Profile Shape
On the Profile Shape tab, enter parameters to set the shape of the extruded solid.
Choose the shape the extrusion will take. With the exception of the Trapezoids and the Three-centred Arch, the shapes are self-explanatory. The dimensions that you must enter in the adjacent prompts are also displayed in the Preview window below the Shape list box.
Trapezoid 1 has its smaller dimension to the top of the display, which you enter in the Top(T) prompt. Trapezoid 2 has its smaller dimension to the bottom of the display, which you enter in the Bottom(B) prompt.
User shape
If you have selected User as the shape of the extrusion, double-click (or click on the Forms icon) to select the form set that contains the parameters of the user-defined shape. To create a form set, type a new set name, and then press F4 to create the form set.
In the Extrude Shape form, specify the file and fields containing the X and Y coordinates that define the shape and optionally apply a filter to restrict the process to a subset of the records in the file.
If you want to load multiple shapes at the same time, you can also specify a Join field.
The shape of the profile appears in the panel in the centre of the main form and is altered when you enter or modify the dimensions. The position of the profile with respect to the string is also shown.
Rotation
Enter a value (0 to 360°) if you want to rotate the profile shape. Use positive or negative values to rotate in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.
Rise-span ratio and Height
A Rise-span ratio value and a Height (H) value are used to calculate the curve and the height of the arch when you select either Circular arch or Three-centred arch as the profile shape.
Note that the Height parameter is disabled when Elevation Control is turned on.
You also have the option to enter a Nominal width (W). When the function runs, the Width is calculated from the sidewall polygon. However the profile diagram requires a nominal width to provide a realistic representation of the shape. The default value is the Height.
The ratio is defined as:
h0 / x
where
h0 is the arch height
x is the width of the profile shape
If you are specifying a ratio for the Circular arch, the value you specify must not be greater than 0.5.
Edge Radius
If you have chosen the Rounded Rectangle shape, you must specify a radius to apply to either the TOP or BOTTOM corners or BOTH. The default is 0.0 when blank.