A couple of questions related to 3D.

[J S Machine]

I am going through a book on drawing in autocad and have reached the part on 3D. I have run into several problems since getting to this point, and I was hoping to find a few answers.

 

1. When I try to switch my workspace back to 2D, all of the ribbon bar in the top switches back to 2D, but the workspace itself remains visible as 3D - viewcube and all. What is causing this? I see several instances where I need to get back into 2D to look at or draw a certain thing, and I can't get it to switch back over.

 

2. I am attempting to draw a 3D polyline on a drawing I am working on. I'm using object snap tracking and endpoint osnaps. This particular polyline is one that must be extruded. When I attempt to extrude it tells me that it cannot extrude lines or objects on coplanar surfaces. Further investigation reveals a line that is not completely drawn on one plane, but rather a line drawn on about three planes. When looking at it in the southeast isometric view, everything seems fine but once you start rotating the drawing a observing from different angles you begin to see it is out of wack. I'm trying to get a picture to show you all, if I can get it to do it again I will post it.

 

Also, Why can't I trim things in 3D? is it limited only to 2D, or am I just not doing something correctly?

 

Thanks

[J S Machine]

Here is the first instance when viewed looking directly at the steps. Note the line kicked out to the side. The piece I am trying to create is the stringer for the steps.

 

Here is the view tilted a little bit, which shows the line better.

 

And here is the view from the southeast, where all appears normal lol.

 

I have tried telling it where to go by manually entering absolute cooridantes, (ex. @-8,0,0) but I still get varying results..

[JD Mather]

workspace itself remains visible as 3D - viewcube and all. What is causing this?

2. I am attempting to draw a 3D polyline

Thanks

 

1. shademode 2d

2. Don't use 3D polyline except for Loft or Sweep. F1 UCS

 

3. You might take a look at the tutorials in my signature.

[shift1313]

Free drawing in 3d can get messy. If you are looking at something(lets say from the front) your lines will be drawn on the zero of that plane and be planar, UNLESS!!! you snap to other points along the way, these lines will be skewed into multiple planes. If you are drawing from an ISO view then who knows where these points will be. Its best to use coordinate inputs if you know them. Also use relations to your advantage. Lines will snap to be parallel or perpendicular with other lines, use this to your advantage.

 

Ive never worked in a 2d workspace so I cant answer that question for you.

 

Trim should work fine in 3d unless your lines dont intersect. After you select your first entity you will get options. Project is one of those. This will project your edges onto the current UCS.

[todouble22]

I am going through a book on drawing in autocad and have reached the part on 3D. I have run into several problems since getting to this point, and I was hoping to find a few answers.

 

1. When I try to switch my workspace back to 2D, all of the ribbon bar in the top switches back to 2D, but the workspace itself remains visible as 3D - viewcube and all. What is causing this? I see several instances where I need to get back into 2D to look at or draw a certain thing, and I can't get it to switch back over.

 

2. I am attempting to draw a 3D polyline on a drawing I am working on. I'm using object snap tracking and endpoint osnaps. This particular polyline is one that must be extruded. When I attempt to extrude it tells me that it cannot extrude lines or objects on coplanar surfaces. Further investigation reveals a line that is not completely drawn on one plane, but rather a line drawn on about three planes. When looking at it in the southeast isometric view, everything seems fine but once you start rotating the drawing a observing from different angles you begin to see it is out of wack. I'm trying to get a picture to show you all, if I can get it to do it again I will post it.

 

Also, Why can't I trim things in 3D? is it limited only to 2D, or am I just not doing something correctly?

 

Thanks

J S Machine, When you set up in 3d are you using the vports command and setting it up to four: equal and the setup as 3d. you can click in the preview and change the visual style in each frame. maybe the visual style is set to realistic or conceptual when you switch back to 2d? for your second question have you gone into the drafting settings for snap and changed the snap type to isometric snap? you also can create your own ucs . i've found that working with the different views doing 3d helps alot? Hope this helps.

[todouble22]

I am going through a book on drawing in autocad and have reached the part on 3D. I have run into several problems since getting to this point, and I was hoping to find a few answers.

 

1. When I try to switch my workspace back to 2D, all of the ribbon bar in the top switches back to 2D, but the workspace itself remains visible as 3D - viewcube and all. What is causing this? I see several instances where I need to get back into 2D to look at or draw a certain thing, and I can't get it to switch back over.

 

2. I am attempting to draw a 3D polyline on a drawing I am working on. I'm using object snap tracking and endpoint osnaps. This particular polyline is one that must be extruded. When I attempt to extrude it tells me that it cannot extrude lines or objects on coplanar surfaces. Further investigation reveals a line that is not completely drawn on one plane, but rather a line drawn on about three planes. When looking at it in the southeast isometric view, everything seems fine but once you start rotating the drawing a observing from different angles you begin to see it is out of wack. I'm trying to get a picture to show you all, if I can get it to do it again I will post it.

 

Also, Why can't I trim things in 3D? is it limited only to 2D, or am I just not doing something correctly?

 

Thanks

see if this is what you are looking for?

3dstair.dwg

[J S Machine]

 

Trim should work fine in 3d unless your lines dont intersect.

 

 

This could be the problem.

[J S Machine]

J S Machine, When you set up in 3d are you using the vports command and setting it up to four: equal and the setup as 3d. you can click in the preview and change the visual style in each frame. maybe the visual style is set to realistic or conceptual when you switch back to 2d? for your second question have you gone into the drafting settings for snap and changed the snap type to isometric snap? you also can create your own ucs . i've found that working with the different views doing 3d helps alot? Hope this helps.

 

 

I didn't know about isometric snap. I'll try that now.

[J S Machine]

I didn't know about isometric snap. I'll try that now.

 

Don't know exactly what it was, but apparently this was it. I switched to isometric snap and it drew the 3d poly on the first try. Thanks!

[ReMark]

Being able to manipulate the UCS sure goes a long way towards locating geometry correctly. Sometimes it even takes relocating the Origin.