Midsurface Creation Methods
The Midsurface Feature dialog provides you with two midsurface creation methods or options; namely
Facepair Method
Offset Method
NOTE: The Midsurface Feature dialog that you will use to create the desired midsurface will depend upon the midsurface feature creation method you choose (either Facepair or Offset). If you decide on the Facepair method, use the displayed dialog and respond to the "Select Target Body" cue prompt. If you want the Offset method, click on the Method button, choose Offset and a different dialog will display. See the discussion of Offset for details.
NOTE: The Midsurface Feature dialog provides you with the options to automatically generate face pair features, or create a single face pair feature. The buttons and options in the Midsurface Feature dialog, except Cancel, are grayed out until you select a target body. Once you have selected the target body, the options become active, however the OK and Apply buttons remain grayed out until a face pair feature is created.
The properties of a midsurface are exactly the same as any other sheet body. The only difference is that a midsurface is associated with its parent face pairs.
The midsurface feature creation process can be broken up into four areas of functionality:
A midsurface feature contains a list of two types of face pair features; namely FACEPAIR_DEF and FACEPAIR_SEL. These two face pair features are the basic building blocks of the midsurface feature. The difference between the two face pair feature types are determined by how you create the face pair feature.
Both face pair features also contain two sets of faces that oppose each other from the target solid. These sets of faces are called Side Faces. The side faces are used in trimming the midsurface. The sets of opposing faces are referred to as Side 1 and Side 2.
NOTE: A face pair feature can have one or more faces in each side.
