polyline solids

[Douglas49]

Hi

I'm trying to get my head around how the shape polyline solids are edited

In the attached example, I can edit the shape of the top face, but not the vertical faces.

Both objects were drawn from 2D cad lines and then converted to polyline solids.

If I wish to draw an object where both the horizontal and the vertical surfaces can be edit, what is the best way of of going about this?

How can one choose which face can be edited. I did another example where I could edit the vertical face, but not the horizontal face 

I have looked at the soffit tool, but that can't be edited to irregular shapes - only stretched horizontally or vertically

polyline solids.plan

[tommy1]

Draw it from an elevation first.

[glennw]

Or, you can edit any face in a 3D view - it depends which face you select as to how you can edit the object.

eg, to edit the height, select a vertical surface, ie, a side.

To edit the plan shape, select a horizontal surface, ie, top. 

 

This is true for both the slab and the poly solid.

You can even use tools like the break tool, change line/arc, boolean operations, etc, to change the plan shape of the object.

Different tools appear on the edit toolbar, depending on whether you select a vertical or horizontal face.

[Douglas49]

Thanks for the comments.

In summary:

So the surface that can be edited (and there is only one per solid) is dependant on the surface to which the polyline solid was initially placed.

If you want to edit the horizontal surface, place it on the floor. 

If you want to edit the vertical face, place it in elevation on a wall - even then you need to select the correct vertical wall (N/S/E/W)

However, as per the video Eric posted, this can be overcome to some extent by the interaction of multiple solids.

I'm very used to SketchUp where any of the 6 surfaces can be easily edited, but getting to grips with how it works in CA

File attached showing the placement of 3 polyline solids placed on varying surfaces thereby enabling different surfaces to be edited. 

bulkhead test.plan

[Douglas49]

Just been watching an really good CA training video "Building Parapet walls using polyline solids".

Basically polyline solids are simply 2D shapes extruded into a 3D form.

However, as the video mentioned a number of times, the polyline solid can only be edited in the view it was originally drawn in, (i.e. plan view, the particular elevation view) 

There is only one live face.

Got it.

[Alaskan_Son]

1 hour ago, Douglas49 said:

the polyline solid can only be edited in the view it was originally drawn in, (i.e. plan view, the particular elevation view) 

 

This is not true.  The extrusion shape can be edited from either end (left/right, front/back, or top/bottom), and in ANY view where you can see the

extrusion profile (from either end).  This includes almost any perspective view (so

long as your camera is positioned in such a way that the appropriate face can be selected), opposing elevation views, angled elevation views, and orthographic overviews.