One trick I have found when trying to CL a perimeter that is conjoined with other entities in the model is take a copy of the perimeter and move it (on an axis) out away from the model.

That makes it far easier to edit out anomalies that prevent the mesh from forming. You can also simplify the perimeter by deleting 2 adjacent short lines or deleting fragments and make one endpoint to endpoint line in their place.

Then you can create the surface without problem.

After which move the meshed group back to the model along the axis and cleanup the model where the lines should meet the surfaces endpoints.

Wo3Dan

Good idea, good thing I thought of it

I will try that next time it happens.
Thanks.

Yes, Wo3Dan, you do. And thank you.....

I tried that in the past and most times it works. But you sparked a thought that is a solution.

Within the bounds of the component I draw a grouped cube, and align it as I want the components axis to be. Change Axis of the component to the grouped cube works every time! Then I delete the grouped cube. It can be a bit tedious for a lot of off axis components, but it works better and faster than playing with change axis a dozen times.

The primary reason I need accurate axis alignment is I use Move/rotate and Rotate to orient copies of the component in several positions, where the rotation axis is not quite on the global axis, like changing flap angles on a dihedral swept wing. I also use hidden lines to extend the bounding box so that the main rotation axis is dead on the geo-center of the bounding box.

That way I only need the Move/rotate tool to simply pivot the object; instead of the Rotate tool, having to find the center of rotation and its RGB attitude every time I need to change the components attitude.

Now... if only I can remember to do that instead if instinctively just change Axis!!!!

"Failure to fix" has been endemic to the SU development team far longer than Trimble.
Look how long it took the team to start SU in pointer mode (select) rather than draw mode.
I had to use an independent Ruby script fix for years before SU finally fixed it.

slbaumgartner

But the inference engine sometimes determinedly goes for a different snap even after you try to help it. This behavior is why ability to turn off snaps is a very frequent feature request.

I did ask for this many years ago...... More than once, but to no avail.

SU users seem to have better luck at seeing a new feature they suggested than seeing a fix to something they suggested.

oceanembers
I usually end up doing just that, but it gets tedious.

Fredo;
The biggest problem I have with your fantastic toolset(s) is remembering the tool is there!!!

All of your tools lie on the bottom of my screen, taking the whole width.... there are so many. Curviloft is the one I use by far the most. Can't live without it.

I will endevour to start investigating and using the others more.

I've orbited past the ISS. Usually nogo.

I have even put guides on 3 axes on the desired endpoint. Still snaps off endpoint. I can zoom in past clipping (Persp. off) and move the endpoints together, but that is tedious when I have a complex model.

I tried something like that. I am choosing a well defined 3 line corner to initiate the placement. The problem is the first axis placement is usually not a problem. It is the second axis placement that simply will not do what I want. If I set the blue (for example) then I can't grab the red or the green to place one. It keeps flipping around aligning with the global axis.

Whenever I draw a line that is just slightly off (by design) the red, green or blue global axis, SU snaps the endpoint just off my mark with the "Constrained by..." message, and won't let me move it.

I have to delete and redraw the line in the opposite direction, and then that usually works. Even zooming in to the point of clipping won't work.

Many times SU will say "endpoint" and I click, but the line is actually drawn off the endpoint a few thou of an inch resulting in an open face or a minute gap that screws up the drawing.

So, is there any way to deactivate this $%^&* "constr ained by..."?

This has irked me in the past, but lately quite a lot.

I am drawing multiple components that are at an angle to the global axis, sometimes just slightly off. When I create the component bounding box, it naturally aligns with the global axis.

But I need the box aligned to an angle from within the component.

"Change Axis" is driving me nuts. I can't grab a red, blue or green axis and force it in the direction I want. It keeps jumping around to the global axis, or if I'm lucky, I can set the blue (usually up/down) but I can't get either the red or green to the angle I want.

I have to do it several times at least, before I get what I want. I've even tried a copy and manually reorient it outside the model confines, but most times I need the internal reference, so it does not always work.

So, how do I grab an axis and put it where I want?

I've noticed a bit of an SU slowdown as well, also since last MS forced update. I have to click twice sometimes to activate a tool, or grab an entity.

Same with another 2D graphics app I'm using. I'll click on a tool or a color, and nothing, have to do it twice.

I draw airplanes with details of parts. EVERYTHING is either a group, if used only once, but always a component if used at least once or twice in the drawing. There are NO "free" entities in a drawing.

Then I organize the collection using LAYERS. I number each layer in a hierarchy, and assign whatever appropriate groups/comps to a layer.

Where I have components that move (ie: landing gear up or landing gear down, I create a layer for each, and a copy of the comp assigned to each. You can orient/move/rotate any comp. and retain its entity integrity. Only if a secondary comp. has a minor entity change would I make it unique. But that dissolves the link back to the original.

One other important detail. Every single entity in the drawing is on LEVEL 0, whether in free space, in a group or in a component. Only groups and components bounding boxes get assigned to a specific layer. It can be layer 0.

That way, you can easily control visibility, create scenes and do other neat stuff.

If one or both objects are either a group or component, there is no entity interference. The objects remain whole, and can be moved out of each others space.

The trick to moving components against other objects, without moving them into the other objects space, it to click on an edge, preferably an endpoint of the component to be moved.

Then move that component to the target, carefully. As you approach the target, the moved component will snap to the edge/point of the target. Release the component at that point.

You can then fine tune the position after that. But there is no restriction to move an object into the same space as some other object.

If you grab the component anywhere not on an edge or endpoint, there is no snap to, and it will move freely.

To move entities, groups or components INTO another group/comp's space box requires you to select it, clipboard copy it, then edit the group/comp you want it inside of and Paste-in-place. Then move it where you want it. Delete the one in the original position.

Part of your problem, and one that is difficult to control, is the number of segments in the top to bottom and left to right curves are not equal. Curviloft will create extra vertices on opposing curves to line up with vertices on the other side. Therefore you get extra segments on both sides.

You can minimize the problem if both opposing sides are true curves, not segmented lines, by making both curves contain the same number of segments. Select each curve and use Entity Info to adjust the number of segments.

But be aware, 3 sided perimeters will not loft smoothly to adjacent 4 side curves.
Your top drawing has a 3 sided perimeter (on the left) adjacent to a 4 sided perimeter, the way Curviloft will see it.

Even after I do this, I still usually have a lot of cleaning up to do by pulling intersection end points in the mesh to adjacent intersections to reduce the close spaced curves and other errors that creep in.

But Curviloft does 95++% of the work. Can't live without it.

Thanks. A bit tedious going that route, so I made the "Q" key a shortcut.

OK, I'm a bit dumb.....
Exactly how do I cycle back through the selections?
I mean what buttons do I press?
It is installed and active.

@fredo6 said:

Actually, I did not find a way to cover "Save, Load, Modify" with a single dialog box. If you have ideas, more than welcome.

A bug. I just fixed it. Strange nobody signaled it.

I will look at a combo as I gain experience with Animator.

I like descriptive names, so spaces are needed between words. I dislike dashes.
Others are more simplistic.

Fredo

I'm doing a step-by-step self tutorial based on the words and videos at the top of this thread.
I created a new SKP for this, and I will document my steps for potentially a detailed written tutorial.

I found a few things for you to look at........

1 - I suggest you combine Positioner Save and Positioner Load into a single icon function. They seem redundant to me at this point. Save takes you to Load, but can't come back. This makes name editing tedious.

2 - When first naming a position in SAVE if you hit the space bar, it all goes away. You then have to edit the position name in "manage". Space bar is OK when editing, just not initial naming.

More later.