Michael,

I see. Very enlightening!

But I seem to get just the same result with Network, which I understand to be a sort of Sweep in two directions simultaneously. With the advantage of being able to add more than just one rail in order to better control the output.

On the topic of what I find frustrating and might like better/smarter tools, there is the curve rebuild function. To help ensure smooth surfaces, it pays to have "perfect" curves. I have taken the habit of generating curves with liberal use of the Blend tool and to otherwise rebuild curves. I never know how many points to ask for that would simplify/smooth/fair the curve while preserving the general shape of the original sketchy curve. A sort of clever interpolation that would minimize deviation from the original curve with the least possible number of points to sooth out the shape would be more than nice to have. Or is it there already somewhere and I simply missed it so far?

Hi Jean-Paul,

> But I seem to get just the same result with Network, which I
> understand to be a sort of Sweep in two directions simultaneously.

It's more like _Loft_ in two directions simultaneously.

So yes, it does give more the kind of shape that I showed there with that particular sweep + scaling rail example.

For example a Loft where you don't use any rails looks like this:






Sweep works more by actually sliding the profiles along the rails, while simultaneously morphing them between different profiles shapes. If you are having things going around a bend, Sweep kind of maintains a more rigid shape as it goes around the bend, see this previous example:
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=3081.23


Re: Rebuild - are you using the older "RebuildCurve" command that Petr posted, or the new "Rebuild" command that in the latest beta?

In the new one there are 2 different modes, a "Rebuild to tolerance" mode, and a "Rebuild by # of points" mode:



If you use "Rebuild to tolerance" mode, it will use as many points as needed in the rebuilt curve to get it within the distance that you enter from the original curve.

If you don't want to worry about exactly how many points to use, then try using that tolerance-based rebuild mode.

- Michael

Michael,

Once again, uh-um ! I had missed that new Rebuild thing completely. I will try it ASAP, but it seems to be pretty much what I had in mind.

Tanks again for taking the time.

Jean-Paul