When I create the edges of planting areas, they are often curved. I have been struggling to find a way to create beautiful, smooth curves.
I know the spline command is not a good idea for the reasons you guys have listed. I've experimented with the Poly Arc Line tool and the LFX Spline tool. Both work great, but I think the Poly Arc is a better choice for me because there will be fewer arcs--and it will be easier for the builders to replicate the shape on the land.
My questions:
1. What do other folks out there use when it comes to designing curved bed edges--or curved hardscape edges?
2. Is there a way to "smooth out" an existing line so that its arcs connect so they are tangent? I know there is a contextual indicator in SketchUp that shows when your line is tangent.
-David
Hi David,
When you're drawing a polyine, draw a line segment first, then switch to arc mode. That will draw tangent arcs.
You can smooth out an existing polyline - with or without arcs - by using the "Fit" option in PEDIT. It'll probably end up very different from how you draw it initially, but you can then adjust it and the whole thing will stay tangent like a spline, but using arcs. You get different controls when you hover over the grips, like changing the tangent direction.
Just note that this creates a "2D polyline", which some tools won't recognize. Refnote or planting place area will though!
-Amanda
I just tried that out, and it works well. Thanks for the tips. The 2D polyline is interesting, but does it have similar drawbacks to a spline? Would it move to SketchUp via the 3D connection?
I assume that it's best to aim for fewer arcs so that it's easier for the builder to replicate the curve--right? I'm not sure how a builder would replicate the design on the ground unless he/she knew the radius of the arc.
David,
Right now it looks like the resulting line won't go through the 3D connection. It errors out. We're looking into is. However, you can explode it and the SUPERJOIN it back together and it will go through the SketchUp connection.
You should be able to dimension those arcs with a radius and arc length dimensions in order to communicate their layout to the contractor.
-Amanda
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