Part Geometry - Smoothing

<< Click to Display Table of Contents >>

Navigation:  Tutorials > Geometry Tutorials >

Part Geometry - Smoothing

Smoothing should be used where a part is made up of many short line segments.  This will be the case where splines are commonly used to create geometry in CAD programs.  If these are not smoothed you will end up with large NC files, and when cutting the machine may exhibit jerky motion.  This is because it is coming to a complete stop at the end of each line segment.  By using smoothing the short line segments are replaced by arcs which the machine can follow more smoothly.

To begin the tutorial:

1Open the Parts module from the start screen.

2Click on the New 2D Shape button 2Dshape in the top left hand corner of the screen.

3Scroll Down and select the True Type Text shape. Click Next, then Click finish.

4Click on the Geometry tab at the top of the screen. We can now see clearly that the letter is composed of 3 curved paths (one external and two internal).  

In this section:

Assess Part Complexity

Smooth the Geometry

View the Smoothed Part