Lesson 4 How to Create a Fountain Pen This lesson illustrates how to build a fountain pen. You will use the following tools: NURBS curves. Extrusion. Mirror. Trim. Lathe. Edge Extract. FillPath. Birail. Learning solidthinking 1
Lesson 4 Building the pen nib 1) If you are already working with solidthinking, from the File menu, select the New command and save the scene you were working on. Otherwise, you must first run solidthinking. 2) Choose the default layout option from the Layouts panel (choose View 4 Layouts). 3) Open the Grid setup panel by selecting Edit 4 Grid Setup. 2 Learning solidthinking
4) Choose the Grid#1 tab and set X, Y, and Z to 0.1. Let s now begin by modeling the pen-nib. 5) Activate the Front view and click the Ellipse: focuses, point tool. As focuses coordinates, use points Focus1 = 0.6, 0, 0 and Focus2 = -0.6, 0, 0; as Point1 use coordinates 1.2, 0, 0.2. Learning solidthinking 3
Lesson 4 6) Select the ellipse and insert Start angle = 10 and End angle = 170 in the Modeling Tool panel. 4 Learning solidthinking
7) Click the Extrude icon (with the Front view active) and extrude the ellipse with a value of 6.9. Your object should look like the one below. Next, follow the red outline as in the following image and draw a profile in the area that will then be our Trim curve. 8) Click the Top view and click the NURBS curve icon to start inserting the following points: #1(0, 0, 0), #2(1.2, -2.75, 0), #3(1.35, -2.85, 0), #4(1.2, -3, 0), #5(0.81, -6.9, 0). Learning solidthinking 5
Lesson 4 9) Click the Mirror icon, select the NURBS curve, press the Spacebar to close the selection and set the Start of mirror plane to 0,0,0 and the End of mirror plane to 0,1,0. 6 Learning solidthinking
10) Click the Trim surface function and select the curve on the right, followed by the extruded ellipse. You will perform a trim operation on the surface. This should be your resulting surface. To obtain the inner portion of the object and create your nib, activate the Trim exterior radio button under the Loop exterior section of the Modeling Tool panel. Now repeat the same procedure for the other curve on the left. Learning solidthinking 7
Lesson 4 Here is your pen-nib. Let s now move on to the body of the pen. 11) Open the Right view to full size (double-click the title bar) and draw the following curves using the NURBS curve tool. Curve1: #1(0, -4.1, 1); #2(0, -4.1, 1.3); #3(0, -4.1, 1.4); #4(0, -4.2, 1.5); #5(0, -4.3, 1.4); #6(0, -4.5, 1.5); #7(0, -4.7, 1.5). 8 Learning solidthinking
Curve 2: #1(0, -4.7, 1.5); #2(0, -8.2, 1.5). Curve 3: #1(0, -8.2, 1.5); #2(0, -8.2, 1.6); #3(0, -8.3, 1.6); #4(0, -8.4, 1.7); #5(0, -8.7, 1.8); #6(0, -10, 1.8). Learning solidthinking 9
Lesson 4 Curve 4: #1(0, -10, 1.7); #2(0, -11.6, 2.3); #3(0, -14.6, 2.4); #4(0, -16.4, 2). Curve 5: #1(0, -16.4, 2); #2(0, -16.4, 2.1); #3(0, -16.5, 2.1); #4(0, -19.1, 1.8); #5(0, -21.7, 1.8); #6(0, -35.2, 1.8). 10 Learning solidthinking
Creating the revolved surfaces and using Round To obtain the body of the fountain pen, you can use the Lathe modeling tool, which creates revolved surfaces by rotating around any user-defined axis. 1) Click the Lathe icon or select the Tools 4 Surfaces 4 Lathe command. 2) Click Curve 1 and press Enter to confirm the following values in the console: Rotation = 360; Revolution Axis = 0, 0, 0; Revolution axis direction = Y. Do the same with Curves 2 and 3. 3) Click Curve 4 and press Enter to confirm the following values in the console: Rotation = 360; Revolution Axis = 0, 0, 0; Revolution axis direction = Y. Do the same with the Curve 5. Learning solidthinking 11
Lesson 4 Now you need to seal the back portion of the pen.. 4) Click the Edge extract icon and click the hollow surface. The surface turns green and you have to select the edge to be extracted, as you can see in the image below. Click this edge 12 Learning solidthinking
5) Click the FillPath icon and then click the curve you have just extracted. With this procedure, you will cover the hole. 6) Click the Combine icon and click first the revolution surface (object A), then the filled hole (object B). Press the Spacebar to end the command. A B Learning solidthinking 13
Lesson 4 7) Click the Round tool. Pick the surface, then the edge and press the Spacebar. 8) At the Radius prompt, type 0.3 and accept to perform the operation. Edge to pick Rounded Edge 14 Learning solidthinking
9) Click the Edge extract icon and click the hollow surface on the front side of the pen.. Select the inner edge as shown in the image. 10) Click the FillPath icon and click the curve you have just extracted. You can also select it in the World browser. With this procedure, you will cover the hole. Learning solidthinking 15
Lesson 4 This is what your pen should look like. At this point, only the clip present in the pen cap is missing. 11) Activate the Right view, click the NURBS curve icon and draw the following curves. Curve Top: #1(0, -33.1, 2.6); #2(0, -28.1, 3.8); #3(0, -23.7, 2.9); #4(0, -22.7, 2.4); #5(0, -22.5, 2); #6(0, -22.5, 1.9). 16 Learning solidthinking
Curve Bottom: #1(0, -33, 1.8); #2(0, -31.3, 2.6); #3(0, -27.8, 3.2); #4(0, -26, 3.1); #5(0, -24.6, 2.8); #6(0, -23.4, 2.6); #7(0, -23.1, 2.2); #8(0, -22.9, 1.9); #9(0, -22.5, 1.9). 12) Click the Circle: center, radius icon and accept the default values. 13) Click the Birail icon and select the Profile curve (Circle), Rail curve #1 (Curve Top), and Rail curve #2 (Curve Bottom). You will now obtain the pen. Learning solidthinking 17
Lesson 4 14) Click the Sphere icon and accept the default Local axes origin = 0, 0, 0 and Radius = 1. 15) Use the Translate command to position the Sphere as in the image below. 18 Learning solidthinking
You have reached the end of this lesson. Your fountain pen should be similar to the one you see in the image below. Learning solidthinking 19