topic Re: need help with FLATTEN in AutoCAD Forum

need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:31:50 GMT

ok. so i have drawn up an object in 3d. to get this shape, i EXTRUDEd the ouside shape downward and then i PRESSPULLed the inside shape downward the same amount as the previous shape. this way, the object is registered as one shape. now when i go to FLATTEN, it asks me if i want to get rid of all hiden lines and the answer is YES. but when i do, there are several lines that need to be EXTENDed or TRIMmed. any idea why this is happenning? any suggestions would be helpful. i will attach the file so that you can play around with it.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

john.vellek — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:37:31 GMT

Hi @Anonymous

Have you tried using FLATSHOT? it might perform this better for you.

See AKN Article FLATSHOT (Command)

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:45:54 GMT

no that did not work. the main thing that im looking for is the ability to get rid of the hidden lines when the object becomes FLATTENed.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

john.vellek — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:50:09 GMT

OK, 🙂 let's try running the FLATTEN followed by an OVERKILL. Does that do it for you proeprly?

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:01:30 GMT

that didnt work either. ill throw up some pics

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:03:35 GMT

Re: need help with FLATTEN

pendean — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:17:36 GMT

Friend, it looks you you simply extruded an isometric so all that Flatten command will do is EXPLODE your shaped into dozens of lines.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

john.vellek — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:19:28 GMT

@Anonymous,

This is getting interesting. Please tell me how you created your 3D model? With my Viewcube set to TOP I see your model in Isometric view. I should be seeing a plan view! I was going to suggest that you try using the VIEWBASE command but it comes in pretty strange. Please orient your model so that it shows up in plan view and we can go from there.

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

JDMather — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 21:39:32 GMT

Can you work with this file (see attached)?

Are you familiar with working in both model space and paper space?

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 13:18:29 GMT

@john.vellek

i start with my 2d drawing in plan view and then i extrude it as needed and then i make the nessecary rotations to put in iso view but still see it from TOP view which is what i need. here is a file with it in plan view.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 13:22:08 GMT

@JDMather

i am unable to work with the files that you presented.
i am familiar with model space and paper space.
what i need is and isometric view in model space but from a TOP view. it also need to FLATTENed with hidden lines gone. the problem is that when i FLATTEN the object, i get several lines that need to be TRIMmed or EXTENDed and i dont know why this happens.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

john.vellek — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 14:54:44 GMT

Good morning @Anonymous,

@JDMather gave us a great drawing to start with. I prepared a crude Screencast video to illustrate the steps I have taken to get to the result I think you are looking for.

I first verify that the drawing is a 3dsolid.

I then go to an empty layout and using the VIEWBASE command, create a plan view, an Isometric view as well as a couple of others.

Finally I select the Isometric view and edit the view to show shaded with only visible lines.

I hope this gets you to your goal.

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 15:42:33 GMT

this isnt good for me as a solution. im needing the final product to be in model space, not paper space. so in model space, i need an isometric view of the object that has been flattened with the hidden lines removed and the issue that im having is that after the object is being flattened, i am getting several lines that either need to be trimmed or extended. any idea why some of the lines need to be extended or trimmed? im not really looking for a work around because honestly i could just extend and trim the lines that are getting messed up. im simply looking for a solution or a reason why regarding to the lines that need to be trimmed or extended after i flatten and remove the hidden lines.using viewports, shaded views, or using viewcube functions are not an option.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

JDMather — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 16:01:58 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
....1. im needing the final product to be in model space, not paper space. ....

2. im not really looking for a work around ...

1. Why, describe your design intent - it sounds like you are describing non-standard intent that does not match real world.

2. It sounds like you are describing a "work around". In the real world 2D is on a flat sheet of paper (Paper Space in AutoCAD) and 3D is what it is (in Model Space in AutoCAD (and other CAD software programs)). This is standard practice in all of the CAD software programs that I use.

Can you supply more information on your design intent on why you need this in Model Space?

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 16:30:55 GMT

1. the reason why that i need the end result to be in model space, is because the end result needs to be accessible in an LT version of autocad, which is very limited on all things 3D. the company i work for only has one seat of AutoCAD 2016 which is what i use for 3d functionality.

2. i need to flatten and remove hidden lines because when i go to load the drawing in LT it does not like trying to recognize lines that are on different elevations.

using viewports and simply putting the viewport into iso view would be nice but LT is not able to do that. but even if i could do that, LT doesnt cooperate when you put a 3D object into it.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 16:55:44 GMT

If you successfully created your isometric view with VIEWBASE you can expot the layout using EXPORTLAYOUT. That will give you the flattened view that can be inserted into model space.

I've tried creating views with VIEWBASE (on a limited basis) and the drwing opened fine in LT. Of course I realize "opening" the drawing in LT is not the only consideration.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 17:00:22 GMT

i dont have a problem with manually putting and object into isometric view. the problem im having is with the lines that either need to be extended or trimmed after i flatten the object and remove hidden lines. any ideas?

Re: need help with FLATTEN

john.vellek — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 17:14:26 GMT

Hey @Anonymous,

Did you try the above mentioned ExportLayout command? Or does this still not get you where you want to be?

Have you tried building your model in plan view, changing your view with the viewcube, press-pull or extrude to make your solid. Then use EDGEMODE=1 and then FLATTEN?

It seems to work the way you want .

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

Re: need help with FLATTEN

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 17:28:54 GMT

You mentioned that you started your drawing in plan view, extruded, then rotated your oject to get the iso view. I would suggest this is an unconventional approach. Nothing wrong with your first two steps. Your third step is not the way to do it. You should be adjusting your view to the object to obtain the isometric not the other way around.

Turn on your View Cube and use that (or perform an Orbit).

Re: need help with FLATTEN

pendean — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 17:42:06 GMT

You are misinformed about AutoCAD LT and it's uses: what @JDMather suggested (and others) in AutoCAD will be fine to open in LT. I think you are mising the point, we are trying to help you NOT create two versions of a single project file just because you need to share it with others.

1-File, set up correctly, will work well for AutoCAD and LT users alike.

I still believe you drawing an Isometric is the real problem here: why was that your chosen method? Are you not familiar with UCS and rotating it you felt the need to drawn in WCS as an isometric? I'm curious.