I'm just getting to MoI, and while it is pretty easy to pick up, a few things are escaping me. One of those things is how to create a flush panel - in other words, something like a gas cap cover on a newer model car, or the facing plate on the CD/DVD drive in your PC.

I guess the easiest way to explain what I'm trying to achieve would be this: I have created a box. In one side of the box, I want to put a panel. This panel must be flush with the surface of the box. The only evidence that there is a panel at all is the line around the panel. Now, I can't just draw a line around the perimeter of the panel, as that line needs to have some depth and thickness. Basically, I'm looking for a way to "scribe" a line with depth on a surface.

I know this might sound a little confusing, as I'm probably not explaining it too clearly. I've attached an image that I hope will get my point across. Thanks!

Hm, you seem familiar somehow...

No, no. You're confusing me with someone from the grim, dark future. You're everywhere aren't you?

Look at the offset-inset command.

Yeah, I was trying that, but it wasn't getting the effect I wanted. It does look like if I create a shape in the thickness I need, do an inset and then make it deep enough to just leave the outline, I can then place the outline flush with the surface and do a Boolean Diff and make my "scribed" line. Seems time consuming, but I guess that's the way to go.

Hi eric, check out this previous thread for some different possible techniques:

http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=3859.1

There are a couple of different strategies that you can use depending on exactly what you want to get.

One way is to do a sweep to build a tubular type shape, and then boolean that shape away from the main piece, cutting a groove in it. Doing a sweep around your lines is the way to basically give them thickness and depth. To get the path lines on your object you can either project them on to it or if you've got planar surfaces you can draw lines directly on the surfaces using the polyline tool in the 3D viewport.

Another method is to focus more on splitting your object up into different faces, using either Trim or boolean commands with some 2D curves as the cutting objects, and then use either the Inset command with the "Grooved" option (see link above for an example), or maybe fillet or chamfer the edges depending on what exactly you want.

But hopefully the above link (which has some other links in it as well) will give you some ideas.

- Michael

Hi eric,

> It does look like if I create a shape in the thickness
> I need, do an inset and then make it deep enough to
> just leave the outline,

You want to use the "Grooved" option within the Inset command to get the kind of flush panel that you're talking about.

When you enable that option, a new "Groove width" field will appear, and you can enter in a distance there - you'll then get a flush panel with a channel of that groove width around it.

- Michael

Hi eric, here's a demo of the "draw + sweep" method.

For drawing a path directly on to a box you can use the polyline command and do the drawing in the 3D view, that looks like this:



The one tricky part is the 2nd to last point - to get that to line up with the first point I created a construction line which you do by going back to the first point and then instead of just clicking a point there you hold down the mouse button and keep it pressed down and drag away - that pulls out a construction line which you can use for various purposes like here aligning the 2nd to last point with the first point.


Then to give it thickness, you can draw a little square down flat on the ground plane away from it like this:



Select the little square and run Construct > Sweep, then select that previously drawn polyline as the path, that will build the thickened shape like this:



Then select just the main box body, run Construct > Boolean > Difference and select the thickened piece as the cutting object to get this:



- Michael

What I usually do for panels that are a close fit, is to
1) draw the shape of the panel.
2) Then use Trim to cut the surface.
3) Extrude the new surface that you have trimmed, back into the body.
4) Then go back to the body and extrude the edges of the new hole back.
5) Join the new faces you have extruded to the body.
6) You can the place a small fillet round the edges of the new solid you created in the first extrude and the same radius fillet on the edges of the opening in the body.

This technique works on curved surfaces as well.

If you want the original body to remain a solid, it is a little more involved. Go up to step 3. Then select the trimmed edges of the original body and delete them. The hole should disappear. Then boolean difference your new solid from the original body, making sure you tick the "Keep Objects" box. You will then have a recess cut out of the body that your panel will fit exactly. Continue on with the fillets.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll play around and find what works best for me.