This is a continuation of Example 12.
Using the polygon we will now add an arch on top of the bases. To make these shapes as shown in the picture we have to place the polygon in a horizontal position. The polygon length or width of the arch will be the same as the base width or one meter.
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A close-up of the arch
will show how the points and sides work. Side 1 and 3 will be placed
beside the bridge bases. They will not be visible from
outside since these 2 surfaces are covered by the bridge bases.
For this reason side 1 and 3 are not drawn as shown here.
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After compiling the
macro I take a look at the bridge in the scenery and I
realize that my arch doesn't look at all like the one I have
designed - it is square. The reason is simple. The
front and back faces of the polygon need to be made using the
triangulation option - see the polygon controls for this option.
Polygon triangulation can be made in any order of points as long as you enter 3 points on each set. The points on each cell must be drawn in clockwise order otherwise you will not see that part of the arch because 12A or 2A1 or A12 are the same. |
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Looking at
the arch on top of the bridge you will realize that the parts facing
the ground are invisible - even if those parts are drawn according
to the selection made in the textures panel.
All parts from side 4 to 10 are missing in the bridge structure. |
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This problem is easily
resolved by using the
inverse button option for the invisible parts as shown on the left.
Note the I
buttons.
On the right we see the arch once all changes are made. |
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We can now add some kind
of support to the bridge at the base using the
Cube tool.
The cube needs to be skewed to give the appropriate angled view. We will then place another cube all along the bridge on top of these 4 small bases. |
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Finally we will also
add some more bits at both ends of the bridge using the cube.
The cube will be placed on the ground at an altitude of zero. One of it's ends will be raised by 4 meters to join the upper side of the bridge base. |
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Final view of the bridge. Of course it would look nicer with a river underneath...
But the bridge is still not completely finished. The structure has many identical parts that must be maximized in order to get a smaller macro size and better performance in the scenery.
If you look at the bridge and the 4 tall bases you can see that these 4 bases take 4 sequences in the macro. The tool used, the cube, is the same for all and the only difference is that they are placed at different positions or coordinates. It is then obvious we must make some kind of grouping of all these identical parts into one. This is where we use the Maximize option.
Final view of the panel with all identical parts maximized, as Sequences 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Sequences 6 and 7.
Sequences 8, 9, 10 and 11.
Sequences 12 and 13.
Sequences 14, 15, 16 and 17.
Some parts need to be rotated 180 degrees to get the right heading in the structure.