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Table Of Contents
576 | Chapter 20 Combining Parts and Surfaces
Key Terms
Te r m Definition
base surface A basic underlying surface that carries a shape across a larger area. Can be trimmed
to precise shapes as needed, but the base surface remains intact and may be
displayed.
model view Changes orientation of the viewer so that the object is viewed from a different
position. Individual views can be displayed in multiple viewports. For example, enter
3 at the Command prompt to create three viewports with default views: top, front,
and right isometric.
NURBS Acronym for nonuniform rational B-spline. The SPLINE command creates a true
NURBS curve and can be used to create a surface.
rail One or more curved lines along which surfaces are swept. They form the curvature of
a swept surface.
spline A curved line defined by specified control points that assumes a unique shape. Used
to create curved surfaces. The radius of a spline curve is constantly changing. Splines
are used as the basis of free-form surfaces.
surface cut A feature created when a surface is joined to a part. Where the surface cuts the part
or protrudes, the part face assumes the curved shape of the surface. The surface, like
other features, is parametric; both the surface and the part retain their parametric
relationship whenever either is modified.
wire A generic term referring to lines, arcs, circles, ellipses, 2D and 3D polylines,
augmented lines, and splines.
work plane An infinite plane attached to a part. Can be designated as a sketch plane and can be
included in a constraint or dimension scheme. Work planes can be either parametric,
or non-parametric.
work point A parametric work feature used to position a hole, the center of a pattern, or any
other point for which there is no other geometric reference.