can't offset an oval???

[Nevine]

Is that right?
Can't make a wall by picking an oval.
Can't make an in place wall by offsetting an oval.
Basically I am having a hell of a time creating a an oval shape with wall. Its actually a small wall around a an oval tub. It can't be that difficult. What am I missing?

[Joef]

Unless I am wrong (and there is a good chance that ) you cannot offset or create a wall from an ellipse. You cannot convert an ellipse to a wall. You cannot convert a spline to a wall either. Nor can you offset a spline. Other than that you can create anything you want!

Joe

[Nevine]

thanks joe. so it is not me.
How could a software that is so smart not be able to perform such simple and necessary task. This is simple geometry.Man that is frustrating.

[Joef]

I find it amazing as well. Maybe somebody here has a good workaround but I don't know one. It's a good thing the Freedom Tower wasn't eliptical.

[Scott D Davis]

Unless I am wrong (and there is a good chance that ) you cannot offset or create a wall from an ellipse. You cannot convert an ellipse to a wall. You cannot convert a spline to a wall either. Nor can you offset a spline. Other than that you can create anything you want!
Here's some examples. although you cannot pick an oval and turn it into a wall, you can make an in-place family wall, using sweeps or extrusions on splines or oval paths to create the geometry you ask for. Attached picture for some quick examples. So start creating anything you want......:D

[Joef]

Aha! There is always a way. Oval as the path, wall as the sweep. Though it would be easier to just pick the dang oval. Still wonder why you can't offset these shapes.

[Scott D Davis]

Spline as sweep path, oval as in-place solid extrusion. Outside line of oval wall was placed, then copied. The copy was reduced in size the same distance across both axis, and then centered in the first oval. Extrusion picked outside and inside oval as shape.

Would be nice to pick-for-wall, or to use the offset tool on either, but there are ways to make it work.

[Joef]

Here is an elliptical path with a rectangle as the sweep.

[Scott D Davis]

Nice! Wasn't sure if the 'closed loop' could be a sweep path.

[gravelin]

l'utilisation de familles in-situ est souvent une bonne solution pour les éléments "bizarres". Le fait de pouvoir y placer une porte ou une fenêtre si on définit une catégorie mur est formidable. Mais il faut être prudent avec cette méthode, car les objets créés n'ont pas toutes les fonctionnalités des murs standards : pas de possibilité d'attacher à un toit ou un sol automatiquement, pas de modification du profil. Si tu utilises un grand nombre de ces murs 'in-situ" dans un projet, la modification ultérieure peut devenir fastidieuse.

the use of in-place families is often a good solution for the "bizarres" elements. There the fact of being able to place a door or a window if a wall category is defined is formidable. But it is necessary to be careful for this method, because the objects created do not have all the functionalities of the standard walls: nomore "attach base /top" to a roof or a floor automatically, not "edit profil". If you use a great number of these ' in-place" walls in a project, the later modification can become tiresome. IMO

[Nevine]

Merci Yves, bonne observation.
Thank you all, it was most helpful but here is another challange for you.
Trying to create an eliptical bowl for my counter top. I used an ellipse for a path and a curved profile for sweep. Got this message

"Sweep cannot have a path with ellipse or spline segments and a profile with non-straight lines."
Any ideas?

[SkiSouth]

. Still wonder why you can't offset these shapes.

If I remember correctly, you couldn't offset an ellipse in Acad until like Release 12. The math must be formidable to accomplish the task. Anyway, you only have 5 more versions of Revit to wait... :D

[eddy.lermytte]

Gravelin: You are right ... but you can link/attach/lock the top/bottom of your walls from the in place family to the levels in the project. They will interact.
Nevine: You can create as many bowls as you like. A bowl (see picture) is nothing more than the rotation of 2 voids and a sweep form for the border of the bowl.

Eddy

[Nevine]

sorry Edy, but I don't understand. How do you revolve 2 voids? do you create a solid extrusion first? I'll have to play with it.

[eddy.lermytte]

Nevine.
Yes ...
1. create a solid
2. create a void revolve which cut material from the top of the solid. This is the " inner shell." of the bowl.
3. create a second void revolve which cuts away everything else from the solid except the material needed for the bowl it self.
So ... the bowl is ready :)
4. create a sweep (if you need a border)

Eddy

[Nevine]

how did you get the void revolve to be elliptical and not circular?

[gravelin]

Il faut faire un profil en forme d'ellipse et utiliser son axe comme axe de révolution.

Tu peux aussi simplement faire une révolution en utilisant deux ellipses equidistantes pour modeliser l'épaisseur de la vasque.

Damned... Il faudrait faire un décalage de la première elipse pour y arriver plus facilement. Retour à la case départ :lol:

It is necessary to make a profile in the shape of ellipse and to use its axis as axis of revolution.
You can also simply make a revolution by using two equidistant ellipses for the thickness of the bowl.
Damned... It would be necessary to make an offset of the first elipse to do it more easily. Return to the box departure (french expression) :lol:

[Nevine]

C'est bon. C'est fait.
Finally got it. no voids just a revolve and limited the rotation to 180d. Parametric too, you can change the width and depth.
Still couldn't offset the ellipse but it was easy enough to create another one 1/2" smaller