The Revolve command requires selection of a single database curve or boundary. This command will create a new database surface of revolution about a secondary database axis curve selected within the command. Database boundaries (u-min, u-max, v-min and v-max curves) are also created and are considered child entities to the surface of revolution.
Tip: If you are unable to create a revolved surface from your selected generatrix and axis curve, you may need to adjust your fit tolerance to make it slightly larger. This will reduce how stringently local discontinuities in your curves are treated.
Select the database curve or boundary to be revolved, then Create, Revolve. Upon entering the Revolve command, you are immediately placed in axis curve selection mode. This command automatically overrides the Mask so that only database curves or boundaries can be picked. Note that neither the curve to be revolved nor the axis have to be linear. Select the axis database curve. The pending database surface of revolution is now rendered in yellow in the Display window. If necessary, adjust the sweep of the surface by editing the angle in the Angle Of Revolution text field and use the Flip command to reverse the sweep direction. Click OK to save the pending database surface and close the panel.
There are a number of commands available on the Revolve panel which are described here in detail. The Currently Defining frame includes a set of radio buttons that allow you to control what you can select or define: the Generatrix or the Axis. When Generatrix is the active choice, you can select a new curve to revolve. When Axis is the active choice, you can define a new axis to use for the revolution. The Revolve command automatically overrides the Mask so that only database curves can be picked.
The number of degrees for the surface to be swept through can be adjusted using the Angle text field. This angle is initially defaulted to a full 360 degrees but will remember the value last used on subsequent use.
The Axis Selection frame provides three methods for defining the axis: Curve, 2 Points, and Point and Direction. The default Curve option expects you to pick a curve in the Display window or in the List panel to use as the axis. If the curve is not linear, the endpoints will be used to define the axis. The 2 Points option allows you to pick points in the Display window or enter them directly into the XYZ text field. Point and Direction allows you to pick or enter a point and then select a primary axis direction through that point or specify a non-primary axis direction by entering directly into the Vector text field.
Delete Last Point allows you to delete selected or entered points when using either the 2 Points or Point and Direction axis specification options. Clear Axis allows you to start the axis specification process over from the beginning by clearing the currently defined axis.
Use the Tolerance frame to adjust the Fit Tolerance used by the Revolve command for those cases where the default tolerance does not produce a pending surface of revolution. In order to adjust the Fit Tolerance to a custom value, you must first uncheck the Use Default checkbox. Then simply type a new tolerance value into the Fit Tolerance text field.