Dynamo (Civil 3D): How to get radius, start/end points and dimensions from a Solid?

Civil 3D
1

I’m trying to access the properties of a Solid coming from a drainage pipe in Civil 3D.
After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to share my question here:

Is there any way to access the geometric properties of a Solid using Dynamo?

What I need are properties such as:

  • Radius (for cylindrical solids)

  • Start point (insertion/start location of the pipe solid)

  • End point (end location of the pipe solid)

  • Dimensions (length, width, height or diameter, depending on the shape)

I tried creating a Python node, but didn’t succeed, since the API library doesn’t provide clear information about these geometric properties (especially to distinguish between cylindrical and rectangular solids).

Has anyone here already tried something like this and had success?

2

Not sure that I grasp the question… how would you get these in the UI?

3

I have several solids in the DWG file — both cylindrical and rectangular — and I need to extract their geometry, such as radii and dimensions.
However, I haven’t been able to do that successfully.

4

Are these properties of the objects (something you see in the properties pallet) or are you just looking to interrogate the geometry itself like you might do by dimensioning the object?

5

Hey Jacob,

I’m just coming across this subject (3d Solids), I want to show you the information that I’m trying to find but can’t seem to locate. In the image below I have an 18-inch storm drain that is about 42-feet long. The properties window doesn’t list the points that are located at the center location (x,y) and elevation of the pipe, but it does show a vertex pick point at both ends. It may not be possible, but thought I would ask if there is a way to pull this information. I’m trying to turn this in a C3D pipe for a network.

image
image1865×760 68.9 KB

6

Hi @UBDesign,

You can try using the BoundingBox.ByMinimumVolume node to get the extents of the solid. Then BoundingBox.MinPoint and BoundingBox.MaxPoint (along with some math) can help you arrive at the specific points you’re looking for.

Note that this won’t work for curved pipes.

2 Likes
7

Thanks, I’ll give that a try.

8

Assuming you can pull the geometry, this might work:

bx =!BoundingBox.ByMinimumVolume(geo);
vct = Vector.ByTwoPoints(bx.MinPoint,bx.MaxPoint).Scale(0.5);
mid = bx.MinPoint.Translate(vct);

You could also try pulling the centroid from that solid with the Solid.Centroid node.

1 Like