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Friday, October 01, 2010

Creating a Chainlink Fence in Navisworks Using Civil 3D

Figuring out how to create different objects to show your model in Navisworks can be difficult, mainly because Civil 3D isn’t a BIM product, in other words we don’t create models utilizing an actual object to represent itself. For instance instead of using a curb object we utilize a corridor object or a collection of feature lines. One such object that is difficult to figure out how to get to show up in Navisworks is a Chainlink fence. Kevin Lind pointed me in the correct direction on how to create a chainlink fence utilizing Civil 3D.

  • The first step is to create a feature line at the location where the fence is going to be.
  • Next sample from surface to get the feature line draped across the surface.
  • If you want the fence to end short of the surface, now is the time to move it up.
  • Now offset the feature line a small distance over and the appropriate distance up.
  • Now create a surface and add the feature lines to it.
  • If your fence has bends in it, add a boundary.

Since Navisworks does not recognize materials assigned in Civil 3D, a material will need to be created in Navisworks. The material will need to approximate a grid and have transparency. Here’s a picture of what I came up with for my first try. Not perfect, but I think it conveys the location and look of a fence fairly well.

image

3 comments:

ontario fencing said...

nice link however i don't think most weekend warriors and DIY folks will have a spare time exploring the 3D word... and most of these folks are born during the abacus and wordstar era. hahaha

Anonymous said...

you could also:

1. Create a feature line along the surface that the fence will lie on.

2. Explode the feature line and you will get a 3d poly...Explode the 3d poly and then you will have a ton of individual lines.

3. Select the individual lines (recommend "select similar") and in the properties menu you can give the line a thickness (usually the designated height of the fence)

4. (optional) You can wblock the individual fence lines so you can have them all in their own block

Unknown said...

I used a similar program to simulate a chain link fence in Calgary. It really was an interesting exercise.

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