Array in between two curved lines Autocad

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

I just have quick question regarding Autocad.

Is there a tool or method for creating multiple lines between two curved lines so that they are equally spaced out?

An example of this is when creating contours and you want to create lines in between say 5m intervals to be ie 6m, 7m, 8m, and 9m. It seems like an easy enough task, but I just can't figure out the method or tool to use. I think it is perhaps the array tool but I'm not entirely sure.

Any help would be really appreciated and save me a lot of time!

Thank you all! 

[Anonymous]

Please find attached Idea of what I am trying to resolve. I am currently drawing them out as polylines, but I'm sure there is a much faster way to offset between the red lines evenly spaced. 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> It seems like an easy enough task, 

This is definitely everything else than easy 😉

AutoCAD does not have any built in tool to do that. My first idea was Civil 3D, from the red polylines in your screenshot generate a surface and then let Civil 3D show the contours in 1m interval.

But especially the center situation in your screenshot where the smaller contours have to split between left and right is complex enough, not easy to develop such a tool.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the reply! 

haha I was start to consider the harsh reality of it not being possible.

Would you know if this tool is possible in Revit or 3DS Max? I have never used Civil 3D before and have already installed the other programs. I may need to manually draw these, which could take days as shown in the screenshot haha. 

Thank you for the message again and any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Jason

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> Would you know if this tool is possible in Revit or 3DS Max?

I don't know Revit with surfaces and contours.

I'm quite sure that 3DS-Max does not have a function for that.

If it's a one-time job and the red lines are on different elevations you might upload the dwg-file and I let Civil 3D create the contours.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Hi Alfred!

I'm not sure myself. I was about to look it up there by importing it into Revit and trying to explode the linework, but if you already know a solution and wouldn't take you that long, that would be incredible! I've attached the DWG for you to have a look at and if that is possible that would be a huge huge help! 

Many thanks,

Jason 

[Anonymous]

The Linework is currently not on different levels, but if there is any way around this then please let me know! 🙂 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> The Linework is currently not on different levels

That is needed, otherwise I would not be able to create a surface with contours.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Alfred,

I'll do that for you now. Thank you again.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I'll do that for you now

Not for me 😉

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Hi Alfred.

Haha. True. I quickly changed the elevations of the contours to 5m apart. If you could possibly check and see if this is possible in Civil 3D that would be amazing. Even if you have a look and see if it possible and can be done quickly. Let me know what you think. 

I've attached the DWG with the changes below. RED (5m apart) YELLOW (currently turned off (1m apart))

Many thanks,

Jason 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> 5m apart

Your drawing units are set to feet, should I change them to meter?

- alfred -

[Kent1Cooper]

Some things to look into:

For drawing any number of equally-spaced interval objects between single  Lines or single-line-segment Polylines, you can use SplitBetween.lsp with its SLB command, available here.

For longer/convoluted paths like your contours, to draw one "average" path between two of them, you can use PathAverage.lsp with its PAv command, available at this post.  That might be amendable to do multiple paths in between.

Read the other posts on those threads to understand what some of the [significant!]  difficulties and complications are.  [There's also SplineAverage, but that requires Spline objects, and with the same number of Fit Points.]

BUT I can't help but wonder....  Many of the yellow intermediate contours that are already in your drawings are not anything like  equally distributed between the red ones.  There are a few clustered closer together toward one red contour, with a wider spacing or two in the middle, and a narrower one again closer to the next red one, etc., and twists and turns much odder than simply unevenly-distributed spacings.  This variability in contour is certainly characteristic of real-world situations.  So filling in equally-spaced  "contours" between others can't possibly be a genuine representation of the actual "lay of the land."  If the red ones are "known" but nothing is known specifically between them, what is the purpose of faking something?  Couldn't it lead someone astray, if they're [for example] basing calculations about things like cut and fill on a presumed regularity of slope between known contours that has no basis in reality?

[Anonymous]

Oh flip. Yes please! 

[Anonymous]

Hi Kent,

Thank you for sending me those links on. I will check them out now and look for another solution perhaps.

I am currently working in an architecture practice as a Part I, but this is independent Portfolio work. I am making a laser cut model and so need to create realistic, but not totally accurate Contours. Due to this being a group project I am creating accurate representations of the land which will be cut, but It is not being sent to any Consultants and has no construction value to it. Thank you for the concern though as I would never consider this on an actual project and would instead rely on Contours from a Survey and Geotechnical drawings. 

Thank you for your message and again sending those recommendations!

Jason 

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

please find attached the DWG, all now in meter! (so units set to meter as well as you geometry which was probably millimeter scaled by 0.001).

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Hi Alfred,

That is incredible, thank you so so much! You've saved me hours/days on this, I honestly can't believe someone offered to help me, let alone actually spend time doing it. I really appreciate your help!

Is there any way to recommend you on the forum?

Thank you. That honestly looks great and was exactly what I needed.

Many Thanks,

Jason

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> That honestly looks great and was exactly what I needed.

Thank you for your feedback!

- alfred -

[elmokaaa]

Hello,

I figured out a way to create contours in seconds.  Export your file as a pdf. file and import it into illustrator.  Then use the blend tool to create them.

Hope this helps, this is what I usually do when I need to add more contours.

[mariadni2799]

Wow. You helped me a lot with this tip