Possible to bend an extruded shape?

ptc-2500369 · ‎Feb 27, 2009

Hello, I'm trying to create a couple of pieces of railroad track. So far, I've designed a straight piece of rail, as pictured below. Is there a way to curve the piece of rail by choosing the base face of the rail, selecting a "bend" option, entering the degrees and radius of the bend, and then have the rail form into the exact curve and length? Or is it possible to extrude the rail on a curve for a specified length? Also, I am attempting to build a crossover, in which pieces of rail intersect. Any suggestion on how to shave down the rail so they come to a point?Thanks in advance,Stewart<img title=""Rail"" height=""520"" alt=""Rail"" src=""http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x16/smonteijr/OGR/rail.jpg"" width=""549"" border=""0"" />

ptc-1796973 · ‎Feb 27, 2009

Stewart, There is no way to bend your existing rail, but you can add on to it, or create it bent in the first place. There are several ways to do this. You can loft it using several workplanes (top picture) - this is probably the hardest way. You can sweep it using a curved spine (middle picture) - this is probably the second easiest Or you can just lift the face and bend it around a pre-derimined access - probably the easiest way for a beginner.

ptc-2500369 · ‎Mar 02, 2009

Thanks for the assistance! Stewart