Simplify/unify the ends of tubes

noahthomas77 · 10 Sept 2018, 00:58

Hi, I'm trying to render a sculpture that will be 3D printed and cast in bronze.
It is mostly linear, so I've tried using the "lines-tubes" plugin and another similar one, and they work fine, except the ends of the tubes all overlap or even have gaps between them because of the angles. Is there a quick way of cleaning these up? I'll include a screen shot and the actual file. New to this process (I normally build these same type of forms out of sticks of wood). Any advice would be welcome. Is there a different plugin you'd suggest to add dimension to the lines?Thanks
Noah

SketchupFile

Box · 10 Sept 2018, 02:14

It depends a lot on what finished result you want.
here i have used multiple offset by tig to offset all the faces a specific amount then used fredo's Joint pushpull to extrude all those offsets to form a single solid framework.
but that wouldn't work if you want all the interior edges also.
I'd also recommend you either work at a larger scale or use the Dave Method if you want everything this small.
https://forums.sketchup.com/t/the-dave-method/49720

I've added the file I made for you to look at for ideas.

Tower SImplfiedbox.skp

noahthomas77 · 10 Sept 2018, 05:59

Thanks, I'll see if I can make that work, though I do want to keep all the inner frame work. I was working bigger, maybe I'll try the Dave method. Really appreciate it.