Convert Surface (Loft) to Soild

Is there another way to convert a surface to a solid other than the CONVTOSOLID command. I tried using it and it did not work. I cannot upload the drawing file because it is too big, but I did attach an image of what I need to convert. I will email to anyone who might have an idea, on how to get around this problem.

Thanks for all the help.

Maybe the Face-to-Solid lisp referenced here will do it although I'm not sure why the convtosolid command wouldn't. Link:

http://discussion.autodesk.com/forums/thread.jspa?messageID=5305011

I will the lisp a try and hopefully it works. If you want I can email the file to you. Maybe there is something that I'm missing.

Sure, email it to me. How much more damage could I do?

No more than I have already done. It is on its way. The lisp did not work either.

Two different lisp routines failed to fix the problem? How did you construct this thing again? Via the loft command?

Yes, I used the loft command

Other than the reason I emailed you regarding geometry here is something else to keep in mind. It comes from AutoCAD Help:

With the CONVTOSOLID command, you can convert the following objects into extruded 3D solids:

• Uniform-width wide polylines with thickness
  
• Closed, zero-width polylines with thickness
  
• Circles with thickness

I don't think your object satisfied any of the three conditions.

Is there a reason you had to use loft to create that shape? Looks like it would be pretty simple to just create it as a solid using basic commands.

KC

The problem was solved and the solution did involve solids just as kencaz had surmised.

kencaz, I've only been working with 3D and solids for about two months here and there on my own, without little tutorials. I am still learning the ins and outs, dos and don'ts. Thanks for taking a look though.

I created "half an oil drum" thusly:

1. ARC, representing bottom of the half oil drum, 2 units wide. 180degree ARC.

2. LINE between ends of ARC.

3. 2 LINES up, from each end of ARC, 5 units into +Z.

4. copy ARC to top of vertical lines (outlining the "top" of the half oil drum). also copy LINE from between ends of lower ARC to ends of upper ARC.

At this point I have the edges of the half oil drum outlined as expected.

5. SWEEP bottom (or top) ARC, along the path of either vertical LINE. This forms a surface as expected, representing the outer skin of the half-oil drum.

6. make REGION of lower ARC and its "closing" LINE. do same for upper "end" of half oil drum. also make REGION of the half face, using the four edges of where the half oil drum was cut in half.

7. CONVTOSURFACE each of the three REGIONS (upper end of half oil drum, bottom end of half oil drum, and inner / split / half face).

At this point I have four SURFACES that appear to be "watertight".

8. Select all four SURFACES and attempt CONVTOSOLID. Fail.

9. Select all four SURFACES and UNION. Repeat Step 8. Fail.

10. Go back and convert both ARCs to POLYLINES. Reattempt. Fail.

I must be totally misunderstanding what AC expects (i.e., to create a "watertight" set of surfaces), or else it's completely illogical. I'm seriously ready to switch programs. I realize there are probably other ways to accomplish this, but I would like to do it this way because this way, according to everything I've read so far, makes most logical sense - that is, create a set of watertight surfaces and form them into a solid. Finding documentation anywhere on this specific, seemingly ridiculously inane problem has been, well, impossible. Any ideas or guidance would be much appreciated. TIA

--- EDIT 1

Went back and made the bottom ARC and its connecting LINE segment into a single "closed" POLYLINE with PEDIT command, then JOIN. Then EXTRUDEd this resulting "profile", which created a solid half oil drum. Neat. Still confused about purpose of CONVTOSOLID and its mysterious / non-existent failure message.

On one hand you say you're trying to create a "watertight" set of surfaces and on the other hand you fault the CONVTOSOLID command. What was your real intent?

What is the reference to "watertight" all about?

I thought the ultimate point was to have everything become a solid. It seems inordinately difficult to work with surfaces if the goal is to ultimately convert to solids. My real intent was to create a solid that resembles a half oil drum. "Watertight" comes from lots of places in autodesk's documentation. I've pretty much given up on surfaces; I guess they've been replaced by meshes anyway? Instead of screwing around with this "ribbon" garbage, I think AD should refocus everyone on cleaning up and clarifying their flagship. It's literally going off in dozens if not hundreds of directions, and, to my relatively newbie 3D vantage, it looks like a huge mess in every direction, with zero "bigger picture" available. I'm reading Finkelstein's book on AC 2010, at a whopping 1,200+ pages. Am I the only person who finds this state of things totally absurd?

I've pretty much given up on surfaces

Have you gone through the tutorials in my signature? (doesn't sound like it, as I would not go about creating your part as you describe)

I guess they've been replaced by meshes anyway? ?

Nope, that is a whole different ballgame for a different purpose (subdivision mesh modeling for freeform organic shapes).

"I thought the ultimate point was to have everything become a solid."

Then I would suggest avoiding working with surfaces unless it is absolutely necessary. Seems simple enough or am I still missing something. I'm not trying to pick a fight. I'm only trying to understand your point of view. Friends?