Solid vs. Surface

[rjoyner]

What is the difference?

[mold100]

A solid is basically a solid water tight block model there can be no gaps between edges and usually solids start with a common shape like a rectangle and details are extruded (cut or added)

to the block, surfaces are single entities that could technically in a way make up a solid.I am not a good explainer(is that a word?).Picture it as your body being a solid and your skin are surfaces?

 

Corey teh help me out fellas

 

[ 12-13-2003, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: mold100 ]

[Thad]

I've heard it explained like you mention. A solid is exactly that...a solid body. A surface is like a skin.

 

Thad

[crazy^millman]

Other difference is sometimes depending on the part solids are better and sometimes surfaces are better. I think it also has to do with what you are comfortable doing.

 

Crazy Millman

[gcode]

Solids take a whole lot more computing power.

The part I'm currently woking on is 28 meg as

surfaces and 80 meg as a solid.

It takes my computer about 15 sec to open the surface model and nearly 2 minutes to open the solid.

[Fig sign]

Solid is a great timesaver in complex models ,especially in things like chamfering ,shell ,tapered walls and filetting .

It is a preferable way to buld models .

Ver 9 solids with sheet solids ,thickening and surface to solid conversion are very mighty tool .

Yet it has it`s limitations when surfaces can help you .

I build solids 95 % of time

 

Iskander teh too lazy to use surfaces

[Müřlıń®]

There are things you can do with a solid model that you cant with a surface model.

 

Mass, density, center of gravity, and stress calculations are a few of them.

 

As far as maching goes, there are pro's and con's to each.

 

It depends on what you are doing.

 

I will always start off building every model that I do in solids as long as it is easier to do. It usually is. Solids are pretty speedy, and can be modified easier than surfaces.

 

IMHO, parts with no draft or radii on all the edges, them make perfect candidates for keeping with a solid all the way through to the end.

 

When doing a part that has draft built into it, the radii get difficult to put on in solids when certain conditions exist.

 

When this happens I usually convert to surfaces and stay with them.

 

If I am maching on a model that takes more than a few seconds to open up the file, I will also convert to surfaces and machine on a surface model.

 

Sometimes, a simple solid that has a large number of holes in it can be slow to render and process.

 

It depends on how good your workstation is.

 

 

Murlin

[cadcam]

Here is another thought of have a solid compared to a surface.

 

With a Solid you have alot more info like the statment Murlin made and other's have stated.

 

For example if you get an Iges file and try and make edge curves from this model you get alot of dual edges that come from every edge of the surface and most will be splines.

 

As a sold and a single entity being as stated a water tight model when you creat a edge curve model from a solid it will not contain dups in 99% of the time.

 

Along with this thought is that most if fisable the wire will be made of Lines & arcs.

only splines were it is needed majorty of the time.

 

Now an all in one thought with the solid is if you need wire or sufaces they are one a click away for a clean model.

 

So as you can see a solid hold alot more option and more setatil from a single entity.

[Guest]

I think that we can say that everyone is slowly moving into solids, solids are easier and faster to build and work with then surfaces that take a while, even though in solid you have limitations within mastercam, for expamle you dont automatically get a coons shape in solids you have to build a surface then trim it to a solid. I think that solids are the way to go.

 

quote:

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As far as maching goes, there are pro's and con's to each.

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[John T.]

Solids are memory/disk space hogs! We convert all solids to surfaces just for this reason.

 

John

[mold100]

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