Solids Operations

Modifying Edges

The Chamfer Edge and Fillet Edge tools remove the sharp corners of a solid by modifying the shape of its edges. The Chamfer Edge tool modifies the surface with a linear cross section while the Fillet Edge tool modifies the surface with a circular cross section.

Edges are usually modified during the detailed design phase of a project. This may reduce the heat and/or stress concentration in manufacturing and can provide a more realistic or aesthetic appearance to a model.

Modifying Edges by Chamfering

 

To chamfer the edges of a solid:

1.	Click the Chamfer Edge tool from the 3D Modeling tool set, and then select Preferences on the Tool bar to specify chamfer edge preferences.

The Chamfer Edge Preferences dialog box opens.

 

Parameter	Description
Setback	Specify the distance by which the faces are set back
Select Tangent Entities	Choose this option to select tangentially-connected edges and faces for chamfering
Select Faces	Choose this option to select faces for chamfering

2.	Click OK to close the Chamfer Edge Preferences dialog box.

3.	For tangent entity selections, select the tangentially-connected edges and faces to be modified. For face selections, select the faces to be modified. Hold the Shift key down to select several faces and edges.

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

4.	Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) or click the check mark button on the Tool bar to perform the edge modification.

The Setback value for the chamfered edge can be edited through the Object Info palette.

Once the modification is complete, the edge set used to create the modification cannot be changed. The modified edge can be ungrouped, and a new modification with different edges can be created.

If one modification has been created over another, the first modification cannot be edited in the Object Info palette unless the last one is ungrouped (see Editing a Fillet/Chamfer or Shell Object).

A chamfer edge operation may fail due to:

complex surface geometry adjacent to an edge or corner involved in the modification;

an attempt to modify one edge in a sequence of tangential edges (select all the edges for a better chance of success); or

an attempt to modify without selecting all the edges at a vertex.

Reshaping Edges by Fillet

 

To fillet the edges of a solid:

1.	Click the Fillet Edge tool from the 3D Modeling tool set, and then select Preferences on the Tool bar to specify fillet edge preferences.

The Fillet Edge Preferences dialog box opens.

 

Parameter	Description
Constant Radius	Create a filleted surface based on a constant radius
Radius	Indicate the radius of the fillet edge
Select Tangent Entities	Choose this option to select tangentially-connected edges and faces for filleting
Select Faces	Choose this option to select faces for filleting
Variable Radius	Create a filleted surface based on a variable radius
Length (%)	Enter the length up to the point as a percentage of the total edge length
Radius	Enter the radius value at the corresponding percentage of length value
Set	Click to add or modify the length/radius value pair after the highlighted row
Delete	Click to delete the highlighted length/radius value
Reverse	Reverses the order of the values

2.	Click OK to close the Fillet Edge Preferences dialog box.

3.	For tangent entity selections, select the tangentially-connected edges and faces to be modified. For face selections, select the faces to be modified. Hold the Shift key down to select several faces and edges.

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

4.	Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) or click the check mark button on the Tool bar to perform the edge modification.

The Radius value for the filleted edge can be edited through the Object Info palette. For the fillet by variable radius, press the Edit arrow buttons to highlight each point along the edge for editing.

Once the modification is complete, the edge set used to create the modification cannot be changed. The modified edge can be ungrouped, and a new modification with different edges can be created.

Only one edge can be filleted at a time when using variable radius.

If one modification has been created over another, the first modification cannot be edited in the Object Info palette unless both are first ungrouped (see Editing a Fillet/Chamfer or Shell Object).

A fillet edge operation may fail due to:

complex surface geometry adjacent to an edge or corner involved in the modification;

a radius value that is too large;

an attempt to modify one edge in a sequence of tangential edges (select all the edges for a better chance of success); or

an attempt to modify without selecting all the edges in a vertex.