Hi Eric - the Network command needs to have its input curves arranged in a particular manner, it is not able to just take any set of curves and use them.

In your topo.3dm file the curves are arranged in the right way for Network to process them, which is in a grid like manner where you have 2 sets of curves that can be identified similar to latitude and longitude lines on a world map.

Network must have a regular grid layout like that to work.

Your new curves are arranged like this:



As you can see those curves have no relation to latitude / longitude lines on map, they are not organized into a regular grid pattern like that, so they are not suitable for input for Network.

Something like that can work better with a surface fitting mechanism like Rhino's Patch. MoI does not currently have an equivalent command to that, so for now you will need to use Rhino to create that kind of a surface.

- Michael

Sorry I didn't think to mention this when you asked about complexity of Network the other day. I was thinking you were referring to the complexity of the curves within the network but keeping with the same kind of curve layout that is needed for Network to work.

I didn't really understand by complexity you meant a more arbitrary layout for the curves involved - that is not possible to do with the Network tool.

- Michael

H Michael ...

Thanks for the speedy response.

I was excited to think, temporarily, that MoI might do the job even though I have numerous programs for this kind of thing.

What if I were to use the topo lines as reference for a series of grid spaced points at correct elevations and then drew an actual grid using those points as reference?

It's probably not worth the time that would require but my intuition tells me it should work.

cheers,
eric

Hi Eric - yes that would work, once you had things arranged in a regular grid then Network could handle it.

But yeah for your purposes that is probably a more labor intensive way to go rather than using a different tool for this.

Basically the way that Network work is similar to doing a loft in 2 directions. As part of the Network calculation it actually does create a loft through the latitude "U" curves, and then another loft through the longitude "V" curves and then those get merged together.

If your curves are not configured so that they can be lofted in each of these directions then it won't be able to handle it.

- Michael

MoI will do those curves minus the to loopback lakes in the middle.

I did this with sweep.



If it was important, I could paste back the two deleted lakes then turn on points of the surface and adjust it to match the lakes elevation.

But if you have rhino.....

Burr

Well, yes, I have Easy Site for Rhino that is the best tool in my box for this and it's great that I can switch back and forth between MoI and Rhino.

Thanks, Burr, for pointing out that with some changes to the contour lines (without compromising the model) I can use other MoI tools like 'sweep' ...

Rhino is a great tool but I can certainly speed up some processes by using MoI as a sidekick ... and that will be more convenient when layers are implemented.

thanks all,
eric