Evaluate > Continuity > Surface Continuity
 
 
 

Checks the positional, tangent plane, and curvature continuity between and inside surfaces.

Surface Continuity Options

Find

Positional Continuity – Only check for gaps between surfaces (labeled with “P” symbols).

Tangent Continuity – Check for gaps and tangent discontinuities (labeled with “T” symbols).

Curvature Continuity – Check for gaps, tangent, and curvature discontinuities (labeled with “C” symbols)

Check Spacing By

Arc Length – Check the continuity at equally spaced points along the surface, determined by the Distance Between Checks option.

# Per Span – Check the continuity at a number of points in each span equal to the value of the Fitting > Curve Fit Checkpoints option of the Preferences > Construction Options window.

Distance Between Checks

The arc-length distance between continuity checks when using the Arc Length option.

This option only appears when Check Spacing By is Arc Length.

Display Options

Locator Persistence

If this option is toggled on, the surface continuity indicators have the ability to become a persistent locator which updates with changes to the geometry.

NoteLocator Persistence only takes effect if boundaries are explicitly selected by clicking them (not by selecting surfaces with a pick box or before selecting the tool).
Check Interior

If this option is toggled on, continuity is checked and displayed along multiple-knot iso-parametric curves in the interior of the surface.

Show Max Labels

If this option is toggled on, points of maximum positional, tangency angle and curvature deviation are shown. Note however that these labels only appear if part of the boundary has discontinuities (gaps, tangent or curvature breaks) that are out of tolerance.

Show Edge Labels

If this option is toggled on, indicators showing areas of discontinuities (“O”, “C” and “T” labels) are initially displayed along the boundaries. Red symbols indicate areas of maximum discontinuity. Blue symbols indicate areas of minimum discontinuity.

Show Comb

This option only appears if Show Edge Labels is on. Toggle it on to see the comb lines for gaps, tangency breaks, and curvature breaks.

Auto Scale

This option only appears if Show Combs is on. When Auto Scale is checked (default), the scale of the deviation combs is automatically calculated to be proportional to the size of the object.

When this option is unchecked, three Scale number fields appear (for Positional, Tangent, and Curvature deviation), allowing you to set the scales of the comb at the time of creation.

Scale

Three values (for Positional, Tangent, and Curvature deviation respectively) that allow you to adjust the scale of the combs at the time of creation. These values are only available if Auto Scale is turned on.

See Also