Create 2D Linework from 3D Objects

[kahumbert]

I am trying to create 2D linework for some equipment that we have in a background file that is all 3D objects. These are items that were created by the equipment manufacturer and we have inserted into our 2D cad background file to be used in plan drawings. We have hundreds if not thousands of pieces of equipment in this background and with the number of 3D elements in the file, it is painfully large and very slow to work in.

To clean it up we have tried creating smaller files and referencing them in together so we can limit the size of the files we are working in. However, I believe the amount of 3D information that is in the file is still creating many problems.

I have saved one of the conveyor blocks into this attached CAD file that shows a typical block of one piece of equipment. I have tried flatshot, flatten, and solbase and none of them have worked on these files. I would like to be able to easily convert this 3D equipment block into a 2D view showing the linework as it shows up in the "2D wireframe" view from top. We can edit the blocks by re-drawing the outlines of the 3D objects manually. However, there are thousands of pieces of equipment and this will take far more time to complete than we have available. I'm hoping there is an easy way to do this or maybe there is a tool out there to help with this. We have looked for a long time for an easy way to do this to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[pendean]

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@kahumbert wrote:

... I would like to be able to easily convert this 3D equipment block into a 2D view showing the linework as it shows up in the "2D wireframe" view from top. ...

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You chose a complex 3D object, so there comes a moment when you have to decide when is a 2D version good enough or you can just commit to drawing it all from scratch in less time and call it a day.

EXPLODE then FLATTEN then OVERKILL in under 5-minutes gets you a flat top view that is honestly "good enough" if I only wanted to use someone else' hard work to get a 2D version out of it, see attached.

Consider taking the time to simply draft/draw your own based on the model's dimensions instead.

[leeminardi]

Would it be accpetable to work with raster images of the background equipment?  The images could be scaled in AutoCAD to be close to the true size of the equipment.  Depending on how you plan to use the graphics "close" may be good enough.

[kahumbert]

I appreciate the comment and am aware this is one method of doing it. Only one block was included with my post to give an example of the types of blocks in the file. To be  honest, this one was one of the more simple ones. I am working with a file that has in the ball park of 1,000 of these kinds of blocks. Some are utilized in multiple instances within the file. Some are used only once within the file. To do this process on each block individually will take a significant amount of time so I wasn't sure if there was a tool out there that would simplify the process.

I agree our process moving forward would be better utilized to redraw this with new 2d linework as we get this equipment in-hand and is what I will push for to be done. In the meantime, I'm still going to be searching for a way to clean up what we already have for our existing equipment files.

[kahumbert]

Raster images likely won't be an acceptable use as they do modify the linework for the equipment and add to it for piping, chutes, additional conveyor runs, control panels, etc.

[pendean]

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@kahumbert wrote:

...In the meantime, I'm still going to be searching for a way to clean up what we already have for our existing equipment files.

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Good luck, it's not out there sadly. You'll have to compromise on many things eventually.

[Washingtonn]

The intent of the drawing originator was to prevent exactly what you are trying to do.

They made the block named "HYBLOCK" - which is nothing more than a cubed solid,  and scaled it unequally (different  XYZ scale factors) so the blocks cannot be exploded. These blocks were then grouped together into another block  - the overall piece of equipment which was not scaled in the same fashion.

If you are looking at similar conveyor blocks, i would recommend creating a dynamic block which has width and length capabilities and redo the layout.  You could use data extraction to get insert points for the blocks and replace those blocks with your dynamic block.  you would have to adjust the dimensions but if you have them from the original drawing, this could be done within Excel.

[kahumbert]

Thank you for your feedback. Sounds like re-drafting will need to be done to try and clean this up to a point where it doesn't bog down our work.

[Washingtonn · Accepted solution]

The conveyor portion of your background could be simply modeled as 3D piping – without couplings or welds.  Numerous modeling programs will allow you to do this, I will demonstrate using SPD, an add-on to AutoCAD.

I included only three sizes with curved radius portions customized to be twice the overall conveyor width.

User would simply draw the conveyor layout over that provided by the manufacturer, adding curves where needed and breaks in the straight segments at the desired lengths.

Instead of pipe fittings, conveyor components as well as other equipment such as packaging, processing, mixing, etc… can be easily modeled.

 Once the layout has been completed, the “FLATTEN” command is used to reduce the layout to 2D polylines. Note that if elevations are also incorporated, the system will show which conveyer is above/below at crossover locations as shown at the end of the video.