Mesh Thickness

[Anonymous]

I would love the ability to draw a mesh polygon and give it an extrusion thickness that wouldn't be tied to the ground. For instance, if I wanted to use a mesh for a series of complex triangles for a wall, and then give it all a solid thickness that was perpendicular to the normal for the polygon. This would allow me to have those wall panels have a constant thickness that would update whenever i changed the position of a node in the model.

[Rex Maximilian]

Evan wrote:
I would love the ability to draw a mesh polygon and give it an extrusion thickness that wouldn't be tied to the ground. For instance, if I wanted to use a mesh for a series of complex triangles for a wall, and then give it all a solid thickness that was perpendicular to the normal for the polygon. This would allow me to have those wall panels have a constant thickness that would update whenever i changed the position of a node in the model.

What I do is make it solid, then elevate a copy of it down the amount of the desired thickness. Then I put it on my hidden s.e.o. elements layers, and then perform the operation. Workaround, yes, but it works well. However, it is no substitute for an actual thickness parameter!

[Anonymous]

Rex wrote:
What I do is make it solid, then elevate a copy of it down the amount of the desired thickness. Then I put it on my hidden s.e.o. elements layers, and then perform the operation. Workaround, yes, but it works well. However, it is no substitute for an actual thickness parameter!

I completely agree! for now I'll use MaxonForm for this but I would think that this wouldn't be too hard to implement???

[Anonymous]

Well I've found a temporary workaround which is to draw the mesh and then use the Mesh to Roof add-on from the downloads page. This doesn't give me exactly what I want, but now I know it's possible for them to add this to the program!

[Rex Maximilian]

Evan wrote:
Well I've found a temporary workaround which is to draw the mesh and then use the Mesh to Roof add-on from the downloads page. This doesn't give me exactly what I want, but now I know it's possible for them to add this to the program!

If you don't mind hundreds of roofs AND the loss of being able to edit it, that's a solution. I like SEOs because everything remains live. To thicken the mesh, just move the operator down...

I also use this method for driveways. I'll copy my revised site mesh to my hidden SEO layer and move it up an inch, then draw a 100' tall slab for my driveway and then intersect the two with SEO. It works great. I can then reshape the driveway at will and it ALWAYS follows the contours. You can also cut the bottom of the driveway with the mesh on the revised site layer.

[Anonymous]

You make some great points. Coming from a background in FormZ, I've wondered what the benefit was to keeping the SEO objects live was, but you've explained it perfectly. Thanks!

[owen]

essential ... then we can kiss goodbye to separate slab & roof tools

[Rob]

a musthave thing - roofs constructing would be a pleasure

[Anonymous]

Thickness perpendicular to the normal of the polygons, would be a must. I can understand it is not easy to do.
In a first time, i would be glad with just a vertical thickness. IMHO, this should be easier to implement into the current mesh tool.

[Anonymous]

Funny this discussion would be going on now as this is exactly the main issue in a project I am working on. I like the idea of the SEO method enough, but I must be doing something wrong, as when select the thickened mesh as target and copied thin mesh as operator then subtrction with downwards extrusion then execute, nothing happens, however, doing the same thing with ANY other element works fine. Ive tried slabs, walls, etc all of which will work but not the mesh...is there a step im missing?