At work, I import components from others that are probably produced on ProE and I import a .STP file. In an effort to cleanup the file (better appearance, reduced file size, etc), I end up reproducing the component in SU. I also find that this endeavor has taught me a LOT about how to operate in SU.
In any case, I am trying to figure out the best way to produce a nice radius where 2 complex solids meet. I know how to get a path where faces intersect but I don’t know how to get a nice flowing radius (or fillet) where they meet. The first picture shows my basic solids. The second is the desired result (as imported from my vendor with hidden lines visible).
The closest I can think of is the Round Corner plugin. Have a look at these 2 examples. They were taken from the Take the Edge Off: Round Corner article from SketchUp Blog.
I highly doubt this plugin will work. Following a 2D path (like a straight edge or an arc) is simple enough without a plugin. You can see that I already rounded the edges of the cubic solid. The problem is when you want to round a twisting, turning 3D path that you get at the intersection of two solids with complex curves.
The files are big, so they are on my DropBox. I removed identifying info from the original. On a side note, can anyone explain how in the world my recreation has a larger file size when it has WAY FEWER entities (lines, faces, etc)?
Sorry. Bad example. A purge knocks it down to almost nothing. I do have this issue on other files. I will get a .STP file from a vendor, I import it into SU, and the file size explodes.
Fredo’s Rounded Corner does a great job. Of course, you DO have to intersect the two solid, first. I scales the whole thing up by 10x, used Outer Shell to merge the two solids, then selected the line at the intersection and ran Rounded Corner:
I tried RoundCorner as suggested by you and Aaron. It does okay if you make the rounded area small enough to kill overlaps. If you look at the original file, the radius at the intersection is about 1/4" which results in 26 or more overlaps according to the plugin. Plus the result does not actually intersect with the larger solid in several large areas (the complex curved barrel). So, you end up trying to correct all of the overlaps and non-intersecting areas by hand (impossible).
Yes. It doesn’t matter what scale you use because you have to scale the radius as well. A 10x scale means you have to use a 2-1/2" radius (100x = 25" radius), all resulting in the same number of overlaps and surface border issues (non-solid).
