Repetitive Unit intersecting lines

[Amelia S]

Hello!

I'm taking elevations from a model and have a problem:

A lattice I created using a repetitive unit (continuous around entire house (so the individual panels are not accurately represented but give the idea with less time)) shows the edges of each unit symbol. The attached 3D view illustrates, I think, the lines in between each vertical lattice unit.

Is there a way to fix this in the elevation viewport? I have unchecked "generate intersecting lines" and fiddled with the smoothing angle to no avail.

Is there a way to fix this from the Repetitive Unit OIP?

Is a repetitive unit just now how I should have modeled this? Alternative methods?

[Benson Shaw]

Did you try selecting a bunch of the items and Add Solids? Might need to Convert to Group (CmdK) first. If units meet perfectly, the lines should disappear.

Or, just model the larger panel with crossing rectangles. Edit>Duplicate Array will help. Add Surface, then Extrude. Make a big one, duplicate, then Trim or Clip the dupe for each required size. If most are same dimension, make a symbol of the panel and place instances of the symbol.

HTH

-B

[Amelia S]

I'm trying the Add Solids thing, and it made the program unresponsive. I'm also worried that if that command didn't crash Vectorworks, I wouldn't be able to edit the object.

Modeling the different sized panels is a little more in-depth than I want to get at this point in the project, which is why I was trying to make the repetitive unit thing work. It looks great in 3D, it's just the 2D elevations I'm having trouble with.

Thanks for the suggestions Benson.

[Benson Shaw]

The Add Solids has history. Dbl Click to enter the edit space where all the individual objects are editable.

Buuut, If you have hundreds of these repeated units, and each one is an object, rather than a symbol, your drawing will get huge and unresponsive. So, if Add Solids works to eliminate the unwanted lines, and you can nail down the size/shape of each section of lattice, try this (test first in a duplicate file/drawing). Place the units with repetitive tool (or Duplicate Array or Move by Points), select a section of them and Add Solids, then Modify>Convert>Generic Solids. This eliminates the history, but makes a single object of the elements - smaller CPU overhead.

Really, though, try modeling the lattice/grid with extrudes to mimic the way it will be built -4'x8' lattice panels? Make a symbol of a single panel and place instances. If cuts needed, place a symbol, Convert to Group (CmdK), then trim to size with the Split tool or Clip tool or Trim Command.

You will find something that works!

-B

[bcd]

Try surface array or

create a Hatch pattern and apply it to a surface that you can turn on instead of the 3d lattice for the elevations: Really fast.