Rebuild, create surface, unroll and result no FlowAlongSrf

Rhino Rhino for Windows
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1
  1. I created an ellipse and rebuilt it to have 40 sections.
  2. Next, I used a polyline to connect all of the points so that I created an ellipse-like shape.
  3. I then Extrude that new curve.
  4. Next, I Unrollsrf. This results in 40 separate panels.
  5. I create a new panel and Array it 40 times along the unrolled surfaces/panels.
  6. Next, I used FlowAlongSrf but I could not select the new arrayed panels and thus, I cannot get my flow along surface to work.

TL;DR:

I am trying to get non-curved panels to flow along the ellipse-like shape, like a curtain wall.

Questions:

  1. Why did the unrolling cause individual panels to be created rather than one long, thin surface?
  2. Is there a reason that unrolling caused each new panel to be exactly 2 mm apart?
  3. Is there another way to get the straight panels to perfectly fit around an ellipse or ellipse-like shape?

Thank you for any help.

2

Rhino file and image.

FlowAlongSrf.3dm (355.9 KB)

Spaces
Spaces1000×355 23.1 KB

3

I think you answered that yourself - if you have a polyline, it creates a polysurface and it will unroll as a polysurface not a single surface.

You probably had Explode checked when you unrolled

FlowAlongSrf requires a single base surface and a single target surface - it does not work with polysurfaces.

I think if you extrude the original ellipse and then unroll it, you will have your base surface.
To make the target surface will require something a bit special. You need to run the CreaseSplitting command and set it to Disable. Then Extrude the 40 point polyline created from the ellipse to the same height. This should make a single, creased surface for your target surface. Make sure to set CreaseSplitting back to Enabled afterwards! If you then array your panels along the unrolled ellipse surface, and then use FlowAlongSrf with panels as the objects to flow, the unrolled ellipse surface as the base and the extruded polyline creased surface as the target, the panels will be flowed to the individual faces of the faceted ellipse.

I can create an example file later, but I have to run now…

Sample file…
FlowPanelsV7.3dm (4.3 MB)

4

Thank you very much for this information and the file! Very informative.

I shall try as you suggested.

Again, thank you.