Contours - stamp ?

ianccc

link of staircase

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=87be042fcf488a9529062f8c03a244fd

I basically hung this staircase in the air from driveway to front porch landing - I would like to fill in the contours on both sides of the steps - the grade follows the step elevations

any info or process for me to try - much appreciated

~ian

linea

What do you mean by contours? Do you mean the stringer? If so you can do it like this with the "follow me" tool. There is a problem though in that your tread lengths and the curve angles are not uniform so you don't get an attractive curve to the stringer, although if you fiddle about with the axis you can improve the way it looks. I just did it quickly. Maybe you could curve the top of the stringer. If you actually want to build this staircase, check your local building codes, usually stair treads all have to be the same length.

Gaieus

Not knowing exactly what you want to achieve, I'm a little bit uncertain myself, too. Still I made a little example what you can achieve with the stamp tool, have a look at this file:
http://www.gaieus.hu/su/skps/janccstamp.skp

Note that in the left example I used the whole bottom ("plan") of the house + terrace + stairs while in the second I used only the bottom face of the stairs and the terrace - now pulled up a bit (and this way the stamped terrain is now under the house, too but you can clean that up by intersecting etc...).

Also they aren't those very elaborate, hi-poly models...

Some important "rules" for the stamp tool (though only based on experience):
you cannot force the stamp tool to follow vertical edges, too (thus the slanting bottom of this flight of stairs)
the plan (or rather "bottom") itself does need to be flat but when there are different and not continuous faces, the lowest ones should be on the same level. (well, this sounds difficult but say

you have a flat, horizontal face
from there (connecting) a slantin one goes up
after a while another horizontal face joins this
push pull some part of it down but NOW make sure you PP it down to exactly to the level of the first face.

Otherwise the stamp tool will tend to stamp the lower/lowest one.

Tricky tool and can provide a series of annoying mistakes while practising but it's fun.

ianccc

thanks for the reply Jon Gaieus
Actually what I am looking for is to have the area to the right of the stairs follow the step grade - like a rising hill from the low point to the house porch elevation

the right section of the steps will be close to grade - the left side will require small retaining walls

I will try the stamp tool

Chris Fullmer

Sorry I don't have time to make a model showing you what I'm thinking, but I'd suggest using contours.

First I'd group the ground plane and then move copies of it straight upward and place a copy at the base of each step.

Then I tihnk it might be nice if those copies were all semi transparent so you could see through them.

Then start drawing the contour lines with the freehand tool on each plane. You would draw from the base of the step to the ending point of the contour.

After drawing the op contour, delete the grouped plane you drew it on. That will leave a nice floating contour.

Now repeat this for all subsequent stairs. You'll end up with all the contours you need to run the "from contours" tool. So select all the contours and then click on from contours and voi-la! you should have a great contoured terrain.

I hope that makes sense. I might be able to make a model showing what I mean later - I'm just pressed for time right now though.

Chris

ianccc

Thanks Chris

yep - that will work - no problem with the demo - I think you have given me enough to go on

thanks

~ian

ianccc

I updated the model
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=87be042fcf488a9529062f8c03a244fd

I notice the sides rollup anter creating the contours - I just wanted the contour to end at the completion of my line - it is rolliong up

any info appreciated

~ian