Defining a Contour

This task shows you how to take advantage of the visual feedbacks when creating a contour.
 
  • Available in Composites Engineering Design (CPE), Composites Design for Manufacturing (CPM) and Composites Braiding (CPB).
  • When working in Composites Braiding and creating plies that will be braided, start with a tubular surface and create two loop contours, one at each end (Do not create a single contour referencing two loops). These contours can be an extract of the edge at each end, or created by intersecting a plane with the tubular surface.
  • You can select a curve several times to define several portions of a contour.
  • As other commands create contours, the operating mode described below applies to them as well, with possible slight differences. These commands are:
Open the ManualPlies1.CATPart document.
Below is a scenario with the Contour command. It applies whenever you create a contour.

  1. Click Contour  .
    The Contour dialog box is displayed:

  2. Select the support surface.

  3. Select the first curve.
     
    Its highlight will remain throughout the contour creation, to help you close the contour.
    Its label is displayed in the middle of the curve, for a better view.

  4. Select the second curve. 
    It is highlighted.

    Whenever you select a curve, its name is displayed.
    If the selection is not valid, an information is added to the label.
    There is a reframe on the name of the curve in the list displayed in the dialog box.

  5. Select the third curve. This selection defines a portion of curve that can be part of a contour. This portion is highlighted.
     
    This is only an indication, that the next selection can make irrelevant. 

  6. Continue the selection.
    The command has detected a possible closed contour and displays it with a special highlight.

    If you select another curve no longer leading to a closed contour, the special display disappears.
    In the case below, the geometry is also too complex to define a portion of contour.
    Only the first selected curve is still displayed with a special highlight.

    Special highlights reappear when portions of a contour

    or a closed contour are detected again.

  7. Use Insert After, Before, Add and Remove to modify the order of the curves as well as the contour.

  8. Define the Extrapolation distance that is the gap tolerance to support curves that do not intersect or are not connected.

    • This can be the case of the output curve of slicing features.
    • Extrapolation distance represents the accepted extrapolation value, i.e. curvilinear distance, for the curves that do not form a closed contour.
    • It is stored in the specifications tree.
    • By default, Extrapolation distance is set to 0.2 mm

  9. Should you need to create the curves for the contour, right-click the curves box and create the element you need from the context menu.