[NicoR44]

This is so cool, with each new version of SolidWorks there are only few or none really interesting new features, but now SW2014 really has a great update in fillets.
You can now make a conned fillet, and I'm sooooooo happy about that, normally I would have made a loft in most cases, but this fixes that completely

Here illustrated in a sketch:

[hatts]

Yeah this is exciting indeed.
Still I wonder why the addition of conics, tangency controls, and other surfacing tools into SW is so agonizingly gradual.
Oh, now I remember: something's gotta help justify the cost of CATIA...

[Mihai]

What's so great about these fillets?

[Marton Day8]

It feels much smoother.

In case of normal radius fillets the change is very sudden (for example a flat surface at one point changes to radius=5. So from infinity to 5)

With conical fillet you can change the radius value more gradually.

[hatts]

Solidworks has always lagged behind in this stuff

Clumsy SW-type "dumb" fillets everywhere:


Much more elegant fillets with care given to fillet tangency:

[Fernando Tella]

Fillets in first picture could be much better, but if you think those are "dumb fillets" just try 3dsmax's.

[rusteberg]

[eric nixon]

I guess the conical fillet means you dont need to model a parallel edge (rail) to the fillet in order to get nice phong shading.. mind you that only works if the curve has many subdivs.. so your better of modelling the rail, (conical or normal).

And yes quads rock... but lets not go there.

[Polyxo]

In my undstanding the idea of using Nurbs blends (conics is just a species of them) in MCAD programs instead of fillets is mainly driven by the wish
for nicer edge transition in produced parts. Better shading in rendering as well - without harsh kinks in reflections -is a welcome side effect.

[hatts]

@Fernando: Haha, to be honest I don't take seriously the fillets offered by any poly modeling software, because they weren't designed to precisely control smooth curvature.

@eric: a curve with subdivs is not a relevant concept in NURBS fillets: if the fillet is continuous where it meets the next tangent face, it's going to have nice smooth shading. If it's a standard circular fillet it will *probably* look fine but may look abrupt.

@Polyxo basically right, however a fillet is itself nothing more than an automated edge blend. So one doesn't really use a blend "instead of" a fillet because they are two paths to the same solution.

Quads in poly modeling are not analogous to four-sided NURBS patches because in fact all NURBS surfaces are four-sided, but can have any assortment of crazy topology within those four sides. These are shapes driven by equations, not vertices.

Just educatin' those who are curious about NURBS, hope I don't insult anyone's intelligence...

[Polyxo]

@Polyxo basically right, however a fillet is itself nothing more than an automated edge blend. So one doesn't really use a blend "instead of" a fillet because they are two paths to the same solution.

I think here only program specific terminology might have been in the way. I was referring to methods which exceed G1 (tangent) continuity.
Conventional fillets which only create an arc are limited to G1. Other methods of blending (creating a transitional surface) between two or more surface,
such as using conics may yield smoother results. Fillets and Conics look similar but the result is not the "same".

[hatts]

Yes I think you're right, differing software terminology. For example, Solidworks can make G2 fillets but they require face inputs instead of just edges. NX just lumps all fillet options into the grand category of "blends." So anyway, a fillet is not necessarily G1, but in most software, the "Fillet" button will produce a G1 circle fillet.

[NicoR44]

Solidworks has always lagged behind in this stuff

Clumsy SW-type "dumb" fillets everywhere:


Much more elegant fillets with care given to fillet tangency:

I do agree with your explanation Hatts, although this might not be the best comparison, this was already possible in 2013, but indeed and gladly in 2014 it's much better:

2013:




2014:

[tom]

It's a shame SW didn't have this until today. There's no doubt round bevels look super boring and ugly.

[NicoR44]

I'm so glad that I can use it for our new cabin!