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Could we modernize the Extrude Along Path command?


Kevin McAllister

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Submitting requests now, some went in as new items and some were added to existing cases:

 

Allow EAPs / Sweeps to use symbols as profile objects: VE-93147

 

Keep/don't convert the original EAP path geometry: VE-96005

 

Path From Selected Edges (select desired edges rather than drawing out a Path object: VE-97174

 

Snaps not only along edges of profile geometry but also path edge/vertices: VE-94923

 

Active preview of EAP during creation / 3D Live draw editing: VE-89734

Maintain separate class and visibility control for separate profile objects: VE-97173

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I feel like the EAP tool was set up for those that do or did not work directly in 3D.  There was a default setting for how the profile was aligned and extruded.  Now it seems that with the advances in 3d modelling in VW, we should be able to draw the profile or import it from a library or use a symbol, align it to the path in the manner that we want it to be extrude it, and be done.  But I would also like to see:

Scaling changes over the length of the path, based upon a linear graph (F curve) input

Editing of either the path or the profile in a normal view ( whatever parallel universe one ends up in when editing these things now is certainly NOT helpful).  Double clicking the EAP should simply show the path and the profile, in place, in the 3d world.

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1 hour ago, grant_PD said:

Editing of either the path or the profile in a normal view ( whatever parallel universe one ends up in when editing these things now is certainly NOT helpful).  Double clicking the EAP should simply show the path and the profile, in place, in the 3d world.

Without question. Editing them separately is a bit of a guessing game at times.

 

KM

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13 hours ago, Matt Overton said:

Would it be silly to suggest profile could be class driven?

I.e. have a low detail and high detail profiles on the same path as a single object.

 

Also options for end caps or mitres, and insertions of symbols along path would be handy.

Still will take any improvement.

 

Class driven is a little silly because you can have lots of objects in a class.

Symbol name driven may be a better way to go about that - but multiple profiles on a single path may start to get wonky.

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6 hours ago, Tom Klaber said:

Class driven is a little silly because you can have lots of objects in a class.

Symbol name driven may be a better way to go about that - but multiple profiles on a single path may start to get wonky.

 

Sorry I meant within the profile space of the extrude. If you have multiple classes in the profile they get converted to a single class 3D object.

If the final extrude maintained the the classes of the defining objects we could do interesting things without writing PIO to basically extrude multiple geometries along the same path.

 

Like:-

-LED strip lights - we could have an Aluminium carrier in one class and the diffuser in another with a glow texture assigned.

-Gutters - basic profile for large scale elevations and sections, detailed linework  and polygon intensive geometry for closer views.

-have a simple basic cornice for general work then add a more detailed version that is only turned on for presentation and detail views.

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+ 1 to this Matt,

there are many fertile opportunities for displaying (calculating) increased/less detail and not only for EAPs eg. for various scales, output intents, design phases, render styles, perspective distance etc. across the entire VW gamut. eg. Spotlight->Vision trusses, 2d plants, EAP Skirtings, Grass Textures...

Edited by bcd
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I would like to have things kept simple

 

Path that stays a Path (Object Type) and is editable, in EAP Edit Path.

Profile that can be edited and its Position can be moved 2D around Path Origin, in EAP Edit Profile.

 

 

All "Advanced" Options like

- multiple Profiles as (like in Loft Surface)

- Scale along Path

- Rotate along Path

- Bulge Path

- Gradient Control

- Animation

- ....

Please hidden behind an "Advanced" Tool Option.

Edited by zoomer
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I could see how having multiple objects share the same path could be very useful.  Something tells me though that classed object is not the way to get there, but I see what you are getting at.  It is easy enough to create them all in the first place, with the duplicate, and then sub out profile - but that can get onerous the 3 5 or 10th time you have to adjust the path.  
 

This feel like a Marriott hack more than anything.

Where you can set up multiple profiles to read the same path object via name, and then class the results as desired.

 

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48 minutes ago, Matt Overton said:

 

Sorry I meant within the profile space of the extrude. If you have multiple classes in the profile they get converted to a single class 3D object.

If the final extrude maintained the the classes of the defining objects we could do interesting things without writing PIO to basically extrude multiple geometries along the same path.

 

Like:-

-LED strip lights - we could have an Aluminium carrier in one class and the diffuser in another with a glow texture assigned.

-Gutters - basic profile for large scale elevations and sections, detailed linework  and polygon intensive geometry for closer views.

-have a simple basic cornice for general work then add a more detailed version that is only turned on for presentation and detail views.

 

I can see this being useful. Like it or not, turning classes on and off is the expected workflow in VW. Really all Matt is asking for is for is that the EAP not to flatten all of the classes of the objects its given as profile input. There's likely a bigger issue though, which is some PIOs don't regenerate when class visibilities are changes (eg. auto-hybrid) so this may never be possible without entering/exiting the profile component  of the EAP.

 

(We're back to the multiple states wish again in a different form.)

 

Kevin

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36 minutes ago, JimW said:

I meant to ask about that for clarification, if I selected a surface, would this be intended to indicate that I wanted all of the edges of that surface as the path object? I think that's what you meant from your example but wanted to be sure.

Exactly!

 

(The Extract tool is by far my favourite tool in VW. Anything that pushes other tools towards its interface is a push in the right direction :-) )

 

KM

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