Opening the tutorial file (optional)

If you successfully completed Part 4, you can proceed directly to the next step: Trimming the Body Surfaces below.

If you were not successful in part 4, open the file called showergel_part5.wire, located in the wire directory of the CourseWare project. This file contains the completed model from Part 4.

Trimming the Body Surfaces

The transition surface will be created using the Freeform Blend. This tool quickly creates a tangent or curvature blend between two edges, and is particularly useful when the edges are made up of many sections.

The embossed logo surface will be created using the Offset tool.

You will start by projecting the outer logo curves onto the main surfaces.

1. First, make the LogoCurves layer visible.

   

2. Maximize the Left window to specify the direction of projection.

   

3. Choose Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface > Project .

4. You are prompted to select the surfaces. Select the main bottle surface and the finger grip surface.

   

5. Click Go. You are prompted to select the curves to project. As there are many curves in the logo detail, drag a selection box over all the curves.

   

   All the curves are highlighted.

   

6. Click Go to project the curves. Curves-on-surface are created on the two surfaces.
7. Maximize the Perspective window to see the curves-on-surface more clearly.

   

   Next, you will trim away the main surfaces.

8. Select the Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Surface tool. You are prompted to select the surface to trim. Click the main bottle surface first.

   

9. When prompted to select the trim regions, click the part of the bottle surface to keep, as shown.

   

   Click the Keep button to trim the surface.

   The surface is trimmed to the outer curves, the inner curves are ignored.

   

   Do the same for the finger grip surface, trimming away the small corner of the logo that crosses into the surface.

10. Select the Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Surface tool and follow the prompts to trim the finger grip surface.

    

The surfaces have now been trimmed to allow the logo details to be embossed.

Creating the Offset Surfaces

To create an ‘embossed’ effect, the main bottle surface will be offset by 0.5 mm, outwards from the bottle. This will then be trimmed to the inner logo curves.

You will first create a layer for the new offset surface.

1. Choose Layers > New to create a layer.

   

   The layer will only be used to temporarily organize the model, so there is no need to re-name it.

   Now, create the offset surface.

2. Choose Object Edit > Offset and select the main bottle surface.

   

3. At the prompt line, type in an offset value of 0.5. Click Accept to create the surface.

   

4. Choose Pick > Object and you will see the new surface is already highlighted.
5. Assign the surface to the new layer.

   

6. Make the Bottle layer invisible so only the new surface is showing on the screen.

   

   

   When the surface was offset, the curves-on-surface and trims were offset with it. As you don’t want these, you will un-trim the surface and remove the curves-on-surface.

7. With the surface still selected, choose Surface Edit > Trim > Untrim . Double-click the icon to open the option window.

   

8. Choose the All option, so the surface will be fully untrimmed in one operation.

   

9. Choose Pick > Object Types > Curve on Surface and drag a pick box over all the curves-on-surface to select them.

   

10. Press the key to delete the curves-on-surface.

    

11. Maximize the Left view. You can see that the logo curves extend beyond the surface by a small amount. The easiest solution is to extend the surface slightly so the curves fit.

    

    You will use the Extend tool interactively, to extend the surface a small amount by eye.

12. Choose Object Edit > Extend and click the edge shown. You will be asked if you want to remove the construction history – answer Yes.

    

13. The edge is still highlighted. Click and carefully drag the to extend the surface just beyond the inner logo curves.

    

    TipIf you over-extend the surface, type in 0 at the prompt line to return the surface to its original shape.

Trimming the Offset Surfaces

Now, you will project the curves onto the offset surface, so it can be trimmed to the inner logo shapes.

1. Choose Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface > Project .

2. When prompted to select the surfaces, select the offset surface and click Go.

   

3. When prompted to choose the curves to project, use a drag box to select all the curves.

   

4. Click Go to project them onto the surface.

   

   Next, you will trim the offset so that only the three inner shapes remain.

5. Select the Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Surface tool and click the offset surface when prompted.

   

6. When prompted, select the three inner Regions, and click Keep.

   

   The surface is trimmed into the three parts of the logo.

   

   Now is a good time to tidy up the layers.

7. Choose Pick > Object and select the offset surface.
8. On the Bottle layer tab, select Assign.

   

   The surface disappears from the screen because it has been placed on an invisible layer.

9. Make the Bottle layer visible and check that the new offset surface is there.
10. Make the LogoCurves layer invisible.

    

11. Remove the temporary layer by choosing Layers > Delete > Unused Layers .

Creating the Freeform Blend Surfaces

To give a smooth ‘embossed’ edge to the logo, you will use the Freeform Blend tool to blend from the outer to the inner shapes.

1. Maximize the Perspective view and use diagnostic shading to check that the gaps have been created for the blend surfaces.

   

   Next, you will create the freeform blend surface. As the logo shapes were made up of many curves, you can use the Chain Select option to select the whole edge.

2. Choose Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Freeform Blend , and double-click the icon to open the option window.
3. Choose the Chain Select option, and leave the option window open on screen.

   

4. You are prompted to pick the input surface curves. Click the edge of the first logo offset surface as shown.

   

   The whole edge is selected and highlighted in pink.

5. Next, click the edge on the bottle surface.

   

   The edge is selected and highlighted in yellow.

6. Click Recalc to build the Freeform Blend.

   

7. To continue building the blend surfaces, click Next in the Freeform Blend option window.

   

8. Repeat the process to create the other two blends.

   

9. Use diagnostic shading to evaluate the logo embossing.
10. Finally, make sure all the surfaces are assigned to the Bottle layer.

Save your work

1. Save your work in the wire directory of the Lessons project.
2. Name your file myshowergel5.wire.