LOFT

Quick Reference

See Also

Create a Solid or Surface by Lofting

Creates a 3D solid or surface in the space between several cross sections.

Access Methods

Button

Ribbon: Home tab

Modeling panel

LoftNot available on the ribbon in the current workspace.

Menu: Draw

Modeling

LoftNot available in menus in the current workspace

Toolbar: Modeling

Summary

Creates a 3D solid or surface by specifying a series of cross sections. The cross sections define the shape of the resulting solid or surface. You must specify at least two cross sections.

Loft profiles can be open or closed, planar or non-planar, and can also be edge subobjects. Use the mode option to select whether to create a surface or a solid.

When creating surfaces, use SURFACEMODELINGMODE to control whether the surface is a NURBS surface or a procedural surface. Use SURFACEASSOCIATIVITY to control whether procedural surfaces are associative.

You can use the following objects and subobjects with LOFT:

Objects That Can Be Used as Cross Sections	Objects That Can Be Used as a Loft Path	Objects That Can Be Used as Guides
2D polyline	Spline	2D spline
2D solid
2D spline	Helix	3D spline
Arc	Arc	Arc
Circle	Circle	2D polyline Note2D polylines can be used as guides if they contain only 1 segment.
Edge sub-objects	Edge subobjects	Edge subobjects
Ellipse	Ellipse	3D polyline
Elliptical arc	Elliptical arc	Elliptical arc
Helix	2D polyline
Line	Line	Line
Planar or non-planar face of solid
Planar or non-planar surface
Points (first and last cross section only)	3D polyline
Region
Trace

To automatically delete the cross sections, guides, and paths, use DELOBJ. If surface associativity is on, DELOBJ is ignored and the originating geometry is not deleted.

List of Prompts

The following prompts are displayed.

Cross Sections in Lofting Order

Specifies open or closed curves in the order in which the surface or solid will pass through them.

Point

If you select the Point option, you must also select a closed curve.

Join Multiple Curves

Joins multiple, end-to-end curves as one cross section.

Mode

Controls whether the lofted object is a solid or a surface.

Options

Continuity

This option only displays if the LOFTNORMALS system variable is set to 1 (smooth fit). Specifies whether the continuity is G0, G1, or G2 where the surfaces meet.

Bulge Magnitude

This option only displays if the LOFTNORMALS system variable is set to 1 (smooth fit). Specifies a bulge magnitude value for objects that have a continuity of G1 or G2.

Guides

Specifies guide curves that control the shape of the lofted solid or surface. You can use guide curves to control how points are matched up on corresponding cross sections to prevent undesired results, such as wrinkles in the resulting solid or surface.

Intersects each cross section
Starts on the first cross section
Ends on the last cross section

Select any number of guide curves for the lofted surface or solid and press Enter.

Path

: Specifies a single path for the lofted solid or surface.

The path curve must intersect all planes of the cross sections.

Cross Sections Only

: Creates lofted objects without using guides or paths.

Settings

: Displays the Loft Settings dialog box.

Loft Settings Dialog Box

Controls the contour of a lofted surface at its cross sections. Also allows you to close the surface or solid.

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