How to model a One Piece Knife in SOLIDWORKS?

I recently saw a beautiful knife that was crafted out of one piece of twisting metal.

It turned out to be the “One Piece Knife” designed by Johanna Gauder. This knife is made out of a stainless steel sheet and its flowing form isn’t interrupted by an added handle. In today’s tutorial, you will discover how to model this knife in SOLIDWORKS yourself.

Hope you like it!

Jan

P.S. I encourage you to share this tutorial with your network.

Click here to download this tutorial as a free eBook (PDF).

Open a New Part with the model units set to millimeters

Go to: File > New > Part

Save the File with the following name: One Piece Knife.SLDPRT

Create a 2D Sketch on the Right Plane

Select the Right Plane from the Features tree and click on the sketch icon

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Circle

Draw a circle concentric to the origin

Go to: Tools > Dimensions > Smart

Click on the circle and assign a diameter of 20mm, as shown in the image below

Click on the Close sketch icon  to close the sketch area.

Create a Surface Extrude

Go to: Insert > Surface > Extrude…

Select the circle sketch

Go to the Property manager > Direction1

Select Blind and click on the flip direction  icon to reverse the surface extrude direction

Assign an Extrude length of 250mm

Assign a Draft angle  of 3 degrees and check the Draft outward box

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Create a 2D Sketch on the Front Plane

Select the Front Plane from the Feature tree and click on the sketch icon

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Line

Draw a horizontal and vertical line as shown in the image below

Go to: Tools > Dimensions > Smart

Hold the CTRL key and select the vertical line and the origin, then assign the length of 80mm

Use the Surface Trim

Go to:  Insert > Surface > Trim…

Select the purple section of the surface as shown in the image below

Go to the property manager and select Remove Selections

Leave the other parameters as default

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Create a 2D Sketch on the Top Plane

Select the Top Plane from the Feature tree and click on the sketch icon

Click on the Normal To  icon to switch the view direction

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Spline

Draw a spline without any midpoints as shown in the image below

Hold the CTRL key, select the spline and the surface edge1

Then, add a tangent relation  between them

Again, hold the CTRL key, select the spline and surface edge2

Then, assign another tangent relation

Go to: Tools > Dimensions > Smart

Click on each spline handle and add handle values of 100mm and 300mm as shown in the image below

Use the Surface Trim

Go to:  Insert > Surface > Trim…

Select the purple section of the surface as shown in the image below

Go to the property manager and select Remove Selections and leave the other parameters as default

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Create a 2D Sketch on the Front Plane

Select the Front Plane from the Feature tree and click on the sketch icon

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Spline

Draw a two point straight spline from the origin up to the next point, as shown in the image below

Click on the spline endpoints to activate the spline handles

Hold the CTRL key, select the spline and the Surface Edge

Then, assign a tangent relation between them

Go to: Tools > Dimensions > Smart

Click on each handle and assign the dimensions as showed in the image below

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Spline

Again, draw a two point straight spline just under the origin up to the vertical surface edge

Click on the second spline and drag both end handles to activate them

Go to: Tools > Dimensions > Smart

Click on each handle and assign the dimensions as showed in the image below

Hold the CTRL key, select the two right endpoints of both splines

Then, assign a parallel relation  between them, as shown in the image below

Use the Surface Trim

Go to:  Insert > Surface > Trim…

Click on the purple surface between the two splines as shown in the image below

Go to the property manager and select Remove Selections and leave the other parameters as default

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Create a 2D Sketch on the Top Plane

Select the Top Plane from the Feature tree and click on the sketch icon

Click on the Normal To  icon to rotate the view 180 degrees

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Spline

Draw a spline without midpoints as shown in the image below

Make sure that Point 1 and the Point 2 are coincident to eachother, as showed in the image above

Click on the spline and click on both spline handles to activate them

Go to: Tools > Dimensions > Smart

Click on each handle and assign the dimensions as showed in the image below

Use the Surface Trim

Go to:  Insert > Surface > Trim…

Click on the purple surface section as shown in the image below

Go to the property manager and select Remove Selections and leave the other parameters as default

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Create a Reference Plane (Plane1)

Go to:  Insert > Reference Geometry > Plane…

Click on the horizontal surface edge (Edge<1>) then click on the existing surface (Face <1>)

The generated plane is highlighted in yellow as shown in the image below

Click OK  to complete the operation

Create a 2D Sketch on Plane1

Select Plane1 from the Feature tree and click on the sketch icon

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Line

Create a horizontal line and a vertical line

Go to: Tools > Dimensions > Smart

Assign the dimensions to both lines as showed in the image below

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Spline

Create a two point spline as shown in the image below

Go to: Tools > Dimensions > Smart

Add dimensions to the spline as shown in the image below

Use the Planar Surface feature

Go to:  Insert > Surface > Planar…

The current sketch (Sketch6) automatically gets selected

In the modelling area a yellow enclosed flat surface is generated, as shown in the image below

Click OK  to complete the operation

Create a 3D Sketch

Select the Front Plane from the Feature tree and click on the sketch icon

Go to: Insert > 3D sketch

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Center Line  or click directly on Center Line

Create a vertical construction line with an angle of 15 degrees, as shown in the image below

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Spline

Draw a spline between Point A and Point B

Hold the CTRL key, select the spline and the highlighted Curved Edge

Add a tangent relation between them, as shown in the image below

Hold the CTRL key, select the spline and the diagonal construction line

Assign a tangent relation between them, as shown in the image below

Go to: Tools > Dimensions > Smart

Assign the dimensions to the spline handles as showed in the image below

Click on Close sketch  to close the sketch area.

Create a 2D Sketch on the Front Plane

Select the Front Plane from the Features tree and click on the sketch icon

Go to: Tools > Sketch Entities > Line

Create a vertical line coincident to Point A as shown in the image below

Use a Split Line

Go to:  Insert > Curve > Split Line

Go to the property manger, Select Projection as a Type of Split

Select the current sketch from the modelling area

The selected sketch is shown as Current Sketch in the Sketch to Project  dialog box

Then, click on the  curved surface (highlighted in blue) from the modelling area to split it

The selected surface is shown as Face<1> in the Face to Split  dialog box

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Use the Boundary Surface

Go to:  Insert > Surface > Boundary Surface…

Go to the property manager, click on the Direction1 box

Move to the modelling area, click on Edge 1 and Edge 2, as shown in the image below

 Go to the property manager, Click on the Direction2 box

Move to the modelling area, click on Edge 3 and 3D Sketch1, as shown in the image below

Go to the property manager, click on Edge <1> from the Direction 1 dialogue box

Assign the influence – Tangency to Face with Tangent Influence (%): 100

Click on the Edge <2> from the Direction 1 dialogue box

Assign the influence – Tangency to Face with Tangent Influence (%): 100

Go down in Direction 2 dialogue box and click on the Edge <3>

Assign the influence – Tangency to Face with Tangent Influence (%): 100

Click on the 3D Sketch 1 from Direction 2 dialogue box

Assign the influence None

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Use the Knit Surface

Go to:  Insert > Surface > Knit…

Select the three existing surfaces from the modelling area

Go to the property manager and check the merge entities box, as shown in the image below

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Use the Thicken feature

Go to: Insert > Boss/ Base > Thicken

Select the existing Knitted surface as Thicken parameter  from the modelling area

Go to the property manager, select the first icon  as thickness type

Assign a thickness value of 1.5mm  and check the Merge result option

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Make a Chamfer

Go to: Insert > Features > Chamfer

Select the highlighted curved edge of the knife, as highlighted in yellow in the image below

Go to the property manager and select Angle distance from the chamfer parameters

Assign the chamfer distance  of 1.5mm and the chamfer angle  of 80 degrees

Leave the other options as default

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Add some Fillets

Go to: Insert > Features > Fillet/Round

Select the two tiny straight edges of the knife

The selected edges are highlighted in yellow as shown in the image below

Go to the property manager and assign a Fillet radius  of 1mm

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Add another Fillet

Go to: Insert > Features > Fillet/Round

Right click on the Fillet Edge 1

Select Tangency from the pop up menu to select all the tangent edges.

Similarly, right click on the Fillet Edge 2

Select Tangency from the pop up menu to select all the tangent edges.

If some edges are left, select them manually

All selected edges are highlighted in yellow, as shown in the image below

Go to the property manager and assign a Fillet radius  of 0.75mm

Click OK  to complete the operation.

Use the Move/ Copy Body Tool – to Orient the Knife

Go to: Insert > Features > Move/ Copy…

Select the knife from the modelling area, as shown in the image below

Go to the property manager and click on the Rotate  option

Assign rotation values around X, Y and Z Axis

X= -95 degrees,  Y= 90 degrees, and  Z= 3 degrees

Leave the translation values as default

Click OK to complete the operation.

Change the Appearance

Go to: PhotoView 360 > Edit Appearance…

Select Appearances (color) >> Metal >> Steel >> Polished Steel

Double click on the Polished Steel icon

Click OK to apply the new appearance

Go to: View > Display

Select Shaded , Shadows In Shaded Mode  , and Ambient Occlusion  (If possible)

The whole Knife will look like as shown in the image below

Save the File again

Congratulations, you just finished your own One Piece knife in SOLIDWORKS!

Click here to download this tutorial as a free eBook (PDF).

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Thanks a million!

Jan