Sloped Hardscape

[Kevin K]

Ok, this may be a bit difficult to articulate, but...I will try. 

I had no idea that an extrude along path could be tweaked and modified AFTER its creation. Not meaning entering the item to change the profile or the path, but to actually manipulate the geometry of the item.

This may be old news that I am just not aware of, so excuse my pea-brain 🙂

Case in point, creating a sloped hardscape / walkway on a site model for example. Perhaps there are new tools in 2023 that allow for this out of the box, but I do not use 2023 currently.

So...

1) I created a simple extrude along path using a rectangle as a profile and a curved polyline as a path. Then I sent that to the surface of a site model

2) then, using the reshape tool on the extrude along path and adjusting only the 'Z' value on each vertex it will pull the top surface up as you wish.

**In doing this in an interactive mode, be sure to suspend any snapping or it will jump all over the place. 

I attached a simple 2022 file if anyone wants to play around with what I mentioned, to see how it works.

 

Anyway...as mentioned, this may be easily accomplished in 2023 but it has always been a challenge to easily create a sloped hardscape element on a site model.

Certainly you can use a texture bed, and that works well but not so much if you need to have the item actually stick up a bit from the sufrface of the site model.

 

Any comments or suggestions are welcomed.

 

 

 

 

sloped hardscape 2022.vwx

[Jonathan Pickup]

is there a reason why you don’t use a Draped hardscape? 

[Katarina Ollikainen]

Hi @Kevin K, I suggest using the hardscape in drape mode if your site is graded and the pathway modifier if you want to change the site model to follow the path. Drape mode will have the volume, and you can have as much as you want of it above grade depending on where you place the datum. It will also conform automatically to the site model surface. Job done.

If you want to adjust elevations along the path, then use the path modifier.

 

 

 

[Kevin K]

Kat and Jon

good points you made, but is the drape hardscape available in VW 2022?

I never noticed it.

[Katarina Ollikainen]

@Kevin K, apologies, I missed that. No, it's only available from 2023.

So, for 2022 I would suggest creating the hardscape as a planar pad and adding a slope to it. In the image you posted above, you seem to have an even slope - that is easily done this way.

The aligned hardscape is also useful, and you can add profiles and surface modifiers for slope changes.

[Kevin K]

Yeah Kat, Jon can't read either 🙂 I think I noted it was a 2022 file 🙂

Yes, the slope I was toying with is not uniform.  

Again, I was mainly commenting on the ability to be able to tweak in 3d the 'Z' height vertices of an extrude along path.

I just thought there was value in that and I had no idea that was possible.

That said, I will follow your suggestions.

-Kev