Convert multiple lines to tubes
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Is there a plugin that would convert lines or wireframe to single tube/frame?
I would like to create handrails in my model and finally use 3D printer to print the model. Therefore it would be essential to create handrails easily and make it solid automatically. There are few plugins that convert lines to tubes but with these plugins multiple components will be created. Do you know any free or paid plugins that would do this?
Plugins to create tubes from lines:
Draw pipes from lines
Line to tubes
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If you consider changing your method, Profile Builder 2 could be used. You cannot select all edges and create a single profile from it, but you could create several profiles and perform a Solid Union on them all at once.
PB2 creates solid linear objects with any profile (not only tubes)
Alternativelly you can use assemblies that you can preconfigure and draw handrails with them by simply following a line, curve, polyline or path.
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Don't know if it will work with SU 2017, but what about [Plugin] Lines to tubes by Didier Bur...?
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Thanks for suggestions. Luckily I have Profile Builder 2, which could a little with the task. I need to do some more testing because I was not able to get systematic results yet when trying to trim the pipes. Also, Didier Bur's Lines to Tubes makes individual objects and seems that it is not possible to make those solids easily.
Somehow I remember that there had been some plugin that was doing this kind operation and I even think that I have made a copy of this plugin somewhere in my old computer but I just can't find it. I also think that when using this plugin the "handrail/ladder structure" needed to have faces and when using the plugin the faces were removed and tubes were created. I will keep searching and do some more testing with Profile Builder.
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If I remember well, lines to tubes will result in curved tubes if you weld edges. It will not be able to create solid tubes on T joints though. You'd have to manually perform the solid union after, but I don't think it's a big deal.
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This Plugin (s4u Make Frame) seems to work quite efficient in my case even though this is still not the plugin that I remember to use earlier.
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I still have not found a simple and good solution even though I thought that this would be a kind of "must functionality" in Sketchup especially when talking about 3D printing.
Now I have decided to create the lines/structure in Sketchup because you can't beat Sketchup in easiness to do this and take the the geometry to Blender and use Skin Modifier. The below link to discussion (comment 6) explains how to do this. But still there is no cylinder profile in this solution.
https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/3149/how-can-i-render-an-edge-only-mesh-as-solid-lines
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Maybe you can try the free Vectary online!
it has someting for transform lines in tubes for 3D Printing...or other...!
(of course you can Import / Export any file : just find some compatible formats with SU!
OBJ will be the trick)
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