SolidWorks® Surfacing and Complex Shape Modeling Bible

Chapter 10. Working with Hybrid Features

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Moving between solids and surfaces

• Extruding to surfaces

• Lofting between surfaces

• Using Thicken for bosses and cuts

• Using Replace Face

• Using advanced options of the Fill surface

• Using the Wrap feature

• Tutorials

SolidWorks Corporation doesn't use the term "hybrid" in much of their documentation. You can find it in some of their training manuals, some Web–based demos, and a few SolidWorks World presentations, but these are relatively recent developments, and usually driven by a few specific people, me being one of them. Some folks dispute that the term "hybrid" has any meaning at all when used in reference to modeling in SolidWorks, their argument being that any surface modeling eventually evolves into a solid, and all solid modeling involves surfaces behind the scenes.

Beyond quibbling about words, hybrid modeling is all about the interchangeability between solids and surfaces, and particularly about working with both at the same time. Certainly you can use methods that are strictly solid or strictly surface, but most of the complex modeling that you do will be some combination, some hybrid of the two. Hybrid modeling doesn't necessarily have anything at all to do with complex shapes; in fact, it is often touted as a way for machine design professionals to expand their toolsets by learning some surface commands.

Replacing faces of a solid with faces of a surface, using a surface to cut a solid, or extruding a solid up to a surface are ...