Extruding items from the Detailing Tool Set?

[Marmot_Militia]

Artists,

I would like to know if there is a more elegant way of extruding say an angle iron or square tubing from the Detailing toolset. Inserting an angle iron into top view, selecting it and trying to extrude does not work, why?, I have no idea. The work around is to ungroup the angle then extrude the polyline. Then you don't have an editable piece of angle iron anymore, which sucks.

Any way of making a L3x3 piece of angle iron 12" long??

Thanks,

MM

[Pat Stanford]

Sorry, but all of the detailing objects are Plug-in Objects (PIOs), not simple 2D objects that can be extruded.

Your best option is what you are doing now, convert to polyline and then extrude.

[Marmot_Militia]

OK, thanks.

MM

[Pat Stanford]

It looks like there is another way.

Check out the Framing Member tool. It looks like it will give you 3D versions of a lot of different structural shapes.

[Oyvind]

Framing member tool is Architect and Landmark only.

In my opinion this is a major shortcoming with MD, you pay a premium price but you only get a scaled down Architect version, almost. Architect PIO's like windows and doors are both 2D and 3D, why not those most used in Machine Design?

Sorry, maybe it is time for me to switch to Solidworks or Inventor

[AndiACD]

i rarely use VW designated 3D tools like these for that very reason, You're tied to the result.

i always create a 2D flaty and then extrude it in the view that i need it.

Hardly a suitable solution, but the most efficient compromise to permit editing at a later date.