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How to model a faceted, low-poly or pyramid surface in SOLIDWORKS

Faceted surfaces with sharp creases are hard in SOLIDWORKS: boundary surfaces facet by facet take hours, and textures cannot make crisp creases. Geometric Surface wraps a lattice of tiles (pyramids, frustums, diamonds, triangles, pillows, Voronoi facets, rings, spirals or your own tile) around the faces, every facet a real face with sharp creases, as one feature.

A faceted vase made with Geometric Surface in SOLIDWORKS

Step by step

  1. 01Select the faces, then Advanced Surface Tools tab › Geometric Surface.
  2. 02Mode Tiles: Lattice Square, Hex, Triangle, Diamond, Voronoi, Strips, Rings, Spiral or Sunflower; Cell size; Tile Height, Top size and Profile.
  3. 03Or Mode Creases: draw crease lines in a sketch (or generate lines, waves, rings, rays) for origami-like surfaces.
  4. 04Or Mode Custom tile: model one tile on the drawn cell outline and repeat it.
  5. 05+ Layer adds waves or noise, + Modifier varies the tiles across the part, + Keep-out keeps a label area flat.
  6. 06Output Surface body or Solid. OK.

Limits

  • Rebuild time grows faster than the facet count: about 500 facets 1 s, 12,000 about 40 s. An unchanged rebuild restores the last result in seconds.

Try it on your own part

Advanced Surface Tools is a SOLIDWORKS add-in (2023 or newer). Every tool works free for 14 days; a licence is €99 plus VAT, one-time.

Free 14-day trialBuy · €99 + VAT

Docs: Geometric Surface

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