Unfold a polyline

Are you talking about flat patterns?

Bob

I sure wish there was one, it would make development of 3d objects into flat patterns for cutting very easy. Id be very interested to know if you find a way of doing this, but Ive never seen or heard of it

Shaun

I've seen things for unwraping solids for pattern cutting - and some of them are very good. In a way, my problem is simpler. I just want to produce a straight line of the same overall length as my polyline, and

- crucially - with 'endpoints' in the same relative positions along the line. This can be done manually, by exploding the line and then listing the length of each segment - whether straight or curved, but that's going to be a little tedious for this particular polyline!

Perhaps the solution is to try making a surface from the line and then browse around for some pattern forming software - I'll give that a go.

Once again, any other thoughts appreciated.

Um... LIST the polyline to get its "perimeter" and then simply draw a line of that length? Although I'm not sure what you mean by "keeping the endpoints in the same relagive positions..."

___

I'm pretty sure preservation of segment length is what's meant...

That's right. I believe they're referred to as endpoints in the osnap settings.

Yes, that's right - the end vertices of segments are referred to as 'endpoints' in the osnap settings.

People trying to cut material seem to want this kind of routine....I'd be surprised if one doesn't exist...it wouldn't be that hard to write... IOW: even I could do it ; )

It's exactly that kind of thinking that prompted me to write to the NG in the first place ;-)