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I am trying to work through the Archoncad Bite-Size Training: "Create a Site Model and Site Modifying" and have encountered my first stumbling block. I say first because I anticipate that I will hit many problems before I complete the Training exercise due to the problems I have had that precipitated my purchasing the Training document. I believe I have followed the instructions correctly. I am using the Imperial documents; have imported the survey DWG drawing; traced the contours in sequence form lowest to highest with the 2D polygon tool; and attempted to create the site model. At the point when the Set Elevation dialog box appears, no contour appears to have been selected and the Training instructions state to click the OK button. The box does not contain an OK button. I assume the intent is to click the Next button, which I do and a window appears that ask: "Would you like to delete your original 2D polygon?" Regardless whether I choose No or Yes, a 3D Site Model is not created. This same problem occurred when I attempted to create a Site Model from a survey for my current project. At one time I created a site model by making up contours, but I have no idea what I did differently. I have had other problems with that make believe model so I will probable be posting again in the future.

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Edward, I do not have Jonathan's manual in front of me at the moment, but it sounds like perhaps there is a step you might have missed.

After creating the 2d polygons you need to run the "2d poly's to 3d contours" command. Then after that, you need to select all of the newly created 3d contours (actually they are just 3d poly's) and then run the "Create Site Model" command.

Hope that helps...

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I am totally at a loss. I tried Peter's suggestion and Jonathan's instructions so many times and with any variations I could think of to point I am bleary eyed. I experimented on my own ideas by having only the layer on which I drew the new contours (as polygons} visible. Still no luck. Is there anything else I need to check in my settings or could my installation of VW be corrupted. If it is corrupted, how can I know and how can I fix it?

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Edward, Try this in a new blank file:

1) Using the POLYLINE tool draw four or five (fictitious) contour lines

2) Select all of them

3) Run the menu command MODIFY/CONVERT/CONVERT TO POLYGONS

4) Select all of them

5) Run the menu command AEC/SURVEY INPUT/2d POLY'S to 3d CONTOURS. You will be given some choices in the dialog. Set the contour interval at 24" (2ft) then click NEXT at each highlighted Polygon. When finished you will be asked if you want to keep the originals. In this case (for demonstration) choose NO.

6) If you select each of the newly created 3d polygons you can look in the object info palette and will notice that they each have a "Z" value (ie: an elevation).

7) Select all of them and make sure sure that their FILL is set to NONE (in the attributes palette)

8) With them all selected run the menu command AEC/TERRIAN/CREATE SITE MODEL. You can either accept all of the default settings or make choices as desired. You can always go back later and change all of these so don't worry.

If you follow all of the above steps you should have your first (albeit very basic) Site Model.

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Hi Edward, I'm happy it worked for you. I can clearly remember my first few (dozen) failed attempts and how frustrating they were. I made it a goal to figure out how to create a Site Model with consistency. I discovered that there are a lot of little things that can cause the command to fail, thus I wanted to find a methodology that worked every time.

Many others prefer to use a set of data points (3d loci) to create the model, and this also works quite well, as long as the data is clean (no erroneous points, etc.).

My main reason for using the "trace over the topog map with polylines" method is that it allows me to KNOW that all of the original poly's are 1) in the proper order, thus making creation faster and easier, 2) have no discontinuity or overlaps (which will cause the Site Model command to fail), and 3) I can then cut (or copy) and paste them into a new layer (or new document) which separates them out from all of the other stuff that might have been in the original imported file (in general I find that most DWG files are pretty sloppy, with *almost* everything in its proper class, but almost always with some weird, wrong or missing info).

Yogi.... You are most welcome. I wouldn't do this if I didn't enjoy it ;-)

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  • 2 years later...

Hi I have used the described methods to make a site model. It works in 'simple' files. My problem is that I can't get it to work in more complicated situations where the contour lines 'are not logic' in their order - so to say.

Attached file has contour lines per. 500 mm (drawing is in mm (1:1))

When I run the command '2D polys to 3D contours' VW picks up a random line and continues with random selections with out any logic what so ever!

Any ideas how to solve this problem?

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When I run the command '2D polys to 3D contours' VW picks up a random line and continues with random selections with out any logic what so ever!

The logic is not random, it's based on the stacking order of the objects, you must be very careful about the order of the objects you want to use with this command. The layer should only have the contour lines...

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One trick to achieve the proper stacking order (same as order of creation): select the lowest poly, then Cut & Paste In Place. Then select every subsequent poly and Cut & Paste In Place. If you do that to the entire set of poly's, before you run the 2d ploys to 3d contours command all should work well. Additionally, it's fairly easy (yet time consuming) to change the Z values of each 3d poly after running 2d ploys to 3d contours. You just select the poly and change its value in the OIP...

Edited by CipesDesign
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