Drape Objects

Click here to see this page in full context

Drape Objects

Icon:

Introduction

Projects 2D CAD entities (lines, polylines, etc.) onto a 3D surface, creating 3D geometry that follows the surface topography. This is useful for draping design elements like centrelines or boundaries onto terrain surfaces.

Usage Workflow

1. Select Surface: Open the Surface Drape form and select the target surface. Click Refresh if needed.
2. Choose Selection Mode: Select "By Layer" to process an entire layer, or "By Selection" to manually select objects later.
3. Configure Drape Settings: Enter the sample interval (typically 1.0 to 2.0) and a target layer name. Choose whether to keep or edit original entities.
4. Run Drape Operation: Click "Run". If in "By Selection" mode, select objects in the drawing. The status window will show progress.
5. Review Results: Check the status window for the success count and verify the draped entities in the drawing.

Best Practices

• Use smaller sample intervals for curved entities.
• Use larger sample intervals for straight entities.
• Test with a small number of objects first.
• Keep original entities until satisfied with the results.
• Use separate target layers for different entity types.

Details

Upon selecting the command the following form is displayed:

Surface Selection
Top of form

Surface Dropdown
Select the target surface for draping. Lists all available surfaces in the project. Must select exactly one valid surface.

Selection Mode
Middle of form

Select Layer (Radio)
Select all objects on a specific layer. Enables the Layer Dropdown. Useful for processing many objects at once.

Select Objects (Radio)
Manually select objects to drape. Disables the Layer Dropdown. User is prompted to select objects in the drawing after clicking Run.

Layer Dropdown
Select which layer to process (Default: Layer 0). Only enabled when "By Layer" is selected.

Drape Settings
Lower middle of form

Edit Existing Entities
Modify original entities to 3D instead of creating duplicates.

Keep Original Entities
Toggle to preserve original 2D entities.

Target Layer
Layer where draped entities will be placed. The layer is created if it doesn't exist. User must enter a valid name.

Arc Sample Interval
Distance between sample points along arc sections.

Status Window
Bottom of form

Status Text Box
Shows operation progress and results in real-time (entities processed, success/fail counts, entity types).

Action Buttons
Bottom of form

Run
Starts the drape operation. Validates inputs and processes selected entities.

Close

Closes the form and returns to the drawing.


Surface Selection	Top of form
Surface Dropdown	Select the target surface for draping. Lists all available surfaces in the project. Must select exactly one valid surface.
Selection Mode	Middle of form
Select Layer (Radio)	Select all objects on a specific layer. Enables the Layer Dropdown. Useful for processing many objects at once.
Select Objects (Radio)	Manually select objects to drape. Disables the Layer Dropdown. User is prompted to select objects in the drawing after clicking Run.
Layer Dropdown	Select which layer to process (Default: Layer 0). Only enabled when "By Layer" is selected.
Drape Settings	Lower middle of form
Edit Existing Entities	Modify original entities to 3D instead of creating duplicates.
Keep Original Entities	Toggle to preserve original 2D entities.
Target Layer	Layer where draped entities will be placed. The layer is created if it doesn't exist. User must enter a valid name.
Arc Sample Interval	Distance between sample points along arc sections.
Status Window	Bottom of form
Status Text Box	Shows operation progress and results in real-time (entities processed, success/fail counts, entity types).
Action Buttons	Bottom of form
Run	Starts the drape operation. Validates inputs and processes selected entities.
Close	Closes the form and returns to the drawing.