Lisp or Net Routine for converting 3d polylines to 3d faces?

[dgordon]

Does anyone know of a program or routine in lisp or net that can select a group of 3d polylines in the form of a tin and convert them all to 3d faces?

I know that I can take the 3d polylines and explode them to 3d lines.   Then I can use map clean to delete the duplicate lines.   Then I can create a C3D surface using the 3d lines.   Then I can extract 3d faces from the surface.   I'm just wondering if there is a more direct way to do this.

thanks in advance for any help on this.

[ToddRogers-WPM]

I have found the best way to work with this is to export the 3D polys out to a .shp file, then Create Surface from GIS Data.  This way you don't have to keep the 3D polys.

[troma]

Why explode & mapclean?  Can't you just make a TIN surface from the 3Dpolys directly?

[antoniovinci]

Gentlemen, mr.Dan is asking something else.

He just would like to transform an existing mesh of 3Dpolys into a bunch of 3Dfaces, perhaps to further rendering in 3DSmax.

Did you try the _3DSOUT command..?

[dgordon]

Actually the file i'm working with is for machine grading.   The client is using Topcon software on the equipment.   Topcon needs 3d faces in a autocad file in order to read the surface.

I will try to make a surface using the 3dpolys and see if that works.   It is more direct than all the work to explode and clean.

Thank you both for the input.

[dgordon]

Ok,

the 3d polys can be added as breaklines so this is a little better than I was going to do.   I'm still wondering if there may be some lisp or net api that would allow a direct conversion without have to create a surface to extract from.

I'm glad I posted this though, since I wasn't thinking about just adding the 3d polys as breaklines.

[dgordon]

trogers,

I tried exporting just the 3d polys using the polygon setting, but i got no gps data in the shp file.

I then had to explode and mapclean in order to export to shp using 3d lines.   It is nice to be able to do away with the lines though once you export them to a shp file.   AECLINEWORKSHRINKWRAP is nice also to create a boundary before exploding or creating the surface.

this was my first time using map3dexport so i got some interesting results until i played with the settings long enough to figure out what i was doing.

thanks for this interesting idea.

[ToddRogers-WPM]

When exporting to a .shp file, you must click on the Data tab and check the box for Elevation...

Then once you have done that, you Create Surface from GIS Data.  The last screen in the wizard you have to choose Elevation for Elevation...

[antoniovinci]

@ Dan

Since your goal is to give a 3Dfaces' model to your customer, don't waste time with shapefiles: simply convert your surface to .3DS format.

If _3DSOUT command is no more available in your Autocad, try this one.

To show which stunning effect you can get thru .3DS format, check the attachment out (to manage the PDF_3D, open it with Adobe Reader).

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

@dgordon:

can you upload a sample drawing to see how your 3d-polys do exist?

@antoniovinci:

>> If _3DSOUT command is no more available in your Autocad, try this one.

Even that tool is only supported for 2008 and might run with 2009 but not for any current release like 2012 and newer.

I guess you should try to update to newer Map3D and see what's (not) available for us nowadays 😉

- alfred -

[antoniovinci]

alfred.neswadba wrote:

I guess you should try to update to newer Map3D and see what's (not) available for us nowadays 

---

Well, my dear, in Italy we say: "A winning team is not to be changed".

Moreover, my computer is too old to run newer software, so I must carry on with what I have...

[dgordon]

alfred,

Here is a sample of 3d polys in the form of a tin.   It is saved in 2010 format from 2011 c3d.

[dgordon]

antonio,

I'm afraid that i'm using 2011 and 3dsout is not available.   Even if i could export to 3ds, i'm afraid that the topcon software my client needs to open it in doesn't support that file format.   It only supports a acad file with 3d faces inside it or a *.reb file.   Well it also opens it's own prioritary *.tn3 file format.

Thanks for sharing the tin model.   I was able to look at it in pdf and dxf formats.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> It is saved in 2010 format from 2011 c3d.

Do you need that now for 2011 or 2013 (from your signature)?

- alfred -

[antoniovinci]

I was trying to transform your 3Dpolys into 3Dfaces: please check the attached file, issueing the _LIST command on the objects.

[TerryDotson]

If you were to consider third party software, ToolPac contains (among other things) a Polyline to 3dface conversion.

Well it also opens it's own prioritary *.tn3 file format.

We would like to get a hold of some TN3 (and related files like LN3) to see if we could pick them apart.  If anyone has any please email them to dotson [at] dotsoft [dot] com.