2D sections into 3D surface

[trickynicky]

Hello I'm new to the group, but have already learned much, thanks. My question is, what is the best way to create a 3d mesh out of a series of sectional views? Should I import the existing drawings as blocks at the proper intervals (columns) and manually connect them with splines (rows), creating a mesh manually, or is there a better, smarter way? The model will consist of 16 sections (stations)(mirrored to 32)2 ends and a bottom profile. It is all curves, and it seems that there should be a simple way to do this , now that the stations have been drawn.

 

[loeb]

AutoCad is very weak in this area.

If your completed geometry can be created using spheres, cubes, cyllinders, and cones, I'd suggest making a solid by performing booleans on the above primitives. Then you can explode the solid (once) and be left with a surface.

If your geometry is move complex or organic, I would do the following. Xref in your sections. Bind your xrefs. Explode them a couple of times to make them into lines and arcs. Now you can add the missing lines/arcs/etc to apply ACAD surfacing commands.

I don't remember if you can surface with splines.

If you're trying to bring in a design done in another package, you might be able to forego all this by importing the original solid. Most packages will allow you to expoert as an SAT (ACIS Solid). You can import them into ACAD using the "ACISIN" command. Fortunately, Autodesk includes this command for free and I have found that it is a great way to bring in designs from SolidWorks, Inventor, and parts provided by vendors on the Web. Another method is to use Autodesk's Add-On import utility (I forget what it's called) that will allow you to import IGES, STEP, and one other format.

Hope this helps. loeb@microtech.com

 

[trickynicky]

The completed model is all compound curves. Each section is composed of a 15 point spline. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to export the .dwgs to solidworks and loft the sketches, make a solid model, save it as an iges file then open it up in acad.

 

[trickynicky]

scrap that, I just read the other post about opening iges files in acad, oh well, I guess I could live with a solid model, but I really wanted to make a mesh. Theres got to be a way. Whats wrong with linking the sections manually, or does that just make something that appears to be a mesh, but somehow isn't?