Extrude with path follow & 3d Arcs

I have 2 problems, for some reason i can not extrude some blocks along a path in blue. The red path is a 2d top down view of the profile, the blue is with grade.

I made sure the blocks are closed and points are in order. I exploded it, took off the bottom line and used Pedit to join all the lines and then close it. After that i made it a block and pasted it where it needed to go. I dont know why they are not extruding along the blue path... i get "cannot sweep or extrude an object of this type" error

Next I can not get that arc to meet because it is staying in the 2d plane i need it to connect with the lower blue profile.

I am also having the same problem with the loft command for when i go from one profile to the next... i think i just forgot something.

I think civil does all this but i have never used it before.

i wanted to use blocks because if they changed later...

I thought a block could not be extruded. How about making it a region instead?

that might be the reason why i am pulling my hair out...

I'll try that, and see how it goes.

Also anyone know how to make the arc not on the same plane, i need it to connect to those two lines, in the bottom left of the picture...

also what does "not parallel to the UCS" mean.

never mind, im just going to do this in solid works, its 100 times easier.

i would imagine the reason you cannot extrude along a path is because where your elevation changes looks like a hard edge and not a tangent arc. but yes its much more simple in SW. Are you going to loft between all the white profiles? or are they something else?

i just lofted with a guide curves at either side of the arc, it seems to come out a lot easier and i got all the numbers i was looking for from the model.

Only problem was i was given GPS cords for the 3 points and it was had to find distances between them... where cad made that a little easier than solid works.

Yeah i'm a solid works guy but i hit limits when items get bigger than .5km to 1km... (scale like crazy =P)

Just this cad guy here challenged me to do it all in cad... i failed

..where cad made that a little easier than solid works.

Just this cad guy here challenged me to do it all in cad... i failed

I thought SolidWorks is CAD?

Attach your dwg attempt here.

why are there 3 different lofts there? It should be fine doing it in 1.

i needed to find the volume and surface area of 3 different sections of a tunnel. that is the reason i have 3 lofts.

Inventor is cad, solid works is something different. Solid works, i find is a lot easier for making small parts and 3d shapes.

and its a *.sldprt file not a *.dwg :wink: so it wont let me upload it, i can upload my first try from cad .

(i had to remove a bunch of stuff, layers and all to get the size down)

main access tunnel 2.dwg

"... solid works (sic) is something different."

SolidWorks combines mechanical CAD capability with design validation, product data management, design communication and CAD productivity tools in a single comprehensive software package.

i needed to find the volume and surface area of 3 different sections of a tunnel. that is the reason i have 3 lofts.

 

Inventor is cad, solid works is something different. Solid works, i find is a lot easier for making small parts and 3d shapes.

 

and its a *.sldprt file not a *.dwg :wink: so it wont let me upload it, i can upload my first try from cad .

 

(i had to remove a bunch of stuff, layers and all to get the size down)

CAD is just computer aided design. Technically Excel can be CAD i guess :wink: In solidworks you can measure surface area of your different sections easily if it was one loft as long as you have split lines at the faces. There is an option box that says "merge tangent faces". If you dont check this it will make sure to leave these lines between sections. But for the volume you must do it in separate sections as far as i know.

Inventor is cad, solid works is something different.

I guess I should go back to school and find out what that "something different" is.

I guess I should go back to school and find out what that "something different" is.

It all remains a mystery to me. I have enough problems figuring out AutoCAD.

Inventor is cad, solid works is something different.

Well I went back to school and did a bit of research.

Someone better tell these guys that SolidWorks isn't CAD.

http://www.thecadacademy.com/

And these guys

http://www.cadsociety.org/

http://www.cadsociety.org/releases/community_2009.html

And these guys (apparently SolidWorks, the company, is as confused as I am) (("SolidWorks Corp. develops and markets 3D CAD design software")

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=SolidWorks+CAD+software

Our company has just invested in Advance Steel. Are there any other Advance Steel users in this forum?

For those who don't know, Advance Steel is a 3D modelling package sold as a bolt on to AutoCAD - see here http://www.graitec.com/En/as.asp