Tim


Any thoughts to having a option to join objects into a connected polyline versus current way converting to splines when using the join tool? Also a way to join all connected objects with one click rather than picking each curve one at a time something like how the chain select recoginizes connected curves. Maybe you hold down the option/ctrl and pick one curve and it connects all the curves that are connected. (AKA Trim Join tool in Autosketch.)

Ultimately if you could join connected objects into a polyline and be able to explode back to original curves as well as explode to lines!

I understand the join tool works to create a single continuous entites for some downstream features or needed if you are building surfaces off of curves, but the polyline would be useful in many other areas as well.


Anybody else have any thoughts?



Thanks

Jason

>>to join objects into a connected polyline

Hi Jason,
Just to clarify, the resulting curve would be a polyline where all segments are lines? (IE splines would get converting into lines)

Tim

I agree 100% Jason that JOIN as a tool needs work!!

.......that doesn't make sense too me. What is its useful purpose?. I think if your happy with approximated, facetted, un-accurate geometry then maybe nurbs engine is not the tool to use :rolleyes:

A chain (series) of lines & arcs & splines when joined should retain their structure and become a polycurve not a polyline. A chain of lines would become a polyline.

Exploding any of the above should take the geometry back to square one....

Hi, Tim

Splines are not treated well in some cam packages and yes some prefer only polylines that are joined as one continuous line.

A big advantage of joining a bunch of curves that make up a shape is to also check for non connected geometry since profile cutting like laser needs a connected toolpath so kerf values can be computed. Since alot of cam or laser / punch nesting software does not have cad features you are going back and forth from cad to cam cad to cam to correct unconnected geometry. Being able to join geometry before going to cam/nesting software ensures a seamless downstream interaction.

Example Workflow : Create sheetmetal parts or parts for cam join entire profile or toolpath as joined polyline export out to dxf then explode geometry back to arcs and lines (curves). The geometry will probably get modified on future rev so the curves lines arc are easier to modify than joined polyline.

3d modelers esp with sheetmetal unfolding leaves internal corners and edges of unfolded hems, internal cutouts on folded lines as unconnected splines may only be off by .001 or .002 but its unconnected geometry. All of these situations arise from how sheetmetalparts were modeled and whether someone takes the time to do radius or fillets on the unfolded walls vs on folded geometry. And the unfolding approximates with splines vs arc and lines.

Another example is bottles 3d modeled and then 2d drawings need made with dimensions but most software creates 2d profiles with splines which gets run through spline to polyline converters or other software. There are many software that convert splines to polylines but unfortunatly most don't do a real good job. And its slows workflow to have to open files in many different softwars just to get what you need.

See attached dxf files of a simple profile the first is v12 dxf the second is v2004 dxf. AutoCAD v12 dxf converted all splines to polylines, I don't think 12 could deal with splines. If you import the 2 dxf's into Shark see the difference v12 lots of lines grouped together and v2004 is a continuous polyline. So the dxf converters are handling these differently.

Thanks

Jason