Trying to Shell

[lineweight]

Hello,

I am trying to create a skin for my semester project. I have a nurbs curve that essentially envelops my building. Essentially i want to wrap the building leaving two ends open (front and back). I have tried converting the nurbs to a poly then extruding it, then shelling the solid. That doesn't work. I don't know how else you would do this, but the end result that i would like is a skin with thickness. I tried attaching a file to this post, but this board is a little wonky in Safari...might try again.

[lineweight]

i'm still trying to attach the file....

[lineweight]

Okay, there.

So, i have a nurbs and a poly. Either one is fine to use, but i need to basically create an 1/8th inch "skin" that loops around the OUTSIDE of the poly.

...I can't figure out how to do it.

[Ray Libby]

I have drawn your profile with lines and arcs. Select all objects and compose (Modify menu>Compose). The Object Info Palette (OIP) should have Polyline as the object. With the polyline selected, choose the Offset Tool. Click inside the polyline and offset by 1/8". Select both polylines and subtract the inside polyline from the outside (Modify>Clip Surface), the original inside polyline will still be there, delete it. Select the remaining polyline which will now be an 1/8" hollow surface and extrude it to what you want.

[lineweight]

Ray,

You're my hero.

Mike

[Ray Libby]

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that... well, I'd have nickel.

[lineweight]

Hey, now maybe you can riddle me this:

My stairs that are a 3D object in this file are only projecting in 2D now. When i rotate the model around in space, i see the "bounding box" of the stairs where they exist in the 3D world, but after rotation, they pop into plan view. Weird.