Michael,

Would it be hard to make it so that when you select the profile to be swept that you could also select a point that would follow the path? It would make it easier to create a square object like a picture frame that needed to be a specific size after the sweep. You could draw a square that represented the outside edge of the frame, then select the profile and the outer corner of the profile to sweep along the path.

I have tried the double path method but due to the shape of the profile being thinner in the mid-line, the double line sweep ends up distorting the profile.

Thanks.

Hi Drakonsden, sorry I don't really understand what you're describing.

> you could also select a point that would follow the path?

Well, when you do a sweep the entire shape follows the path, that's basically how Sweep functions - it takes a profile and marches it along a path to create a surface.

Could you maybe post an example of a situation where you're having a problem?

Maybe you are having a problem with "auto place" mode - if your profile is totally to the outside of your rail path (where the bounding box of the profile does not touch the bounding box around the rail), that currently activates "auto place" mode where the profile is moved to be centered around that rail.

That's so you can do things like draw a circle flat on the Top plane and then sweep it around any path curve instead of needing to carefully create the circle to start out perpendicular to the path curve initially.

But if you are getting that kind of centering in a situation where you don't want it, the solution is to make the profile curve actually touch the rail curve and then it will take the profile from exactly where it currently stands. You may need to either move the profile curve, or you may need to make the rail curve larger by using Offset or something like that so that it touches the profile curve.

If you could post your 3DM model file of the situation where you are having a sweep problem that would probably help me to understand better.

- Michael

In the file attached there is the results of the sweep that I always get. However, I want the edge of the profile to follow the path not the center point of the profile. That way my finished sweep is 12" x 12" with the profile on the edge.

I have tried to put the profile on the path and I either get no results or a flattened 2D result.

Thanks for your help.

Hi Drakonsden,

> I have tried to put the profile on the path and I either
> get no results or a flattened 2D result.

When you put the profile on the path, it will be swept directly from its current location so that means that you also have to rotate it into the orientation that you want.

See the attached file for an example that should give you the proper result.

I understand now what you mean by picking the point though - you want to be able to pick the origin point for where the profile is located in relation to the rail in "auto place" mode. That is on my list of things to add to Sweep in the future.

For now though to get the result you were looking for you need to position things as in the attached file.

- Michael