You can use a variety of methods to create several types of mesh objects whose edges
are defined by other objects. Mesh types include ruled, tabulated, revolved, and edge-defined
meshes. The MESHTYPE system variable controls whether the new objects are valid mesh
objects, or whether they are created using legacy polyface or polygon geometry.

You can control how the mesh is displayed by changing the visual style (VISUALSTYLES).

Create a Ruled Mesh

RULESURF creates a mesh that represents the ruled surface between two lines or curves.

There are several methods for creating ruled meshes. For example, you can use two
objects to define the edges of the ruled mesh: lines, points, arcs, circles, ellipses,
elliptical arcs, 2D polylines, 3D polylines, or splines.

Both objects that are used as the “railsâ€‌ of a ruled mesh must be either open or closed.
You can pair a point object with either an open or a closed object.

You can specify any two points on closed curves to complete the operation.

For open curves, construction of the ruled mesh is based on the locations of the specified
points on the curves.

Create a Tabulated Mesh

TABSURF creates a mesh that represents a general tabulated surface. The surface is
defined by the extrusion of a line or curve (called a path curve) in a specified direction
and distance (called a direction vector or path).

The path curve can be a line, arc, circle, ellipse, elliptical arc, 2D polyline, 3D
polyline, or spline. The direction vector can be based on a line or an open 2D or
3D polyline.

This method creates the mesh as a series of parallel polygons running along a specified
path. The original object and the direction vector must already be drawn, as shown
in the following illustrations.

Create a Revolved Mesh

REVSURF creates a mesh that approximates a surface of revolution by rotating a profile
about a specified axis. A profile can consist of lines, circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical
arcs, polylines, splines, closed polylines, polygons, closed splines, and donuts.

This method is useful for mesh forms with rotational symmetry.

Create an Edge-Defined Mesh

EDGESURF creates a mesh approximating a Coons surface patch mesh from four adjoining
edges. A Coons surface patch mesh is a bicubic surface that is interpolated between
four adjoining edges (which can be general space curves).

The mesh in the following illustration was derived from four objects called edges. Edges can be arcs, lines, polylines, splines, or elliptical arcs that form a closed
loop and share endpoints. A Coons patch is a bicubic surface (one curve in the M direction and another in the N direction) interpolated between the four edges.