A Way to Identify the Intersection Plane of Two Extrude Features

By Barbara Han

Issue

I am exporting the extrude features’ data in xml. Consider two extrude features, where one lies on another,I need to identify on which plane the extrude feature lies, then extract the information of the plane. Can you please let us know how to do that through API?

Solution

To get the intersected plane of two features, there is no direct API for that, but it can be done using MeasureTools.GetMinimumDistance method. If the distance of two faces is zero, the two faces must overlap/intersect. Please refer to below sample code.

VBA sample code:

Sub intersectionOf2Extrudes()

    Dim extr1 As ExtrudeFeature

    Dim extr2 As ExtrudeFeature

    ‘get two extrude features, here assuming the user selected them from UI

    Set extr1 = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.SelectSet.Item(1)

    Set extr2 = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.SelectSet.Item(2)

    ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.SelectSet.Clear

    Dim faces1 As FaceCollection

    Set faces1 = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateFaceCollection

    Dim faces2 As FaceCollection

    Set faces2 = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateFaceCollection

    Dim f1 As Face

    Dim f2 As Face

    For Each f1 In extr1.Faces

        Dim d As Double

        For Each f2 In extr2.Faces

            d = ThisApplication.MeasureTools.GetMinimumDistance(f1, f2)

            Debug.Print d

            If d = 0 Then

                ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.SelectSet.Select f2

                Dim obj As Object

                Set obj = f2.Geometry

                Select Case f2.SurfaceType

                Case SurfaceTypeEnum.kPlaneSurface

                    Dim objPlane As Plane

                    Set objPlane = obj

                    Dim rp() As Double

                    Dim normal() As Double

                    obj.GetPlaneData rp, normal

                    ‘TODO: export the plane information

                Case SurfaceTypeEnum.kBSplineSurface

                    Dim objBSpline As BSplineSurface

                    Set objBSpline = obj

                    Dim poles() As Double

                    Dim knotsU() As Double

                    Dim knotsV() As Double

                    Dim weight() As Double

                    objBSpline.GetBSplineData poles, knotsU, knotsV, weight

                    ‘TODO: export the plane information

                Case Else ‘ToDo: judge other type and get data accordingly

                    ”do something here

                End Select

            End If

        Next

    Next

End Sub

VB.NET sample code: