Thread Subject: How to plot a 3-D flange (a cylinder with mutiple hollows in this bottom)

Dear all:

I am now plotting a 3-D flange using matlab.
However, I found it difficult to handle those hollows.
This hollows were often filled by the command "mesh" and "surf".
Is there a way for leaving these hollows through the use of the "mesh" and "surf" command?
Or, is there a better way for plotting 3-D flange?


Thank you very much!

"sheng fang" <aureoler@gmail.com> wrote in message <j2kdob$95v$1@newscl01ah.mathworks.com>...
> Dear all:
>
> I am now plotting a 3-D flange using matlab.
> However, I found it difficult to handle those hollows.
> This hollows were often filled by the command "mesh" and "surf".
> Is there a way for leaving these hollows through the use of the "mesh" and "surf" command?
> Or, is there a better way for plotting 3-D flange?
>
>
> Thank you very much!

An alternative way might be to develop the 3D flange in 3dStudio and then export the file as a stereo lithograph (.stl). There are a couple of user-written routines in the File Exchange that will import a stereo lithograph into MATLAB as a 3D patch object. I've used that techique a few times and it works pretty well.

hth,
Scott B.