How do you model a solid curving in two directions?

[narlee]

This is a wall cap. I made it with solid and void extrusions. It doesn't matter which directions I make the solid/voids, I get the same result. I understand the "why", but I can't figure out how to make it right in Revit. As you can see from the right elevation, the end of the cap is not "level" the way it should be...

Attached are TopView, FrontView, RightView

[sbrown]

Swept Blend.

[narlee]

You know, I thought about those. I haven't used them, but perhaps I should play with them. I just saw that the paths were still defined as 2D. Maybe a combination of swept blend and voids?...

[narlee]

Or...maybe I can attach the path to the top of a curved wall that I've cut off the top with a curved cut, but then still control the Swept Blend Profile 2 so that it isn't "tipped"...

[Scott D Davis]

You know, I thought about those. I haven't used them, but perhaps I should play with them. I just saw that the paths were still defined as 2D. Maybe a combination of swept blend and voids?...

Path doesn't matter. Set one profile high and one low, and the sweep will follow the path but make an object that changes elevation.

[narlee]

Right, but I believe the path that describes that change in elevation will be straight, no? I'm looking for a curved change-in-elevation path.

[Scott D Davis]

Right, but I believe the path that describes that change in elevation will be straight, no? I'm looking for a curved change-in-elevation path.

The path can be an arc. At each end of the arc wil be profile 1 and profile 2. You edit each profile separately and will see the workplane as an origin point and 2 crossing ref planes. to get the change in elevation, profile 1 sits on the origin point. Profile 2 is some distance "X" above the origin point. When you finish the sketch, profile 1 and 2 will sweep together, changing elevation, and will follow the arc path in plan. Make sense? Is that what you are looking for?

[narlee]

My wallcap is a curve in the XY plane AND a curve in the XZ plane. Thus, its planview path is an arc, AND its elevation path is an arc, too.

[Scott D Davis]

Ok, that changes things a bit, because the Z direction curves also. You can do an in-place family Mass, that will let you use the new conceptual modeling tools. Then you can have a spline-through-points path which can both be an arc in plan, and can change in elevation at any point or points along the path.

Of course I've said repeatedly don't use massing for families....in this case you will need to.

[narlee]

Hi Scott. I did try my thought on cutting a curved void out of a curved wall, then using the "pick" line to establish the swept blend line...and it worked! Then I just need to do a void extrusion on the end of the wall cap, to get that eased end.

[narlee]

Hi Scott, I sent this last post up before I realized you were offering more suggestions - thanks so much for that! Appreciate your work - you're all over these forums helping out!

[narlee]

Addendum: the method works fine even if the "wall" is a generic object.

[miclemu]

Hi Scott. I did try my thought on cutting a curved void out of a curved wall, then using the "pick" line to establish the swept blend line...and it worked! Then I just need to do a void extrusion on the end of the wall cap, to get that eased end.

I appreciate this discussion... it's timely since we're working on a similar instance...
A sweeping curved facade that sweeps in both the vertical and horizontal planes. We call it 'the Eyebrow' :- )

The challenge we are having is we have a facade that we are trying to layout a 'segmented' or 'facetted' curve (ie. straight line segments) for a fascia and soffit canopy to follow the line and extend from the Curtain wall @ Head Mullion.

Spline Thru Point Method.
The spline path profile worked fine... but does not sufficiently follow the 'straight' portions of the Eyebrow's profile for connecting to adjacent Construction substrate. It is either too far proud of the building face, or the path passes thru the building face material.

Sketch Path Sweep Profile Method
I have as yet not been able to 'Sketch-a-Path' for the profile for multi-segments in 3 dimensions (XY & XZ as pointed out earlier). However, I have created (attached below) canopy profile to follow the XZ version multi-segment Sk-a-P sweep.I am hoping that it would be possible to Sketch-a-Path in 3Dims and then use voids to create reveal joints between each segment.

Is there a way to either map the path for 3Dims or alter the initial 2D path for the 3rd D axis?

Swept-Blend Pick-Path Method
The poblem I have in using the Swept-Blend application for the wall segment and profile, is that I can Not get the beginning and ending profiles for each segment end to 'connect' or Clean up for the corresponding inward or outward orientation of the segments-XY run.

I appreciate the input and feedback.

[tropitech]

"Is there a way to either map the path for 3Dims or alter the initial 2D path for the 3rd D axis?"

if you can find, pick, select or create a reference, revit will go there.
ie, if you built yourself a cube you could pick any edge on the xz plane, then zy, then yx, then...you get the idea, allowing sweeps/blends/solids/voids to go wherever you want.
as mentioned, the conceptual massing tools are more flexible.

if you really need to get super-clever with modelling then a dedicated modelling programme (like 3ds max) will get much better results a lot quicker and easier. revit can get nasty when trying to model the finer stuff.

EDIT: if your picked lines won't connect they're not perfectly aligned, or not meeting at exactly the same 3d point (x,y+z). as you may be aware, you can drag the ends of a picked line along the direction of that line, but you can't move a picked lines' end point 'off plane'. yes, very annoying, and another of revit's limitations.