Introduction

CATIA Version 5 Wireframe & Surfaces

Upon completion of this course, the student should have a full understanding of the
following topics:

- Creating wireframe geometry

- Creating surfaces

- Performing operations on surfaces

- Modifying wireframe and surfaces

- Analyzing curves and surfaces

- Utilizing wireframe and surfaces in Part Design

Wireframe & Surfaces
Many parts can be created using just the Part Design tools; however, there are times when
surfaces need to be used in order to get the desired shape for your part. Wireframe
geometry is also necessary at times to define support geometry for the various Part Design
tools as well as the surface tools. Surfaces provide the ability to create complex contours
that are often necessary in your design. There are a few workbenches in CATIA V5 that
have wireframe and surface options. This class will focus on the Generative Shape Design
workbench. The Generative Shape Design workbench has all of the tools that are available
on the Wireframe & Surfaces workbench and more. This course will cover all of the
options found in the Generative Shape Design workbench.

As covered in previous courses, surfaces can be used within Part Design. This gives the
capability of hybrid modeling. To review, you should remember that you can perform four
operations with surfaces in Part Design. One option is to add thickness to a surface thereby
creating a solid. A second option is to split your part with a surface. A third option is to
sew a surface into your part, which will either add or remove material, or both. The last
option is to close a surface with planar faces to form a solid. These options should be
reviewed and there are review exercises located in Appendix B. It is also important that
you understand how to work with the boolean operations in order to fully utilize all of the
surface options. These are reviewed in Appendix B as well.

It is important to understand some of the terminology that CATIA uses when working with
wireframe and surfaces. You should already be familiar with a PartBody and know that you
can have more than one within your part. Wireframe geometry and surfaces are created
within geometrical sets. You may also have more than one geometrical set in your part.
Geometrical sets are used to organize your non-solid geometry. When you create new
wireframe or surface geometry, you will need to be sure that the correct geometrical set is
current in order to have an organized tree.
 Wireframe
Wireframe geometry is critical to the creation of surfaces and is used as reference
geometry throughout CATIA.

Points
Points are useful to define specific locations and to assist in the creation of other
wireframe geometry. You have a variety of options to define points. This exercise will
explore those options.

Coordinate
Open the Points document. You should see a surface and some wireframe geometry.

Change to the Generative Shape Design workbench. If you are already in the workbench
then you will not need to change. If not, to change workbenches you can select pull down
menu Start, Shape, Generative Shape Design.

Select the Point icon. A Point Definition window appears.

Point type Specifies what type of point you want to create, either
Coordinates, On curve, On plane, On surface,
Circle/Sphere/Ellipse center, Tangent on curve or Between

X=, Y=, Z= The coordinate values of the point that you want to create from
the reference point

Reference

Point The point that the coordinates are based from. The default is the
origin.

Axis System Defines the axis system that will be used to create the point
Right select in the Axis System selection box. A contextual window appears.

Select Clear Selection. By default, the active axis system is used to create a coordinate
point. By clearing the Axis System selection box, the absolute axis system will be used to
define the point.

Key in 2.0, 4.0, 2.0 for the X, Y and Z values respectively and select OK. You should
have noticed a preview of the point as you were keying in the values before you selected
OK. It should appear similar to the diagram shown below.
Select the Point icon again. The Point Definition window appears. This time you
are going to use a point as the reference instead of the origin.

Clear the Axis System selection box so that the absolute axis system will be used and
select the point you just created to define the Reference Point. The point is labeled as
Point and the name of the point appears in the Point area of the window.

Key in 0.0, 2.0, 1.0 for the X, Y and Z values respectively and select OK. The new point
is created based from the original point instead of the origin.

Select the Point icon again. The Point Definition window appears. This time you
are going to create a point using the axis system that has been created instead of using
the absolute axis system.

Key in 1.0, 2.0, 0.0 for the X, Y and Z values respectively and select OK. The point is
created based from the origin of Axis System.1 instead of the absolute axis system. Your
model should appear similar to the diagram shown below.

You can also create points on elements such as curves, planes and surfaces.
On curve

Select the Point icon. The Point Definition window appears.

Change the Point type to On curve. The options in the window change.

Curve Specifies the curve on which you are going to create a point on

Distance to reference

Distance on curve Allows you to specify a distance along the curve from
the reference point

Distance along direction Allows you to specify a distance along the curve in a
specific direction

Ratio of curve length Allows you to specify a ratio between the

reference point and the extremity

Length/Offset/Ratio You can specify a Length for the Distance on curve

option, an Offset for the Distance along direction
option or a Ratio for the Ratio of curve length option
 Geodesic The length is measured along the curve

Euclidean Corresponds to Distance on curve only, the length

is the absolute value from the reference point

Nearest extremity Creates the point at the nearest extremity

Middle point Creates a point at the midpoint of the curve

Reference

Point Allows you to specify a reference point if you do

not want to use an extremity as the reference

Reverse Direction Reverses which side of the reference is used or which

extremity is used when creating the point

Repeat object after OK Allows you to create multiple equidistant points

Select the curve on the right. The curve is labeled Curve in the display and the extremity
shows an arrow.

Turn the Distance on curve option on, change the Length to be 5.0 and make sure it is
set to Geodesic. The point appears 5 inches along the curve.

Turn the Euclidean option on instead of the Geodesic option. The point is still on the
curve but it is 5 inches from the reference point instead of being 5 inches along the curve.

Select OK. The point is created.

Select the Point icon again, make sure the Point type is set to On curve and select the

curve on the right.

Select the Distance along direction option and select the yz plane from the specification
tree for the Direction. This will be where the offset is measured from.

Change the Offset to 1.0. Notice that the dimension is measured normal from the yz plane
along the curve.

Select OK. The point is created.

Select the Point icon again, make sure the Point type is set to On curve and select the

curve on the right.

Turn on the Ratio of curve length and Geodesic options, then change the Ratio to 0.25
and select Preview. A point appears a quarter of the way along the curve. A ratio of 0.5 is
the midpoint of the curve. You should note that only the Distance on curve option can use
the Euclidean option.
Select the Reverse Direction button, then select OK. The point is created and should
appear similar to the diagram shown below.

Select the Point icon again and make sure the Point type is set to On curve. Select the

curve on the right.

Select the Nearest extremity button. The point appears at the nearest endpoint of the
curve.

Select the Middle point button and select OK. The point appears at the midpoint of the
curve.

Select the Point icon again and make sure the Point type is set to On curve. Select the

curve on the right. This time you are going to use a reference point other than an
extremity. All the other options work the same except the distance and ratio, which are
based from the reference point.

Turn on Distance on curve, Geodesic and change the Length to 3.0.

Select in the Reference Point box and select the point shown below. Notice the direction
of the arrow.
Select the Reverse Direction button. The arrow points the opposite direction. If you were
using an extremity then reversing the direction would cause the reference point to switch to
the other end of the spline.

Select OK. The point is created.

Select the Point icon again and make sure the Point type is set to On curve and select

the curve on the right.

Turn on Distance on curve, Geodesic and change the Length to 1.0.

Select the Reverse Direction button. This moves the reference to the other end.

Turn on Repeat object after OK and select OK.

The Points & Planes Repetition window appears.

These options will be covered in detail a little later in the book. This was just meant to
introduce a method for creating multiple points.

Select Cancel. Only the one point is created. This completes the options for creating a
point on a curve.

Select off of the point in order to release it.

Surfaces
Surfaces are extremely important for defining any type of contour. Using wireframe
geometry, you can create surfaces to represent any contour that you need. Once you have
created the surface(s) that you need you can then use them in Part Design to contour your
solid model. You have a variety of options to create surfaces. Some options are
straightforward while others are much more involved.

Extruded
Extruded surfaces are created by extruding an element in a linear direction. The resulting
object is called Extrude.

Open the Basic Surfaces document. You should see some wireframe geometry.

Select the Extrude icon. An Extruded Surface Definition window appears.

Profile Specifies the shape that will be extruded

Direction Defines the direction of the extrusion

Extrusion Limits

Limit 1/2 Defines the direction and limits for the extrusion

Type Specifies either a constant dimension or up to a selection

Dimension Specifies the limit distance

Mirrored Extent Extrudes the Limit 2 dimension the same length as Limit 1

Reverse Direction Reverses the direction of the extrusion

Select the curve as shown below. Since this curve was created in a sketch, the extrude
option automatically assumes you want to go normal to the sketch.

Key 3.0 for Limit 1, 1.0 for Limit 2, select the Reverse Direction button and select OK.
The surface is created.

Select the Extrude icon again. The Extruded Surface Definition window appears.

Select the curve and plane as shown below. The plane defines the direction to be normal
to the plane.

Change the limits so that both are 1.0 inch and select OK. The surface is created.
Revolution
Revolution surfaces are created by rotating an element around an axis. The resulting object
is called a Revolute.

Select the Revolve icon. The Revolution Surface Definition window appears. The
icon is located under the Extrude icon.

Profile Specifies the shape that will be revolved

Revolution axis Defines the axis around which the profile will revolve. If your profile
is a sketch and has an axis defined in it then that will be the default
revolution axis.

Angular Limits

Limit 1 Specifies either a Dimension and starting angle for the revolution
or an Up-to element

Limit 2 Specifies either a Dimension and ending angle for the revolution
or an Up-to element
Select the profile and line as shown below.

Change Angle 1 to be 0.0 and Angle 2 to be 180 and select OK. The surface is created.
Sphere
Sphere surfaces are created by defining a center point and a radius. The resulting object is
called a Sphere.

Select the Sphere icon. The Sphere Surface Definition window appears. The icon is
located under the Extrude or Revolve icon.

Center Specifies the center point of the sphere

Sphere axis Determines the orientation of the Parallel and Meridian curves

Sphere radius Defines the radius of the sphere

Sphere Limitations

With limits Whole sphere

Parallel Start Angle Defines the starting angle in the parallel direction

Parallel End Angle Defines the ending angle in the parallel direction

Meridian Start Angle Defines the starting angle in the meridian

direction Meridian End AngleDefines the ending angle in the meridian direction
Select the point as shown below, key 1.5 for the Sphere radius and select Preview. Since
you do not have any other axis to select, you will use the default. The Parallel limits have a
range of -90 to 90 while the Meridian limits have a range of -360 to 360. Basically, the
Parallel limits are the up and down limits and the Meridian limits are the left and right
limits. Of course, this depends on your axis.

Change the Parallel Start Angle to -60, the Parallel End Angle to 30, the Meridian Start
Angle to 135 and the Meridian End Angle to 225, and select Preview.

Select the Create the Whole Sphere icon from the window, then click OK. All
the limit options were made unavailable.
Cylinder
Cylindrical surfaces are created by defining a point and a direction, then you can specify a
length and radius. The resulting object is called a Cylinder.

Select the Cylinder icon. The Cylinder Surface Definition window appears. The
icon is located under the Extrude or Sphere icon.

Point Specifies the center point of the cylinder

Direction Specifies the direction the cylinder will

extrude Parameters

Radius Defines the radius of the cylinder

Length 1,2 Defines the length of the cylinder in both directions

Mirrored Extent Extrudes the Length 2 dimension the same length as Length 1

Reverse Direction Reverses the direction of the cylinder

Select the point and line as shown below.

Change the Radius to 0.5, Length 1 to 2.0, Length 2 to 0.0. The cylinder changes size.

Select the Reverse Direction button and select OK. The surface is created.
Offset
Offset surfaces are created by offsetting an existing surface a specified distance. The
resulting object is called an Offset.

Select the Offset icon. The Offset Surface Definition window appears.

Surface Specifies the surface that will be offset

Offset Defines the distance of the offset

Parameters

Smoothing A smoothing can be applied if a constant offset will

not work. It will introduce deviation into the offset.

Maximum Deviation Defines the maximum amount the new surface

can vary from the original

Reverse Direction Reverses the direction of the offset

Both sides Offsets the surface both directions

Repeat object after OK Allows you to repeat the offset numerous times

Sub-Elements To Remove If an offset has problems, you can perform the offset without
the sub-elements that have errors. The sub-elements will be
listed in the Sub-Elements To Remove list. This is useful
when trying to determine why an offset fails. You can Add or
Remove sub-elements to the list.

Automatically Computes... Automatically computes sub elements to remove

Select the surface as shown below, key 0.25 for the Offset and select Preview. An offset
surface appears.

Select the Reverse Direction button and select OK. The offset surface appears above the
original surface instead of below it.

Select the Offset icon again. The Offset Surface Definition window appears.

Select the surface as shown below, key 0.5 for the Offset and select Preview. An offset
surface appears below the original.
Turn on the Both sides option and select OK. Offset surfaces appear above and below the
original surface.

Note: Since the offset surface has a Repeat object after OK option, you can use the Object

Repetition icon on offset surfaces.

Save and close your document.

Review
For this review exercise, you will create a computer mouse. The intention of the exercise is
to demonstrate the process of building a solid model by utilizing wireframe and surface
geometry.

Note: Set your view mode to Shading With Edges Without Smooth Edges in order to obtain

the same results shown in the following images.

Mouse Body
You will first create the mouse body, followed by the buttons and wheel.

Insert a geometrical set named Mouse Body, then select the Positioned Sketch icon
and set the options as shown below.
Create the following sketch. All curves are tangent continuous. The geometrical
constraints have been hidden for clarity.

Create an extremum point at each end of the sketch in the yz direction.

Create the following sketch on the zx plane. The bottom of the arcs are
coincident to the extremum points.

Extract each curve from the sketch.

Create a Point-Point line between the top points of the arcs.

Create a plane through the line. Use the line for the Rotation axis and the zx plane
for the Reference. The plane should be normal to the reference.
Select the Positioned Sketch icon and set the options as shown below.
Create the following sketch. The top and bottom arcs in this sketch are coincident to the
upper end points of the extracted arcs. All curves are tangent continuous. The geometrical
constraints have been hidden for clarity.

Your model should look like this.

Create a spline between the two points at the top of each extracted arc. The
spline will be tangent continuous to both arcs with a tension of 0.375 at the first point,
and
0.75 at the second point.

Create two geodesic points on the new spline. The left point will have a ratio
value of 0.2 from the left end of the spline, and the right point will have a ratio value of 0.3
from the right end of the spline.

Create a plane normal to the upper spline at both points.

Extrude the extracted spline two inches in both directions normal to the zx plane, then
change the name of the extrude to CHANNEL SURFACE in the specification tree.

Project the last sketch you created to CHANNEL SURFACE along the normal

direction of the first plane created.

Split CHANNEL SURFACE with the projected curve, keeping the inner portion.
The split surface is shown below. Much of the geometry has been hidden. Feel free to hide
your geometry as necessary to reduce clutter.
Fill your first sketch with a surface. This is the bottom profile of the mouse.

Create an intersection line between both planes and surfaces shown below. You
should have four, separate intersection lines.
Create a 0.5 inch line normal to the intersection line indicated below that starts at the

point and uses the plane as its support.

Create another line using the same geometry, but this time specify an Angle of -60.

Ensure the line extends upward.

Repeat this process at the other point so that your model looks the same as below.
Create the two splines shown below. The tension at all three points for both splines
should be 1.0. Use the normal lines you just created for the tangent direction of the first
and third points, and the zx plane for the tangent direction of the second points. Ensure
each spline lies on the appropriate support plane indicated below.
Next, create the orange spline shown below. This spline is tangent continuous to
the spline above it and uses the angled line for the bottom point’s tangent direction. The
tension is 1.0 at the top point, and 1.5 at the bottom point. Ensure the spline lies on the
support plane indicated below.
Create the orange spline shown below using the same method as the previous spline. It
is tangent continuous to the spline above it and uses the angled line for the bottom point’s
tangent direction. The tension is 1.0 at the top point, and 1.25 at the bottom point. Ensure
the spline lies on the support plane indicated below.
Mirror each of the last two splines created across the zx plane.

Join the three curves indicated below. Ensure they are tangent continuous.

Create another join for the three curves shown below. Ensure they are tangent
continuous.
Create a boundary curve on the following edge.

Create another boundary curve on the edge shown below.

Create the same two boundaries on the opposite side of the surfaces. Only the
boundary curves, the joined curves, the split surface, and the filled surface are shown
below.

Split the upper spline at its normal planes, then hide all geometry except the boundary
curves, the joined curves, and the new split.
Create a multi-section surface using the joined curves as sections, and the boundary

curves and split curve as guides.

Next, create the two boundary curves shown below.

Create a multi-section surface using the geometry shown below. The splines and
the extracted arc are the sections, and the boundaries are the guides. Ensure the first and last
sections are tangent continues to the surface shown below.

Your model should look like this.