wish to more easily edit/place extrudes

[pschlie]

As extrudes are used as the basis for most framing and trim elements,

and are nearly impossible to flexibly define/edit/place presently;

and thereby wish to be able to easily view/edit an arbitrary extruded

object's z origin and x/y and x/z orientation angle in addition to

it's x/y origins and height from the obj info pallet.

Ideally it would seem that all objects, including extrudes, should

have common baseline object info, possibly something like:

Origin: (relative to layer origin)

x: XXXX [edge/center]*

y: YYYY [edge/center]*

z: ZZZZ [edge/center]*

x/y: AAAA x/z: AAAA y/z: AAAA l: LLLL

Extent: (relative to object origin)

w: WWWW dx: XXXX

h: LLLL dy: YYYY

d: HHHH dz: ZZZZ

x/y: AAAA x/z: AAAA y/z: AAAA l: LLLL

Display:

line: [fill] face: [fill] volume: [fill]

Where [edge/center]* defines an objects origin about it's:

corner = cartesian origin, or center = origin + extent/2.

Thereby size/orentation may be reasonably consistently specified:

x:edge y:edge x:edge y:center x:center y:center

- / - / - /

/ / /

y / y o / y o

/ / /

- o _ / _ /

| x | | x | | x |

- ------- - -------- - --------

| | | | | |

y/h | | y/h o | y/h | o |

| | | | | |

- o------- - -------- - --------

| x/w | | x/w | | x/w |

- ------- -------- --------

/ / / / / /

y/h / / y/h o / / y/h / o /

/ / / / / /

- o------- -------- --------

| w | | w | | w |

| x | | x | | x |

[P Retondo]

I gather that you are not using the basic extrude command <ctrl + E> that creates an extrude from basic 2d objects. With this command and Working Planes you have absolute control over all extrudes. They can be edited using resize cursor when you are in any view orthogonal to the object, by changing the z dimension in the OIP, or by going back to edit the base 2d object (ctrl + [).

[pschlie]

I confess I'm not sure what you mean, as althought the dimentions of the

extrude may be viewed/edited within the OIP, it's 3D placement and angular orientation can not be (as may be done for many other objects)?

Having to move, rotate, etc. with no precise control or view of its resulting

placement utilzing move/rotate etc. menu commands is at best painful.

Or maybe I'm hopfully missing something such as how this may be enabed

through the OIP?

[P Retondo]

You commented that it is difficult to place, etc., extrudes accurately. I've not experienced that problem, and unfortunately, I can't think of a better way to express what I meant in the first response messsage, except to say that there is an extrude command that is easy to control, and an extruded polygon tool in the 3d Modeling toolbox that is not so easy to control. Perhaps if you had a specific question?

I try to move the extrude by moving the 2d source object in its edit window. That way, it stays registered to the 3d object's location. You can also use the Align Objects command to align elements to a 2d locus (very easy to control). Rotation about the z axis is easy with the 2d Rotate command; the 3d rotation command also works well for more complex rotations. Use loci to give you controllable snap points (locus coordinates, as you know, can be edited in the OIP).

Perhaps it would be possible to provide editable angular and origin info in the OIP, and if so, that would in fact be helpful to us.

[pschlie]

Thank you, however at the end of the day, I can hardly believe that having to

utilize a locus tool as the means to place (or inspect) in 3D the location of a

generic extruded object, or other tools in order to determine it's rotation or pitch; is hardly a friendly, intuitive, or effecient means to manipulate and/or

inspect 3D object placment (which what the basis of the request, especially for

such an important modeling construction element in a 3D CAD tool.

[mike m oz]

If you convert your object to a Mesh you will get 3D information about the object and the ability to see where individual vertices are located.

There are a couple of issues about Extrudes that could be dealt with better:

- Providing 3D info on the OIP

- Having the 2D shape editable where the Extrude is located now rather than where it was when it was created.

- Having the 2D shape editable as it is when the Extrude has been mirrored, rather than how it was drawn when it was created.

[pschlie]

Yes, a mesh is better; although wish it had grouped 3D poly faces which

could be color/texture maped without having to convert it so that mapping

may be specifed individually or collectively; and further have an editable field for x/y/z i/j/k angular rotation and respective dimentions along those axes;

thereby one could from within the OIP flexibly edit it's 3D dimentions,

placement, and rendering. (where then if one could then assign it an user defineable object type, and generate reports of such such types, utilized along with their quantity, dimentions, etc. then a lot of otherwise specialized

models would not typically be required).

[Petri]

I can hardly believe that having to

utilize a locus tool as the means to place (or inspect) in 3D the location of a

generic extruded object,

It's definitely not user-friendly or intuitive, but a the location of a 3D object is quite difficult to determine in a generic way. Let's say you extrude an I-section, then rotate it in 3D. The only generic info you can get without defining which point(s) you refer to is the 3D-centre and x, y & z rotation angles. The extreme points in z usually are not extreme points in x/y -plane.

So, it's not exactly easy. With a 3D-locus you can define exactly what point you mean. (The cursor readings are not useless, either.)

[propstuff]

So, it's not exactly easy. With a 3D-locus you can define exactly what point you mean.

I've wanted some way of defining this sort of thing for long time, but struggled to imagine how it could be implemented.

For simple rectilinear extrudes you could imagine a 3D version of the little vertex graphic that VW has in the OIP for 3D objects. That seems like it "ought" to be do-able.

For the complex assymetrical 3D objects I tend to make; it seems not exactly easy at all.

Perhaps an "imbedded" sort of "locus" that could be user-defined to one of the snap points of an object, which would read, and be used to define location and movement in the OIP.

I'm picturing defining the Locus in a similar way that the (BTW; Fantastic!) flyover tool can be defined to snap to a point to use as its centre of rotation.

N.

[MullinRJ]

pschlie,

I have waited many weeks to respond to this and other similar posts. I am offering an evaluation copy of Reshaper 12.5.2 that will display all the information you have outlined, and Reshaper will also let you edit this information when appropriate.

The Bounding Box (2D size) requires that your view be orthogonal to the object to be able to change it. Reshaper lets you edit your objects in situ in ANY view you choose. You can anchor any corner point, center of side, or center of the object and specify its relative 2D position in your current view, or specify its position interactively with the Next Click option.

3D rotation values are always displayed and editable as is the 3D center of the object. Likewise, so is the Flipped state.

If you would like to try an evaluation copy, please contact me offline at mullinrj@aol.com.

All the best,

Raymond

Edited April 10, 2007 by MullinRJ