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Torus Object


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To make a torus in VW9.5 I make 2 circles: 1 at the pitch centre dia, and 1 at the dia of the "body" cross section, and then use the :Model>Extrude along path command.

This works fine, but cannot be edited in the object info box like a regular cicle, or extrusion. If you want to change its dimensions you have to make a new one.

Is this what you meant?

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quote:

Originally posted by propstuff:

[...] If you want to change its dimensions you have to make a new one.[...]

Woa! The extrude along path (as well as the sweep, another simple way of making a toroidal object) can be edited by using the Edit Group command (at the Organise menu). This is one of the best features provided by VW. It works with solid subtractions, floors, roof faces, extrudes etc...

One of the reasons I love VectorWorks for is you almost never have to make an object from scratch if you just want to make a correction to an existing one.

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Alexandre,

I couldn't agree more about what you find to be one of the best features of VW. But, to make it much better, I wish NNA would incorporate my suggestion about how the "source" 2D and 3D objects in the edit window space do not move when the generated object is moved. If you move an extrude, for example, you can't take geometry from the object's new position, copy it into the edit space of the source polygon, and expect it to align with the new position. No, you have to somehow create a way to translate the alignment. You can work around this, but the power of the 2D/3D interface is diminished.

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Well call me Mr Stupid!;

I didn't realise either that there was a torus object ( and an elipsiod) hidden away back there. I got out my VW9 manual and looked it up; NO mention of torus in the index, and I couldn't find reference to it in the sections on 3D.

Time to go hunting for other interesting things that VW includes but they forgot to mention (!?)

Alexandre; you're quite right of course. Actually the toruses (tori?) that I had in mind I had converted to NURBS which takes them beyond the grasp of the edit group command. :-(

P Retondo; I agree with you also; having the elements move their "origin" when using Edit Group is a pain.

cheers,

N.

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This surely became a very nice discussion thread!

Now, about the origin change when "group editing" 3D objects: I wonder if it hasn't something to do with the freedom one has of rotating the final 3D object.

Note that one gets this cool "dynamic origin sync" on floors and columns (i.e. one can cut & paste in place objects from outside to inside them and vice-versa) , and those one can't rotate in 3D.

[ 11-04-2002, 09:23 PM: Message edited by: Alexandre B A Villares ]

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Alexandre,

You are right, this is the reason some at NNA have a mental block about making this change. You are also right that with many of the specialized 3D tools, such as roofs, the source object in edit space moves with the 3D object the way we would like it to.

Complications arise when the 3D object can be tilted with respect to the Z axis. What transformation should be applied to the 2D edit space then? As I have argued, the same transformation which would allow the edit space origin to coincide when using a working plane in the new tilted orientation. The point is to make coordinate systems consistent between the ordinary 2D working space and the object edit 2D space.

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Talking of coordinate system consistency...

I wish the I,J coordinates activated by a page grid angle change would be the same as the I,J of the 3D working planes...

Moving 3D on I,J might then be the same as moving 2D I,J for horiz WPs. (there is no Move 2D for I,J yet!)

Also it would be possible to use the working planes palette to name and save differently rotaded 2D grids.

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Thanks Matthew, me too, like others, I didn't know they were there either - what a time saver. [smile]

quote:

Originally posted by Matthew Giampapa:

The 3D primative objects for VW 10 are stored in your Resources\Samples\3D Primative Objects folder.

Move these .vso objects into your plugins folder and then add the Box, Elipsoid, Cone, Cylinder, Parabaloid, Pyramid, Sphere, and Torus objets to your pallet with the Workspace editor.

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