Generate Centerlines from extruded?

[jmcewen]

I have a model that needs to go to an engineer for calculations.  When the engineer imports my drawing into his software he gets 3d polys, which is not what he needs.  

 

He wants me to eliminate all my fascia and details to just have the framing weldment, but he still wasn't satisfied and he still got just 3d polys.

 

Now he is asking if I can generate centerlines of all my framing members.  I didn't use the structural members tool because I couldn't get to small enough stock for what I needed to frame.  I think using this would have gotten what he wanted but I am not sure.

 

What I currently have is extruded rectangles representing my framing members.  Is there any way to generate centerlines that does not involve me completely rebuilding my model?

[bcd]

If it's very complex writing a Marionette script to draw a 2point Nurbs curve from ctr of start face to ctr of end face for each extrude would be worthwhile.

I suspect manually drawing them will be faster & more controllable.

You might also place 3d loci at the end of the Nurbs curves

You could even number them sequentially to make it easier on the other side.

[jmcewen]

38 minutes ago, bcd said:

If it's very complex writing a Marionette script to draw a 2point Nurbs curve from ctr of start face to ctr of end face for each extrude would be worthwhile.

I suspect manually drawing them will be faster & more controllable.

You might also place 3d loci at the end of the Nurbs curves

You could even number them sequentially to make it easier on the other side.

I have only barely dipped my toe in Marionette, so this is probably not a good project for me to learn on...

 

Drawing those nurbs curves does not seem too ridiculous.  I am just not sure that it gives me what he needs.

 

I have occasionally drawn things that got sent to engineers in the past-- did they just regenerate my geometry each time to satisfy their software? or is my current engineer just using different software than what i have encountered in the past?  I am hoping some of you who deal with engineers more often than i do might have some insight about workflows.  He had me export as Revit and DWG

 

Is there a good way to go about generating geometry that satisfies these needs in the first place in the future?   Is there a workflow that makes sense  for the engineers needs but still gives me what I need for making construction drawings?  For example, if I use the split tool to miter a corner on a structural member, I end up  with 2  solid sections, and I would guess that eliminates the centerline that the engineer is looking for. However if i just make but joints or overlap the 2 members that doesn't look correct in my construction drawings. I also have a lor of roll-bent structure in my drawing.  If I bend the resultants form the structural members tool with the deform tool, i will end up with a generic solid, and i mam certain that would eliminate the centerlines (if they exist in the structural members tool-- i have been assuming they do up to this point.)

 

As a workflow for my breakdown models, it generally seems fastest to me to frame out the face of something  in 2d, and extrude it to the appropriate thickness, either as a series of extrudes representing each member, or to draw a polyline and clip surface for the voids within the frame, then use the split tool to break it down to the constituent members.  Regardless-- usually my extrusions are not usually built with the extrusion direction along the long axis because of how i generate them.

[bcd]

Another alternative is to place a 3d locus at the center point of each end of your members.

Run a Worksheet to collect the co-ordinates of those.

Export to Excel or some such and number the nodes and members.

 

eg - point 1, point 2 Member 1

point 2, point 3 Member 2

that together with the cross sectional shape should be enough for the engineer to run his calcs.

[jmcewen]

Right now, the engineer is regenerating lines himself.  I am happy to let him do so.  It is not my bill to pay, and I still have a lot more of this project to model, plate, and document.

 

It sounds like he is using RISA,which is another Nemetschek product.  I would expect the two should have a pretty direct line of communication.