Deck Skirting

[BradAtHarmony]

Our work is primarily in the central part of Ontario, Canada, where the Canadian Shield defines our terrain. I am trying to make a deck skirting to use around the base of decks that are of uneven height above the ground yet still maintains the same geometry.  The skirting consists of 5-1/2" wide boards placed horizontally with a 1" space between them.  I have tried a variety of things including making an exterior fixture and using garage door panels, however everything I try changes the height of the horizontal board and space when I change the height of the panel, rather than adding more boards....  Other than making fixed height panels and stacking them for higher or lower skirting or doing each one as custom poly line solids, does anyone have any suggestions about how I could make these panels?

 

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

 

[Doug_N]

I'm assuming that the skirt boards will be fastened to the deck posts.  The boards can be created as individual boards using 3d solids.  Then you can multi copy the boards vertically or horizontally as required, trimming individual boards as required for the grade.

[GeneDavis]

Try a molding polyline.

[rlackore]

If you choose to use a symbol, you can use a texture for the horizontal boards, rather than modeling the boards individually. Granted, it's a compromise, but it's also quick and flexible.

 

Solution #1: use a standard siding material (set global symbol mapping); big downside is that there is no gap between the boards

 

Solution #2: use a custom material that has a gap (transparency in the base image); big downside is that if you model the board thickness, a close-up will reveal that the narrow faces of the boards are missing

[robdyck]

My first preference would be a material, however for more realism, I would create a wall type with 2 layers. The outer main layer would horizontal framing, the inner layer would be no material or vertical framing. I'd place this on the lower level and assign it to it's own layer with no room definition. I would manually adjust top and bottom heights. You will need to adjust the bottom run elevation to be low enough for the lowest board. You can use another wall as a fence to create a trim board that follows the terrain. Just make it a railing wall with only a top rail and assign it's height to be 5.5" or whatever you need.