Fixing Non-Manifold Faces

[smckenzie]

Ok, so next challenge.

This is part of a foundation out of Revit. Revit exports each section of the foundation as a separate object, in the attached scene I've connected all the objects together. This resulted in non-manifold faces which I resolved using Mesh>Clone>Resolve Non Manifold.

That's all great until you want to now apply a bevel to the entire object because a bevel is also applied where the non-manifold face was. Essentially the corners are not mitered, they just have faces butting up against one another.

Hopefully your still with me here.

To resolve this I've either:

1. Use a polygon pen to trace over the existing object and then extruded to get the height to get nice geo and deleted the original object

or

2. used the knife tool in the top view to apply a miter cut in each corner and then removed the surplus edges.

Both work but wondering if there is a quicker solution.

Attached file has the original connected object as well as a "fixed" version to you can see where I'm trying to end up.

Thanks again!

test4.c4d

[Dr. Sassi]

Hi smckennzie,

If the walls have all the same height, as in your example, perhaps deleting all except what is the base polygon like what one sees in a blueprint. Then fix that, select all, use an Extrude (M~T) with caps on, and pull once to the target height. If you need more steps, use caps only once; otherwise, your mesh is useless.

The key is not to fix anything when you get files. Sometimes you need to invest some time in educating the producer of the files. As mentioned in a different post, they do what works for them; that is all there is to it. If you don't ask for any improvement, you're in for a lot of work.
In Rivit, as in most CAD applications, you have a "Location Line" for walls; your example looks like the one doing it has little idea about what is needed on your end or how to handle Rivit with. So you get (as far as I can tell) the results of a Location Line that doesn't translate well to the export you need.

The file you sent shows that you have received a lot of trouble, as parts are not connected or partially connected, and often there is a polygon inside the geometry. All of that might work, but in the long run, you might get in trouble with this.

You need to connect the points that would connect if you try to make a water tube out of it.
This can be done with snapping and while using a slightly complex but very efficient method - Axis Extension:
https://help.maxon.net/c4d/2023/en-us/Default.htm#html/TOOLMOVE.html?TocPath=Tools%2520Menu%257CMove%257C_____0

Besides that, learn what the shortcuts (while holding down 1, 2, and 3 means and how to import it where the mouse cursor was placed during start. Click press two and drag.

I have used the knife to cut extra polygons out.

Besides, memorize the M~Q shortcut (press the m key, then without doing anything (!) press the q key. While in point mode with some points selected. The Weld tool is, for your work, a vital tool.

Another is the space bar. Select a point, then M~Q and weld point. Space bar! … and you are back to the Selection tool. Space bar, and you are in weld mode.

May I ask to name the files other than "test#.c4d"?
Perhaps just your name was added. Thank you. Naming conventions are part of a good workflow.

My best wishes

[smckenzie]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm familiar with those shortcuts like MQ and spacebar etc.

Most of the issues I've encountered like this seem to be a Revit issue, i.e. a corner will be mitered and display as such in Revit but when exported the geo now intersects. I've tested different formats such as FBX, OBJ and DWG and the issues present themselves in all of them.

[Dr. Sassi]

Thanks for the feedback, smckenzie.

As usual, I'm oversharing as I write in a forum.

Perhaps extending the "walls" and creating a cut where they intersect might be the easiest way then. After that, delete what is not needed and Optimize.

My thoughts about workflow are here; sorry, the theme seems to be overlapping a little bit.
https://cineversity.forums.maxon.net/post/508

The idea is to not have the need to fix it and get proper results from the start. I guess that is an easy to agreeable sentence.

Enjoy your weekend

[Dr. Sassi]

P.S.:
Two short suggestions

https://projectfiles.maxon.net/Cineversity Forum Support/Connecting_two_walls_1.mp4
https://projectfiles.maxon.net/Cineversity Forum Support/Connecting_two_walls_2.mp4

Please let me know how the quality (Video) is for you, this is a new "cloud" and I like to have some feedback, Thank you.

[smckenzie]

URL's don't work.

[Dr. Sassi]

Thanks for that, smckenzie!

It is the spaces between, I wrote already a note to IT. Yes, the is a field in the options, but that is only available after posting.

That is why I always use underscores in my file names (burned fingers from the past productions). Some people don't like it, but it is much saver. Underscores works, end of story.

Sorry, to watch the videos, copy and paste the complete URL.

[smckenzie]

Copy and paste doesn’t work either. There’s no spaces in the urls. The error is that the blobs don’t exist.

[Dr. Sassi]

The whole line, not just the blue part. Right.

Anyway, that there is any problem at all excludes this stuff from being used.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zzogadmzsfcfu05/Connecting_two_walls_1.mp4?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0wntx0gyv1ofa5r/Connecting_two_walls_2.mp4?dl=0

Sorry about that.