EAP Gutter with End Caps

[AlanW]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can resolve the issue of having the end caps of this gutter rotate at right angles to the path.

DomC showed me a network for a stair exercise that I did earlier but I haven't been able to get it to work in this case.

And i saw Sarah's one which deals with individual lines but this is a polygon.

Thanks

Edited June 27, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[STERNontwerp]

This isn't the cleanest of solutions, but it works for 1 end cap.

I made an extrude on the 1st 5 mm of the path to make the cap.

For the other cap you need to do the vertex count to select the last vertex and copy the network a bit.

Ernst van der Vecht

[AlanW]

Thanks for this, another way to do this I can learn. With this thinking maybe i can do an extrude at both ends of the line using your method.

The first end cap can be resolved with a simple rotation of the symbol but DomC had a way to calculate the angle of the line at a point and then any object would protrude at right angles to it which is needed if i have a gutter following a curve or at odd angles.

It is a CW node.

DomC where are you?????

Edited June 28, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[AlanW]

Dom,

Used part of your network and i get lots of caps, its doing the right thing but i only need the two ends.

Dom Understand the x,y,z max, Centre, min, no change of PutByRefPtv003 and got the end caps to locate correctly now have to resolve the number of caps.

???????

Thanks

Edited June 28, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[AlanW]

Using part of one of Sarah's networks I can place end caps at each vertex, Nice one Sarah.

Have sliced the list to run only the first and last but for some reason the last angle is not correct.

Strange , when you look at the rotation angle and centre for each of the networks each have the same angle and centre but the top network places the last cap at strange angle, where as the bottom one places it in the correct angle and location.

Any comments welcome.

Thanks

Edited June 29, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[Markvl]

This is a great little network Alan. A few things though.

First. This doesn't appear to work for a straight line. It has given me an error. The gutter profile does EAP but the end cap(s) end up away from the EAP. Drawing a polygon in a straight line with only 2 vertices simply converts to a line and will not work. Now a polygon with 3 vertices drawn in a straight line (essentially 2 segments) will work. (Pictures 1-3, 5 attached)

Second. When I've wrapped this network and copied it into another file to actually use it as part of my model it works but the EAP ends up offset from its intended position by several feet and the end caps are not located at the expected postitions. (Picture 4)

Third. The network only works with one path at a time. So if I have 3 paths named Path-1, Path-2 and Path-3 and use Path-1 first the network runs but when I run it again but this time use Path-2, Path-1 disappears leaving the polygon only and Path-2 is generated. - Thoughts coming to mind while typing this. A fix or workaround I suppose is to ungroup the first path generated and then re-run the script with a new path. -

Reasons for above? Fixes for above? You'll see in the pics that I've swapped out your gutter and end cap with mine.

The above is based on your *-03.vwx file

Edited June 29, 2016 by Markvl

[SBarrettWalker]

Hey Alan, here is a solution that might work. I created two lines at the beginning and end of the path to get the angle of each line then used that to rotate the caps.

-Sarah

[AlanW]

Sarah,

Thanks for this it seems to work a treat.

I have converted it to an object and changed the path and all is well.

Now this will be a time saver for me because I am always having to place gutters then move the path or profile because it extrudes down the center and then extrude some caps and place them on.

Now this Network does it all, no need to move the path as it extrudes down one side of the profile (as long as you position the symbol correctly) and caps the ends. Will need check this in all situations to make sure it is idiot proof.

The examples that everyone places in the Forum Help in the understanding of the myriad of ways to work with Marionette.

Everyone should post more here even progress works because it helps everyone think in different ways.

Thanks Heaps

Edited June 30, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[AlanW]

So Thanks to Sarah this appears to work well. will need to do a video to show how to set up your gutter symbols correctly so it all works.

So what this does is creates an EAP gutter including end caps and extrudes down the back of the gutter so there is no need to readjust the path or separatey add ends.

You can basically have a path that you use to create your roof and that is swapped into the network and when pasted in place returns the path and gutter to the roof.

You can swap gutter profiles in and out of the gutter and the changes occur or change the path.

Will set a video us in the next day or so and hopefully others can find the bugs.

But seems to work for me.

Will put a VW file up when I am comfortable it work well.

Edited June 30, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[AlanW]

Attached is a file for the gutters. You can opt for caps or not.

Will do a video tomorrow.

When you change the anything and you get an error make sure you have the correct spelling of the symbol, and is ok just keep typing the correct path of symbol and it will correct it self.

Video will make it clear how to set up symbols and use.

You can change the control geometry but if you paste a new one in you will need to name it and make sure it matches in the OIP. you will get an error until you have both the corresponding path names match.

Feedback welcome

Edited July 1, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[DomC]

You can change the control geometry but if you paste a new one in you will need to name it and make sure it matches in the OIP. you will get an error until you have both the corresponding path names match.

Nice, usefull example.

But why you not just refer to the path directly?

Edited July 1, 2016 by DomC

[AlanW]

Dom,

I guess I was trying to make it easy to use for people not familiar with marionette.

If referring it to the object directly people don't get confused and have errors, then lets make the change.

This is the forum for discussion and there should be free flowing discussion to improve things and everyone can learn, especially me.

Sarahs, Ernst van der Vecht and DomC's help on this one has been invaluable. please keep commenting and sharing

Thanks, will play with it more.

Would like to have a popup when you get an error in any final network prompting you for the solution, like "You need to add a new path name as the text does not match" or something.

Video available at -

If anyone has a free screen capture program that creates a clearer picture I would like to know. This is not very clear sorry.

Some debate about whether to use an object node and call the path by name which this one does and use control geometry node.

Control geometry seems to allow you to have control over the path when you duplicate the object and alter the path and it doesn't affect the previous one and you dont have to rename the path.

Have attached file with control geometry so interested in the pros and cons for either. Control Geometry seem to ignore the path name and may be more flexible.

Also will look into when creating the symbol and unchecking the convert to plugin so can use the same one over and over.

Thanks again

Edited July 2, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[DomC]

Hi Allan

The Movie shows the benefit or your Idea, with a Named Path.

User are able to use the path from a existing geometry. And just attach the marionette object to it.

A great "real-live" example.

[fabrica]

looks very good Alan, great for workflow, well done.

I've no marionette knowledge but is it possible to add a fill to the extrude so in plan view it reduces the amount of lines visible? (a problem with all EAP objects) If that was possible it would be brilliant and also great for skirtings and cornices !

[AlanW]

I have had a further play with the control geometry aspect and it appears more flexible as you don't have to worry about naming the path.

This will be good for skirtings (Base Boards) and cornices (Crown Mouldings) also. Just think about how you set up the symbols. skirtings (Base Boards) you would set the reference point (0,0) at the bottom left.

If you convert to Auto Hybrid objects you minimise all the lines. see attached.

If you place the symbols ref point bottom right the path has to go anti-clockwise. Reverse the symbol and you have to reverse the path otherwise it goes into the wall.

See what you think

See video re the control geometry object.

Video at ;

Edited July 2, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[Markvl]

Is it possible for a marionette object to be an auto hybrid or do you need to essentially "explode" the object first?

[Marissa Farrell]

You could programmatically include your 2D representation, but to my knowledge you would have to ungroup your result if you want to use the actual auto-hybrid command.

[AlanW]

Mark,

Hi. In the gutter example attached I converted the Marionette object to an autohybrid and appears to be ok.

Just copy one of the gutters and convert it all is ok until you want to change the profile, the geometry shift up the page.It doesn't matter which one you change the profile or path, as soon as you change one the path moves a long way or the profile moves only a bit.

I believe this is an issue being looked at.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Alan Woodwell

[Christiaan]

Should there be files attached to some of the above posts? If so I'm not seeing them.

[PVA - Admin]

3 minutes ago, Christiaan said:

Should there be files attached to some of the above posts? If so I'm not seeing them.

These are pre-migration from the old forum, Marissa or I can restore them. Let me know which posts you.d like them from, they each have to be done manually.

[Christiaan]

Thanks Jim, I'm after the latest version of Alan Woodwell's lovely gutter marionette object. His above post seems to be the latest mention of it.

 

Edit: oh wait, yes of course, that's June 2016. So maybe latest is here?

 

Edited June 14, 2017 by Christiaan

[PVA - Admin]

Attached:

 

160703-Gutter_EAP_Cap-sb_-01.vwx

160703-Gutter_EAP_Cap-sb_-01-Control_Geom.vwx

[Christiaan]

Thanks Jim, gentleman and a scholar.

[AlanW]

@ChristiaanHi, this video covers gutters ,crown mouldings and baseboards. At the end it shows the link to the file. I'll see if I can find it.

 

[Christiaan]

No longer available @Alan Woodwell https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/moved/#Post229880

 

But I found this:

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/files/file/53-simple-house/

 

Could do with a different name, "EAP with End Caps" perhaps?

 

Thanks so much for all your goodies. Very inspirational.

Edited June 15, 2017 by Christiaan