume (overlapping portion) of solids.
Solids can be further modified by filleting, chamfering, or changing the
color of their edges. Faces on solids are easily manipulated because they
don’t require you to draw any new geometry or perform Boolean
operations on the solid. This topic discussed some of solid editing
command that usually used in editing the 3D model.

Boolean Shell
operation

Slice Section Interference

Chamfer Fillet

7.3.4.1 Boolean Operation

Working in 3D objects, usually you may need to combine multiple parts /
features into one, or remove sections from a solid. AutoCAD has some
commands that make this easy for you. These are the Boolean operations
which work only on solids:

UNION – combines two or more solids into a single object

SUBTRACT – removes the volume of one solid from another
INTERSECT - finds the interference area of solids objects and
retains that volume.
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Initial object union subtract intersect

¾ Union
The Union Command

Toolbar Solids Editing

Pull-down Modify Solids Editing Union

Keyboard Union short-cut uni

Command Sequence

Command: Union
Select objects: <pick first object to union>
Select objects: <pick second object to union>
Select objects: <select other object or enter to finish>

¾ Subtract
The Subtract Command

Toolbar Solids Editing

Pull-down Modify Solids Editing Subtract

Keyboard Subtract

Command Sequence

Command: Subtract Select solids and regions to subtract from ..

Select objects: <select objects you want to maintain and press enter
when finish>
Select objects: Select solids and regions to subtract ..
Select objects: <select object you want to deduct. Objects in the
second selection set are subtracted from objects in
the first selection set. Then press enter to finish>

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¾ Intersect
The Intersect Command

Toolbar Solids Editing

Pull-down Modify Solids Editing Intersect

Keyboard Intersect

Command Sequence

Command: Intersect
Select objects: <pick first object>
Select objects: <pick others object and press enter to finish>

7.3.4.2 Solid Editing

¾ Shell
You can create a shell (a hollow, thin wall with a specified thickness) from
your 3D solid object. New faces are created by offsetting existing ones
inside or outside their original positions. Continuously tangent faces are
treated as single faces when offsetting.

The Shell Command

Toolbar Solids Editing

Pull-down Modify Solids Editing Shell

To create a 3D solid shell

1. Click Modify menu Solids Editing Shell.
2. Select the 3D solid object.
3. Select a face to be excluded from shelling (1).
4. Select additional faces to be excluded or press ENTER.
5. Specify the shell offset valve.
A positive offset value creates a shell in the positive face direction;
a negative value creates a shell in the negative face direction.
6. Press ENTER to complete the command.

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The Interference Command

Toolbar Solids

Pull-down Draw Solids Interfere

Keyboard Interfere

¾ Chamfering Solid Object

Chamfer command can be used either for 2D sketch and 3D model. For
chamfering solid object, you can bevel the edges along adjoining faces of
selected 3D solids.

The Chamfer Command

Toolbar Modify

Pull-down Modify Chamfer

Keyboard Chamfer

To chamfer a solid object

1. Click Modify menu Chamfer.
2. Select the edge of the base surface to chamfer (1).
One of two surfaces adjacent to the selected edge is highlighted.
3. To select a different surface, enter n (Next), or press ENTER to use
the current surface.
4. Specify the base surface distance.
The base surface distance is measured from the selected edge to a
point on the base surface. The other surface distance is measured
from the selected edge to a point on the adjacent surface.
5. Specify the adjacent surface distance.
Loop selects all edges around the base surface and Select Edge
selects individual edges.
6. Specify the edges to chamfer (2).

Base surface
distance
1 2

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¾ Filleting Solid Object

Fillet command also can be used either for 2D sketch and 3D model. For
filleting solid object, you can add rounds and fillets to selected 3D solids.
The default method is specifying the fillet radius and then selecting the
edges to fillet. Other methods specify individual measurements for each
filleted edge and fillet a tangential series of edges.

The Fillet Command

Toolbar Modify

Pull-down Modify Fillet

Keyboard Fillet

To fillet a solid object

1. Click Modify menu Fillet.
2. Select the edge of the solid to fillet (1).
3. Specify the fillet radius.
4. Select additional edges or press ENTER to fillet.

7.3.5 3D Operation

¾ 3D Array
Create copies of objects in a rectangular or polar (circular) pattern in 3D. In
addition to specifying the number of columns (X direction) and rows (Y
direction), you also specify the number of levels (Z direction).

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The 3D Array Command

Pull-down Modify 3D Operation 3D Array

Keyboard 3DArray

™ 3D rectangular array
For rectangular arrays, you control the number of rows and columns
and the distance between each.

To create a 3D rectangular array of objects

1. Click Modify menu 3D Operation 3D Array.
2. Select the object to array (1).
3. Specify Rectangular.
4. Enter the number of rows. (Y direction)
5. Enter the number of columns. (X direction)
6. Enter the number of levels. (Z direction)
7. Specify the distance between rows.
8. Specify the distance between columns.
9. Specify the distance between levels.

™ 3D polar array
For polar arrays, you control the number of copies of the object and
whether the copies are rotated.

To create a 3D polar array of objects

1. Click Modify menu 3D Operation 3D Array.
2. Select the object to array (1).
3. Specify Polar.
4. Enter the number of items to array.

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