Converting/simplifying 3D model to 2D
Hello -
I sometimes get drawings from others that are 3D models and hugely complicated (e.g., 20 Meg files for 2 rooms). The 3D files include much more info. than I need, and as a result are very slow. Is there a way to convert a 3D model to a simpler 2D drawing that keeps only what is visible in a selected 2D view?
Comments
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You could try typing FLATSHOT in the command line, see if that gives you what you need I believe it should..
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The specifics of your situation are, of course, the biggest factor that must guide your decision. But, it has not been unusual for me to go through things like Flatshot. But, then realized I would have been better off just creating a view on a paper space tab. Then, tracing over the objects I want. This way, I end up with a fairly clean set of lines, that really only show what I want, and are in the colors and layers I want.
Now, I think I would just default to manual tracing in most situations. It is ironic that after all these decades of CAD advancement, that very old-school manual approaches end up taking less time.
-Joe
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Similar to Joe. I'd be tempted to make a drawing view in paper space and then make section views of that. I'd turn off the depth. But I'd export the sections to wherever I wanted it. You can move your section line to get multiple exports and then just lay them on top of each other.
Also maybe check what layers you can turn off before doing anything. 20Meg for two rooms is going to make any system groan.0 -
Normally there are several ways to flatten 3D things in a CAD.
I think Microstation had the option to open/import 3D files as
pure flat 2D and options to "convert" things to 2D.
Not sure if there was some cleaning of redundant lines but there
are purge commands. Similar in Vectorworks.The other option is a Hidden Line Rendering of a Viewport and
afterwards exploding the Viewport to get the geometry.
Opposed to OpenGL HL render modes in 3D Polygon Apps
that make just fast visual representations.
CAD real Hidden Line Calculation by CPU is much slower but the
meaning is to create real editable line geometry.
And today these algorithms normally clean up redundant lines.
Like a Box in a side view will result in only 4 lines instead of
12 lines from 12 edges.
And I thought I read about such a HL optimization in Bricscad
anywhere too.0 -
I have to agree with both approaches. I am too an old school drafter and I like my own 2D views rather than having to clean-out the lines that are unnecessary. However, some complicated and busy models would be easier cleaned than drawn again and it would eliminate a human error in most cases.
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