create 3d model from 2d drawing autocad

Basic 3D and Surface Modelling

Introduction

Although AutoCAD has a number of commands for creating special 3D objects, a lot can exist achieved past changing the backdrop of bones second objects like polylines. Most second objects tin can be given a thickness using the thickness option in the Properties (DDCHPROP) command. Although objects with a thickness can exist said to exist extruded, this should not exist confused with the EXTRUDE control which creates solid extrusions; giving an object thickness produces a surface extrusion. All objects can be given an top by moving them in the Z direction using the Movement command. With a combination of the Motion and Properties commands you can quickly create simple 3D drawings.

Using this tutorial you volition learn how to requite objects a thickness, how to movement them vertically, how to view your 3D creations and how to apply the 3DFACE and SHADE commands.

The DDVPOINT Control

Yous can employ this control to get an axonometric view of your drawing.

At that place are a number of means to become an axonometric view of your AutoCAD drawing only the DDVPOINT command is probably the easiest and quickest to employ. It is, however, buried 2 layers deep in the pull-downwardly menu then it'due south often quicker simply to blazon it at the keyboard, since in that location is no toolbar button. Equally you probably recognise from the command proper name it is a dialogue box driven command. The Viewpoint Presets dialogue box is illustrated on the right. As you tin meet, y'all define a view by specifying two angles. The first angle is the rotation from the Ten centrality (the horizontal angle). The second is the angle from the XY plane (the vertical bending). Using the dialogue box y'all can specify an angle either past picking on the 2 dials or past entering an angle into each of the two angle edit boxes. You can even expect at your cartoon from underneath by specifying a negative vertical bending. For nearly purposes a horizontal angle along one of the diagonals, 45, 135, 225 and 315 and a vertical angle of 30 give the best results.

You can return to a program view of your drawing by using the PLAN command. To practice this, just enter "PLAN" at the command prompt so to take the "Current UCS" default. You can also return to any previous view by using the Zoom Previous control option, Z P at the keyboard or from the Standard toolbar.

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The Properties Control

You tin can use the DDCHPROP command to change the colour, layer, linetype, linetype scale and thickness of any unmarried or multiple object selection. The DDMODIFY command gives all of these change options in addition to those which are specific to the object type. DDMODIFY is always used by AutoCAD as a default for unmarried object selections when the Properties control is selected from the toolbar or from the pull-downwards bill of fare.

Command Sequence

Control: DDCHPROP
Select objects: (pick one or more objects)
Select objects:
When yous have selected the objects, the Alter Backdrop dialogue box appears. To alter the thickness, only enter a value (in drawing units) in the Thickness edit box. When you click the "OK" button your objects will be extruded by the amount specified.

The illustration (correct) shows the result of applying a thickness to a circumvolve. A circle with no thickness is shown on the left and a circle with thickness on the correct.

Effectively a circle with thickness becomes a cylinder. You can tell by the orientation of the UCS icon in this illustration that this is an axonometric view (see "The DDVPOINT Command" to a higher place for details).

Moving in the Z Management

By now you lot should exist quite used to using the Move control only up until now yous've merely been moving 2d objects in the XY Plane. Motility tin simply every bit hands be used to motion a drawing object vertically, perpendicular to the XY Plane. You tin can do this by using XY and Z co-ordinates or by picking points in 3D space.

In the illustration on the left a circle has been moved from the base plane of a cube to the superlative face up of a cube. This is done past using the MOVE control ( from the pull-down or from the Change toolbar). Just first the Move command, select the circle, choice i of the lower corners of the cube every bit the base point (use the end point Osnap!) and and then pick the corresponding top corner equally the 2nd point, over again using the end point Osnap. If you look at the circle in program there appears to be no difference in information technology's position because it has not been moved in the XY plane but perpendicular to it. Yous can use the same principle to motility any drawing entity. Deport in mind that you must e'er use an Osnap when you are picking points in 3D infinite. If y'all exercise not, the picked indicate will always be on the base plane, which doesn't make any sense. One of the problems with this is that you may not realise your fault until yous change your view position considering in the current view the objects will appear to take been moved normally. It's a good thought to keep switching your view point every bit a cheque.

In the higher up example the move was adequately piece of cake because nosotros had a cube to apply as a guide. Very often you will need to move an object vertically without any guide. In such a example y'all should utilize co-ordinates. For case, if the cube in the illustration above was 40 cartoon units high then I could move the circle using the following command sequence.

Command Sequence

Command: MOVE
Select objects: (select the circle)
Select objects:
Base of operations point or deportation: 0,0,0
Second signal of displacement: 0,0,xl

Notice that I apply the UCS origin betoken as a base signal, that'due south because it'south standard practice just in principle it could be any betoken in space. The most important thing is that the X and Y co-ordinates remain the aforementioned (because we do not want to move in the XY Plane) and the Z co-ordinate must increase by the distance y'all want to move upward. Using co-ordinate 25,43,16 as the base point and 25,43,56 as the second point would take resulted in exactly the same motion. To move downward you only need to specify a negative Z co-ordinate. For case to move the circle down by twoscore units the 2nd point co-ordinate would be 0,0,-40.

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The 3D Face Control

The 3D Face command is used to draw 3D surfaces with 3 or iv edges.

Command Sequence

Command: 3DFACE
Commencement Point: (selection bespeak)
Second Point: (pick point)
Tertiary Point: (pick bespeak)
Fourth Point: (pick indicate or for only 3 edges)
3rd Point: (first another 3D Face or to end)

Why do I need a 3D Face?

The reason is that when yous give an entity like a rectangle a thickness information technology is given solid sides in the management of the extrusion just information technology is left open ended like a tube. To add a top and a bottom to a box you must use 3D Faces. In the illustration on the right, two boxes take been shaded using the Shade command, SHADE from the keyboard, from the pull-downwardly or from the Render toolbar. Meet SHADE for a description of the Shade command options. The box on the right is a rectangle which has been given a thickness. As you can see, it does not take a top. A 3D Confront has been added to the superlative of the box on the left which gives the effect of a solid surface when shaded.

When you use the Shade command, don't forget to employ the Regen control to become dorsum to the wireline cartoon. AutoCAD does non allow you to choice points on a shaded cartoon.

For complicated shapes yous may demand to use a number of 3D Faces to fill a surface. Fortunately, extruded circles are automatically given a solid top and bottom so y'all don't need any 3D Faces. If y'all practise need to employ a complex of faces to fill a surface there is a way to hide the join lines between faces. If you blazon "I" and before the first option signal of any edge, that edge will exist made invisible. If you lot are careful y'all can easily fill up a complicated surface with many 3D Faces which volition simply announced as a single continuous surface. If you need to create a very complex surface it may be amend to employ the EXTRUDE command which creates solid extrusions i.east. they already have top and lesser surfaces.

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An Exercise

The practise below is designed and so that you can exercise all of the new commands and techniques outlined to a higher place. It is a simple table which is composed of 9 principal elements, four legs, four track, and a acme. These elements are all constructed using the Rectangle command, RECTANG from the keyboard or from the pull-down menu. Remember, there is nothing special about rectangles, they are only 4 sided closed polylines, so if you prefer using the PLINE control, and so experience gratis.

These rectangles will be given a thickness using the Backdrop command and an summit using the Motion command. Some 3D Faces are used for the finishing touches using the 3DFACE command.

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Cartoon the Tabular array

Step ane

Beginning of all describe the table program using the dimensions on the illustration and inset detail below. All dimensions are in millimetres. The plan is composed of ix rectangles. You may need to utilise other commands like Line and Offset to construct the rectangles. Alternatively you can work out the rectangle co-ordinates and construct them manually. Remember to use the Copy and/or Mirror commands to duplicate identical objects. For example, it'south really only necessary to describe one leg since they are nevertheless.

Step 2

Next, using the Properties command, select the four table legs and give them a thickness of 700. Using the Properties command a 2nd fourth dimension, select the iv table rail and give them a thickness of 100. Move the rails vertically through 600 with the MOVE command using a co-ordinate value of 0,0,0 for the base point and 0,0,600 for the 2d point. Finally use the Properties command a third time to give the table elevation a thickness of twoscore and use MOVE once more to give the top an elevation of 700. Now wait at what you have created using the DDVPOINT control, from the pull-down or DDVPOINT at the keyboard. Employ the SHADE command to see the solid effect, from the pull-downward or SHADE at the keyboard.

Pace three

As you will have noticed, your table does not yet have a solid top. You lot can achieve this using 3D Face up. You can beginning the 3D Face command from the pull-downwardly, , from the Return toolbar, or from the keyboard, 3DFACE. 3D Faces are defined by picking the iv points of a rectangle in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. Beginning the 3D Face control and using the endpoint Osnap, select the iv upper corners of the table tiptop. Use the Shade control again to meet the issue. You lot can use more 3D Faces to complete the model. By looking at the table from various angles you will notice that the underside of the runway, the underside of the legs and the underside of the table tiptop all demand 3D Faces in order to create a completely solid model.

Now that y'all have completed your model, experiment with the Shade control and the various shade edge settings (run across "Tips and Tricks" below).

Step 4

To terminate your drawing, set tilemode to 0, create an A3 drawing sheet and insert some tiled viewports, see thePaper Infinite exercise for details. Your cartoon should stop up looking something like the 1 below. The vase was created using the REVSURF control, see REVSURF for details.

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3D Objects

In improver to the simple 3D objects you can create past giving objects thickness and adding 3D Faces, AutoCAD provides a number of ready made 3D objects. These objects tin exist chosen from the 3D Objects dialogue box. Every bit you lot tin can run across from the illustration of the dialogue box below, you can create very simple objects like a box and complex ones like the torus.

You must invoke the 3D objects dialogue box from the pull-downwards menu, as at that place is no keyboard equivalent. Alternatively yous can select individual 3D Object commands from the Surfaces toolbar. Each 3D Object requires different input from the user but the command line is quite explicit then you shouldn't have any problems.

One of the nearly useful objects is the Sphere. In the illustration on the right a 3D tree has been created using a circle with thickness as the trunk and a sphere as the canopy. One thing to carry in heed when creating spheres is that the center of the sphere will be on the ground plane. Therefore, one-half of the sphere is below ground level and half in a higher place. If you want the sphere to sit on the footing aeroplane, all yous have to do is move it up through a altitude which is the same equally it's radius.

Another consideration when creating spheres and some of the other shapes is the number of segments to apply. It is very tempting to apply a lot and create a smooth shape simply this does accept lots of drawing retention so go carefully. The default value (xvi) is ordinarily acceptable for near purposes.

Command Sequence

Invoke the dialogue box from the pull-down (), pick the sphere icon and then the "OK" push or pick from the Surfaces toolbar.

Center of sphere: (pick point)
Diameter/<radius>: (pick point or enter value)
Number of longitudinal segments<16>: (enter number or)
Number of latitudinal segments<sixteen>: (enter number or)
Your Sphere is drawn.

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Tips & Tricks

• If yous would like to try creating the vase as shown in the table drawing. Yous volition need to know a little bit most UCS, User According Systems (meet UCS) and how the Revolved Surface command works (see the 3D Tree exercise for details).
• You tin can change the shaded consequence that the Shade command gives to your cartoon using the SHADEDGE variable. To alter the shade edge variable just enter SHADEDGE at the keyboard and enter a value between 0 and 3.
  SHADEDGE = 0 gives a shaded color surface with no lines.
  SHADEDGE = 1 gives a shaded colour surface with lines. This tends to give the best overall results.
  SHADEDGE = ii gives a background color surface which gives a similar issue to the Hibernate command.
  SHADEDGE = three gives a cake colour surface, this is the AutoCAD default. See SHADE for a fuller description of the SHADEDGE variable.
• E'er utilize Osnaps when picking in 3D.
• Use the Shade command regularly to go on track of your drawing. In wireline it's impossible to tell if a surface has a 3D Confront or not, so y'all'll need to use Shade to check.
• Yous can force invisible 3D Face edges to display in wireline using the SPLFRAME variable. If SPLFRAME = 0 all invisible edges remain hidden. If it is prepare to 1 invisible edges will exist displayed. This can be extremely useful considering it is impossible to select a 3D Confront which has no visible edges. The only way to select such a 3D Face is to prepare SPLFRAME to ane first.

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