Better way to do this?

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Glenn Schroeder
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Better way to do this?

Unread post by Glenn Schroeder »

I finally got this Part to work, but it was a struggle.

image.png

After using the Structural Member function to create both ends I tried every way I could think of to Loft between them. I admittedly go months without needing to do a Loft, but I think I tried every possible setting and kept getting this error.

image.png

I finally created a Surface Loft (and I use Surfaces much less than solid Lofts) and thickened it, which worked, but it seems like there should be a better way. Any ideas?
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Thrie to W-Beam, asymmetric.SLDPRT
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"On the days when I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, well, I have really good days."

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JSculley
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Re: Better way to do this?

Unread post by JSculley »

This is similar to your previous question on the old forum, for a symmetric version:

https://r1132100503382-eu1-3dswym.3dexp ... NiraOD2n3A

The error message was different, but it might be worthwhile to match up the segment count between the ends and see what happens.
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Glenn Schroeder
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Re: Better way to do this?

Unread post by Glenn Schroeder »

JSculley wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 11:17 am This is similar to your previous question on the old forum, for a symmetric version:

https://r1132100503382-eu1-3dswym.3dexp ... NiraOD2n3A

The error message was different, but it might be worthwhile to match up the segment count between the ends and see what happens.
Thanks Jim,

I thought I remembered a similar issue, but wasn't sure I had posted it before, and in any case I haven't spent a week on the other forum learning to do a search so I probably wouldn't have been able to find it anyway.

I pulled up that file (which I still use), and I did add a sketch with enough end points to make the same number of segments as the larger end, but I seem to remember someone (I think it was @matt ) saying the necessity of having an equal number of segments wasn't that important, but maybe I was wrong.
"On the days when I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, well, I have really good days."

Ray Wylie Hubbard in his song "Mother Blues"
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Lucas
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Re: Better way to do this?

Unread post by Lucas »

Glenn Schroeder wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:23 am I finally created a Surface Loft (and I use Surfaces much less than solid Lofts) and thickened it, which worked, but it seems like there should be a better way. Any ideas?
I made everything with surface: Both profiles with Extrude Surface, then connected them with Boundary Surface (or Loft Surface - Loft is better if you want to add more profiles to guide the changes in the surface).
image.png
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Guardrail_surface.SLDPRT
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Lucas
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Re: Better way to do this?

Unread post by Lucas »

Or maybe you want to do with features and keep structural members. It is possible to do with Boundary Feature: Select the faces and apply tangency.
image.png
image.png

And with Loft Feature:
image.png
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Guardrail_feature-loft.SLDPRT
(1.03 MiB) Downloaded 46 times
Guardrail_original.SLDPRT
(1.25 MiB) Downloaded 68 times
MJuric
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Re: Better way to do this?

Unread post by MJuric »

Glenn Schroeder wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:23 am I finally got this Part to work, but it was a struggle.


image.png


After using the Structural Member function to create both ends I tried every way I could think of to Loft between them. I admittedly go months without needing to do a Loft, but I think I tried every possible setting and kept getting this error.


image.png


I finally created a Surface Loft (and I use Surfaces much less than solid Lofts) and thickened it, which worked, but it seems like there should be a better way. Any ideas?
Completely off topic but I love when people post things like this. I found myself looking at guard rails back and forth from work and looking for this piece :shock:
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Glenn Schroeder
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Re: Better way to do this?

Unread post by Glenn Schroeder »

MJuric wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 8:12 am Completely off topic but I love when people post things like this. I found myself looking at guard rails back and forth from work and looking for this piece :shock:
That piece is typically used off the end of bridge or overpass concrete parapets. Thrie-beam guardrail (usually two pieces nested one inside the other) is attached to the parapet, and that piece is then used to transition to standard W-beam guardrail.

Without that transition mean nasty things would happen if someone hit the relatively flexible W-beam near the concrete, which is of course rigid.
"On the days when I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, well, I have really good days."

Ray Wylie Hubbard in his song "Mother Blues"
MJuric
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Re: Better way to do this?

Unread post by MJuric »

Glenn Schroeder wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 10:19 am That piece is typically used off the end of bridge or overpass concrete parapets.
Not surprisingly that's where the ones I say where :D
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