Send to Surface taking way too long

[Matter.Memory]

Does anybody know what may be slowing down the send to surface command? I am modeling a solar array for a visualization study, and I need the solar panels to fit on the terrain of the site model. I have been duplicating a section of solar panel (a small 3D symbol) into a row, then sending each row to the surface. Each row has been taking around 2-3 minutes, and these have been some of the shorter rows in the solar array. With the amount of panels I have to do this will take 85 hours... just to get the panels in the right place. Is there a more efficient way to accomplish my goal? I am working in Landmark '22 on a MacBook Pro 11.6, AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 4 GB graphics card, 2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 processor. 

[Benson Shaw]

This is a guess, but 
Something to try in a duplicate file:

A. Create a really simple symbol, eg an extruded rectangle. A 3d locus might even work. 

B.  Once you have your solar panel symbols arranged in top view, select a bunch of them, Replace (OIP option), choose the really simple 3d symbol, Send to Surface. Leave them selected. 
C.  Replace (OIP) with the solar panel symbol. 

 

idea is that the Send to Surface Command has to analyze lots of geometry to place correct point at surface. A simpler object might go faster? The Replace function might have less to “consider”. 
 

or this could be a case of too much overhead with complex terrain and symbol. Fix might require lower vertex count overall.  Terrain-Simplify contour Polys. Solar panels - make a low detail version for most of them. Place high detail version only where close views will display. 
 

-B 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Benson Shaw
More stupid ideas that won’t work

[Tom W.]

As a variation to the above you could place 3D Loci on the site model surface (place them individually or array them then send to surface) then use Modify>Convert>Replace With Symbol... to convert them to the solar panel symbols. I just did 400 this way + took a couple of minutes but not sure how big your array is

[Benson Shaw]

Do the loci have correct rotation?  Eg if the desired panel array is tangent along a curving path? That would be fantastic!
 

-B

[Tom W.]

No I think you would need to use your method + duplicate a simple symbol along a path first then replace with the desired symbol. The loci don't rotate

[Matter.Memory]

Thank you all for your input. Send to Surface seems to be slow no matter. I am hoping to find a way to extrude the solar panels along a path, so the panel face is solid as opposed to individual sections. No matter my approach, I am taking ages to accomplish a single row of panels. Attached are pictures of the site model, with the pink lines indicating the solar panel rows. Is there an efficient way to get a path that follows a section of site model so I may extrude along it, allowing the panel to follow the topography of the site? 

[Tom W.]

If you draw your lines in Top/Plan as Lines or Polylines you can then convert them to 3D Polys + send them to the surface

[Matter.Memory]

Tom W., you nailed it! This is my path forward for this project. Thank you!

[Benson Shaw]

Glad this works better. Do you need to convert the 2d path to 3d poly? 2d poly>Send to Surface creates a new 3d poly projected onto the terrain surface. This new 3d poly can be a path for Edit>Duplicate Along Path. 
 

-B