Looking for ways to easily transition from one shape to another? In this Video Tech Tip, we walk through a relaxed approach for creating a transitional shape with two-point splines in SOLIDWORKS.

The best thing about splines is that they are simple to create with a series of points, or in this case a series of two points. To demonstrate this, we approach two separate horizontal lines and create a relaxed spline shape to transition between them using the SOLIDWORKS Spline Tool in the Sketch Toolbar. First, we click on the two points to create a spline. While you can continue onward with the spline, two points are all that is needed.

At first glance, this may look like a straight line, but if you hover over it, you will notice the spline handles and how it is still curvature controlled. By dragging the angle designator upward or downward, you can create a smooth, relaxed shape. Or create those as tangent by pressing Control on your keyboard, selecting the two items and making a colinear, which allows you to control the length of the approach. For better visualization, you can also turn on the Curvature Combs, so you can see the approach of the curvature and adjust the pitch as needed.

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