Missing Lines on Curved Edges

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I have always faced this problem of having bad broken lines on curved edges(as photo)

It often occurs when I import organic model from 3DsMax, but now it seems to happen even when I am building in Revit , using sweep in Generic Model.

I understand it may be a graphic issue, but it becomes rather annoying because I often needed these elements to appear in drawings. I wonder if there is a fix for the missing lines or is there a better work around for curved elements as such?

Any suggestion is much appreciated, thanks! 

[barthbradley]

There are other approaches you can use to make a helix.  One of methods I use is the one shown here  in this video by HyunWoo Kim. Fast-forward about 4 minutes to where he begins the process.  

Revit Tips - Spiral & Helix Pattern - YouTube

Other methods can be found through a simple Google keywords search.  

Regarding what is happening in your family; I've seen this happen to Structural Beams. The fix was to change the  Cross-Section Rotation value.   I suspect it's related.  Something to do with the twisting of your sweeps.   

[syman2000 · Accepted solution]

You can try semi-circle profile instead of full circle if you want to make the line show up.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the suggestion on other ways to create the helix. As it is a rather minor part of the model, I was trying to keep the model simple to perhaps keep the file lighter.

You were mentioning " Something to do with the twisting of your sweeps." I don't really get that, what would you suggest to be changed in my sweep? 

One thing I noticed is that the edges are visible when being zoomed in, I wonder if you have any past encounter or thoughts on this?

Thanks for your sharing!

[barthbradley]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I wonder if you have any past encounter or thoughts on this?

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Personally, I like @syman2000's thinking. Semi-Circle seems a good suggestion.  Did you try? 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the suggestion, it might be an option for me if I really can't manage to fix it in other ways.

Sorry to sound so demanding but I am trying to find a solution to this graphic issue as it is occurring in some of my other imported Rhino/3DsMax models that consist of smooth edges.

It would be great if you have other thoughts to share, thanks anyways!

[Anonymous]

Yep I did, I'm not sure what went wrong but mine simply did not look as nice as what @syman2000 did(photo attached).

Also I have some imported Rhino/3DsMax models with smooth edges facing the same problem, so I was hoping to find a solution for both if possible.

Anyways, I appreciate you speedy response!

[barthbradley]

I don't know what else to tell you, other than use the approach I linked you to above.  It's the way I do it.  Here's an example.  Poke around this family and its nested families.  It is fully parametric. Play with some of the parameters that control height and radius and number or curls ("base u grid" parameter).   

[Anonymous]

I really appreciate that you spent time on creating a workable family for me. Thank you very much!

However, my ultimate goal is to really understand the problem and seek if there is any way to fix or avoid this graphic issue. As I have mentioned in earlier post, it occurs even on other imported 3DsMax/Rhino model (See attached photos) which cannot be easily remodeled.

I am just sharing what I have faced in my past experiences and hoping for a discussion. If there really isn't a fix for this I am fine bearing with it. Thank you all for your time!

[syman2000]

It depends how you built the model. When you use external software and insert into Revit, Revit may not translate those curve as line. If I built it natively within Revit using spline, Revit pickup those lines no issue.

It isn't 100% full proof because even object built with Revit tool may not show those curve.