Any AutoCAD gurus in the house? Please help a newbie

RaynorWolfcastle

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2001
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I have a project due for an AutoCAD I'm taking and we have to draw a (church-resembling) building. It's pretty much finnished except for 1 thing. I've used surfaces to draw most of everything, making both outside and inside surfaces. My problem is that when I add in my windows they are covered bymy outside walls.

I could probably use a command like RULESURF repeatedly, but it just seems impractical.

Then I tried using regions, but that does not let me add a surface, although I can obtain the correct shape

Is there another way to subtract a shape out of a surface apart from regions? Is there a way to use regions more effectively? I can post the drawing on my website if anyone wants to see it to help out.

As usual any help is greatly appreciated :)

-Ice
 

CADsortaGUY

Lifer
Oct 19, 2001
25,162
1
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www.ShawCAD.com
Whoa - I normally do 2d electrical diagrams but do some 3D Mechanical drawings. I am using ACAD2002 and I can't get the surfaces to "cutout" the windows either. I've tried every "trick" I am aware of but nothing seems to work correctly. Normally I set the surfaces last on my mechanical drawings but it doesn't seem to be working. Normally I only have circles and squares that are "cut-out" so this window shape is screwing things up. I'll keep digging but don't count on me finding the solution quickly.

edit - spelling
 

911paramedic

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2002
9,448
1
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there is a problem with your walls. They are individual solid surfaces, you should have drawn them with thickness. It looks like a card house, excuse the comparison. I tried to select a wall and it was in many pieces, not a single block with thickness.

You can subtract areas with true 3D surfaces, or entities, not how you have it now.
 

RaynorWolfcastle

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2001
8,968
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81


<< Linky

Take a look, my idea is at the bottom of the pic.

Like I said, I do mostly blueprint type drawing, not 3D.
>>



Doubtful that this is the problem since I specifically checked the positions then used the mirror command to place it on various sides.



<< Normally I set the surfaces last on my mechanical drawings but it doesn't seem to be working >>



That's what I do also, unless I can't visualize what belongs to what without surfaces. The reason I just threw the surfaces on at the end is because I was getting p!ssed off and just wanted to get it over with. They can be removed pretty easily.

-Ice
 

911paramedic

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2002
9,448
1
76
there is a problem with your walls. They are individual solid surfaces, you should have drawn them with thickness. It looks like a card house, excuse the comparison. I tried to select a wall and it was in many pieces, not a single block with thickness.
 

RaynorWolfcastle

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2001
8,968
16
81


<< there is a problem with your walls. They are individual solid surfaces, you should have drawn them with thickness. It looks like a card house, excuse the comparison. I tried to select a wall and it was in many pieces, not a single block with thickness. >>



Yeah, I wanted to do it that way but the teacher told us that this assignment was to get us more comfortable with the surf commands. I actually had a lot of it built up using thickness until he told me that. So I started over his way :frown:
rolleye.gif


There shouldn't be too many walls that are in pieces, those that are that way are because I had to use different surf commands to cover the entire surface



<< have you tried drawing the windows in block? >>


huh?
 

RaynorWolfcastle

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2001
8,968
16
81
yeah, like I said, making it into a region (3d-object) solves the problem as in I get the right shape, but then I can't shade it correctly (to appear as a surface when using flat or gouraud shading) if I can't do that, then you can see the innards of the card house.

-Ice