Truncated Cone

The Truncated Cone command creates a truncated cone-shaped structure.

To access this command, go to Draw > Wire Grid / Solid Surface > Truncated Cone in the main menu, which opens the Draw dialog box for the Truncated Cone. The dialog box comprises three pages: Truncated Cone, Attributes, and Materials, as detailed in Fig. 1.

The Truncated Cone page

On the Truncated Cone page, you can set the geometrical parameters for the Truncated Cone. You’ll find a combo-box with two options: Curved segments and Straight segments. Choose Curved segments for an exact representation of the truncated cone’s curvature, while the Straight segments option provides an approximation using linear wires.

The Truncated Cone is defined by specifying the Base Point coordinates, Base Radius, Top Radius, Aperture angle, and orientation angles, Theta and Phi. These parameters uniquely define the truncated cone’s surface, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Depending on its parameters, a truncated cone can take on various shapes, including a cylinder, a cone, a disc, or a flat ring.

After setting the geometrical parameters on the Truncated Cone page, you can move on to the Attributes page. Here, you can specify the number of facets for the Truncated Cone and choose whether it should be a wire grid or a solid surface. See Grid/Surface Attributes for additional parameters in the Attributes page and Wire Materials for parameters in the Materials page.