wysiwyg help

[bdesmond]

Anybody here use wys? I can't figure out how to do a few things:

I have a stage which I've assembled out of an extruded surface (trapezoid), and then there's a semi-oval on the edge. I can extrude my arc to the proper height, but, I cannot figure out how to fill in the center.

How do I make a sloping floor to put seating on?

How do I do a sloped ceiling? In general, I can't figure out how to elevate & pitch a surface.

[jmsinick]

I can extrude my arc to the proper height, but, I cannot figure out how to fill in the center.

Before you extrude the arc, break it into lines, the more lines the smoother the curve. Then, with the endpoints snap tool enguaged, create a surface that connects all of the lines that were just created including the endpoints to fill in the arc. Then select all of the objects (lines and surface) and right click and choose tools > exturde > specify. Select lines into surfaces, surface into extruded surface and delete origional objects. Hit OK and that should fill in your arc.

To create a sloped surface, create a line at the low end and another at the high end and with the endpoints snap on create a surface connecting the endpoints of the lines, similar to what you did for the arc.

I hope this helps. WYSIWYG is a wierd program to use until you figure out ways aroud things like that. You first need to break some of your CAD habits.

Jeremy

[bdesmond]

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for the pointer. I'm definetely further than I was before <g>.

One thing I still can't figure out is how to suspend a surface, so to speak - e.g. I want my sceiling to be up in the air.

My arc that I drew with your directions actually ended up on top of the stage, so, I'm not sure how that happened.

[jmsinick]

Brian

Glad I could help. I found it to be very difficult to do anything besides hang and focus lights with the mouse. Instead I enter coordinates for anything that I need in the X,Y,Z fashion. It is a green colored box that will display your typed input, if it is not up, create an object and instead of clicking to set a point, type in the the coordinates and a box should appear.

A few tips about the coordinate box:

The default measurement is in feet so 1,1,0 is at coord 1' stage left, 1' upstage of the plaster line an 0' off the deck.

If you are working at the level of the deck you do not need to enter the Z coord.

To move an object relativly use the "@" EX: @,,30 moves an object in the Z direction 30'

It is often a lot of work to continously type 40'6" so 40.5' is equivalent.

Utilize "-" measurements to work either stage right, downstage of the plaster line, or below the stage floor.


Also, did you create your theatre by hand or did you use the venue tool?


If I think of any more tips I will try to post them. My next project is not for a couple of weeks so by then I should have more tips.

Jeremy

[bdesmond]

Oh that's handy. I was wondering if they'd totally canned the autocad command line style stuff that I'm more familiar with.

I started from scratch and have been working on drawing the room. I'm almost there - still have to figure out how to add the balcony level in and the sloped ceiling above the stage, and then I guess the seats too.