Siatki 1.0.1 & AutoCad8 LT

**Ponytail** · #1 03-22-2013, 10:48 AM

Today I gav it a try to make a cone with Siatki 1.0.1 (free).
Worked! and saved it as a DXF-file.
Opened it with ACAD8 LT and this also worked.
Now tried to measure the diameter with the command Dimension. When selecting the circle (top or bottom) ACAD says it is no circle or arc. And gives no diameter.
So I tried to join the circle: no way, it's a closed polyline...

How can I make it work?
Note: I'm a true beginner in AutoCad...

Greetings
PT

**Modeller** · #2 03-22-2013, 11:10 AM

Throw that rubbish. (Siatki)

Lots of good soft out there beside it.

**Ponytail** · #3 03-22-2013, 02:33 PM

Such as...?

**Goncalo Mendes** · #4 03-23-2013, 05:40 AM

Try to redraw the curve (circle). if it is a perfect cone/circle, find the axis of the circle, redraw a new circle, cut, and then use the comand.
Or draw the stuff in cad from the beguining. After all us just a question of a using the cone(side) as a radius. then using PI (x tha base of the cone) to get the desired perimeter, knowing that 360º is equal the total of the circle perimeter, then the PI result must be equal to "xº".

hope it helps.

G_Mendes

**mbauer** · #5 03-23-2013, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ponytail

Today I gav it a try to make a cone with Siatki 1.0.1 (free).
Worked! and saved it as a DXF-file.
Opened it with ACAD8 LT and this also worked.
Now tried to measure the diameter with the command Dimension. When selecting the circle (top or bottom) ACAD says it is no circle or arc. And gives no diameter.
So I tried to join the circle: no way, it's a closed polyline...

How can I make it work?
Note: I'm a true beginner in AutoCad...

Greetings
PT

Autocad has a much eaiser way of finding information about an object.

Select the object, right click the mouse, choose properties. Dock the properties box to one of the sides of the screen (left side is best for me).

I always do my designs with the properties box open. It tells you what the object is, Spline, polyline, or arc.
One cool thing about "lines" is they will show you the angle and length.

Polylines don't give you this information, but polylines are what I use for my drawings. You can give polylines "width". They can be edited with the polyline edit (type pe in the command line) to see what options you have to work with.

Autocad is an interesting program, but it has a steep learning curve. You do not need to learn everything that it does, just the commands you need to get you going.

The properties box is one of the most important tools it has, as stated above, it tells you everything you need to know about an object.

What do you want to do with your cone?

Polylines are your friend!

I use AutoCAD 2002lt for all of my designs.

Mike

**mbauer** · #6 03-23-2013, 08:11 AM

I just checked to see what "Siatki 1.0.1" is. Google hit "GreMir models" says it is an unfolder. Michael is really a great designer here at PM. com.

Since he says it is an unfolder, real curious how you drew the cone.

AutoCAD LT doesn't do 3d, although some versions can show "isometric" drawings, as soon as you try to change them, LT will usually crash.

When I do nosecones in AutoCAD LT, normally it takes a few steps to get them done.

At first create a shape of the cone needed. Then used AutoCAD commands to measure it. Here is a link to show how this was done How to Hand Draw Cones links have been given in this thread to online web sites for cones. Also there is a posting about Siatki, that says it is for designing cones, now I understand how you used it for your cone.

Instead of a string to measure the "arc" you can select it in AutoCAD to see the exact measurement.

Best way to do cones is to find an online website that will let you save the cone as a .dxf

To get a usuable cone into AutoCAD is easy once it has been created as a .dxf. There are a few things that you need to do to be able to use it though.

More than happy to help you with your project. Just let me know what you need to do. What you've done so far, and how you did it.

Mike

**Modeller** · #7 03-23-2013, 08:25 AM

Ponytail

...as 3DMax, Rhino, Blender (free) and even Google Sketch UP ....

**Scott K** · #8 03-23-2013, 12:00 PM

I used to use Cone V1.3, but didn't care for the resulting polylines in the flat pattern, way too many points in them. I still use it for some offset cones, but what I use most is Jon Leslie's Cone-o-matic, from the LHVCC page.

Scott K.

**Ponytail** · #9 03-24-2013, 10:16 AM

My idea was to give a try to construct the watertower at the left in this photo:

Next 'problem' in this would be how the the texturing of the bricks bended and rounded....

But first would be a white-model of it.

Sofar thanks for the reactions and answers.
I'm gonna look at the suggestions.

**Scott K** · #10 03-24-2013, 10:34 AM

I would draw the cone pattern, then offset the brick lines, starting at the bottom, and working my way up. That will result in even, concentric lines on the cone for each course of biricks. The hard part will be getting the lenght of each brick to be the same. I'd say to use an array to make the lines seperating each brick, but that would taper them toward the top, making each brick shorter as you go up. Maybe some perpendicular offsets on each course? Tedious, but doable.

edit; I just tried the methods I suggested, and there's distortion in each (see pic below). Maybe someone else has an idea how to correct it? I've never needed to try this before, myself, so I'd need more time to fix it.

Scott K.