Overlapping lines viewbase

[Anonymous]

I'm creating assembly instructions in paper space by using view base and visible lines view.  The problem is, I need to place parts that have overlapping lines.  I of course can't explode or edit these views so I don't know how to remove the overlapping lines.  Also, draw order doesn't work.  Can't use thick white lines to use as white out since they appear gray.  I'm at a loss here.  

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

Which version of AutoCAD are you using?

When you create your projected views, if you then select one of the views, you should see Edit view on the RIbbon.

You have some visibility options there. Do none of them do what you want?

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

[Anonymous]

2015.  My issue is that i can't position 2 parts on top of each other without overlapping lines.  I just figured out a workaround though.  It would be nice if I didn't have to, but I'll just assemble the parts in another drawing and xref them into my current one as one object and use viewbase, which will then not show the overlapping lines.

[beyoungjr]

You're probably on the right track if you wish to XREF.

However, if you would like to stick with one drawing for the assembled and un-assembled views you can place bothe versions of the target apart form one-another in Model Space and use discrete selections for the parts you wish to show in each layout.

Check out my attachment.  It's just a simple bracket I folded up today but hopefully it illustrates something you're after?

Cheers!

[Anonymous]

One option is to EXPORTLAYOUT after creating your ViewBase views. That will allow you to edit individual objects. The downside to this is losing the associative/dynamic nature of the model to the newly created drawing.

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

I am checking back to see if my post or others helped you with your problem. Please add a post with how you decide to proceed and your results so other Community members may benefit.

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

[Anonymous]

hi,

change your visual style from wireframe to HIDDEN.

[Anonymous]

I see that you are plotting from model space?  Does that affect the ability to choose the hidden option?  Mine is disabled (i.e. grayed out).  I would like to test, but can't...

TANX.Rob

[Anonymous]

I am having the same problem when using multiple drawingview objects (base views) in the same layout.  I can not control the draw order of these objects so wipeouts are ineffective (unless you color between the lines...don't even waste your time as it is inconsistent when zooming in/out and plotting).  I have an exploded diagram using a 3D model that is assembled in model space and it does not allow me to control the draworder to use a wipeout object between them.

TANX.Rob

[Anonymous]

Your sample does not contain the overlapping  different base views, which I thought is the problem...

TANX.Rob

[beyoungjr]

Hi,

You are correct that my sample does not have multiple base views which overlap.  This is what I was trying to convey... No multiple base views.  If you want a base view of more than one component in the assembly, or the entire assembly, then it should be a single base view.  Nothing to hide, wipeout, or otherwise mess with.  Visibility of hidden lines or shading options can be manipulated as desired but it should only be a single base view for any given projection (front, top, side, iso).

Your sample doesn't have any.... Oh wait, you didn't provide a sample so it's a total guess on my part.

I may be more help if I can analyze your drawing with the views you are displeased with?

[Anonymous]

Does this example help clear (that is the problem-clear viewbases) things up a bit?  BTW, in preparing this example I uncovered another issue...viewbases not creating when the items contain nested blocks - had to explode everything.  But let's not digress into that...

TANX.Rob

[Anonymous]

I think you are suggesting that I should replicate my parts to another location in model space so that I could create the exploded diagram in model space?  That is a big problem in and of itself as I can't afford to have data replication in the drawing database due to the information that is pulled from the drawing to create BOMS, quotes, etc.

INHO, One model in it's completed form in Model Space should suffice...

TANX.Rob

[Anonymous]

Do you know if it is possible to set a background mask on a baseview object...constraining the mask to the extent of the visible faces within the final rendered viewbase object - similar to using a background mask on other objects.

TANX.Rob

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

I have been playing with this and I have found that the only way I could get multiple base views to hide overlapped objects is to draw a wipeout in paperspace that matches the profile of the object in the front.

This process works but is rather tedious.

I wonder if it would not be better to make a block of each part in your main model and then copy this model to move the blocks apart for the "exploded" view.  This way would allow you to use normal viewports with true hide ability while still letting you revise the blocks to adjust the view automatically by block definition.

When creating your BOM you could do it on only a portion of the drawing containing the original model.

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

[Anonymous]

ummmm.... don't use VIEWBASE   .... use viewports of the model, control display with layers or even clipped viewports.

[Anonymous]

in order to use viewports to create an exploded diagram from an assembled model you would have a layering nightmare.  each part of the assembly would need to be on it's own layer.  the management of this task makes it not feasible.

[Anonymous]

the wipeout option would work great if you could control the drawing order of the base view objects, which you can not...

This leaves me with one of two options...

Use the Export Layout to Model to create a new "flatshot" of the views as they sit on the exploded diagram layout

Since I can obtain the information from the drawing views with a stroll through a filtered selection set constraining it to drawingview objects...

  replace the overlapping base view objects with the blocks contained in that file (AutoCAD converts drawing view objects into blocks when you export the layout)

insert the blocks and scale them to match the original drawingview objects.  

you can then use refedit to create a boundary polyline of the surfaces which you can then turn into a wipeout to put behind the surfaces and close the reference edit saving the changes.

=====>Quick question...if you Export Layout to Model of a shaded base view does it create the boundary polyline for you?

Finally, the overlapping drawing view objects can be removed leaving you with one baseview and multiple blocks (now with a background mask) atop one another.

A lisp/vba routine would handle this nicely.

Problem is, you lose any association with the model as posted earlier in this topic.  If needed, that can be solved by attaching a reactor to the model and when your blocks are changed, a prompt could ask you if you wanted to update the exploded view now (i.e., delete the blocks you inserted and run the whole shebang again),  or before plotting/closing.

the other solution is to use a script to separate the model in modelspace to create the exploded diagram relative to the current view

pdf-plot the model using a hidden view and reassemble the model

finally, pdfattach the exploded diagram into your paperspace layout however possible/desired.

The second one seems simpler to me, but the shadeplot capability sometimes draws undesired lines on the surfaces.

I am willing and able to write the scripts in either vba/lisp...just need input from other gents on which path to follow...

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

Have you considered doing this type of work in Inventor instead of AutoCAD? From my understanding it is much more capable of producing these "exploded" diagram type views with much less effort.

I think you have found the workarounds to get it done in AutoCAD but it might be better to swap applications.

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

[Anonymous]

John,

Do you remember my Quick Question paragraph I posed in the middle of my ANALytical rant? (sorry about that I love dogs so much sometimes I act like them and refuse to let things go).  Anyways, was that tried?  Because yesterday I was using overlapping drawingviews to overlay a non-shaded part on top of a shaded background part (for visual context) and I was moving quickly and ended up creating the viewbase objects in the wrong order.

Duh, the shaded drawingview ended up entirely blocking out the non-shaded one. I quickly moved the non-shaded view to the side and recreated it and moved it back on top of the shaded part.  This exposed two revelations...1: I can control (just not change) the drawing order of the views the old-fashioned way (ala DOS days) of controlling the z-order via the object creation order.

So I took a stab at shading the currently non-shading view and it worked...only thing...I could not get the shade to render white entirely even when I set the color to 255,255,255.  It still came out grayish.  I will try another test case on Monday using a white bitmap material and see if I get a different result.  TBS, I think this may work...the best solution may in fact be the simplest...a lisp routine to recreate a drawingview object...easypeasy!

TANX.Rob