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Decorative Block


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#1 Kimberly Hardee

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Posted 14 March 2021 - 09:48 AM

Good Morning, after being absent from SP for almost 12 years, I am jumping back in!  I am curious if anyone is using decorative block in their design.  I live in small community of mid-century houses and am working on recreating some of the designs.  Most of these houses use decorative block.  Any help or guidance is appreciated.

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#2 Keith Almond

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Posted 14 March 2021 - 10:06 AM

OVERSIMPLIFIED

 

Open a new project.

 

Draw the plan shape you require (as a polygon) - NOTE: You cannot draw holes in solids you have to run a continuous line from the outside to the inside of the shape. I've found the easiest way is to use as many shapes as you want to create the shape, and then TRACE it as a single polygon line.

 

EDIT > Form Solid polygon - Then edit the solid polygon and give it a thickness. You should now be able to see it in a 3D window.

 

Then export the 3D as a DWG file. Then use the symbol wizard to reorient and save a plan view of the object. 

 

If you need more help, let us know.

 

2021.03.14_14h38m37s_001_.png

 

Note: This wasn't created in Softplan, but does show the principle. Draw it as a single polygon shape and then adjust the edges to close the gaps.


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Keith

There are 10 types of people in this world ....... Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

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#3 Kimberly Hardee

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Posted 14 March 2021 - 01:50 PM

Thank you!  I will try that!



#4 Richard Rubinski

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Posted 16 March 2021 - 04:35 PM

Kimberly, I made the blocks in Sketchup if you haven't made them yet. You can use the symbol wizard to create a symbol in Softplan. 

 

 

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#5 Keith Almond

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Posted 16 March 2021 - 06:18 PM

I'm not very good with Sketchup, but extruding a symmetrical pattern is probably easier than doing it with Softplan.

 

I tried the Polygon method I explained, and forming a solid polygon was awful. The FORM SOLID POLYGON command does NOT work well on complex shapes. Maybe tracing with a 3D polygon would work better ... I've done it the other way so long, I forgot we now have 3D polygons ...

 

I still maintain that Softplan NEEDS a simple command to rotate shapes in a Z axis. Even if it's only a simple rotate 90°Z. It would make so many 3D Shapes so much easier to use.


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Keith

There are 10 types of people in this world ....... Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Softplan user since version 5.5.2.5

www.homehardwarekingston.ca

#6 Mark Petri

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Posted 17 March 2021 - 08:58 AM

I'm a big fan of using SketchUp for such things. It takes way less time and you have much more control over the results.


Mark Petri

Petri Building and Design

 





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