Surface Modeling
The procedure for constructing a surface model is stretching a thin piece of material over a framework.
- Body panel of Automobiles
- Aircraft structural members
- Marine vehicles
- Consumer product etc.
Types of surface
1. Analytic Surfaces
2. Synthetic Surfaces
- The surface entities are defined by the set of a data point are known as synthetic surfaces.
- The synthetic surfaces are needed when a surface is represented by a collection of data points. The synthetic surface is represented by the polynomial.
- Hermite bi-cubic surfaces
- Brazier Surface
- B-spline Surface
- Fillet Surface
- Offset Surface
Application of Surface Modeling
- Calculating mass properties
- Checking for interference between mating parts.
- Generating cross-section views.
- Generating finite element meshes.
- Generating Nc Tool paths for a continuous path machining
Advantages of Surface Modeling
- The surface model can be easily understood by an average man.
- Volume and mass properties can be calculated.
- Numerical control (NC) cutting path can be easily generated
- Suitable for finite element analysis.
Disadvantages of Surface Modeling
- The interior details of the model cannot be represented.
- The designer requires more training.
- It takes more time to create.
- The construction is not as simple as the wireframe model.