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Isometric drawing from 3D solid


Chambs

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Hi,

I sometimes find it easier to draw curved objects as 3D and then flatten them, rather than try to figure out how to do it in isometric, but I don't know how to rotate the 3D image to exactly the isometric view (30 degree, in this case) I need. I'm using AutoCAD 2005. Can anyone tell me the best way to do this, or even better, if there's some mathematical formula or website that explains how exactly to draw curves right in isometric view without using 3D?

 

Thanks

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I would suggest, assuming that it is available in 2005, using the SOLPROF command.

Create a viewport in your layout/paperspace and set the view in that viewport to one of the preset ISOMETRIC perspectives.

You can set your view by using the VIEWS toolbar, or the VIEWPORT TOOLS in the upper left hand corner of any viewport.

 

Once you have it displaying as you want, double click into the viewport to activate it.

 

Enter SOLPROF at the commandline

Select the 3D solids which you want to represent.

Click ENTER, and accept the defaults, click ENTER about 3 more times, until it stops requesting feedback.

 

At this point you should see that the view has been TRACED and placed onto 2 blocks.

One of them will be on a new layer the name of which will begin with PV (V for Visible), and that block will contain copies all of the visible edges.

The other new layer will have a name beginning with PH (H for Hidden), and will comprise of copies of all of the Hidden lines in the drawing.

 

These blocks can be separated by dragging one of them away from the other by a KNOWN distance.

You probably want to move or erase the SOLIDS too, just to get them out of the way.

EXPLODE the 2 SOLPROF generated blocks.

Run the OVERKILL command on those exploded blocks, just select them all at once, and accept the OVERKILL default values.

Overkill will delete any nonessential or duplicated lines.

 

At this point I would select all of the VISIBLE lines, and change their layer (in my QUICK PROPERTIES palette) to whatever layer I want them on. In my case STEEL.

Do the same with all of the HIDDEN lines, I put those on my STEEL HIDDEN layer.

At this point all of those SOLPROF generated lines will have assumed the colors of their corrected layer assignments.

 

Now realign whichever group of lines you had moved away, to the other group of lines by moving them back the KNOWN distance.

 

It sounds like a lot of work, but once you are used to doing it, you can do it very quickly.

 

There are those who advocate the use of SOLDRAW, SOLVIEW or FLATTEN, to each his own.

I find SOLPROF to be very accurate.

Later when you purge the drawing, those PV and PH layers should be deleted, as they are empty layers.

 

Hope that helps you.

 

Take it around the block, and see what you think. :)

isometric views.JPG

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how exactly to draw curves right in isometric view without using 3D?

To draw isometric you should call the DSETTINGS command, go to Snap and Grid tab, and under Snap type & style chouse Isometric snap.

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Once you have the cursor set for isometric drawing use the ellipse command and then the isocircle option, watch the command line for the options.

Edited by rkent
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Hey Chambs,

 

This is how I do it:

 

Once you've arranged your ISO view the way you lik it set your UCS to "VIEW". Then WBLOCK out the contents of the drawing (WBLOCK, filename, * - the asterick will just write everything out).

 

Open the new drawing and you will see that the top view (that is, plan) displays the ISO view. Flatten as needed.

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Thanks a lot to everyone who responded. I've gotten one step closer to what I really wanted to do (draw 3D views as 2D), but I'll write down the solids commands/tips people gave me for next time I need those. I never worked with the isoplanes and iso snap. I don't know how I was never taught that in class, o.O but it's great! It completely solves the curve problem by using different isoplanes with the ellipse isocircle commands. However, the only thing I need to know now is if there is a way to change the angle settings of the isoplanes and isosnap. I can't seem to find anything in the Help index. Like if I wanted a 45degree/135degree isometric drawing as opposed to a 30degree/150 degree. Is this possible?

 

Thanks again,

Matt

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Yes it is possible. :)

 

Turn off the ISOMETRIC snap and select POLAR instead, on the Snap and Grid tab.

Then set your OSNAP options like in the picture and I believe you will get what you are after.

Note that you can add different increment angles to the POLAR ANGLE SETTINGS in order to enable working on non orthogonal layouts.

Also your SNAP can be set to ABSOLUTE or RELATIVE TO LAST SEGMENT.

Play with these settings a bit and you will see that you can easily customize the OSNAP behavior to suit your needs.

nonisometric osnap.JPG

Edited by Dadgad
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Thanks a lot to everyone who responded. I've gotten one step closer to what I really wanted to do (draw 3D views as 2D), but I'll write down the solids commands/tips people gave me for next time I need those. I never worked with the isoplanes and iso snap. I don't know how I was never taught that in class, o.O but it's great! It completely solves the curve problem by using different isoplanes with the ellipse isocircle commands. However, the only thing I need to know now is if there is a way to change the angle settings of the isoplanes and isosnap. I can't seem to find anything in the Help index. Like if I wanted a 45degree/135degree isometric drawing as opposed to a 30degree/150 degree. Is this possible?

 

Thanks again,

Matt

 

45degree/135degree wouldn't be an isometric, it would need to be 45/165/285 (120 degrees between each). You can set that up by setting the Snap, Style, Iso then set SNAPANG to 15, turn Ortho on.

 

If you weren't actually wanting an Isometric then follow Dadgad's instructions.

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rkent, you mean 30 degree, not 45 degree correct?

 

I wasn't sure exactly what the OP was asking for but if they need a true isometric then if one side is rotated to 45d then the other angles would have to follow suit so that each major axis would still be equal angles apart which is 120d.

iso 45.jpg

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The FLATSHOT command is a great tool.

You will find it far easier to construct in 3D and FLATSHOT your drawing than doing it 2D.

Furthermore, you can create plans, elevations and sections from a 3D model in a very short time.

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