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      <title>Flat pattern preferences dialog box</title>
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      <div class="title_topic2" id="xps10_pagetitle">Flat pattern preferences dialog box</div>
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               <p class="para_td"><a class="links" href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="top.openFile('sheetmetaldes/preferences_pref_general.html');return(false);">Preferences</a></p>
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               <p class="para_td">Options</p>
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      </table><br><p class="para_topic">The <b class="uiTerm">Sheet Metal Design Flat Pattern Preferences</b> dialog box contains the preferences used for creating flat patterns. You can access this dialog box from <b class="uiTerm">Preferences&rarr;Flat Pattern</b>. It is only available while you are in the Sheet Metal Features and Forming/Flattening application.&nbsp;
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Name</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">Enter a name in the name box to change the default flat pattern name from FLAT_PAT. This is the name of the group entity created.</p>
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Layer</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">&nbsp;Enter a new layer number to change the layer on which the flat pattern generates.</p>
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                           <p class="para_note_body">This only applies to any flat pattern that creates subsequent to this change and does not change the current work layer.</p>
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Chord Tolerance</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">You can specify a chord tolerance for laying out the flat pattern. Use this when approximating curve geometry by line geometry.</p>
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Angle Tolerance</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">You can specify an angle tolerance for laying out the flat pattern that will override the modeling angle tolerance.</p>
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Flat Pattern Location</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">Use <b class="uiTerm">Flat Pattern Location</b> to position the generated flat pattern at the <b class="uiTerm">Work Coordinate System</b> or relative to the starting face.
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Output Objects</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">Use<b class="uiTerm"> Output Objects</b> to modify what objects create in the flat pattern.
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Curve Set</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">Use <b class="uiTerm">Curve Set</b> to determine the types of curves that can appear in the flat pattern. The valid choices are: <b class="uiTerm">Lines</b>, <b class="uiTerm">Lines/Arcs</b>, <b class="uiTerm">Lines/Arcs/Splines</b>.
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Bend Tangent Curves</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">Use <b class="uiTerm">Bend Tangent Curves</b> to turn on off the output of bend tangent lines in the flat pattern.
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Bend Center Curves</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">Use <b class="uiTerm">Bend Center Curves</b> to turn on or off the output of bend center lines in the flat pattern.
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Auto Update</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">The <b class="uiTerm">Auto Update</b> option enables or disables automatic flat pattern update when entering or exiting the Sheet Metal Sheet Metal Features and Forming/Flattening application.
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Distortion Constraint</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">This option controls how distortion faces flatten. You can choose either <b class="uiTerm">Shortest Edge</b> or <b class="uiTerm">Longest Edge</b>. The appropriate edge is then used as the control edge for laying out the face.
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Allow Multiple Flat Patterns</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">This option allows or disallows multiple flat patterns for a body in the part. If this option is on, only the newest flat pattern maintains associativity with the body.</p>
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Use Bend Allowance Formula</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">This option turns on or off the use of the <b class="uiTerm">Bend Allowance Formula (BAF)</b> during flat pattern creation. Turning off the BAF is useful when the part has non&ndash;uniform thickness, or when you just don't want the BAF included in calculating the developed length of a face.
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               <p class="para_td"><b class="uiTerm">Geodesics Algorithm</b></p>
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               <p class="para_td">This option lets you control the <b class="uiTerm">Geodesics Algorithm</b> used to split each face into small segments. Each algorithm yields an approximation. If one algorithm doesn't produce a desirable flat pattern, try another one. <b class="uiTerm">Parametric</b> is the default and should give the best results in most cases. You can use the Knights algorithm as an alternative. The <b class="uiTerm">Projection</b> algorithm was the default for all flat patterns prior to Unigraphics Version 16.0. This method is generally, the least accurate method.
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