Creating Surfaces

There are several ways to create surfaces in uMake, enabling you to create a multitude of interesting objects.

Planar (Flat) Surfaces

Planar surfaces are flat surfaces, or surfaces that are only on one ‘plane’. Planar surfaces can be crated by selecting 1 closed curve, or 2 or more curves on the same plane that create a ‘closed’ shape and then creating a surface between these curves. When you select curves, they will either be blue or green. When curves are green that means that a surface can be created between these selected curves. You will see a small symbol in the middle of the selection indicating you can create a surface. The resulting surface will be flat, and the curves will form the edges of the surface.

Push/ Pull Surfaces

uMake allows you to create 3-dimensional objects from a single planar surface. Simply create a planar surface to start. Then either tap and hold on the surface or tap once on the surface to bring up the push/pull arrows. If you tap and hold on the surface, when it turns blue, you can drag with your finger or stylus and create a 3-dimensional shape. If you tap once, the surface will turn blue and display a set of arrows. Drag in either direction with these arrows. The push/pull function is similar to the extrude function in that it extrudes the surface instead of the curves. You can also use Push-pull to create holes in planar surfaces. Draw another curve on a surface, then use the push/pull function to either create a protrusion from the surface or a hole.

Lofted Surfaces

Think of a lofted surface like a piece of fabric stretched between wires. To create a lofted surface, select two or more curves. These curves do not need to be on the same plane and can be any shape. Once selected, as long as the curves are green, you can create a surface between these curves. You will see a small symbol indicating a surface can be created when the curves are green. Tap on this symbol to make a lofted surface. Unlike a planar surface, a lofted surface may change in all three axes and be 3 dimensional.

Revolved Surfaces

A revolve surface is a surface created using one curve that is ‘revolved’ around a specific axis. This is perfect for creating simple shapes like bottles or vases, or complex shapes such as the rim of a car or bike wheel. To create a revolved surface, sketch a curve. The curve can be simple or complex. This curve is known as a ‘profile’ curve and will dictate the shape of the revolved surface. Think about a profile curve as if you were to cut a round object in half– what would the shape of the cross-section look like? Once you have your profile curve, tap ‘revolve’ in the Editor side menu. Two handles will appear, and a dashed line will appear between these two handles. This will be the axis of revolution. Moving this axis will change the shape of the revolved surface. As mentioned in the ‘Revolve’ tool, you have some options when creating a revolved surface regarding how many degrees you want the surface to cover.

Extruded Surfaces

Extruded surfaces are surfaces that are extruded, or ‘pulled’ from a single curve. Create a curve you would like to extrude- as, with revolved surfaces, this curve is also a profile curve. Then double-tap and select the curve you wish to extrude. Tap the ‘extrude’ function in the Editor side menu, and then drag the yellow handle to create an extruded surface.

Extrude Along Path

Extrude along a path is a powerful tool that lets you create complex shapes along a path. It requires two curves to work. To start, select both curves — one curve will be the ‘path’- the curve that you will extrude along, and the other curve will be the ‘profile curve’ this will dictate the shape of the surface being extruded. Once both curves are selected, tap extrude from the editor side menu, and then tap ‘along path’. A yellow handle will appear on one of the curves. Be sure the yellow handle is at one of the ends of the ‘path curve’ so you get what you want. If it is not, you can tap ‘switch curves’ in the options in the editor side panel. Once the yellow handle is on the path curve, simply drag along the curve to create the extrusion. Tap ‘done‘ when finished.