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convert curved lines to mass element

5 REPLIES 5
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Message 1 of 6
donied
1412 Views, 5 Replies

convert curved lines to mass element

I need to create 2 3D poly lines to a mass element. I have tried the drape command. But as the lines are curvred it doesn't follow the lines on the curve.

I can't sweep or loft an object along a path. I get an error. Probably because the z value changes along the lines

So I used the rulesurf command to create a surface. I would prefer to work with solids then surface because I need to use booleen operations such as union and subtract.

But now I can't convert the surface to a solid or a mass element. If I use the Convert to Mass elements and select the rulesurf mesh I get an error no graphical information

If I use Convert to solid I get "Object cannot be converted"

I have tried a number of lisp routines. M2S, Mesh2Sol. I tried exploding it and tried F2S.

I seem to have exhausted all my ideas.

Does anybody have any idea how I can get this mesh to a solid or mass element
5 REPLIES 5
Message 2 of 6
Anonymous
in reply to: donied

dandeery@eircom.net wrote:
> I need to create 2 3D poly lines to a mass element. I have tried the drape command. But as the lines are curvred it doesn't follow the lines on the curve.
>
> I can't sweep or loft an object along a path. I get an error. Probably because the z value changes along the lines
>
> So I used the rulesurf command to create a surface. I would prefer to work with solids then surface because I need to use booleen operations such as union and subtract.
>
> But now I can't convert the surface to a solid or a mass element. If I use the Convert to Mass elements and select the rulesurf mesh I get an error no graphical information
>
> If I use Convert to solid I get "Object cannot be converted"
>
> I have tried a number of lisp routines. M2S, Mesh2Sol. I tried exploding it and tried F2S.
>
> I seem to have exhausted all my ideas.
>
> Does anybody have any idea how I can get this mesh to a solid or mass element
>
Sounds like a good puzzle. Post the file and make clear what the result
should look like.
Message 3 of 6
donied
in reply to: donied

Thanks for your reply.

Please find attached a copy of the file with a mesh created using the rulsurf command
Message 4 of 6
Anonymous
in reply to: donied

dandeery@eircom.net wrote:
> Thanks for your reply.
>
> Please find attached a copy of the file with a mesh created using the rulsurf command
>

Try this.

I used RULESURF to create a mesh, exploded the mesh into its component
3dfaces, then used F2S.lsp to convert the faces into a solid with a flat
bottom 10 units below the lowest face vertex. If the final solid needs
to have a constant thickness rather than a flat bottom, copy the solid
down by the desired thickness, then subtract the copy from the original.
This was done in ACA 2010, and saved in 2007 format.

I was unable to open your file in ACA 2008 -- "created with a more
recent version of AutoCAD." ACA 2010 flagged it as not created by an
AutoDesk product, but let me open it. Are you using software from
another vendor that might not be completely compatible with AutoCAD or LISP?

For the record, when I converted your mesh to a surface and then tried
to THICKEN the surface, AutoCAD 2010 balked, unable to thicken because
"surface intersects itself", which as far as I could tell it does not. I
tried this with several lower values of SURFTAB1, to no avail. However,
I was able to use THICKEN on a new surface created by RULESURF from new
shorter 3dpolylines, so perhaps one of your 3dpolylines doubles back on
itself somewhere -- I did not check it vertex by vertex.
Message 5 of 6
donied
in reply to: donied

Hi Bill

Thanks for your response and the time you have spent trying to solve my problem. I really appriciate it.

I found a program for removing duplicate points and then I created a rulesurf. I was then able to thicken it.A surface was created because the rulesurf surface wasn't closed. I then tried it with an edgesurf and it worked. But when I up'ed the surftab so I could get a surface smooth around the corners, AutoCAD hung when I tried to created a edgesurf.

I'll try your other method of explode the rulesurf surface and use F2S.

The file was created in AutoCAD ACA 2010. The polylines have com from MX. I have been getting that not created by an
AutoDesk product. Even if I save the file as a ACA 2010 file I still get the error.

Another thought I just had was if I offset the 3D polyline a number of times and create contours I should then be able to use the drape command.

I have a routine for offsetting a 3D polyline. Are you aware of any routines to offset a 3D polyline multiple times.
Message 6 of 6
Anonymous
in reply to: donied

On 12/15/2009 3:37 AM, dandeery@eircom.net wrote:
> ...
>
> I have a routine for offsetting a 3D polyline. Are you aware of any routines to offset a 3D polyline multiple times.
>

I don't know of any.

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