Warp was introduced in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire to allow you to transform, deform and morph geometry in a more creative and flexible way. A series of tools in the feature provide different controls depending on the type of deformation required, and these can be applied to any type of geometry. Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0 introduced the Sculpt and Spine tools. This tip will explore Sculpt and explain how to use some of its nuances to your advantage.

An overview of the dashboard. Sculpt offers a mesh-based deformation, and the dashboard controls the density (rows/columns) and location of the mesh as well as how the deformation is applied through the model. (Figure 1)

The three depth options are:

• One Side - deformation damps out from the mesh face to zero on the opposite side of the geometry
• Both Sides - the deformation is constant through the depth of the model (normal to the face of the mesh)
• Symmetric - the deformation is applied symmetrically through the depth of the model

There are also options for the way points of the mesh move. For this example, we are starting with a simple revolved solid (Figure 2) and will use Warp to morph this into a lawnmower concept.

Start by squaring off the object.

1. Position the mesh on the top of the model and change the number of rows/columns to 4x4
2. Change the depth option to 'Both Sides'
3. Select the options
   • Symmetry = Horizontal
   • Drag = Along row/colum
4. Drag each of the edge points along the edge towards the corner of the mesh in order to square off the part. Once you have done two of the points, change the Symmetry option to Vertical and complete the other two points. The symmetry option allows you to move pairs of points simultaneously. (Figure 3).  

Next we will use individual points of the Sculpt mesh to do some freeform sculpting, pulling the side step up to form a wheel arch. (Figure 4)

5. Click the Sculpt icon to start a new operation
6. Ensure the mesh is located on the side of the object and change the density to 4x5
7. Keep the depth option on 'Both Sides' and set the options:
   • Symmetry = None
   • Drag = Free
8. Drag individual points to achieve the wheel arch form

Note: You can drag mesh points beyond their neighbor.  Unlike surface control meshes, overlapping Sculpt mesh points does not cause a problem.

Now we will taper the front of the part to reduce its weight. (Figure 5)

9. Keep the same mesh as you had from the previous operation, and select the column of points at the front. A quick way to select a row/column of points is to click on the bar between the points.
10. Change the options:

11.   Drag the top point down to taper the part.  

Finally we will 'dish' the top of the object. (Figure 6)

12. Click the Sculpt icon to start a new operation
13. Ensure the mesh is located on the top of the object and change the density to 5x5
14. Change the depth option to 'One Side' so that the dishing is applied to the top (closest to the mesh) but not the bottom of the object.
15. Set the options:
    • Drag = Normal
    • Filter = Smooth
16. Select the middle row of points, and drag the front point down to dish the object

Notice that all of these Warp steps are contained in a single feature.  You can use the List option to review, redefine or delete individual operations at any time. (Figure 7)

We have now completed the Warp of this concept (Figure 8), and can continue with standard engineering features to complete the design.

 Was this tip helpful? Let us know.

Figure 2


Figure 3


Figure 4


Figure 5


Figure 6


Figure 7


Figure 8