AnyRail Model Railroad Forum

General Category => Tips and tricks => Topic started by: Redvan22 on December 21, 2019, 03:23:08 PM

Title: Line and surfaces
Post by: Redvan22 on December 21, 2019, 03:23:08 PM
Hi,
I've been trying to create a surface, with an internal walk-around area, with rounded inside and outside corners, to be used as a table top and I'm either doing it wrong or missing something.

If I use the "Insert - Add Surface" tool, I can create a rectangular surface and then when I click the shape and click "Round Corners" all but one corner rounds. Also, tried to remove areas to form the walk-around but couldn't figure that out. However, I can change the line color, line width and even the surface Fill color.

If I use the "Insert - Add Line" tool, I need to create several "L" lines at corners which I can then click on and select "Round Corners" and that works and, I can change the line color and width but, then I need to connect these "L"s with other lines to form the boundaries. Doing it this way doesn't allow me to use the "Fill" option. So, I persevered and discovered "Grouping". I selected every segment and grouped them which, as I suspected, displayed a host of new functions related to grouping but nothing to change the Fill color (or surface color if you will).

So, as an example (a tutorial perhaps) how do I create a surface, with rounded inside and outside corners, that has an interior walk-around area that I can then fill with a color to represent the table surface?

Mike.


PS: I'm attaching the result of the second method I used. You can also see that not every segment connects EXACTLY with the next - could this be part of the problem?



HOLY COW - I love this software!
I figured out how to do what I needed. The method was there all along just undiscovered.

Thumbs up David.
Title: Re: Line and surfaces
Post by: Tom Springer on December 22, 2019, 10:39:16 PM
Mike,

The method I use when needing an irregular shaped layout surface is to use the Insert->Add Surface function.  Add Surface lets you define any format surface by explicitly placing the control points where you want them.

Attached is a layout you can test this with.

In the attached file, the layout is in a locked level ('base') and 'new' is the working level for you to try this with.  Select Add Surface, then click close to the upper left control point of the existing surface - the (0,0) location.  You don't have to be exact, these control point locations will be adjusted next.

Then move the mouse to the upper-right control point area - (120,0) - and click again.  Continue doing this until all of the control points are done ("matched").  When the last one is done then right-click on the mouse to complete the surface (and stop drawing control points).

Next, one-by-one, click on each new control point you placed and explicitly change it's x,y coordinate value as indicated in the diagram.  Now you have matched the 'base' surface.

Note there are 2 coordinates in red on the left lower side of the original surface.  Each of them is 6 inches away from the control point at that corner - (36,72).  Why?  Click on the (36,72) control point and change it's type from "normal corner" to "round corner".  Now, this round corner forms a curve with a known radius - 6 inches.

Hope this is helpful.

layout diagram.any
Title: Re: Line and surfaces
Post by: C.R. Wagus on January 08, 2020, 06:57:23 PM
Great advice!  I had the same problem when I first started and David H. was kind enough to help me.

One additional tip.  Tom mentions how to get a rounded corner with a specified radius.  It should be mentioned that if the distance from the corner is not even (his 6") the rounded corner can have uneven radii such as an oval.  This is useful in creating an image with variable curves to the corner.  It should also be mentioned that if the end of the rectangular image does not have the extra points to control the corner radii. the software defaults to a radius which is half of the length of the rectangular end.

Hope this helps,
Carl