Warp feature?

[CM10]

You know, I've really had the opportunity to really play with the Warp feature recently, and while it's neat and seems to be very powerful, I have to question it's overall usefullness. From what I saw, the ability to have real controlling dimensions is limited or doesn't even exist, and the twist feature, when doing multiple rotations, while powerful, doesn't make the twists even. There is inconsistancy from one loop of a helix to another, dunno why. Also on the twist feature, maybe I don't want the ends of the object parallel with the twist axis when I'm done. The way it can take the geometry and modify it without failing is amazing, but honestly, I can't see a real use for any of it except to goof around with.

What I needed to do and would like to see, is the ability to push and pull on a surface using previous features references to define an area to modify, be able to limit the area that gets modified via a sketch, and to be able to give it a modification distance relative to a reference (datum, etc.) that I pick (i.e. I want to "add" .020 to a specific spot).

Am I missing something?

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[ptc-876037]

I've used the warp feature for a real project once. It was the only way we could create a part. What type of part, a curved reflector. Reflectors have what's called facets, lots of them. I can create facets with no problem on a flat surface by creating a few then patterning them. But to create facets on a curved surface, for me it was impossible, I spent almost a month trying different approaches and would never succeed. That is until I used the warp feature. I just created the reflector flat the warped it into a curve. Fast and easy.

[CM10]

So, I take it that the part wasn't a headlight reflector where optics are extremely important (foci location, etc.)? Because from what I saw, you cannot really define the warp in strict numeric terms......unless I missed something.

Do you have a pic?

[ptc-876037]

OK, I did even better. I've attached the files for download. But beware, their large. Three files at about 50meg each, compressed into an archive of 25meg. It's a "tar.bzip" archive, winzip should be able to uncompress is. The file size with zip was 49.6 meg, this is almost half the size. I did this project in November 2004, so it's either WF2 or WF3 for that time.

The three files are:

reflector_warp.prt.41

reflector_left-side.prt.4

reflector_right-side.prt.4

The finished file is reflector_warp.prt.41. This file basically took the other two files and merged them into one file, then finished off borders. So the other 2 files are the actual warped files.

[CM10]

Thanks Paul, I'll have to give them a look for sure!

[cbernuth-disabl]

I have developed a modelling methodology for a customer using the WARP feature a few years ago.

The problem was that some of their larger molded plastic parts would deform when cooling.

So the solution was to pre-deform the parts in the opposite direction of the cooling deformation using the WARP tool in connection with BMX allowing for precise deformations.

This is simplifying the the whole process and the steps that are neccessary a lot, but it worked very well for the customer who before used to create a variant of the model in a deformed state using curves and surfaces.

With the new method the customer was able to do what he did in up to a few days in a few hours now.

[CM10]

That's interesting, and a good use for it. Obviously the parts didn't warp that much or your "pre-warped" parts couldn't be pulled from the mold because of negative draft issues. Did you have to increase the draft angles for this?

I proposed this a few years ago when I was working with plastics, and my boss shot it down. He said there was other, better ways to control it with gating and heating and chiller lines. We DId manage to bring the warping back to decent levels that way.

my issue with the warp features are that there seems to be no real mathmatical control, and, as I mentioned, the twist routine, while powerful, does not twist the geometry evenly if there are multiple turns, which i find very odd. I've had much better luck using VSS's since I can control the exact rotations and the end conditions.

Was that what Warp was created for?