winding sidewalk question

[Billabong]

I'm having to do a pretty large winding sidewalk around a condo complex. I've gotten the the part around the clubhouse done, but what I want to know if I am doing this right. For the one I already did. I had to draw out multiple splines, connect them all and extrude it up. The hardest part is trying to make sure the side walk stays at even width,(which is not easy). I tried drawing out single splines with branches and weld them to the main spline, but obviously that doesn't work. Is there another way to do this(I'm sure there is). Thanks for any help.

 

 

[Matt McDonald]

that's kind of how I always do them. Someone else might suggest that you loft or bevel profile. Seems like that might work in some of the spots but I'd guess that you'd have to hit it with an edit mesh and manhandle the intersections

[Billabong]

Thanks Matt, Well i guess if this is the only way, then this is the only way

[Chad Warner]

Draw one side of the sidewalk, and then use "outline" on the spline with "spline" subobject selected. It offsets the spline whatever distance you establish, and makes a closed spline at the same time.

 

You could also use sweep, which is similar to bevel profile but offers a lot more control.

[Billabong]

but that wont work if the sidewalk is branched out, because the splines won't weld together

[Claudio Branch]

Try laying out all of the sidewalk centerlines first.

 

Then use Outline to get the widths for each one.

 

Next, handle each intersection separately by fusing or welding the local vertices and then using a fillet.

 

Finish up by attaching all of the sidewalk segments, re-welding the vertices and convert to Editable Poly. With Editable Poly you can extrude and bevel the surface and possibly add some smoothing to the vertical and beveled faces.

[Billabong]

now I get it, thanks so much