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About this Block

What it does: The Conic Section Sweep by Tangent block creates an implicit body by sweeping a conic section along a spine curve between two rail curves (Rail 1 and Rail 2). Unlike the standard conic sweep, this block allows you to control the surface shape using tangent vector fields at each rail, in addition to a spatially varying Rho field. Conic Common uses:
  • Designing aerodynamic profiles for wings, fuselages, and other vehicle bodies.
  • Modeling smooth transitions in components like ducts, inlets, and nozzles to manage fluid flow.
  • Creating architectural features like arches and curved facades.
  • Use this block when you need precise control over the surface tangency to match adjacent geometry or strictly define the “take-off” angle of the surface from the rails.
Tips:
  • This block offers more advanced control than the standard Conic Section Sweep block by allowing you to define the angle at which the surface leaves the rails using Vector Fields.
  • It is recommended to avoid steep angles between the rail curves and the spine to avoid unexpected shelling and offset results downstream. A threshold of 45-60 degrees is a good rule of thumb. Steep Angle
  • We recommend using the Boolean Intersect block to create closed surfaces from the output of this sweep.
  • You can change the Rho value via a Ramp block to vary the conic shape spatially along the sweep.
  • If you encounter errors while using this block, please check the following conditions:
  • Closed Rail Curves: Rail 1 and Rail 2 cannot be closed curves. If you receive an error regarding closed rails, please replace them with open curves.
  • Curve Intersections: An error regarding “improperly configured inputs” often indicates that the geometry is self-intersecting relative to the axis. Please ensure that rays projected from the axis along the specified direction intersect the curve only once.

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Example File

Download Example: Lofting by Section Sweep
Creates an implicit body by sweeping a conic section along a spine curve between two rail curves, where the conic shape is controlled by spatially-varying Rho fields and tangent vector fields. The Rho parameter defines the conic shape factor at each point along the sweep (0.5 for parabolic, <0.5 for elliptical, >0.5 for hyperbolic sections), allowing smooth transitions between different conic types.

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Inputs

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Outputs