Corrugated metal wall panel

[skowalczyk]

I have a specific profile for a metal wall panel, and I'm trying to create a wall style with that profile, but I am having very little luck with anything. It is a 36" pattern that will repeat for the length of the wall.

I tried the wall style manager, but couldn't seem to make any headway. (I'm using ABS 2007 FWIW)

We were able to do a little bit playing with the wall modifiers, but the pattern would not repeat when the wall length was changed.

[H-Angus]

I have a specific profile for a metal wall panel, and I'm trying to create a wall style with that profile, but I am having very little luck with anything. It is a 36" pattern that will repeat for the length of the wall.

I tried the wall style manager, but couldn't seem to make any headway. (I'm using ABS 2007 FWIW)

We were able to do a little bit playing with the wall modifiers, but the pattern would not repeat when the wall length was changed.

Can you post a drawing/or image showing what you want using acad lines, and I'll see what I can come up with.

Cheers,

Steve

[Chuckyd67]

I am not sure which one, but David Driver presented an AU course that discusses wall body modifiers. If you have access to the online handouts you may be able to find it. I am assuming the corrugations run vertical on the wall. If you can represent the metal panel with a curtain wall, that would be your best alternative.

Do this:

Create a curtain wall.
Create a profile definition to match a single repetition of the the metal profile.
Use the profile definition for the frame and mullions of the curtain wall.
Set the infill thickness to 0.
Insert the curtain wall into the metal siding wall.
Right-click on the metal siding wall and add a subtractive body modifier.
Remove the subtractive element, and you should have a resemblance of the metal wall panel.

I have not yet tried to replicate the profile on both sides of the wall, so that may or may not work.

The downside to this is that you must follow this procedure for each wall. And, every time the wall changes length you must delete the body modifier and re-do the whole exercise.

This is a little cumbersome, but it is the best I have seen so far.

[skowalczyk]

Here it is Steve. We don't need to have the profile on both sides, we just want the exterior to look right.

Is it even possible to accomplish what I am getting at, this profile in a repeating pattern on a wall for as long as we need it?

[david_peterson]

I've done this before (the hard way) by creating a mass element with the profile of the 36" wide sheet and just placed them one at a time. Another thought would be to create a profile and apply it to a structural member style (say a column). This would give you the abbility to use cut planes and lenght. I do like the curtain wall method mentioned before. You could always just create a material style to mimic the look. I know this discussions come up before, I'll try to find some links for you.
Here's a few (http://forums.augi.com/search.php?searchid=684843)

[skowalczyk]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. It sounds like there is no real easy way to do it: I think a surface pattern would be a lot easier than a physical profile.

We are switching to RevIt for the architectural stuff in the coming months (Mechanical, like me, will stick with BS for a while), I hope things like this will be a little easier in the new program.

[H-Angus]

You can convert an extruded mass element into a wall but you will still have the problem that lengthening or shortening the wall will not update the profile (see attached).

I still think the best way to achieve what you want would be by using a curtain wall.

On a seperate note, why do you want to show this? Floor plans, 3D images etc, your idea about using a material or surface hatch might be a better option saving you the headaches along the way.

[tatriest]

You could add the component to the wall style, then:

-- use or create a hatch that will look like the panel.
-- the hatch orientation will need to be 'By Object'
-- then turn OFF the boundary or make it NON-PLOT.

Finding or creating a hatch would be the toughest part.

You will also then be able to apply a surface hatch.

Terry

[skowalczyk]

Thanks very much for the help. We will be going with the hatch/pattern on a wall style rather than the physical pattern on the face, or with curtain walls: It will just be easier all around.

We do a lot of 3D work here, and the archies want the pattern to represent the exterior surface of the wall. We already have walls with the brick and CMU patterns, and when we show clients drawings we just want to give them a little more detail to drool over. When we do rengerings or something we have the graphical people work with it anyway so it doesn't have to be too detailed.

[stelthorst]

My company manufactures habitats and shelters for offshore oil platforms. The walls are structural components and are what we call crimp plate, often 1/4" thick 4" deep and with an 18" pitch. We want to have them in true 3D so they can be part of the structural analysis. I can model them with sweep or extrude but they cant be modified and this is more tedious than in AutoCad 3D. We just acquired Revit but if we can't solve this problem it will render it nearly useless to us.
Hi alan.1421,

First, Welcome to AUGI and congrats on your first post. :)

Is there any way you can post a picture, sketch or drawing of what you are trying to do so that everyone will understand what you are trying to accomplish?

[Chuckyd67]

The curtain wall route is probably not the way to go. i have attached a curtain wall that looks like the panel you want, but it is pretty useless as a wall. I was looking for a quick solution, and this is all I have come up with in 15 minutes.

You cannot apply profiles to infills, so that invalidates most of the options. The frames and mullions, though, can be profiles. The problem is that the length of the wall can ONLY be the modular size of the profiles. You cannot insert openings, doors, or windows. In other words, useless. But, it was fun to try.

[Chuckyd67]

That being said, have you posted your request to AUGI as a wish list item?

[Baez]

No, but since you reminded me I will. Nice hat BTW. So how does the wish list work? Does Autodesk review it? Has it produced results?

[david_peterson]

The wish list dose produce results. Adesk looks at them often and dose try to add the functions that we request when possible. The most asked for usually do get built in to the product. Sometime it may take them a year or two to do it, but they try. Enjoy.