Posts, Columns, studs, gutters

Al Hart

A while back I ran into a potential client who wanted to create boat docks from components and the create a parts list. The underlying technology here is to stretch components for poles, rails, etc. to represent parts which can be cut to size.

This week I am also looking for similar things for residential construction - adding beams, posts, columns, gutters, etc. by stretching components.

Is there a tool out there already which make is easy to place, align and stretch a component. I can see how this would be easy for pipes, because you could drag the cursor along the center of the pipe, and snap to something for the other end, or type in the length.

However, for posts, you often want to snap a corner or edge to an existing object which makes the placement tool more complex. And for boards or gutters you may need to identify an additional axis for the orientation of the board.

If there is a good tool for this I would like to find it. If there isn't, then maybe this is an opportunity to write one.

Does anyone do this now, or need to, and/or have any ideas?

jim smith

I don't know if i am on target with your question but the new Smustard profile builder and the dynamic component feature seem to give that sort of function.

Al Hart

@unknownuser said:

I don't know if i am on target with your question but the new Smustard profile builder and the dynamic component feature seem to give that sort of function.

Dynamic components can be useful for stretchable components. For instance if you want to make an arbitrary length piping run with 20 foot pipe sections, and fittings between settings, then you can do the whole thing with one component. But you still have to place the component in the first place and stretch it to the desired size, and if your fittings have an inside (e.g. connection to wall) then you also have to align the component properly depending on whether you are placing in on the inside or outside of a wll.

I'll have to take a look at profile builder and see what it does.