Screwy Shadows... what's going on???

[rbrodie]

Your welcome
It might be better to make a new symbol the thickness you want it..You can try different wall thicknesses as railings..
For a railing(top part)I just drew one and exported it,and then got rid of the post in Turbo Cad..Imported back as a symbol..

OK, I finally got back to this issue (after "unlocking my cross section lines" earlier today... )

Thank you for creating the custom rail symbol... (I've also been making my own symbols using SketchUp software, since I don't have Turbo Cad.)

But whether I use your custom rail or one of my own, I am having one last major problem with all this:

1.) As you will see in the FIRST attached jpg, I imported your rail dwg file and now have it on top of a second level where I opened up the single "room" on the second level and made the room's ceiling 1 inch high -- and then unchecked the ceiling and roof boxes under the structure tab in the room specifications dbx.

2.) However, when I drag the railing onto the wall of the 2nd floor room, the custom rail suddenly disappears and the second level's wall suddenly jumps vertically upwards about 8 feet into the air.

3.) So I then erased the custom rail, as well as the second level, and just placed a rail on top of the ceiling plenum (as seen in the SECOND jpg) --- but of course that is not the solution 'cause one cannot manipulate the materials on that ceiling plenum.

Therefore, how were you able to get your custom rail to sit directly on top of your own building's walls, without causing those walls to suddenly jump up and delete the custom rail???

Thanks!

[rbrodie]

For a railing(top part)I just drew one and exported it...

Allen, also HOW did you export the generic Chief rail? I just now tried to export a file into autocad, but I only saw a choice for exporting the current cad view in Chief.

I also tried to export the entire file, but all it did was create a folder on my CPU to place a copy of the Chief file with various jpg's of material colors.

[rbrodie]

Allen, I think there might be a major problem with using a custom symbol for a rail panel...

As you will see in the attached jpg, whenever the spacing of the posts changes, so does the rail symbol itself with much closer spacing between the ballusters, as well as the ballusters themselves becoming necessarily thinner.

Hmmmm...

Am wondering if polyline solids is the best way to go with creating parapets, as I was originally doing (?)

[Allen42acj]

Rob
It would be better if you made one to the specks you need.
Stretch planes might help..
Draw a single rail wall and do a 3d view to export..If you can draw it without post,no need to edit it..
It takes a little to set up custom things.Is one way better than the other?
If your going to be using them on other plans, I rather just set them up one time and reuse them..
If you use the rail,you don't need to stack walls..
Hope this helps a little..
Maybe I am the reason your neck hurts

[rbrodie]

If you use the rail,you don't need to stack walls..

Yes, but when you orignally made your custom panel rail HOW did you originally place the custom panel rail in your jpg example which you uploaded? You must have not stacked any walls in your jpg, but how exactly did you then place the rail wall?

This one bit of info would really help me as I experiment with symbol parapet creations.

Thanks!

(...not wanting to be a pain in YOUR neck...)

[Allen42acj]

The rail I made with the solid bottom=Had a polysolid under my rail symbol..Exported and made a new symbol..
See if this plan helps..
Do you have a detail and specs for the railing you use a lot?
Think I use the railing tool for funky things more than most..

[rbrodie]

See if this plan helps..

Allen, the file was just what I needed...

Got it solved (please see my OWN custom rail wall attached...did a crummy rail with the ballusters unevenly placed, but only because I have not used SketchUp for a year and forgot how to do multiple copy. Anyway, I am just thrilled that I now know the process to do this.

Thanks a bunch!!! ----- (because of all this, I feel like I'm becoming an expert in "symbol creation and importing". Now all I have to do is re-learn all my SketchUp commands. Does it ever end???

[rbrodie]

For a railing(top part)I just drew one and exported it...

OK, I give up... how does one [COLOR=blue]export a Chief rail into another program[/COLOR][COLOR=blue]?[/COLOR]

All I seem to get is an autocad file that is NOT 3d, but simply the plan of the rail.

[lbuttery]

Does it ever end???


Nope, it's like "Hotel Chief" -
You can check in but never leave


Lew

[Allen42acj]

Hi Rob
I'm glad that helped and it looks good.Much easier with rails?
Open a new plan,draw 1 railing wall..Do a 3D view,export 3D..
That can be used as a symbol or imported into another program to edit..
You can set the rail up to length and things you want..
Railing wall has more material options that a deck railing wall.

Lew
I get it..How about a Billy Joel one to?

[lbuttery]

Allen:

Billy Joel was not one of my "favorites" so I'm
stuck on that one ?

Lew

[Allen42acj]

The Taxi one, The Piano man..
I know you like rap now..
How about Jim Staford?Spiders and snakes.Wild-wood weed

[lbuttery]

Rap ?

Sorry, don't know Jim Staford either.

Lew

[rbrodie]

How about Joan Baez's Ten Greatest Hits?

(OK, OK, forget it...)

[Allen42acj]

http://www.jimstafford.com/audio/songs.html
My spelling may have been off.