Equipment-linework

[B. Strube]

I'm trying to create a simple piece of equipment using an existing AutoCad block. The trouble is I want to be able to but a white surface under the line work to cover any floor finish or color fill. I tried creating an exstrusion, but can not get the line work to move to the top of the extrusion off of the referance level. Thanks in advance for any insight.

[beegee]

You can use symbolic lines to represent the plan view of the object and use a white solid fill in the family to mask the floor surface. Remember to turn off the model in plan view when you make the family.

I usually just make the 3D object and use that as the plan view, since that masks any floor finish anyway. There are case however, where the model needs a simplier representation in plan view and thats where the symbolic linework comes in.

[B. Strube]

Thanks beegee, but after reading my post again, I do not think I explained things well enough. We get AtoCad bocks from consultants on occasion that are faily complex 2D line work pieces of lab equipment. What I want to do is import the block into a new family and have it display so that it does have this white fill to block color fills or floor patterns. I really do not need a 3D model as this is just for plan views. I see that I can explode the imported block, but can I change the line work to symbolic lines? Also, how do you add the solid fill? I've used filled regions before, but it does not look like that is an option in the family template I am in. Is there a template that will work? I've used the generic floor based template. Thanks again for the help.

[beegee]

You explained things perfectly, its just me, sorry, its been a long night, but we won't go into that.

One way to achieve what you want , is to creat a simple extrusion in the family, say about 1/8 " -1/2 " high, following the plan shape of the equipment. That overcomes the need for a solid fill ( and you're right , now that I think about it, I dont think a solid fill can be done in the family. ) That should be fairly quick and easy to make and you wont need symbolic linework either.

[B. Strube]

beegee,
Well, it still does not work. The extrusion, no matter how thin, does manage to hide the floor color/pattern, but also the line work that I want to display. How do I get the linework to show up on top of the extrusion.

[beegee]

Draw the linework as model lines on a workplane at the top, or just above the top of your extrusion.

[Archman]

you could create this family as a detail component and create a solid fill in the detail component to cover the floor pattern. The only drawback is that the detail component will be view specific, but maybe that's what you want anyway?

[Steve_Stafford]

Refer to this Thread (http://www.zoogdesign.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=669&highlight=toilet) to see how Scott Brown resolves this issue.

[beegee]

So, as Scott shows in that thread, you can use filled regions in a family as a detail component, if that's any help.

[B. Strube]

Thanks for all the help. :D

What ended up working was to create a simple extrusion, then I imported the .dwg line work block making sure I was on a work plane that was at or above the top of the extrusion (say the top in the casework template). Then I had to explode the .dwg. Now the extrusion hides the floor fill/pattern, and the linework is visible on top of the extrusion.

The only question is....is it possible to move model line work from one work plane to another? I did not find a way to do it.

[aggockel50321]

Try a cut & paste & see if it'll work.

Select the linework & choose cut, change your work plane with the "plane" command, & then paste the linework back in...