Fundamentals of Warp Tutorial Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3pdcommunicationskills.wikispaces.com/file/view/Fundamentals-of... · Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0 Fundamentals of Warp Tutorial Pro/ENGINEER

Fundamentals of Warp Tutorial Page 1 of 19 Copyright © 2006 PTC Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0

Fundamentals of Warp Tutorial

Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0

1. Introduction The Warp feature is a powerful and flexible way of distorting models inside Pro/ENGINEER.

It is made up of 7 different tools that can be used individually or combined to provide very

complex distortions.

This tutorial will show you the basic principles of each tool and some of the key controls.

This is not intended to teach you all the controls and every nuance, but does provide a good

overview for getting started with Warp.

Many of the controls are similar between each warp tool, so we will not repeat these in the

following sections – it will be assumed that once you have seen a certain control in one

section you will be able to apply it in the following sections, if appropriate. For this reason,

you should read each section in turn.

This is the first of a number of tutorials covering the Warp feature. This tutorial covers how

each tool works and can be controlled, while all of the related tutorials will show examples of

how the various tools of this feature can be applied together.

2. Getting into the Warp Feature

Choose Insert > Warp to start the feature.

On your way into the Warp feature you will be prompted for 2 selections – the geometry

you wish to warp and the reference to warp from.

Geometry:

You can warp any geometry in the current model, both native and imported, including

solids, surfaces, facets and curves.

Reference:

This is mainly used to orient the marquee. You can select either a datum plane or CSYS.

All Warp operations are performed on the marquee – a bounding box around the geometry.

This box is oriented to be aligned with the reference datum and provides different types of

handles and controls to distort the geometry.


Fig 1: Example of Warp marquee

3. Multiple Warp Operations There are 7 different Warp operations that you can use to distort the model. Click the

relevant icon to complete the previous operation and start a new one.

Fig 2: Warp Dashboard and Toolbar

Warp is a ‘super-feature’ meaning that it can contain many sub-features (operations) and

these are stacked in order. Use the List tab on the dashboard to see the list of operations,

redefine or delete individual operations and move the ‘insert here’ up or down the list.

Fig 3: List Tab

Transform

Warp

Spine

Stretch

Bend

Twist

Sculpt


4. Transform There are 3 basic transform options – move, rotate and scale.

Move (translate):

Drag on the background (not on the marquee) to move the geometry.

• Hold <Shift> to move normal to the reference plane (or along Z axis if reference

is a CSYS)

• Hold <Alt> to move horizontal/vertical in the reference plane (or X/Y if reference

is a CSYS)

Fig 4: Transform Marquee

You can also move your geometry numerically using the Options tab. This tab will not

populate until you start a certain transformation, so start with a dynamic drag on screen

and then use the numeric option if required.

Fig 5: Options tab only populates once a transformation is started dynamically

Rotate:

Rotation is performed by dragging on the ends of the Jack (the blue cross at the center

of the marquee). The initial direction of your drag governs whether the rotation will be

around the local X, Y or Z axis.

• To move the Jack to another location, drag on the bars of the Jack.

• To re-center the Jack, right-click on it and choose Center Jack, or click the

Center Jack icon on the dashboard.


Fig 5: Center Jack icon

Fig 6: Drag ends of Jack to Rotate

Fig 7: Drag Jack bars to relocate Jack

Scale:

1D, 2D and 3D scaling is enabled, depending on which handle on the marquee you drag.

All scaling is performed either from the opposite edge/corner or from the center of the

marquee, but is not centered on the jack.

1D Scale:

Place your cursor over an edge handle to expose 2 arrows. Drag on one of these to

scale in this single dimension


Fig 8: 1D scale

2D scale:

Drag on an edge handle to scale 2 dimensionally

Fig 9: 2D scale

3D scale:

Drag a corner of the marquee to scale 3 dimensionally

Fig 10: 3D scale

Scaling is performed from the opposite edge/corner by default. Hold <Alt+Shift>, or

change the dashboard option to scale from the center of the marquee.


Fig 11: scale from center

As with Move and Rotate, you can control Scale numerically in the Options tab. The

Options tab will populate once you have started a Scale operation.

Fig 12: Options tab for scale

Certain numeric parameters can be optionally exposed (exported) outside of the Warp

feature to allow driving parameters by a relationship or family table. Use the check box by

these values to expose the parameter.

Fig 13: Options tab with scale parameter exported


5. Warp Warp has 2 basic functions – to taper or distort by pulling an edge/corner of the marquee

and also to adjust the weighting or bias inside the marquee.

The taper handles are very similar to those of Scale, but only the edge/corner moves in this

case. Place your cursor over an edge handle or corner to expose the related arrows. Drag

one arrow to distort in that direction.

Fig 14: Warp examples

The handles for warping the corner of the marquee may look confusing to begin with, but

there are only really 2 options. The corner point can be dragged either along an edge vector

(yellow arrows) or parallel to a face (purple arrows).

Fig 15: Warp corner arrows

By default, warping a corner point will warp all 4 corners of a face. Holding the <Alt> key

will free the corner to move independently.


Fig 16: locked and free corner warping

As with Scale, the deformation can either be towards the opposite edge/corner, or from the

center of the marquee.

• Hold <Alt + Shift> to Warp from the center of the marquee

• Hold <Alt> for free warping

Fig 17: Warp constraint options in dashboard

Fig 18: opposite and centered warping

The weight handles on the edges of the marquee can be dragged along the edge vector to

change the bias or weighting of the model inside the marquee.


Fig 19: Warp weight

6. Stretch Before you perform a Stretch you can shrink the marquee to limit the zone of the stretch

influence. Think of the marquee as a slice through the model – you can control the distance

between the front and back ‘planes’ of the marquee, but the zone is not limited inside the 4

‘sides’. Everything behind the marquee will not stretch, while everything in front of the

marquee will simply move to allow for the stretch.

Fig 20: controlling the stretch zone

Once you have limited the zone drag the Stretch handle to stretch, or enter a numeric value

in the dashboard. You can continue to resize the zone after you have stretched the model.

Drag front and

back planes of marquee to resize


Fig 21: dynamic stretch

Fig 22: Stretch dashboard

7. Bend Before you perform a bend you can shrink the marquee to limit the zone of the bend



‘sides’. Everything outside of the marquee will simply move to allow for the bend.

Fig 23: drag front and back planes of marquee to resize

Once you have limited the zone you can start to bend your model. Click the Tilt 90o icon to

rotate the pivot around the axis. Drag the pivot along the axis. You can continue to resize

the zone after you have bent the model.

Fig 24: Bend dashboard, showing ‘Next Axis’, ‘Reverse Axis’ and ‘Tilt 90o’ icons

Drag handle to stretch model


Fig 25: Bend handles

The bend tool has a further control to damp or fade out the bend effect from one side of the

marquee to the other. Turn this on by toggling the checkbox Depth on the dashboard and

drag the end plane of the marquee to adjust the region of this damping.

Fig 26: Bend without damping (depth)

Fig 27: Bend with damping. Drag end plane of marquee to adjust depth of damping region

Drag green

square to move

pivot along axis

Drag green vector

to rotate pivot

freely around axis

Drag handle to bend

Double-click

for numeric

input


8. Twist Before you perform a twist you can shrink the marquee to limit the zone of the twist



‘sides’. Everything behind the marquee will not twist, while everything in front of the

marquee will simply rotate to allow for the stretch.

Once you have limited the zone drag the Bend handle to twist, or enter numeric values in

the dashboard. You can continue to resize the zone after you have stretched the model.

Fig 28: Twist

Fig 29: Twist dashboard

9. Spine Spine and sculpt are perhaps the most flexible and complex tools of the Warp toolbox. We

will cover the basics here, but look for further tutorials for examples on how they can be

applied.

The ‘handle’ for this Spine warp is a curve or edge. As you deform the curve its influence is

projected onto the geometry in one of three directions: rectangular, radial from center

and radial from axis.

Rectangular

The deformation is applied close to the spine curve and fades out towards the

opposite sides of the marquee. Drag end plane of the marquee to increase or reduce

the effect of this damping.


Fig 30: rectangular Spine example, including reduced damping effect

Radial from center

The deformation is applied normal to the axis of a cylindrical marquee, radially from

the center. Drag the end plane of the marquee to alter the damping effect.

Fig 31: radial from center Spine example, including depth damping effect

Radial from axis

The deformation is applied around the cylindrical marquee, radiating out from the

axis. Drag the inner cylinder of the marquee to alter the radial damping effect.


Fig 32: radial from axis Spine example, including radial damping effect

Fig 33: Spine dashboard showing three type icons (rectangular, radial from center, radial from axis)

10. Sculpt Spine and sculpt are perhaps the most flexible and complex tools of the Warp toolbox. We

will cover the basics here, but look for further tutorials for examples on how they can be

applied.

Sculpt is a mesh-based warp – the mesh being applied on any of the 6 faces of the marquee.

The density and the size of the mesh can also be adjusted.

Sculpt Principles:

First set the size of the mesh by dragging on faces of the marquee. If you leave the

mesh at its maximum size then you will be able to pull on all of the mesh points, but

if you resize the mesh then the 1st row of points on each edge will be locked to

maintain contact with the surrounding geometry.

Fig 34: drag faces of marquee to resize mesh


Next decide on the density of the mesh. This is partly down to the level of detail you

need for the warp you wish to make and partly the level of continuity you need with

surrounding geometry.

• The 1st row of points controls both positional and tangential continuity to any

surrounding geometry

• The 2nd and 3rd rows of points allow for a softer transition to any surrounding

geometry

For example, to maintain a soft blend to surrounding geometry you may wish to leave

the first 2 rows of points on each side of the mesh untouched.

Fig 35: to maintain a softer blend with surrounding

geometry leave the outer rows untouched

Moving Points:

Selection – points can be selected in 2 ways:

• individually

• select a row/column by picking on the bar instead of the point

• hold <Ctrl> to select multiple points/rows

Fig 36: selection options

Motion – points can move in 3 directions

• Normal to the face of the marquee (this is the default direction)

• Parallel to the face of the marquee (set the Drag option to Free in the

Options tab or hold <Alt>)

• Along the direction of the bar connecting the point to its neighbor (set the

Drag option to Along Bar in the Options tab or hold <Shift + Alt>)


Fig 37: point movement options

When moving multiple points they will all move together in one of 3 ways. Set the

Filter in the Options tab before moving the points.

• Constant – all points move together

• Linear – the point under the cursor moves with the cursor and the furthest

point(s) do not move. Intermediate points fall off linearly.

• Smooth – same as linear, but the fall-off is quadratic

Fig 38: constant point motion

Fig 39: linear point motion

Fig 40: smooth point motion


Symmetry – 3 planes of symmetry can be established so that any deformation can

be mirrored horizontally/vertically in the plane of the mesh as well as normal to the

plane (i.e. through the body of the marquee). Symmetry in the plane of the mesh is

set in the Options tab.

Fig 41: horizontal and vertical symmetry

There are 3 options of how a Sculpt fades away (damping) through the depth the

marquee:

• One side

• Both sides constantly

• Both sides symmetrically (this is the 3rd direction of symmetry)


Fig 42: one sided depth damping

Fig 43: constant depth damping

Fig 44: symmetrical depth damping


11. Conclusion

This tutorial has shown you the basic principles of each Warp tool and you should now have

a good understanding of the key controls. This was not intended to teach you all the

controls and every nuance, but does provide a good overview for getting started with Warp.

This is the first of a number of tutorials covering the Warp feature. Look for the related

tutorials which show examples of how the various tools of this feature can be applied

together.

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Fundamentals of Warp Tutorial Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3pdcommunicationskills.wikispaces.com/file/view/Fundamentals-of... · Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0 Fundamentals of Warp Tutorial Pro/ENGINEER