Chamfering and rounding of edges can be achieved using the Chamfer and Fillet functions. You can apply them to any 3D object, and as an example I chose an irregular shape with several different edges.
Since I’m already in Features mode, it won’t be difficult for me to look for the Fillet icon on the tool palette, and if you want to use the Chamfer function, you’ll find it in the menu located directly below the mentioned icon. To begin with, I will show you how to round the edges, and the Fillet function is responsible for that.
As soon as I click on this icon, additional options will appear on the left side of the screen, which means that I will be able to choose the method by which rounding will be performed (Fillet Type). This can be achieved in several ways, where the first involves constant rounding (Constant Size Fillet), the second enables the application of variable radius (Variable Size Fillet), and the third comes down to the choice of surfaces (Face Fillet), while the fourth is designed for larger interventions (Full Round Fillet).
I will choose the first option to begin with and select the appropriate edge with one click. After that, a series of lines will appear on the screen that represent the future curvature, and since I would like it to be significantly smaller, I will enter a value of 0.5 inches in the Fillet Parameters field and thus match this size. After that, I just need to confirm my intention and check what I have achieved.
This function can be applied to several different edges at the same time, and in order to prove it to you, I will select the Fillet5 item on the left and select the Edit Feature option to display its parameters again. After that, it won’t be difficult for me to select a few more edges and round off most of the upper surface with one stroke.
If you think you’ve gone too far and want to partially undo this effect, simply repeat the entire process and remove from this list the edges you want to keep in their original state. On the other hand, if you want the rounding to cover all the edges that surround a surface, it is enough to select the appropriate element with one click and achieve the desired effect. In this way, I will round all the existing edges with just three clicks. Effective, right?
Before continuing, I will remove from the list the item related to filleting (Fillet5) and thus return the entire object to its original state. If I then run the Fillet function again and select the Variable Size Fillet option, I will be able to curve the selected edge with two different radius. To that end, it is enough to enter a value of, for example, 0.75 for one end, and three times less for the other, 0.25. This will result in a completely changed geometry, and there is a possibility that this transition can be arranged even better. It is enough to change the parameter called Profile by selecting one of the options offered and thus correct the degree of curvature. I will not deal with these changes in detail at this time, but I will confirm the current state and show the final result.
Since I believe you have mastered that too, I will go back to the initial state and restart the Fillet function. This time I will choose from the left side the option that allows me to automatically select entire planes (Face Fillet), because I would like to draw your attention to one of the problems that can arise when applying it. To that end, I will first rotate the entire object in order to better display the segments that make up the smaller surfaces and immediately apply the option for standard edge collapse (Constant Size Fillet). If after that I gradually increase the radius of this curve, it will reach the adjacent edge at a certain moment and this can be a problem. In other words, the new curvature of the surface will become larger than the basic contour, and to avoid this, I will choose a different type of curve, Circular. As you can see, in this case the dimensions of the object will not be disturbed and the whole operation can be completed successfully.
However, there is another way you can solve this problem. To show you what it’s all about, I’m going to go back to the previous state and then run the Face Fillet function. After that, I need to select the surface on the left as the first element and insert the remaining two surfaces into the second group. As you can see, I ended up with a very smooth curve regardless of the fact that there used to be a sharp edge in the middle. The best thing is that without any problems I can expand the selection and create an even larger curved surface, and the program will automatically remove all existing edges.
Since you have mastered this, I can cancel all changes and move on to the last option – Full Round Fillet. It uses three parameters, the user is expected to select three connected surfaces in order to obtain the most regular curvature as possible. As you could see for yourself, the Fillet function allows you to create various types of curved surfaces by applying the appropriate options and thus avoid sharp edges.
In the second part of this lesson, I will show you how to use the Chamfer function. It is used for cutting edges, where an additional flat surface is used to connect them. To that end, I will first select the appropriate item from this menu, so that the fields for entering parameters appear on the left. In this case, they are the angle at which the edge will be cut (Angle) and the applied distance (Distance). Since a value of 45 degrees has already been selected for the angle, I will enter, for example, 0.5 in the first field and immediately click on the corresponding edge. As you can see, it will be automatically replaced by a new surface and its size and position will be in accordance with the selected parameters.
If you don’t like what you have achieved, you can easily change the entered parameters, and I will use the opportunity to choose the upper surface instead of one edge and thus reduce its size in one stroke. After that, I could play a little with the angle at which the felling is done, and even choose the side that will be steeper. Since I really like all of this, it wouldn’t be bad to cover the other edges in the same way and change the appearance of the entire element.
Before I show you how else you can use the Chamfer function, I’ll undo all the changes and then go back to the parameters section. This time, instead of the Angle/Distance option, I will choose the Distance/Distance option, which differs from the previous one only in that two distances are used as parameters for cutting the edge instead of the angle. To show you how it looks in practice, I will immediately click on one edge and then select the Asymmetric item and define different distances. As you can see, this was immediately reflected in the position and size of the inserted surface, and since I believe you understand how this all works, I will undo the changes and return to the initial position.
Considering that the Offset Face and Face/Face options are very similar in their effect to what you have already learned, I will immediately switch to the Vertex option and select one of the existing vertices with one click. It will automatically be replaced by a small triangle, and if I do the same thing on the opposite side, you will see that it has a very complex construction. Just imagine how much effort it would take to achieve this effect using standard shaping functions, and you’ll understand how powerful Chamfer is.
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