how do you create a wall with absolute values?

# 1 09-08-2007 , 07:18 AM

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how do you create a wall with absolute values?

Hi,

I'm trying to create wall of a condo, using the old fashion AutoCAD way using absolute value.
For example, I want to create lines (lots of walls!!) using absolute value (starting from 0,0,0 to 120,0,15 with angles possibly...etc....
and then offset the lines and extrude them.
Anyone with CAD experience, will probably know what I'm talking about.
I've been using and training Maya for about 6 months now..put a lot of time and effort. But I can't seem to find the tool to do something like this simple modeling. I just need to build the wall with accurate numbers.

Acutally I built those walls by creating polygon cubes and union them...which was the pain in the ass!!

Can anyone help me?

:attn:

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# 2 09-08-2007 , 07:29 AM

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a cube is the easiest way , if you have changed your working units to the unit measurment of your wall i.e. meters or feet , then one unit is equal to one grid square . A default cube would be 1 x 1 x1 but if you click on the option box next to the create poly cube then you can enter the exact measurement you need or alternatively create a default cube and in the channel box to the right with cube selected change its size by entering exact numerical numbers in the scale x,y and z.

From the front view

X being width

y being height

Z being Depth

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Last edited by jsprogg; 09-08-2007 at 07:35 AM.

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# 3 09-08-2007 , 07:52 AM

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Hi jsprogg

Thank a lot for your help for the last post as well.It worked.~!

But for this post, I was hoping to create a wall with polyline (autoCAD term.) I guess, in Maya's case that would be either EP curve or CV curve right?
Anyways, I wanted to create line with different angles and lengths and then add thinkness to create surface and then extrude them.

Like I said in the previous post, I tried to use polygon cubes and move the walls and point snap to another wall rotate the walls and then union the walls...and etc... It was very time consuming.. whereas.. other application like AutoCAD., FormZ(my previous application) allows you to create lines (it gives you co-ordinate # x y z) where you point or you can type in where you want the points to be..... and create lines. and offset to add thickness and extrude them..

If you're still saying polygon cube is the best way to create the walls (about 20 different walls with all ifferent angles), then I guess Maya sucks when it comes to stuff like that..

That's probablly why people use.. AutoCAD, Rhino, FormZ, StudioTool...etc...for modeling..

Maya's great for rendering & animation ..and modeling freeform objects...but to create objects with accuracy (manufacturing, architecture, interior...) it just doesn't have tool for it..

Or am I jumping to the conclusion too fast?

Thanks.

:attn:

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# 4 09-08-2007 , 08:02 AM

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it is possible to import 3d autocad files into maya but modeling in Maya with autocad workflow is not really possible in my opinion.

Yes the EP or CV curve tool is really as close as you can get to drawing a line although you can extrude the curve to create depth drawing in Autocad is much more accurate IMHO.

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# 5 09-08-2007 , 08:03 AM

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Maya can be very accurate, theres a thread ove ron CG talk about that.

What you can do is create a curve with the desired points then go into the Attribute editor and edit the positions from there (flip open componants, with a CV's selected to get the correct XYZ coords.

You can probably do it faster in the script editor? by typing somethin like

curve -d 2 -p -1.33165 0 -8.186393 -p -4.317575 0 -0.22678 -p 5.271032 0 5.328555 -p 5.524819 0 12.002574 -p -0.0973986 0 10.204746 ;

where the numbers after the -p corrispond to the X Y and Z positions (where the -d is the degree flag and the -p is the cv position flag.)

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# 6 09-08-2007 , 08:06 AM

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Geez Steve modeling is supposed to be fun ....not a math lesson ..lol

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# 7 09-08-2007 , 08:11 AM

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Originally posted by jsprogg
Geez Steve modeling is supposed to be fun ....not a math lesson ..lol

Originally Posted by

LOL!!

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 8 09-08-2007 , 08:40 AM

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Thanks guys~!

I guess I'll need to use other applicaiton to model something like that. and import them to Maya.

Using script, is ok but..it not very ineractive with user. You can't see what's happening until hit enter. then select the points and edit them...it seems to be a lot of work.

Thanks anyways for your input guys!

yeah...I know..we all hate math...LOL

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# 9 09-08-2007 , 09:38 AM

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Hi guys,
I do have some AutoCAD experience and believe I understand the questions. I've only been using Maya for about 6 months myself. AutoCAD workflow is definitely different. The easiest way I've found so far for creating interior walls and then adding thickness is by using poly planes.

I create a plane the height that I need and rotate it so that it is standing upright like a wall. then I goto the top view and perspective views and start extruding the edges. I will use the rotate and the snap tools to get the precision that I need. Then I select all the faces and add thickness to the walls. It's worked quite well for me so far.

I've also created walls using the poly cube method. Works pretty good as well. I'll use the snap tool for placing the walls after creating them. I don't bother with trying to union them. I just let them overlap.

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