Remove Tangent Lines - Apply Hatch to 3D solid MicroStation SS3.

Question

Hello Community; 
 I was hoping someone could help me with 2 x problems I am experiencing with MicroStation SS3. 
 1) I have drawn a 3D solid model of a component, the complete drawing is shown below:-

My question is that in the side elevation there are lines that appear to show where the arcs connect tangentially to the straight lines - is there any way of not showing these lines as it makes the drawing very confusing. I have circled these tangent lines in red in the side elevation but they also show up in the end elevation as well - Im pulling my hair out. 
 
 2) My second question is that I am trying to apply a hatch pattern to the exterior of this component, however i cannot seem to do it. I have played out with it by attempting to apply a brick hatch pattern but nothing shows up - would there be any reason as to why I would be unable to apply a hatch to a 3D solid? 
 
 Thank you all.

Barry Lothian · Answer

Hi Stewart 
 
 Typically modelled geometry like this displayed in various views on a sheet model, I have replicated your example and referenced the different view types onto a sheet. The Isometric (not a true iso as smooth shading looks a bit weird at this angle) and the plan view dont need any modifications as the lines you don't want to see are not visible in these views. For the Front and Side Elevations, those don't need any change to their display style as wireframe is perfectly fine but what you do need to change is the visible edge setting on reference dialog. Set it to Cached, the Accuracy to high, transparency doesn't need to be on and finally depending on if you want a line at the transition of the radiused corners and flat face, decide if you want Remove Smooth Edges on or off. You will now find that the internal connecting lines are no longer visible. Demonstration of the above (right-click - Open in new Tab to view full-size on Chrome): Note: If you only want the internal vertical lines gone at the tangent point, instead change Visible Edge mode from Cached to Legacy, tick Remove Smooth Edges and on the Hidden Tab, enable Force Hidden Edges On and set style to 0 otherwise the internal edges will become dashed. Doing this will however lose the equivalent tangent line at the external radiused corners. If this is not desirable, consider masking the lines with clip masks. 
 Whilst MicroStation is a decent modelling software I find it substantially lacking when it comes to materials and rendering. My understanding is the Bentley approach to applying a pattern to a surface is to create a material in the material editor and use your preferred pattern (stored in a loaded cell library) as a Geometry Map. I did test this however manipulating the position of the pattern on the face was a truly awful experience and would only adjust left/right and not up/down. These geometry maps are also only visible in views that use visible edges. Depending on what your need is I would be tempted to pattern each view on a sheet or alternatively extract the faces of the geometry and pattern them as normal with additional levels as required. At least that way you can control the size & position of the pattern as you would normally. 
 
 Sample file attached: 3D Flat Bar.dgn

Jon Summers · Answer

Stewart Souten said: in the side elevation there are lines that appear to show where the arcs connect tangentially to the straight lines 
 Whether those intermediate lines appear depends on the display style specified in the View Attributes dialog. You'll notice that, in the rendered view, those lines are not apparent. Experiment with different styles. 
 Stewart Souten said: My second question 
 Please respect Forum etiquette and ask one question per post. Otherwise the answers to multiple questions become intermingled and confusing. The Visualization Forum is a good place to post that question. 
 Hatching and patterning apply to planar (flat) elements. When working with 3D objects, you can apply a material to the object's surface.

Remove Tangent Lines - Apply Hatch to 3D solid MicroStation SS3.

Top Replies