{"id":26976,"date":"2020-07-31T11:00:50","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T15:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/tech\/?p=26976"},"modified":"2020-07-28T14:08:23","modified_gmt":"2020-07-28T18:08:23","slug":"the-magic-of-a-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/tech\/2020\/07\/the-magic-of-a-reflection.html","title":{"rendered":"The Magic of a Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a two-part blog that investigates the power of SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS Visualize to accurately model and render illusions created by mirrors. In the first part we will create the illusion of disappearance and in the second part we will see if we can create a hologram.<\/p>\n

Part 1: Thinking INSIDE of the box<\/strong><\/span>
\nOur goal today is to create a box that will make things disappear. More specifically, we want to create a box that to which we can put something inside and it will look empty, no matter where we sit around it.<\/p>\n

The concept behind this trick is simple \u2013 we create a box and insert a mirror at a 45 degree angle such that it reflects the floor of the box and tricks our eyes into thinking that the box is empty. This mirror also creates a pocket in the box that we can hide all kinds of things in. For example, your mini hand sanitizer or that roll of toilet paper that your coworker keeps stealing!<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get started. I began by creating a simple box, shelling it, and then adding another body\u00a0for the mirror at a 45 degree angle. I then dragged the Mirror<\/strong> appearance over from the task pane (Appearances > Glass > Gloss > Mirror)<\/strong> and applied it to the newly created mirror body.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what it looks like in SOLIDWORKS:
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

So far, pretty simple, but it\u2019s hard to tell if the trick will work. I needed something to help me visualize the result (especially the reflection from the mirror), so I activated my SOLIDWORKS<\/strong> Visualize Add-In<\/strong> and selected Export Advanced<\/strong> to quickly port my design over and check that my design was on track.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Note: I used Export Advanced<\/strong> instead of Export Simple<\/strong> because I knew I would be iterating my design. This option enables the Monitor File<\/strong> feature in Visualize, making updating the picture in Visualize almost automatic as I work on my model in SOLIDWORKS CAD.
\nFirst attempt: THE LINE IS VISIBLE<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Whoops! Thank goodness I was able to check my design in SOLIDWORKS Visualize. We can see here that we need something to make the parting line less obvious.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s disguise it by adding some stripes using Split Line<\/strong>\u00a0and quickly Rebuild, Save<\/strong>, and pop back over to Visualize to check our work.<\/p>\n

When we do this, Visualize pops up with a handy dandy window asking if we want to re-import our data.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

As soon as we select Yes<\/strong>, we get the following result.<\/p>\n

Second attempt: SUCCESS!
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

INCREDIBLY better! I\u2019ll take it. Also, can I say that I\u2019m seriously impressed with how well Visualize renders mirrors? I\u2019m seriously impressed.<\/p>\n

Ok next step: Let\u2019s quickly add some finishing touches (doors, hinges, knobs), export our multi-body Part to an Assembly using the Save Bodies<\/strong> command, apply mates, and then check out how it looks from different angles using the Turntable<\/strong> feature in Visualize.<\/p>\n

To activate the Turntable<\/strong> function, all we need to do is click the power button after hovering over the feature in the heads-up toolbar.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Then we can click on the play button to see what our model looks like from various angles. I went ahead and took it one step further so that I could share this result with all of you \u2013 I exported a video (Output Tools > Turntable)<\/strong>!
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Check out the video below:<\/p>\n