Fundamentals of Warp Tutorial

Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0

The Warp feature is a powerful and flexible way of distorting models inside Pro/ENGINEER. It is made up of 7 different tools that can be used individually or combined to provide very complex distortions. This tutorial will show you the basic principles of each tool and some of the key controls. This is not intended to teach you all the controls and every nuance, but does provide a good overview for getting started with Warp. Many of the controls are similar between each warp tool, so we will not repeat these in the following sections it will be assumed that once you have seen a certain control in one section you will be able to apply it in the following sections, if appropriate. For this reason, you should read each section in turn. This is the first of a number of tutorials covering the Warp feature. This tutorial covers how each tool works and can be controlled, while all of the related tutorials will show examples of how the various tools of this feature can be applied together.

1. Introduction

2. Getting into the Warp Feature

Choose Insert > Warp to start the feature. On your way into the Warp feature you will be prompted for 2 selections the geometry you wish to warp and the reference to warp from. Geometry: You can warp any geometry in the current model, both native and imported, including solids, surfaces, facets and curves. Reference: This is only used to orient the marquee. You can select either a datum plane or CSYS. All Warp operations are performed on the marquee a bounding box around the geometry. This box is oriented to be aligned with the reference datum and provides different types of handles and controls to distort the geometry.

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Fig 1: Example of Warp marquee

3. Multiple Warp Operations

There are 7 different Warp operations that you can use to distort the model. Click the relevant icon to complete the previous operation and start a new one.

Stretch

Bend

Transform

Fig 2: Warp Dashboard and Toolbar

Warp is a super-feature meaning that it can contain many sub-features (operations) and these are stacked in order. Use the List tab on the dashboard to see the list of operations, redefine or delete individual operations and move the insert here up or down the list.

Fig 3: List Tab

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Sculpt

Warp

Spine

Twist

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4. Transform

There are 3 basic transform options move, rotate and scale. Move (translate): Drag on the background (not on the marquee) to move the geometry. Hold <Shift> to move normal to the reference plane (or along Z axis if reference is a CSYS) Hold <Alt> to move horizontal/vertical in the reference plane (or X/Y if reference is a CSYS)

Fig 4: Transform Marquee

You can also move your geometry numerically using the Options tab. This tab will not populate until you start a certain transformation, so start with a dynamic drag on screen and then use the numeric option if required.

Fig 5: Options tab only populates once a transformation is started dynamically

Rotate: Rotation is performed by dragging on the ends of the Jack (the blue cross at the center of the marquee). The initial direction of your drag governs whether the rotation will be around the local X, Y or Z axis. To move the Jack to another location, drag on the bars of the Jack. To re-center the Jack, right-click on it and choose Center Jack, or click the Center Jack icon on the dashboard.

Fig 5: Center Jack icon

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Fig 6: Drag ends of Jack to Rotate

Fig 7: Drag Jack bars to relocate Jack

Scale: 1D, 2D and 3D scaling is enabled, depending on which handle on the marquee you drag. All scaling is performed either from the opposite edge/corner or from the center of the marquee, but is not centered on the jack. 1D Scale: Click on an edge to expose 2 arrows. Drag on one of these to scale in this single dimension

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Fig 8: 1D scale

2D scale: Drag on an edge to scale 2 dimensionally

Fig 9: 2D scale

3D scale: Drag a corner of the marquee to scale 3 dimensionally

Fig 10: 3D scale

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Scaling is performed from the opposite edge/corner by default. Hold <Alt+Shift>, or change the dashboard option to scale from the center of the marquee.

Fig 11: scale from center

As with Move and Rotate, you can control Scale numerically in the Options tab. The Options tab will populate once you have started a Scale operation.

Fig 12: Options tab for scale

Certain numeric parameters can be optionally exposed (exported) outside of the Warp feature to allow driving parameters by a relationship or family table. Use the check box by these values to expose the parameter.

Fig 13: Options tab with scale parameter exported

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5. Warp

Warp has 2 basic functions to taper or distort by pulling an edge/corner of the marquee and also to adjust the weighting or bias inside the marquee. The taper handles are very similar to those of Scale, but only the edge/corner moves in this case. Click on an edge or corner to expose the related arrows. Drag one arrow to distort in that direction.

Fig 14: Warp examples

The handles for warping the corner of the marquee may look confusing to begin with, but there are only really 2 options. The corner point can be dragged along an edge vector (yellow arrows) or parallel to a face (purple arrows).

Fig 15: Warp corner arrows

By default, warping a corner point will warp all 4 corners of a face. Holding the <Alt> key will free the corner to move independently.

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Fig 16: locked and free corner warping

As with Scale, the deformation can either be towards the opposite edge/corner, or from the center of the marquee. Hold <Alt + Shift> to Warp from the center of the marquee Hold <Alt> for free warping

Fig 17: Warp constraint options in dashboard

Fig 18: opposite and centered warping

The weight handles on the edges of the marquee can be dragged along the edge vector to change the bias or weighting of the model inside the marquee.

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Fig 19: Warp weight

Before you perform a Stretch you can shrink the marquee to limit the zone of the stretch influence. Think of the marquee as a slice through the model you can control the distance between the front and back planes of the marquee, but the zone is not limited inside the 4 sides. Everything behind the marquee will not stretch, while everything in front of the marquee will simply move to allow for the stretch.

6. Stretch

Drag head and tail of arrow to resize marquee

Fig 20: controlling the stretch zone

Once you have limited the zone drag the yellow face of the marquee to stretch, or enter a numeric value in the dashboard. You can continue to resize the zone after you have stretched the model.

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Drag yellow face to stretch model

Fig 21: dynamic stretch

Fig 22: Stretch dashboard

Before you perform a bend you can shrink the marquee to limit the zone of the bend influence. Think of the marquee as a slice through the model you can control the distance between the front and back planes of the marquee, but the zone is not limited inside the 4 sides. Everything outside of the marquee will simply move to allow for the bend.

7. Bend

Fig 23: drag head and tail of arrow to resize marquee

Once you have limited the zone you can start to bend your model. Click the Tilt 90o icon to rotate the pivot around the axis. Drag the pivot along the axis. You can continue to resize the zone after you have bent the model.

Fig 24: Bend dashboard, showing Next Axis, Reverse Axis and Tilt 90o icons

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Drag yellow axis to bend

Drag green square to move pivot along axis

Fig 25: Bend handles

Drag green vector to rotate pivot freely around axis

The bend tool has a further control to damp or fade out the bend effect from one side of the marquee to the other. Turn this on by toggling the checkbox Depth on the dashboard and drag the blue depth arrow to adjust the region of this damping.

Fig 26: Bend without damping (depth)

Fig 27: Bend with damping. Drag blue arrow to adjust depth of damping region

Before you perform a twist you can shrink the marquee to limit the zone of the twist influence. Think of the marquee as a slice through the model you can control the distance between the front and back planes of the marquee, but the zone is not limited inside the 4 sides. Everything behind the marquee will not twist, while everything in front of the marquee will simply rotate to allow for the stretch.

8. Twist

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Once you have limited the zone drag the yellow marquee face to twist, or enter numeric values in the dashboard. You can continue to resize the zone after you have stretched the model.

Fig 28: Twist

Fig 29: Twist dashboard

9. Spine

Spine and sculpt are perhaps the most flexible and complex tools of the Warp toolbox. We will cover the basics here, but look for further tutorials for examples on how they can be applied. The handle for this Spine warp is a curve or edge. As you deform the curve its influence is projected onto the geometry in one of three directions: rectangular, radial from center and radial from axis. Rectangular The deformation is applied close to the spine curve and fades out towards the opposite sides of the marquee. Drag the green and gray arrows to increase or reduce the effect of this damping.

Fig 30: rectangular Spine example, including reduced damping effect Fundamentals of Warp Tutorial Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0 Page 12 of 18 Copyright 2006 PTC

Radial from center The deformation is applied normal to the axis of a cylindrical marquee, radially from the center. Drag the green arrow to alter the damping in the radial direction and the gray arrow to alter the damping along the axis.

Fig 31: radial from center Spine example, including depth damping effect

Radial from axis The deformation is applied around the cylindrical marquee, radiating out from the axis. Drag the green arrow to alter the radial damping effect.

Fig 32: radial from axis Spine example, including radial damping effect

Fig 33: Spine dashboard showing three type icons (rectangular, radial from center, radial from axis)

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10.

Spine and sculpt are perhaps the most flexible and complex tools of the Warp toolbox. We will cover the basics here, but look for further tutorials for examples on how they can be applied. Sculpt is a mesh-based warp the mesh being applied on any of the 6 faces of the marquee (the other 5 being invisible). The density and the size of the mesh can also be adjusted. Sculpt Principles: First set the size of the mesh by dragging on the green and gray arrows. If you leave the mesh at its maximum size then you will be able to pull on all of the mesh points, but if you resize the mesh then the 1st row of points on each edge will be locked to maintain contact with the surrounding geometry.

Sculpt

Fig 34: drag green and gray arrows to reduce marquee

Next decide on the density. This is partly down to the level of detail you need for the warp you wish to make and partly the level of continuity you need with surrounding geometry. The 1st row of points controls both positional and tangential continuity to any surrounding geometry The 2nd and 3rd rows of points allow for a softer transition to any surrounding geometry

For example, to maintain a soft blend to surrounding geometry you may wish to leave the first 2 rows of points on each side of the mesh untouched.

Fig 35: to maintain a softer blend with surrounding geometry leave the outer rows untouched

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Moving Points: Selection points can be selected in 2 ways: individually select a row/column by picking on the bar instead of the point hold <Ctrl> to select multiple points/rows

Fig 36: selection options

Motion points can move in 3 directions Normal to the face of the marquee (this is the default direction) Parallel to the face of the marquee (set the Drag option to Free in the Options tab or hold <Alt>) Along the direction of the bar connecting the point to its neighbor (set the Drag option to Along Bar in the Options tab or hold <Shift + Alt>)

Fig 37: point movement options

When moving multiple points they will all move together in one of 3 ways. Set the Filter in the Options tab before moving the points. Constant all points move together Linear the point under the cursor moves with the cursor and the furthest point(s) do not move. Intermediate points fall off linearly. Smooth same as linear, but the fall-off is quadratic

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Fig 38: constant point motion

Fig 39: linear point motion

Fig 40: smooth point motion Symmetry 3 planes of symmetry can be established so that any deformation can be mirrored horizontally/vertically in the plane of the mesh as well as normal to the plane (i.e. through the body of the marquee). Symmetry in the plane of the mesh is set in the Options tab.

Fig 41: horizontal and vertical symmetry

There are 3 options of how a Sculpt fades away (damping) through the depth the marquee:
Fundamentals of Warp Tutorial Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0

One side Both sides constantly

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Both sides symmetrically (this is the 3rd direction of symmetry)

Fig 42: one sided depth damping

Fig 43: constant depth damping

Fig 44: symmetrical depth damping

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11.

Conclusion

This tutorial has shown you the basic principles of each Warp tool and you should now have a good understanding of the key controls. This was not intended to teach you all the controls and every nuance, but does provide a good overview for getting started with Warp. This is the first of a number of tutorials covering the Warp feature. Look for the related tutorials which show examples of how the various tools of this feature can be applied together.

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