Extracting Geometry

The Extract tool can be used to extract geometry from the edge or surface of a NURBS surface or solid object, leaving the original unmodified. The extracted geometry can then be used for snapping to or for other surface operations.

 

Mode	Description
Extract Point	Extracts 3D loci from the edges of a NURBS surface or solid object. 3D loci are placed at the start, end, and mid-points of the selected edges. For circular edges, a 3D locus is created at the circle center as well.
Extract Curve	Extracts a NURBS curve from the edge of a solid object
Extract Iso-parametric Curve	Extracts an iso-parametric curve from the surface of a solid object
Extract Surface	Extracts a NURBS surface from the face of a solid
Extract Preferences	Provides options for extracting tangent entities, faces, or all entities; the specific items extracted depends on which mode is selected. These options have no effect in Extract Iso-parametric Curve mode.

 

To extract geometry from the edge or surface of a NURBS surface or solid object:

1.	In the desired view, click the Extract tool from the 3D Modeling tool set, and then select the desired mode from the Tool bar.

2.	If Extract Iso-parametric Curve mode was selected, skip to step 4. For all other modes, click Extract Preferences from the Tool bar.

The Extract Preferences dialog box opens.

 

Parameter	Description
Select Tangent Entities	In Extract Point or Extract Curve mode, extracts loci or curves from tangentially-connected edges of the selected object; in Extract Surface mode, extracts surfaces from tangentially-connected faces of the selected object
Select Faces	In Extract Point or Extract Curve mode, extracts loci or curves from all edges of the selected face(s)
Select All Entities	In Extract Point or Extract Curve mode, extracts loci or curves from all edges of the selected object; in Extract Surface mode, extracts surfaces from all faces of the selected object

3.	Specify the desired preferences and click OK.

4.	Select the edge(s) or surface(s) from which geometry will be extracted. To select multiple edges or surfaces, hold the Shift key while selecting.

See Selecting the Edges and Faces of a Solid for information on selecting surfaces.

5.	Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) or click the check mark button on the Tool bar to extract the 3D loci, curves, or surfaces.

The extracted entities display in red, because they are automatically placed in either the RedCurves or RedSurfaces class.

To edit extracted groups, select Modify > Ungroup.