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ZFlowPlus

Flows objects from a base surface, polysurface or mesh onto a target surface, polysurface or mesh. The objects follow the deformation between the two. A typical example is taking curves, surfaces or meshes drawn on a flat shape and moving them onto the matching 3D shape, or the other way around.

Toolbar button: ZFlowPlus button

When to use

  • You have geometry drawn on a 2D shape and want to move it onto the equivalent 3D shape, or the reverse.
  • You have two shapes that correspond to each other (base and target) and want to transfer geometry from one to the other.

The command accepts several objects at once. To create a matching pair of surfaces, see ZUnroll.

Before you start

  • The objects to flow can be curves, surfaces, polysurfaces, solids, extrusions or meshes.
  • The base and the target must be of the same type and have the same topology:
    • surface and surface;
    • polysurface and polysurface;
    • mesh and mesh.
  • The objects to flow should lie on the base. Parts that fall outside the base are extrapolated, and objects that fall completely outside are discarded.

Steps

  1. Run ZFlowPlus.
  2. When prompted Select objects to flow along a surface, polysurface or mesh, select one or more objects and press Enter.
  3. When prompted Select base surface, polysurface or mesh, select the base. The KeepStructure option appears here.
  4. When prompted Select same type for target, select the target, of the same type as the base. The KeepStructure option also appears here, with the same value.

Options

Option What it does Values Default
KeepStructure Controls how the structure of the flowed objects is handled. No / Yes No

The value chosen at the base prompt is kept at the target prompt.

  • No: a smoother result, with more points on shared edges. It may change the structure of the object.
  • Yes: preserves the original structure of the objects.

Result

The flowed objects are added to the document, in the position of the target. The original objects are kept.

Tips

  • Use KeepStructure = Yes when you cannot change the structure of the objects. Use No for a smoother result.
  • If a flow fails, try with fewer objects at a time to find the problem object.