Tips & Bits...
Tips & Bits...
Architecture and Design
![]() Much of my work as an architect was devoted to the design of schools, including among them the Vocational School of the province of Camaguey, one of the 186 Modern Movement buildings that in 2010 were included in the Cuban Registry of National and Local Monuments. Among other works it is worth mentioning the monument to José Martí, Cuba's national hero that was erected in Rome in 1988. |
SSPLIT: an aid for Conceptual Design
A short demonstration of the use of the SSPLIT App in mass studies. SSPLIT is part of the TRIMSPLIT App that can be downloaded from Autodesk Exchange. |
TRIMSPLIT!
This video demonstrates the way the new version of the
STRIM and SSPLIT 3DSolid modeling commands can streamline your modeling
workflow. SYTRIM and SSPLIT are part of the TRIMSPLIT App that can be downloaded from Autodesk Exchange. |
What this is all about...
If you have ever tinkered with some AutoLISP program you downloaded from the Internet and thought "Gosh, what's this all about?" you definitely need this book! AutoLISP is all about really controlling AutoCAD. If AutoCAD doesn't have it, I wont wait for them developers to add it in some future Release... I'll make it up. For example, I was fed up with copying one solid part so I could subtract it from another without losing the original. So I went to work and in a couple of days I came up with STRIM, The 3DSolids trimming App you can now download from Autodesk Exchange. Using it you can select a bunch of "trimming" solids whose volume will be subtracted from another bunch of solids selected to be trimmed. They say "time is money" and this tool I'm sharing with you all has sure saved me a lot of time. Once I solved the trimming, I wondered if sometimes I would need not to TRIM the solids, but instead to SPLIT them in a way that all the portions overlapping would be split into separate solids. So I put AutoLISP to work again. And here came SSPLIT, the other App I'm sharing. But I don't want to keep the way it's done secret. I've been a teacher all my life and that's a thing I really enjoy. So if you wish to do things like this, then this books can help you. Be it in the Paperback edition or the Kindle e-books. Hope you enjoy them. I look forward for your feedback. |
Convert legacy Polyface meshes into 3dSolids
Converting meshes to 3DSolids is possible, but not the legacy Polygon or Polyface meshes. They have to be the new MESH entities. To convert legacy Polygon or Polyface Meshes into the new MESH (SubDMesh) objects we can use the _MESHOPTIONS command. Once the objects are converted into the new MESH class, in case they are watertight (that is, they enclose a volume with no holes) they an be converted into 3DSolids using the _CONVTOSOLID command. This is shown in the following video. In case they are not "watertight" they could be converted into solids using the _THICKEN command. Other option would be to convert the meshes into Surfaces and using these surfaces to SLICE a 3DSolid. |
AutoCAD expert's Visual LISP
Entmaking XLINEs
Some days ago Hutter7405 posted this question in the cadtutor.net forum: I created an XLine function that when I type XV or XH puts a vertical or horizontal XLine on the Defpoints layer and automatically switches back to the previous layer. How do I make it so the function stays on Defpoints until you hit ESC then it returns to the original layer?The function he created depended on calling the AutoCAD commands "_-LAYER" and "_XLINE" using the AutoLISP command function. Su he had to create or set the "Defpoints" layer as current, draw the XLINEs and when finished, return to the previous layer. This can be done, but it is unnecessarily complicated. A simpler way would be to use the AutoLISP entmake function that can create an entity on any layer even if it not the current one. So no need to change the current layer. But, in addition, when entmake creates an entity on a non-existent layer, the layer will be automatically created. |
Autodesk University 2012 Virtual
LISP your MESH to Shape!
My class in AU2012 deals with managing MESH objects through AutoLISP. MESH objects, aka Subdivision Surfaces are among the features added recently to AutoCAD® software. These entities are
exposed in the classic entity list format. So, our good old AutoLISP® can be
used for creating and modifying them.
By calculating the coordinates for their vertices from different math formulas, we can create an unlimited variety of 3D shapes. By smoothing these meshes, converting them to surfaces and solids, and applying the different surface and solid editing tools, we can explore a vast universe of 3D forms. These forms can be used in other Autodesk® software like Revit or MAX for the development of new design concepts. Learning Objectives At the end of this class, you will be able to:
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Parametric Design.

Parametric design involves a change in the way we approach design tasks. The usual way to work with AutoCAD so far has been to create lines, arcs, circles, etc.. geometric entities representing a preconceived design. Working like this, any modification of the design involves replacing some of those geometric entities to represent the new solution.

From the experience gained teaching Parametric Design courses in applications such as Autodesk Inventor and Microstation Modeler I have prepared a series of tutorials that I hope will serve as an introduction to this new approach to the design process for AutoCAD users.
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