Matching arc segment length
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hi everyone,
I am trying to figure out the best way of how to match the length of the segments of an arc with the these of a neighbouring ark with different radius.
it is a fassade of a building that curves in two different radiuses. in order to use a component for windows I intended to adjust the length of each arc segment to the width of a window. but for that I need to keep the same spacing at differently curved walls.
I know, that I can change the number of segments for an arc (simply by typing it into the entity info). but I am not aware of a way to define the segment length (which automatically changes the number of segments to fit). I don't even know where to look for the length of the arc (the only information provided in the entity info is it's radius).
if anybody has a good idea how to achieve a continuous pace of segments throughout the whole length of the curved wall, I would be delighted!
(perhaps I should put up a ruby request for an "equal all segment lengths" script...)cheers,
Jakob
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Make the arcs with many segments (72?). then you could draw many-segmented (72) circles of the required radiusalong the arcs placing the next one centred on the intersection of the arc and the previous circle's circumference. Then you know that the circles' centes are all the same distance apart. However that's a pain...
Make the arcs with more segments and then create your wall panel face component. Snap to a start then to the arc for the first one, then sunsequent one can snap to the last one's end and the arc. That way you make all of your panels the same width and they align to the arc. You can always explode the wall panels and regroup later...
You could try RickW's CopyAlongPath to automate it - make the perimeter a Welded path and the component at the start and make 'spaced' copies along it. They won't rotate to align with the next - you could do that manually later... Whatever you do the number of panels will not equal the total circumference and you'll need a 'cut' one... Didier's align3d scripot might help - I can't see how immediately and I must rush off now....
.
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You could also try to use Didier's Ellipse rb (that creates ellipses of equal segments) and combine / intersect the same ellipse a couple of times. I haven't tried it however (I don't have it on my office computer and also the boss is just walking about)
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thanks for the replies, TIG and Gaieus.
I tried your second suggestion for the last two hours - the one with wall components. however, if the arc has a huge radius and the segments are rather small I encounter another barrier: SketchUps inaccuracy!
every segment has to be rotated only a tiny bit - but SU allowes only a certain precision. because it is a rotation it doesn't help me to scale everything up (the rotation stayes the same).
I really hope that is something that will improve in SU7.
I am going back to creating much bigger segments now...
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I have never had any problems with SU's (in)accuracy! You can set the length/angle precision in the model info panel to quite high (I see you are using Win, so this should not be a problem - in Mac this is said not to be the case however).
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I set the precision to the maximum of 0.000 degree angles, but it still doesn't seem to be working.
maybe the error lies in the offset (I created a 3D wall). perhaps I should be more carefull when using the offset tool.
but in the meantime I will endure larger segments (I am just to lazy to redraw everything
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That precision is mainly for displaying things however - so if you enter even more precise values, it should work (I think).
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Dear Plot-Paris
Is the attached what you need?
I constructed the solid in the following way:
Draw the inner arc with the required segment length.
Offset the inner arc the required distance to give the outer arc.
Use the extrude line tool to extrude the inner arc the required height.
Explode the surface and extrude each face towards the outer arc, snapping to the line segments (mid-points) on the outer arc.
Delete un-needed surfaces.
Use the line tool fill in the shape.
Delete all coplanar lines.
Use the smooth tool to hide lines.Regards,
Bob
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