i've tried solid modeling it once and it took a long time and it wasn't the cleanest model. what i did was draw it in portions (about 5 degrees, i can't remember), which made it look faceted, then copy pasted and rotated that piece to form a full spiral.
you can draw it as a surfaces. create an outer and an inner spiral, close the ends and then use the edgesurf command. create the thickness with surfaces also.
I can offer a spiral stair application, I guess it will work in ver.2007.
How it work ; very simple indeed it was one of the first AutoLisp applications I made, in fact it is a typical starters "command" application, where functions are send to the command function again and again untill the number of steps typed in, is placed ,lifted and turned .
But offcaurse it can produce other things than spiral stairs -- when it start you are asked to point to "the step" to multiply and rotate in hight -- but that "step" can be allmost any entity ,any entity that can be copied, rotated and placed at a specific hight. So if it is a trivial 3DPolyline, you can then later go from point to point, and draw two spiral lines .
Yes no problem I guess you know how to Load an application , then when the application is loaded ... you type it's name and answer the questions.
I know it is trivial that it only take keyboard input , it would be swell if it took both keyboard and "getdistance" input -- say when the application ask you the distance between steps, that you could point with the mouse, but that must come with next revisited version.
When I found and posted it, I will tell how you start it, agrea .
It shuld be there in your inbox --- before using it, I suggest you measure some distances on the screen, so you can type in the relevant distances when the app. ask for that.
Would it be something like: draw the outside diameter circle, offset for the inside diameter circle, divide the inner circle into segments (say 60), find the length of one inside arc segment to calculate the rise, create a ramp segment block including a reference line to position the next block in the series, insert, copy, repeat...
Guess it would, but my spiral stairs also are awfull simple.
The retoric you engage will produce a spiral of stairs , if stairs is what you ask the program to repeat in a particular number of times --- that trivial issue could start the program and your advises about the right type of spiral stairs, would be repeted the strict number this calculate, but as you see, there are so many other way's, A whole architecture studio speeding to find out who, would first build a spiral stairs to the moon with 80386 mashine, the astronomic speed of 66 Mhz. that was what calculators was avaible, for creating houses with a computer....... What come after Dinusaur ?
Right after you correctly ;tools-->load application found and pointed out the spiralstairs.VXL --- if you don't know where it is dropped when download are made, then search for it wy windows START -Search for files and documents you can then copy it's place , please check the trivial issues , there will be a spiral stair to the moon.
That mean, that just after you load the app. look at the command prompt that shuld read ;
now i just have to draw that piece between the steps, apply your lisp to it with the same parameters as the other...in order to smooth it out and appear as a ramp instead of steps
This remind me about the glorious Measure or Divide function : that will distribuate also almost anything, , along a Spline polyline or 3dpoly line entity, --- not even Lisp are required there, I think it is in the System Variables where you change the fitness of a smoothened line , there are several accesable System vars. that instantly after a redrawall will deliver a new smoothened line, and then there are Array or Copy to deliver the second line, Spiral stairs are so inspiring
your spiral stairs lisp is similar to an array except with an extra z axis parameter...i just tried to fill/smoothen the steps with a surface using edgesurf and used your lisp and it worked: it looks like a ramp instead of steps...
i wanted to make the "filler" a solid, the problem is that the outer edge is not coplanar with the inner edge (warped) so i cant extrude.
is it possible to write a lisp routine that converts surfaces to solid?...
It is not nessery if you uses Max , there you can import polymesh entities and tread them just as solids. I guess anything in the end is possible with the entmake function, yet this realy are years ago I used these tools, with Lisp anything is allready possible and that even you write it inside out top down and bottom up and speak it backwerts.
I just thought the real thing was SolidWorks and that this import export thing was all over, but now it seem to be all happening again.
Using Rhino, draw a circle of the inside diameter , then extrude it the height needed, then use the helix command around the diameter and height of the extruded circle, draw the depth of the ramp.. then use 1 rail sweep....... with top roadlike option..... select helix as rail, then select ramp depth as cross section.....
i was inverting dlb's comment of "i am asking these questions because i am interested in the work."...i didn't think he needed to validate his questions
I am sorry it is taken offendingly that I offer these old applications, -- It is just so that I thought the result, not the method would be the important issue ....
Also I allway's point out how old these applications are, I use to advise to stay with one program and only when time is short or some other prompt reson force you to look outside the program, nomatter what that program is.
But realy I do not find it irelavant how other programs work, and can offer a solution by a smart trick --- AutoLisp is allready for many years been replaced by VLisp and realy, I do often point to my Dinusaur status and point to the fact, that it seem only particular programs is easy , easy if a instant prototype is what you want to deliver.
I also realised as soon as I suggested another old Lisp rutine, that transformation yet allready for years are right there to use in any other program, --- I am very sorry, if soing things are restricted to particular fundtions in particular programs, and that my more flexible but very old fasion exersising functions with other fundtions as parameters is outdated, --- but just tell that strait out.
Nov 26, 07 9:02 am ·
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CAD...trying to draw a spiral ramp...
any autoCAD expert? I have been asking around school know one is good enough... anyone?
i am currently using cad 2007
it seems like the wrong program for the form. ask a rhino expert.
i've tried solid modeling it once and it took a long time and it wasn't the cleanest model. what i did was draw it in portions (about 5 degrees, i can't remember), which made it look faceted, then copy pasted and rotated that piece to form a full spiral.
you can draw it as a surfaces. create an outer and an inner spiral, close the ends and then use the edgesurf command. create the thickness with surfaces also.
I was going to say draw 2 helixes and then loft, but it doesn't seem to work. Switch to Rhino.
using edgesurf. the inner spiral isn't as perfect
I can offer a spiral stair application, I guess it will work in ver.2007.
How it work ; very simple indeed it was one of the first AutoLisp applications I made, in fact it is a typical starters "command" application, where functions are send to the command function again and again untill the number of steps typed in, is placed ,lifted and turned .
But offcaurse it can produce other things than spiral stairs -- when it start you are asked to point to "the step" to multiply and rotate in hight -- but that "step" can be allmost any entity ,any entity that can be copied, rotated and placed at a specific hight. So if it is a trivial 3DPolyline, you can then later go from point to point, and draw two spiral lines .
Just ask.
hey per, can you email it to me, i'd like to check it out...
Yes no problem I guess you know how to Load an application , then when the application is loaded ... you type it's name and answer the questions.
I know it is trivial that it only take keyboard input , it would be swell if it took both keyboard and "getdistance" input -- say when the application ask you the distance between steps, that you could point with the mouse, but that must come with next revisited version.
When I found and posted it, I will tell how you start it, agrea .
is it tools-->load application?
Eh found the application but I must ask you to mail an address where I can add the file , this is not possible here.
It shuld be there in your inbox --- before using it, I suggest you measure some distances on the screen, so you can type in the relevant distances when the app. ask for that.
Would it be something like: draw the outside diameter circle, offset for the inside diameter circle, divide the inner circle into segments (say 60), find the length of one inside arc segment to calculate the rise, create a ramp segment block including a reference line to position the next block in the series, insert, copy, repeat...
Will you have landings?
Guess it would, but my spiral stairs also are awfull simple.
The retoric you engage will produce a spiral of stairs , if stairs is what you ask the program to repeat in a particular number of times --- that trivial issue could start the program and your advises about the right type of spiral stairs, would be repeted the strict number this calculate, but as you see, there are so many other way's, A whole architecture studio speeding to find out who, would first build a spiral stairs to the moon with 80386 mashine, the astronomic speed of 66 Mhz. that was what calculators was avaible, for creating houses with a computer....... What come after Dinusaur ?
per,
the command isn't bringing up the spiralstairs prompt. i'm using 2004. i want to draw some stairs to the moon...
Then you has not loaded the file or there are no Vlisp interface.
Right after you correctly ;tools-->load application found and pointed out the spiralstairs.VXL --- if you don't know where it is dropped when download are made, then search for it wy windows START -Search for files and documents you can then copy it's place , please check the trivial issues , there will be a spiral stair to the moon.
That mean, that just after you load the app. look at the command prompt that shuld read ;
Command: _appload spiralstairs.VLX successfully loaded.
When that is so, you type vvi and you are on your way.
ahh got it...its v v i...i was typing wi
here it is...
now i just have to draw that piece between the steps, apply your lisp to it with the same parameters as the other...in order to smooth it out and appear as a ramp instead of steps
This remind me about the glorious Measure or Divide function : that will distribuate also almost anything, , along a Spline polyline or 3dpoly line entity, --- not even Lisp are required there, I think it is in the System Variables where you change the fitness of a smoothened line , there are several accesable System vars. that instantly after a redrawall will deliver a new smoothened line, and then there are Array or Copy to deliver the second line, Spiral stairs are so inspiring
your spiral stairs lisp is similar to an array except with an extra z axis parameter...i just tried to fill/smoothen the steps with a surface using edgesurf and used your lisp and it worked: it looks like a ramp instead of steps...
i wanted to make the "filler" a solid, the problem is that the outer edge is not coplanar with the inner edge (warped) so i cant extrude.
is it possible to write a lisp routine that converts surfaces to solid?...
It is not nessery if you uses Max , there you can import polymesh entities and tread them just as solids. I guess anything in the end is possible with the entmake function, yet this realy are years ago I used these tools, with Lisp anything is allready possible and that even you write it inside out top down and bottom up and speak it backwerts.
I just thought the real thing was SolidWorks and that this import export thing was all over, but now it seem to be all happening again.
Just a thought ; what about raw transformation, 3D offcaurse ?
Using Rhino, draw a circle of the inside diameter , then extrude it the height needed, then use the helix command around the diameter and height of the extruded circle, draw the depth of the ramp.. then use 1 rail sweep....... with top roadlike option..... select helix as rail, then select ramp depth as cross section.....
That should give you your ramp....
metamech,
i was inverting dlb's comment of "i am asking these questions because i am interested in the work."...i didn't think he needed to validate his questions
I am sorry it is taken offendingly that I offer these old applications, -- It is just so that I thought the result, not the method would be the important issue ....
Also I allway's point out how old these applications are, I use to advise to stay with one program and only when time is short or some other prompt reson force you to look outside the program, nomatter what that program is.
But realy I do not find it irelavant how other programs work, and can offer a solution by a smart trick --- AutoLisp is allready for many years been replaced by VLisp and realy, I do often point to my Dinusaur status and point to the fact, that it seem only particular programs is easy , easy if a instant prototype is what you want to deliver.
I also realised as soon as I suggested another old Lisp rutine, that transformation yet allready for years are right there to use in any other program, --- I am very sorry, if soing things are restricted to particular fundtions in particular programs, and that my more flexible but very old fasion exersising functions with other fundtions as parameters is outdated, --- but just tell that strait out.
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