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Increasing the number of points on a feature line

18 REPLIES 18
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Message 1 of 19
anogramatic
8522 Views, 18 Replies

Increasing the number of points on a feature line

I have a number of feature lines that I am using as breaklines on a surface. However, becuase each featureline is a 3D arc with just 2 points of differing elevations and 1 grade, the surface seems to be triangulating between just the start and end points of each feature line.

 

If I explode one of these feature lines, it becomes a 3D polyline with just 5 vertices. Ideally I want to keep the feature lines as feature lines in the surface, but with 30 points on each featureline (elevations dictated by the current grade)...

 

Is there a way of quickly doing this without having to manually inserting many level points? Or is there a way for the surface to triangulate along feature lines?

 

Any help much appreciated!

18 REPLIES 18
Message 2 of 19
rkmcswain
in reply to: anogramatic

I just tried to recreate this in 2015 (the top arc is a single Fline with no extra vertices added) and the result was this.

 

flinearc.png

 

If I examine the breakline properties in the prospector, I see 17 vertices.

 

Is that what you are trying to get?

 

 

R.K. McSwain     | CADpanacea | on twitter
Message 3 of 19
doni49
in reply to: anogramatic


@anogramatic wrote:

I have a number of feature lines that I am using as breaklines on a surface. However, becuase each featureline is a 3D arc with just 2 points of differing elevations and 1 grade, the surface seems to be triangulating between just the start and end points of each feature line.

 

If I explode one of these feature lines, it becomes a 3D polyline with just 5 vertices. Ideally I want to keep the feature lines as feature lines in the surface, but with 30 points on each featureline (elevations dictated by the current grade)...

 

Is there a way of quickly doing this without having to manually inserting many level points? Or is there a way for the surface to triangulate along feature lines?

 

Any help much appreciated!


By "current grade", do you mean the elevation of one of your surfaces?  If so, you can use your 3DPolyline (or even just a a regular polyline or line) to create a new featureline -- then in the dialog "Assign Elevation" and in the next dialog, choose the appropriate surface and turn on "Insert Intermediate grade break points".

At every location that the polyline crossed a triangle in the surface, the featureline will have an elevation point at the corresponding elevation.

 

 

CreateFL_AssignElevations.png

 

CreateFL_InsertIntermediateGBPts.png

 

 



Don Ireland
Engineering Design Technician




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Message 4 of 19
tcorey
in reply to: anogramatic

Pick the feature line and then, on the Ribbon, pick Insert Elevation Point. Set an increment and press Enter.

 

 



Tim Corey
MicroCAD Training and Consulting, Inc.
Redding, CA
Autodesk Gold Reseller

New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. -- Kurt Vonnegut
Message 5 of 19
Jeff_M
in reply to: anogramatic

Set to use Supplementing factors and set the midordinate distance to a smaller value when adding the featurelines as breaklines.

 

9-18-2014 11-36-31 AM.png

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 6 of 19
neilyj666
in reply to: Jeff_M

This would be my first guess as to how to solve the problem but I don't think these factors can be altered after the featurelines have been added to the surface

neilyj (No connection with Autodesk other than using the products in the real world)
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Message 7 of 19
anogramatic
in reply to: doni49

Thanks for your reply.

 

The feature line is not set by the surface, instead I want to set levels on the surface by this feature line!

Message 8 of 19
Jeff_M
in reply to: neilyj666

Neil, that is correct. The featureline would need to be removed from the surface definition and readded with the new settings.

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Message 9 of 19
rkmcswain
in reply to: Jeff_M

  Jeff_M wrote:

Neil, that is correct. The featureline would need to be removed from the surface definition and readded with the new settings.

I just did what @tcorey said above, on an existing fline that was already a breakline in the surface, and it worked just fine.

Apologies if I am misunderstanding the issue.

 

R.K. McSwain     | CADpanacea | on twitter
Message 10 of 19
anogramatic
in reply to: Jeff_M

That was it. Took a bit of fiddling with the numbers but this is what I was after, thanks.

Message 11 of 19
anogramatic
in reply to: tcorey

This does work, but is a rather tedious manual task.

Message 12 of 19
Jeff_M
in reply to: rkmcswain


@rkmcswain wrote:
I just did what @tcorey said above, on an existing fline that was already a breakline in the surface, and it worked just fine.

Apologies if I am misunderstanding the issue. 


Yes, that works. It also adds points to the f/l that I normally would not want. Having those extra points makes it much more difficult to correcly snap to the end points, adding the f/l correctlt with the midordinate distance is far more preferable.

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 13 of 19
Kundertk
in reply to: Jeff_M

I used Tim's method on a project earlier this week but forgot to keep my old feature lines prior to adjustment, so now I have a bunch of feature lines with way too many vertices!  I wanted the curves to have extra ones, but not the straight sections, and could not find a simple way to add points to the cuves only (without breaking up the feature lines again).  Using the method you suggest, I can use the mid-ordinate distance and it does what I wanted without having to screw up my feature lines (making them much easier to work with).

 

Never played with the mid-ordinate distance option until just now - it works like a charm!

Message 14 of 19
neilyj666
in reply to: Kundertk

Sometimes adding a level point is the best way forward but mostly amending the mid ordinate distance is cleaner

neilyj (No connection with Autodesk other than using the products in the real world)
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Message 15 of 19
jmayo-EE
in reply to: neilyj666

"amending the mid ordinate distance is cleaner "

 

On top of that an excess of elevation points and PI on feature lines can slow a file down.

John Mayo

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Message 16 of 19
Ntuthuko.
in reply to: Jeff_M

How does one do this after the feature line has been created?

Message 17 of 19
jwehling9MJLA
in reply to: Ntuthuko.

All the previous instructions above are good info, but still does not solve the initial issue. You can get additional points on a feature line if you're pulling from an existing surface, and supplemental (1.0) does work for getting additional points on an already created feature line, but not for the number of points that triangulates in pieces along the FL curve.  Viewres (20000) does not work here. Changing how many triangulation points along the FL curve is the issue. How do you do that? I haven't figured it out yet. 

Message 18 of 19

OK, to add points onto a feature line you tap feature line and go to the 'Edit Geometry' and use insert PI - use 'I' for increment - use 1 foot - enter. You can also add additional elevation points by going to 'Edit Elevations' and use insert PI - use increment - use 1 foot - enter. I do this on the curves especially. Do this before you join all the remaining feature lines. This maintains the 1 foot points on the curves only.  Now rebuild the surface and regenall (REA). Although you've set more points on the feature line, sometimes the surface trangulations still don't go point-to point. Not sure sure why the program doesn't respond here. GLITCH MAYBE?

Message 19 of 19

OK, SOLVED, when you add that feature line to the surface make sure you turn 'OFF' weeding and set your supplemental to 1.0'. The surface should now recognize the feature line curve segments at the 1.0' intervals and triangulate to those 1.0 foot intervals as well. Got to have alot of patience with this program. I've come to realize that the program does work correctly. It's making sure your inputs and methodology's are right that's the trick. Good Luck! 

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