Design Line - Rotate Line Segment Facility

[Anonymous]

The issue is specific to the Design Line functionality and the actual Design Line segments orientation to the modelling environment. 

Introduce the ability to rotate a segment of the design line along the axis of the line’s length. See following report and images.

Customer –

Project – Fabrication CADmep Design Line Implementation

An issue has arisen which has a serious impact on the operability and workflow process, specific to the client’s products within the software. The client manufactures Busbar systems which must maintain both a fixed dimensional cross section, and the position of the negative polarity of one of the conductors within the casing. For this example, assume the negative conductor must maintain a left side orientation.

The issue is specific to the Design Line functionality and the actual Design Line segments orientation to the modelling environment.

The Design Line has an orientation represented on plan view as a “ribbon” with a width and no thickness. When drawing the Design Line in plan view, the line (or ribbon) is placed “flat”. The line can be continued in a right, left, up or down direction without issue. The contentious issue arises when a segment is drawn or placed in an upward or downward direction immediately followed by a right or left directional change. The conflict arises as the two segments, and if we still imagine them as a ribbon, are placed in a 90-degree rotation. The final segment again as normal is placed on the “plan view” orientation thus creating potential Items at a 90 or 270-degree rotation. See images below: -

  

When the Design Line is populated or 3D filled, the second Item is placed at 90 or 270 degree to the riser segment due to the design line segment maintaining its plan view orientation, and thus losing the negative left side orientation as well. The negative polarity represented by the magenta lines. See image below: -

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

1 – ROTATE THE DESIGN LINE SEGMENT

If the second segment of the design line was rotated, this would give a correct orientation to the Items populated to the design line. In respect of work flows, a number of design lines would need to be drawn as opposed to one continuous line, each one starting at the point where we know the line will fail, i.e. at a riser/fall to right/left junction.

The problem at this stage is that the Design Line segment cannot be rotated. Even manipulation of reorienting the U.C.S. will not force the segment to apparently rotate.

2 – CREATE FURTHER ITEMS AND PALETTES

If the Design Line segment cannot be rotated, we are left with the segment being the “wrong” orientation and we would then need to address the issue by manipulating the Items being placed on the line. This would mean the creation of Items with the cross-sectional dimensions “opposite” to the correct Items. For example, if the correct Items are 145mm x 130mm then the additional Items would be created as 130mm x 145mm. All of the secondary Items would be created with the amended Negative line in the appropriate position.

3 – SECONDARY DESIGN LINE CONSTRAINT/ENTRY METHOD

Design Line Items can be created and placed on a Design Line by one of two methods, either DESIGN ENTRY > ENTER BY SIZE, or by a predetermined CONSTRAINTS. In our case and for this project the method used is by CONSTRAINTS. Each of the potential pallets created under the normal method are set to maintain a cross sectional dimensions specific to that Service palette, and in this initial palette this is 145mm x 130mm. This is “locked” that no other sizes are able to be placed and this is indicated in the Design Line Interface by the drop down name as DEMO SIZE.

If we created a further CONSTRAINT and named perhaps as DEMO SIZE 2, then we could easily change between the two sizes and ultimately the cross sectional dimensions. However, we would still need to create further Items for the palette with the correct orientation of the Negative line.

SUMMARY

Option 1 would be the preferential solution, with

the introduction of the ability to rotate a segment of the design line along the axis of the line’s length.