About this Block
What it does: The Cubic Bezier Section Sweep block creates an implicit body by sweeping a cubic Bezier section along a spine curve between two rail curves. This block gives you precise control over the curvature and smoothness of the swept surface by using spatially varying tangent vector fields and magnitude fields at each rail.
The resulting geometry extends beyond the rail curves along the tangents of the spine.
Common uses:
- Complex Surfacing: Use this block when you need high-fidelity control over surface continuity between two boundaries.
- 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.
- The inputs for Tangent Magnitude are relative to the in-plane distance between the rails. A value of 1.0 means the handle length equals the distance between the rails at that specific point.
- We recommend using the Boolean Intersect block to create closed surfaces from the output of this sweep.
Example File
Download Example: Lofting by Section SweepCreates an implicit body by sweeping a cubic Bézier section along a spine between two rail curves, where the curve shape is controlled by spatially-varying tangent vector fields and their magnitudes at each rail. The tangent vector fields define the direction of the Bézier control handles at each point along the sweep, while the magnitude fields control their lengths, enabling precise control over the curvature and smoothness of the swept surface.
Inputs
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rail 1 | Curve | The first boundary curve that guides and constrains one end of the swept cubic Bézier curve as it travels along the spine. |
| Rail 2 | Curve | The second boundary curve that guides and constrains the opposite end of the swept cubic Bézier curve as it travels along the spine. |
| Spine | Line | A line that defines the sweep path and orientation for the cubic Bézier curve as it moves between the two rail curves. |
| Tangent 1 | Vector Field | A vector field that specifies the direction of the Bézier tangent handle at rail 1 for each point along the spine. |
| Tangent 2 | Vector Field | A vector field that specifies the direction of the Bézier tangent handle at rail 2 for each point along the spine. |
| Tangent magnitude 1 | Scalar Field | A scalar field that controls the length of the tangent handle at rail 1, affecting the curve’s pull toward that tangent direction. The tangent magnitude is relative to in-plane distance between the rails. |
| Tangent magnitude 2 | Scalar Field | A scalar field that controls the length of the tangent handle at rail 2, affecting the curve’s pull toward that tangent direction. The tangent magnitude is relative to in-plane distance between the rails. |
Outputs
| Type |
|---|
| Implicit Body |