Sweep vs. Extrude question

Tim Neumann

 Don't know if this is by design but was trying to sweep a profile about a helix and would get a self intersecting error yet using the regular extrude command with path option it works no problem. Am I missing something with sweep or is this the right workflow? This is using latest V16 platinum - see attached dwg file if you want to test it yourself.

Greg Hahn

 Hey Tim:

Your supplied sweep path is not a helix, it is a spline. You can't sweep along a spline. Splines, by definition, can be irregular and sweep needs a uniform path. Extrude can use an irregular path, so it works in your supplied example. Good Luck.

Tim Neumann

 Thanks Greg. Actually it started out as a "flat helix" but I projected it onto a dome surface. I guess that operation changed it into a spline and hence ruined my "evil plan".