Convert 3D Polyline to Surface

[Bill Tillman]

Working on a small project where I have to design an aluminum canopy that has a complex roof. So I think I have to columns and the rafters drawn correctly, so now to put some roof panels on it. I traced what I though would be the outline of the roof surface in one section on the left. I joined the lines to form a 3D Polyline. Then I tried EXTRUDE, CONVTOSURFACE, CONVTEMESH, CONVTOSOLID, but none of these work?

 

I have the typical panels in the middle working, or appear to be working by using the EXTRUDE command. But the end panels which may or may not need to have other facets in them to close off the roof just will not go for me.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

BTA 3D Canopy.dwg

[steven-g]

Your 'working' panels are planar, so it might help if you split the 3DPolyline into two planar sections. But then I am an LT user so there might be other commands available that would work for you.that I don't know of.

[ReMark]

I would draw the end panels in plan view using a polyline then extrude them.  Why are you converting them to a mesh if I might ask?  Once you have extruded the panel I would use the 3DAlign command to position it in place.

[Bill Tillman]

Thanks ReMark,

 

With the intermediate panels I did exactly as you suggest. It's the ones on the end which are not exactly in the same plane. I may have to place two different panels, maybe even three because of the shape of the end panels. They follow the slop but then level off to follow the profile of the top beams.

[BIGAL]

If this was taken into say civ3d then it could produce a TIN model of 3dfaces, some of the panels would be a planar answer of 2 - 3dfaces. The end panel has to be made of 2 panels, as your 3dpoly is not planar but has a kink in it. Yes end may be 3 panels. Note the end 2 3dface can be flipped.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2021 by BIGAL

[lrm]

It's not clear what your requirements are and how you want the panels to meet at their edges.  The judicious use of Boolean can be a big help.

 

For example, here's a detail of the two right-most panels (I've changed the color of the last panel to cyan for clarity).

Looking at the properties for both shows that they are both 1" extrusions.

Here's the same area with a visualstyle of 3d wireframe. 

The cyan panel may look thicker but that an optical illusion due to the view angle.  

 

Here are the panels viewed from another angle.  Both panels are selected and the height of the two indicate the same value, 1".

 

Going back to the previous view I made a copy of the light-gray solid with a displacement of 0,0,0 and then gave the Boolean subtract command.

 

Before the subtract.

After the subtract.

Notice the cyan panel has been trimmed to remove its interference with the frame. 

 

Is you goal to define panels that perfectly mate or have panels with edges that are perpendicular to their faces (i.e., simple extrusions) resulting in gaps between panels and the frame?