Combine Pasted Surfaces

[ekaraim]

I have a suface that is created from several (data shortcutted) pasted surfaces. I'd like to permantely combine these pasted surfaces into one composite surface. Essentially, I want to remove the link to the pasted surfaces. The surface is massive, there are several MMS files over 200MB associated with it, so the simplest way would be best, processing takes forever.

[neilyj666]

Copy from 0,0,0 to 0,0,0 and then rename it??

[ekaraim]

Could it be that simple? Wouldn't that maintain the data shortcut links in the copied surface?

If it is that easy, I will find a computer with more RAM than mine to attempt it.

[neilyj666]

I think this method breaks the link (can't test as not in front of C3D now)

You could always try XML to output the surface

[ekaraim]

I'm going to give it a try, thanks. The surface is too big for xml, which is really too bad.

[neilyj666]

Do you really need the surface to be so big - the bigger they are the slower everything becomes??

You could try creating non destructive boundaries to reduce the size and export these to XML

[ekaraim]

Have tried the boundary trick. Unfortunately the surface does need to be large, it's being used for both design and rendering in InRoads. Simplifying the surface results in important triangles being left out, crown of the road for example, or bottom of a ditch.

So far bringing in 3dfaces into inroads has been the only successful conversion. We'd use XML if we could actually get it exported.

[neilyj666]

I see - hope you find a method that works for you

[ekaraim]

Thanks for trying, unfortunately the copying method didn't work.

[lim.wendy]

Hi ekaraim,

Perhaps you could try to simplify each of the individual surface

Then, promote (right click on the surface which is being referenced and click promote) each surface so you can have the all surfaces in one drawing. 

They are also workarounds if the composite surface appears too large to handle. I need to know how each of the surface is being created; ie: is it by points, contours..etc

[mathewkol]

How about the crop surface command? It will create a new dwg which contains a surface that CAN be linked to the originals but doesn't need to be. I have no idea how it works when surfaces are pasted and/or dref'd. Worth a shot though.

[sboon]

Would a surface snapshot work?  The paste operations would still be part of the definition of your merged surface but they would not be processed anymore.  All future rebuilds would start with the current version of the TIN.

[mathewkol]

That's how the crop surface remains unaffected by original drawing surface edits. Of course if someone removes the snapshot then there's a problem no matter what method you choose.

[ekaraim]

Thanks, I am attempting that this morning. I was hoping to keep the surface hi-res, but it looks like it's a bit ambitious.