Using the 'mirror' tool to flip a window

[RidgePole]

Hi,

   I'm brand new to this stuff but am loving it!  I am trying to draw a "butt and pass" log home and right now, am working on the decorative windows on the front gable end of the house.  I used the trapezoid window and tried to mirror it downward instead of side to side. I learned how to adjust measurements on each side but the trapezoid shape is exactly opposite of what I need.  I followed the help section and the example and was able to make it mirror at it's side a couple of times but not consistently.  I am on the verge of insanity, doing the same things but expecting different results.  Any help would be appreciated. - Thanks

[Allan Chesney]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum!

Yes it is a fascinating program isn't  it?

I am not quite clear what you are trying to do - do you want the slope on the bottom rather than the top? Any change of attaching a sketch of what you want to do?

Allan

[RidgePole]

Allan,
   Thank you for your quick response.  I attached a .jpg from MS Paint.  The picture on the top is the element from TFP and I want to make it look like the picture on the bottom.  I can reverse it (to the left or right) but not the way I drew it on the .jpg example. 

Also, I read the forum today about taking items from the program if I were to design a post & beam house.  If I wanted to turn a column from vertical to horizontal for a sort of ridge pole truss, how do I get the coordinates in the commander from shadowed to active or am I going about it the wrong way?  Thanks.

[Allan Chesney]

Sorry about the slow reply on this one - obviously I missed it somehow.  I do not know a way to do that within the program by mirroring or any normal method however it should be possible to do by creating the window, exporting it as a 3DS file, import again and turn it upside down. A bit messy to do but it should work.

Try this:
1)  Create a new model.
2)  Turn off the Terrain in the View Filter (you don't want to export that as well)
3)  Insert a short piece of the wall you are using and set each side to a different colour (you can change them later).
4)  Insert the window and set all the surfaces that you may want to change to a different colour. (Any items you leave the same at this time will stay the same later - you will only be able to change later anything that has a different colour when you export it).
5)  Shrink the length of the wall so that you virtually only have the window with a tiny bit of wall.
6)  Shorten the wall top and bottom so that again it just leaves the window square (you will obviously have a triangular piece of wall also)
7)  Use File/Export as a 3DS.
8)  Select Interior Accessories and go to Decorative - click on it.
9)  Right click and select Add Element...
10) Select "Import geometry from file" and click OK.
11) In the Browse window change the bottom drop-down list to 3DS and select your new 3DS file.
12) In the dialog box that opens accept the size and another dialog will open showing your window.
13) Give it a Name, change the Size if necessary and change the Orientation - set the Y axis to 180 degrees (180 clicks - you cant type it in!!) and watch your window turn over.

You have now got a 'window' upside down and will be able to change to colours to what you want. It will not behave like a window - it will not cut a hole in the wall - you will have to use the Openings tool to do that. It also will not insert at the normal window height - you will have to set the height yourself and move it into the opening. You may need to turn off Collision (end of Status Bar) and you can use the Nudge tool (arrow keys) to move it in very small increments, (Settings/Program Settings/Drawing Aids/Nudge Distance), so that the "wall" of your "window" aligns exactly with the wall you are inserting it into.

You cannot use the Commander bar to rotate an object, you will need to use the method described above.  The column can be made horizontal after it is exported and imported again as a 3DS.  Some existing objects can be rotated (eg Custom Member in Interior Accessories/Decorative).

Another option - when you selected "Import geometry from file" you will notice that the other option was "Use a Parametric Template" and it has a list of items including 3D Shapes.  One of these is a Cylinder - this can be rotated also, so you may want to use that instead of the column as it already exists. Import and rotation is the same as described above. All the other shapes in this dialog box are very usefull by the way - you may want to import them all.

Again sorry about the delay in replying.  Hope this helps.

Allan

[Doug.S]

you can save maybe 150 mouse clicks if when you export to .3ds from TFP,

open the .3ds object in another 3D program (all will do this, many progs are free) and reorient it as desired and save again to .3ds.

When you re-import the reoriented .3ds object, then you won't need to rotate it via 180 mouse clicks in TFP.

[Allan Chesney]

Yes it is a real pain.  Hopefully you do not have to set something to 359 degrees as you cannot go down from the original zero.  At the same time it is supprisingly quick to do 180 clicks, for me probably quicker than opening another program, but annoying nevertheless.  Why this is not just a 'type in' option as it is in many other places' I do not know.  Maybe we have not complained enough!!

Allan

[RidgePole]

Thanks guys.  That was invaluable. A lot of work for something that should be simple but I will give it a try... Have a great night.

Jim

[Allan Chesney]

It's morning here Jim !!  -  but I appreciate the thought!

Allan