Create Multiple Solids From Surface - Enhancement of Existing one

[Jowennl]

Video Screencast

Please see attached <Screencast> for futher Information or Scroll down to the screencast below.

Summary

1) User to choose which surface to create solid from.
2) User have ability to apply new boundary to the chosen surface.
3) User can add more 3d solid and apply vertical options like Depth, Elev or Surface.

Why is this good for us Civil 3D users?

This is very helpful for any multi layer solids that is hard to create in a corridor. Not all model can be easily be created in Corridor and having an ability to quickly create multi pave on any given tin surface will be a game changer.

Possible BIM models from any Tin surface model. You can use in parking lot created from grading. Can use for Island. Can use for intersection. Can use for odd shape beside a building. Can use for pedestal or pad modelling. You imagination will be you limit here. You can attach property sets later on once you have the solids.

What we have now (1 Solid at a time)

Current ToolsCurrent InterfaceProposed Option 1 - Enhancement Tab MethodProposed Option 2 - Enhancement Table MethodSample Solid - Depth 1 + Depth 2 + Target SurfaceSample Solid - Depth 1 + Target Elevation

Please vote me up. I really want to have this tool enhancement.

Cheers,

Jowenn

[pricej]

This is a brilliant idea, and would really open up flexibility when it comes to pavement modelling.

[Eric_Chappell]

This Idea has been featured as Civil 3D Idea of the Week on the Autodesk Civil Engineering Community Center http://civil-community.autodesk.com/2018/02/civil-3d-idea-week-create-multiple-solids-surface-enhanc...

[emoreno83]

Excellent!

[Anonymous]

This will make pavement modeling on medians and traffic islands seamless. Brilliant!

[Anonymous]

+1 vote from me...the future of Civil 3D needed these great stuffs...

[tcorey]

This should have ability to create surfaces as well as solids. 

[jrauch]

I agree with tcorey. It should create surfaces as well as solids.

[adw1975]

This tool would've been great had it existed on the last project I worked on where I had to create multiple surfaces to create solids for a Landfill Capping design.

(The Table option would be nice Option 2, so you could see all your solids together)

[JamesMaeding]

Good idea, but lets not mix up what a BIM object is, and a 3D one, like autodesk wants us to.

A BIM object has parameters that contain real design info, not just solids that may have metadata.

For instance, I design pipelines using alignments and a profile, just like a road. A portion of that, or say "part" like c3d models, does not contain the real profile, and therefore destroys the communication of the design, and the editability.

A pipe "run" that used a horizontal and vertical alignment could be a BIM object, and adesk misses that and also that many other things are similar like walls and channels. They could have had BIM but missed it.

[ThomasBHansen_]

Focus Software has this function in their plugin and its a great function.

www.focus.no

Its in norwegian, but as you can guess it says almost the same as Jowennl has suggested. 

[Anonymous]

This is really good idea Jowenn.

[JamesMaeding]

I would expect people know they could just copy the original solid, move down a bit, then subtract from orig to get a solid of some thickness like asphalt.

What I have seen though, is this feature is limited to smaller surfaces. I recall trying this in .net and it did not scale well. Maybe that is why adesk is not too keen on making it fancy as it can only go so far.

One answer would be to divide the surface up. Depends if you need the solids as one or not. 3D models may or may not care. I am thinking of navisworks clash detection, where multiple objects is not very desirable so that is one case its not great.

[TimYarris]

Thanks to @Jowennl, I'm marking this idea as Implemented. He created a slick workflow that uses Dynamo to extract multiple solids from a surface. He offered to share the script, sample drawings, and a video that clearly explains how to use the script. Ideas won't let me post the files, so I saved them here.

[ThomasBHansen_]

@TimYarris , even though @Jowennl has done an amazing job with the script, I would really rather see the changes  he proposed implemented in the "Extract Surface" UI. And I would prefer the "option 2" version.

[TimYarris]

Hi @ThomasBHansen_ . I understand and we will do our best to add this to the Extract Surface UI at some point in the future. In the meantime, we will focus on other ideas that do not have a solution such as the one @Jowennl provided.

[DKathy]

@TimYarris Could you reshare the scrip, videos, samples, etc. again please?
The link is expired and I really would like to work with them.
Thank you in advance!

[TimYarris]

@DKathy , here is a new link:

https://myshare.autodesk.com/:u:/g/personal/tim_yarris_autodesk_com/EaW4GT-I_k9BqIANKcLidsUBXOc3t4Yb...

[DKathy]

@TimYarris Thank you very much!
I will analyze it, and if I have a question or suggestion I will conatact with you!