Cut piles with surface

RE: Cut piles with surface

Levi G — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 07:05:23 GMT

Hi,

I still have the same problem with the piles. Convert the mesh to SmartSurface and then use wall tool is not a good way to go. First reason is because you have to click on every single pile and if you have a couple of hundred piles it will take a long time. And second reason because it will give a dotted line under the surface and if you check the length on the pile it will include this dotted "hidden" pile under the surface and therefore I will not be able to use the data.

When I used "move to contact" command on lines the lines moved in X and Y direction as well. And that gives wrong coordinates for the piles. So I cant use that way either.

Is there another way to go? Any new tools?

Best regards

Levi

RE: Cut piles with surface

Raguram Jayaram — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 11:06:27 GMT

Robert,

1. Convert the mesh to SmartSurface.

2. (Pile being a "Form" element) Select the Modify Wall command and use the modify base height of form option to trim / extend the pile elements to the surface.

Please refer this short video clip.

communities.bentley.com/.../Extend_2D00_Trim-Pile-to-Surface.mp4

Alternatively, if the surface and the position of the piles are expected to change repeatedly during design, Generative Components (in OpenBuildings Designer) can be used.

Best Regards,

RJ.

RE: Cut piles with surface

Steve Cocchi — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 22:00:36 GMT

If you convert the Mesh to a Surface or simply start with a single surface, can you extend all of the piles downward past the Surface then use the Cut Solids by Curves tool to remove any remaining material on the underside of the surface?

RE: Cut piles with surface

Marc Thomas — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 11:21:54 GMT

OK, we'll carry on the discussion via the SR..

RE: Cut piles with surface

Robert Högberg — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 10:11:49 GMT

Ok, I see. We don't have any licenses for microstaion so can't use that in the meantime unfortunately.

Thank you

RE: Cut piles with surface

Marc Thomas — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 10:05:52 GMT

Hi Robert, Levi,

I used a front view however I was in MicroStation (for no particular reason, a MicroStation tool should work identically in OpenBuildings).

But...repeating the same operation in OpenBuildings fails with a 'no elements found' message. The is also the case with OpenBuildings MicroStation mode. That's annoying!

I'm sorry for leading you to some frustration! You can use MicroStation successfully for this operation without compromising the OpenBuildings content in the file.

I will file a defect and Service request on your behalf.

RE: Cut piles with surface

Robert Högberg — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 06:57:55 GMT

Hi. As you might have understood me and Levi are colleagues. We've tried to use the move to contact with mixed results. In Openbuildings the tool only works for us when we are in an almost top view orientation. If we stand in a front or side view the tool don't work. The lines won't move down towards the surface. Is that the case for you too Marc?

RE: Cut piles with surface

Marc Thomas — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 11:49:26 GMT

The process that I went through above was in CONNECT Edition, all in 3D in the sample file that you gave us (I never thought to use move to contact in 2D to be honest!).

RE: Cut piles with surface

Marc Thomas — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 11:43:36 GMT

View from below:

RE: Cut piles with surface

Levi G — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 07:41:34 GMT

Hi,

The "move to contact" tool doesn´t work in 3D (designseed) in Openbuildings. It works in 2D (drawingseed).However it works in ss6 so we will have to use that.

RE: Cut piles with surface

dominic SEAH — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 06:08:53 GMT

Shadow display won't pick up the Piles that are punching through the Mesh.

Better to view from below?

RE: Cut piles with surface

dominic SEAH — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 06:06:21 GMT

Levi,

Did you try using Lines or Piles? The Trim command should work with Lines / Meshes or Shapes.

Then use Place Column by Path to convert the Lines to Piles.

RE: Cut piles with surface

Marc Thomas — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 14:09:10 GMT

Hi,

Could be that the surface that I tested with was too regular, I was able to convert your mesh to a b-spline surface but found some of the trimmed lines still projected.

I have an alternative method using the Move To Contact tool that works with the mesh contained in the file that you sent to me.

I've created an array of lines above your mesh:

Start the Move to Contact tool (F4 to search the ribbon for this tool), following the prompts, drag your mouse across the lines:

They will show as selected:

Define the direction to move, click on one of the lines and drag the mouse down:

Once moved the top of the lines can be trimmed to the appropriate top of pile height(s) then they can become paths as previously described:

Here with the solar direction adjusted (ensure Default Lighting is off in the view to use the solar settings) the shadows show each pile in contact:

Rotating the model (and turning Default Lighting back on so the underside of the mesh is not in total shadow) the edges of some of the piles can be seen, the base of the piles is flat, they do not conform to the mesh.

RE: Cut piles with surface

Levi G — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 11:03:38 GMT

Hi,

I´m not sure I understand but I used "convert mesh to surface" and then tried "trim multiple". It still trims it to the edge of the surface not where the surface cuts the line.

This was done in ss6 version AECOsim Building Designer V8i. And it's the same in OpenBuildings. We want it to cut in the intersection point (red marker).

I added the file so you can take a look at it.

Regards

Levi

communities.bentley.com/.../Cut-line-to-surface.dgn

RE: Cut piles with surface

Marc Thomas — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 09:16:08 GMT

Hi Levi,

Yes, the trim command is showing as not valid for mesh elements.

It did work with a surface.

Would you like to send us a file containing the mesh shown above to experiment with? It should be possible to change/copy it to a surface that will work with the trim tool.

Please file a service request mentioning this thread asking for us to add the trim functions that you would like to see in OpenBuildings, we can then generate a linked enhancement request that will be assessed by the development team.

RE: Cut piles with surface

Levi G — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 08:01:18 GMT

Hi,

Tried that too. Didn´t work. There should be a tool to trim structural elements to the intersection of a shape/mesh/surface.

Regards

Levi

RE: Cut piles with surface

dominic SEAH — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 07:17:55 GMT

Uh oh... looks like the Trim command doesn't play well with Meshes. If so, you may need to drop the Meshes to Shapes (or convert to Surface).

RE: Cut piles with surface

Levi G — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 05:21:29 GMT

Hi,

Yes I think that is what I did, but then it will not cut in the plane.

It cuts at the blue arrow not the red where I want it to cut.

Regards

Levi

RE: Cut piles with surface

Marc Thomas — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 15:11:29 GMT

Hi Levi,

In the example above I used the MicroStation Trim Multiple tool in a Front view (orthogonal, camera off), the sequence was:

Pick Trim Multiple tool > option Trim
Select cutting element
Drag and hold mouse to draw a selection line across the parts of the elements to be trimmed, i.e. the portion of piles below the terrain.

RE: Cut piles with surface

Levi G — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 14:25:06 GMT

Hi, When I cut the lines it will not cut to intersection point of the surface but to the lines at the edge depending on the view I have.

RE: Cut piles with surface

Marc Thomas — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 13:55:10 GMT

Hi Robert,

Two steps:

create lines from each pile top centre down to the surface below to act as paths for the pile center lines.
Select all of the lines then the Place Column tool with the Place by: method set to 'Select Path', accept, one click to apply piles to all of the selected paths:

The lines are retained, not absorbed by the pile object so the paths can be modified and reused. The paths can also be in a reference file. There is no association between the line and the pile.

The quickest way to create lines of the correct length is to use the usual MicroStation array tools to the create lines of equal long length then trim them with the surface.

The path lines can also be inclined, the pile will follow them although the pile faces will be normal to the path so may need trimming/extending at the top for a clean junction with pile cap undersides.