fence railing tool sucks

[jnr 126]

It's slow, its counterintuitive and no matter what variables I change it would product a dumb simple picket metal fence.

[CipesDesign 148]

Although the interface is a bit clunky, I have always been able to get what I want from the PIO. Perhaps you can post a sketch of what you're after so I (or someone) can try to create it?

[jnr 126]

Peter:

It seems it always locks up (especially panels and frames) everytime I use it. New files, old files even a clean new install of 2020. Eventually I have to open yet another blank file, get it to work, then past it back into whatever I'm working on. That it is slow as sh*t (even with a 2 meter section) doesn't help. That you can't use it to actually build a fence on god forbid, a DTM (something that is not flat) is a joke, but that's a different conversation. Maybe its the same guys who write code for our fabulous stair tool....

 

All I was trying to do was a simple metal 6' tall metal fence with vertical 3/4" pickets, 4" o.c. Regardless of what I changed (panels, frames, symbols, dimensions etc), it would only give me a solid fence that was fubar. I don't use this tool that often because it's typically so cumbersome. That it's not like a wall where you can insert say, a matching gate doesn't help. Maybe better served building it using a curtainwall wall style or in the case of a DTM, extruded and or duplicate along a path which at least you can send to surface.

-J

[CipesDesign 148]

See attached. Took less than 3 minutes with Fence/Railing Plug In. I also attached the VW file... 

6 ft fence.vwx

[jnr 126]

Thanks Peter. I was able to get something to work in a new file. As I mentioned seems like lather, rinse repeat. Start using it in a file that has info, fence craps out, open blank file, start a new fence, modify as needed, copy and paste to get what's needed.

[leecalisti 30]

Is there a faster way to assign Class Attributes? At least with Walls, one can click ONE button and assign Class Attributes to the Wall or Wall Components. I generally am OK with the tool, but it needs some help!

[CipesDesign 148]

I agree that it is very tedious to select classes one at a time, especially in cases where a fence is all the same material (nearly always!). It would be immensely helpful if the class of all of the various components could be changed en-masse. This would be a good enhancement request.

 

My usual workaround for these overly-deep, mouse-click intensive dialogs is to either duplicate one fence (eg) and changed it's length, or sometime use the eyedropper tool to transfer attributes.

[leecalisti 30]

@CipesDesign That's good advice - in fact, it might serve me well to include a small section of each one I create in my template file.

[CipesDesign 148]

I've gotten sort of lazy about template files in recent years. I often end up just copying and pasting from previous projects. But yes, objects that you use frequently should be easily accessible somewhere. That's one of the whole points of a computer 😉 .

[Michal Zarzecki 39]

Hello all,

I agree that the tool needs some more attention. I recall there have been a number of troubleshooting posts regarding various aspects of the tool, e.g. posts being rotatet at 45 degrees at corners, panels created in the middle without a possibility to set its alignment, no possibility to have straight and inclined sections in one object.

I have recently noticed another thing which is a bit limiting. I tried to create a weldmesh fence with rectangular aperture, where vertical frame bars are at different distance then the horizontal ones. The settings seem to allow for only one distance to be used which results in square aperture. Am I missing something?

 

I really struggle with designing railings on top of inclined walls. Even when drawing it traditionally (or more contemporary traditionally in CAD), one needs to consider offsets and elignment to achieve a pleasantly looking balustrade/ railings. Making straight sections and inclined separately and trying to get them work is either impossible, or very difficult, but certainly time consuming. Some level of improvement can be achieved with extruding along polyline. What disappointed me eventually, was the fact that the plane of end profile, if still on a pitch, was inclined which didn't work with the end post of my balustrade. All very time consuming and not offering value for [the commission] money.

I eventually tend to draw my railings in a section viewport.