Hi,

In the past, I've found that creating more complex shapes via networks is pretty difficult. Creating a set of closed curves on one axis is easy; adding a second set of curves on another axis to define the surface more and turn it into something which can be networked is very hard, because there's no good way to make sure (or even tell) if a pair of curves intersect.

You've said that constraints are a ways out, and I'm assuming that this would fall largely under that category, but being able to a) highlight intersection points, and b) define a curve as intersecting another and have it change to maintain that intersection as points on the curve are moved would mostly solve this.

Unless, of course, there's an existing trick for this that I'm missing?

Hi Ella,

> You've said that constraints are a ways out, and
> I'm assuming that this would fall largely under
> that category,

Actually constraints would not likely cover what you are referring to here - they would normally be things like assigning (and being able to change) dimensions like the length of a line, or an angle of a 2D sketch.

What you're talking about here involves intersecting curves in 3D, it would probably fall under some kind of advanced history manipulation and not necessarily constraints.


> but being able to a) highlight intersection points,

Well, you can use Construct / Curve / Isect to generate point objects where curves intersect one another.

But also the Network command is able to take inputs where the curves do not intersect precisely, so just because an intersection is not found does not necessarily mean that you can't network it.


> b) define a curve as intersecting another and have it
> change to maintain that intersection as points on the curve
> are moved would mostly solve this.

Yeah this would most likely be some kind of advanced history type mechanism to set that up.

- Michael