Extrude Geometry

Extrude surfaces, nodes, or lines along their normal direction, a vector, or another line.

  1. From the Topology ribbon, Extrude/Revolve tool group, click the Extrude tool.


    Figure 1.
  2. Optional: On the guide bar, click to define additional options.
    Use the FE tab for additional options related to FE geometry.
  3. Choose between Surfaces, Nodes, or Lines using the guide bar selector.
    Note: If Nodes is selected, a line is drawn through the specified nodes before extruding.
  4. Select surfaces/nodes/lines and extrude in the following ways:
    • Use the drop-down in the microdialog to extrude at a fixed normal distance or at a variable distance.
    • Click to define a direction using the Vector tool. Once a direction is defined, manipulate the slider or enter a value in the microdialog.
    • Activate the Guides selector to extrude along selected guiding lines. Use the options in the microdialog to define how the geometry is extruded.
      Fixed Frame
      The geometry is only translated during the extrude, not rotated.
      Line Tangent
      In addition to the translation of the fixed frame option, the geometry is also rotated in the same way that the tangent of the line list rotates.
      Frenet Frame
      In addition to the translation and rotation of the Line Tangent option, the geometry also rotates around the line list tangent axis in the same way as the curvature vector rotates.

      The Frenet Frame option does not work well when the curvature of the line list is not smooth or includes large jumps.

      Reverse Direction
      Defines the extrude in the opposite direction.
  5. Check Create mesh to automatically open the 2D meshing tool after creating surfaces. After you finish meshing, exit the tool to return to Geometry.
  6. On the guide bar, click one of the following:
    • - Apply and stay in the tool
    • - Apply and close the tool
    • - Exit the tool without applying
Note: For the nodes input, based on the geometry creation mode defined, either a CAD surface or an FE geometry surface is created. While using the Extrude tool for lines or surfaces, the input determines whether a CAD surface or an FE geometry surface is created. For example, CAD lines are extruded as CAD surfaces, FE geometry edges are extruded as FE geometry surfaces.

A extrude preview for FE geometry solids is not supported at this time.

Auto-Trim

Use the auto-trim option in the microdialog when extruding nodes and lines.

While extruding lines or nodes, if a continuous surface or mesh is intersected and this option is ON, the newly created surfaces are trimmed at the intersection. The auto-trim option works for both geometry intersecting geometry and mesh. It also works for FE topology intersecting FE topology.

Figure 2. Surfaces intersecting with surfaces
Figure 3. Surfaces intersecting with mesh
Note: With the auto-trim option ON, if the intersecting mesh or surfaces are not continuous and have gaps as shown in Figure 4, then the resulting surfaces can’t be trimmed completely. However, it will create trim lines as shown in Figure 5. But, since the complete surface is not trimmed, it wont be deleted.


Figure 4.


Figure 5.
When extruding lines, an option is available in the guide bar menu () that allows you to stitch trimmed surfaces to the target surfaces. Note that option is only applicable if auto-trim is turned ON.


Figure 6. Input lines


Figure 7. Stitch trimmed surfaces ON


Figure 8. Stitch trimmed surfaces OFF