Extrude Along Path?

[Bruce Kieffer]

I'm trying to fit crown molding inside of an opening. As it is now, when extruding along the path, the profile is extruded centered on the path. Is there a way to define an outside point of the profile instead for the path to extrude along? Then the molding would fit easy in the opening.

[propstuff]

Hi Bruce.

Make the extrude alomg path.

Double click it to go to Edit Mode.

You will see your profile on top of dotted croslines.

The intersection of those lines is the Path line.

Move the profile till the desired "insertion point" of your profile is at that location.

Exit the edit mode.

Bingo. :-)

[Bruce Kieffer]

Nicholas,

Thanks for the suggestion. It helps me get closer to what I want, but it's not precise enough for my needs. I want a method where I can define a point of the profile as the "guide" point for the extrusion.

[tgm]

Bruce,

I have been playing with this tool for quite some time and I have also complained about it and as far as I know no one from NNA has come up with an answer. You're correct that it needs some point to extrude from that can be controlled. This tool and Duplicate along Path are useless in their current form as far as I am concerned.

Good Luck,

Tom in PA

[G_Hannigan]

Bruce,

If you enter Profile Edit, you can place a 2D locus at your "guide" location relative to your profile. Select the profile & the locus and move until the locus is at the dotted crosshairs. When you exit your profile will be re-oriented based on the placement of the locus.

George

[Bruce Kieffer]

George,

I'm not understanding how your technique differs much from Nicholas's. The problem remains that the placement of any object or point on the intersection of the cross-hairs is not precise.

[propstuff]

Ok Bruce, you can't snap to the crosshairs it seems.

Instead, double click the 2D locus tool. It will ask you for the location to place it. The crosshairs are at 0,0, "by definition".

Place the locus at 0,0. and snap your desired reference to the locus.

Delete the locus before exiting.

It is a workaround, but it's a quick and simple one.

cheers,

N.

[JBC]

Bruce, I often will use the snap to grid constraint when editing the placement of the profile. This will ensure that you can place a reference, such as a locus, along with the profile precisely at the origin of the cross-hairs. A quick glance at the Object Information Palette should show that you are right on the coordinates of 0,0. Another way I like to align the profile is to look at the 3d model in a side view so that I can see exactly where my profile is and where it needs to go. If you draw a line between these two points you can copy it and paste it right in the edit window of the profile to use as a reference. These two methods work for me, and I can see no error at maximum zoom. This is not to say that I don't think that the tool needs improvement.-Brendan

[G_Hannigan]

Bruce,

Nicholas has filled in the part I left out. The OIP allows you to use the locus as your "profile locator". I think that an early version of this tool, (it may have been a 3rd party solution then), required the use of a 2D locus as part of the process.

I visited your website. Very nice! I started building furniture around the same time in the NYC area. Worked for several architectural woodworking/custom furniture companies until '98 when the company I worked for moved to Portland, OR (http://www.alturafurniture.com/).

It's been computers and photography since then.

George

[Bruce Kieffer]

George,

Thanks for the complement on my site and work, and thanks to you and everyone else who helped me figure this out. I now have more than one method to make the extrude along path work for my needs. All of us agree that VW 12 could handle this process much better.

[G_Hannigan]

You're welcome.

George