issues with line tool and loft function.

[Dom__]

Hi guys, new on here and could do with some help. I've tried to search but i suspect i am not using the right terminology. I will try and explain myself the best I can.

The issue I think I am having is that when I am using the line tool to create rails for the loft tool to follow between two 12 sided pentagrams, one slighter smaller than the other. even if I cancel the line tool between each line the software still chains some parts of my lines together rather than treating them as individuals. so when I use the loft function it sees them as one zig-zag rail rather than what i intended them to be which is straight individual rails.

in the picure below you can see it, it sees rail one as 5 lines making a zig zag, but rail two is a single line. 

and its resulting in this happening, 

the frustration here is that I am repeating what I have already done, twice! but something has changed on this third attempt and I don't understand what. what i am after is the sides to be made of trinagles like this, but i can't get it to work now and it getting quite frustarating! 

any insight would be great

Cheers Dom

[g-andresen]

Hi,

I think it would be useful if you could show what you want to end up with, either with a picture of a real object or a hand sketch.
Please also share your design.

File > export > save as f3d on local device  > attach it to the next post.

günther

[Dom__]

hi günther, thank you for helping.

I showed what I want to end up with is the final picture. as i have done it twice already, just for some reason a setting or something has changed and what I did before is no longer working. I have uploaded my design as requested. 

cheers 

[TheCADWhisperer · Accepted solution]

You have to turn off Chain select and + select each of the 24 Rails.

[TheCADWhisperer · Accepted solution]

Also, I would use symmetry about the Origin, fully define all of the 2D sketches, use only 2D sketches for the Profiles and then 3D sketches for the Rails.

[Dom__]

that's amazing thank you, that did it! i asummed it was something i checked or unchecked that was causing me the problems. i didn't resliese there was such a difrence between a 3d sketch and a 2d one.  I must have unchecked and rechecked the 3d sketch button before I didn't do that the third time. I don't know about chain select, its off now though. I tried to move the body to the origin before but i couldn't get it to work. I couldn't find the center of the cylinder while in the move tool. on my next moddle i'll start at the orgin.