Creating Curves Through XYZ Points

To create a curve through XYZ points:

  1. Click Curve Through XYZ Points Tool_Curve_Through_XYZ_Points_Curves.gif on the Curves toolbar, or click Insert > Curve > Curve Through XYZ Points.
  2. Create new sets of coordinates by double-clicking cells in the X, Y, and Z columns and entering a point coordinate in each one. (Created outside of a sketch, the X, Y, and Z coordinates are interpreted with respect to the Front plane coordinate system.)
    The numbers in the Point column define the order in which the points are connected.
  3. Click OK to display the curve.
    The Curve Through XYZ Points Tool_Curve_Through_XYZ_Points_Curves.gif icon appears next to the curve name in the FeatureManager design tree.

Tips for Working with Curves Through XYZ Points

Tips for working with this tool:

Open an existing curve file

Click Browse and navigate to a curve file to open. You can open .sldcrv files or .txt files that use the same format as .sldcrv files. You can also create 3D curves in Microsoft Excel for example, save them as .txt files, then open them in SOLIDWORKS. Create a file containing coordinate values for curve points using a text editor or worksheet application. The file format must be a three-column, tab, or space-delimited list of only X, Y, and Z coordinates. Do not include any column headings, such as X, Y, and Z or other extraneous data.

Change coordinates

Double-click in a cell and enter a new value. (As you enter values, notice the preview of the curve is displayed in the graphics area.)

Add a row

Double-click in a cell in the row below the last numbered row.

Insert a row

Select a number under Point, then click Insert. A new row is inserted above the selected row.

Delete a row

Select a number under Point, then press the Delete key.

Save the curve file

Click Save or Save As, navigate to the desired location, and specify the filename. If you do not specify an extension, the SOLIDWORKS application adds the extension .sldcrv.