Making a desk, not covered in stencil, merging two boxes and a curved line

J

Jason Chapman

All,

Newbie here. I am making an office layour to allow me to visualise
desk layout and network / power / telephone point in Visio 2007.

The desks we have don't seem to be covered by the visio shapes and I
can't seem to make a shape. So I am either looking in the worng place
for the shape or doing something wrong.

The desks are corner desks, but with uneven return, so take a box 1.6m
x .8m. Add a return at one end of 0.6m x .4m. So this gives you an L
shape, then on the internal angle, soften with a curve. So now you
have an L shape where the internal corner of the L is a curve, not an
angle, but the bottom of the L is narrower than the vertical.


****
****
*****
************
************
************
************
************

I tried with the "corner surface", but the ends are the same depth, so
you can't have the shape I need, it is always symtrical.

I tried with two boxes and a curved line and then Shape Opertions
Combine / Union, but eventhrough my curve intersected with two lines,
it just dissappears when I merge the objects into one.

I was doing really well as well, last time I tried, I gave up before I
had finished the walls! This time got walls, doors etc.

Thanks in advance, any help appeciated.
 
W

WapperDude

Hi Jason --
You can make your desk using the line and pencil tools. Start with the line
tool. The process isn't difficult, and would go something like this (you
will add a few more points to get your desk shape) -- draw a rectangular
shape, but instead of making 4 corners, shorten two of the siides by
chamffering one of the corners. Make sure this is one continuous line
segment if you want it filled. (Alternatively, you may select all line
segments, go to shapes, Operations, Join.) With the newly drawn figure
selected, switch to the pencil tool. Now the middle of each line segment
will have an inflection node. Use the pencil to grab this node on the
chamferred (diagonal line) and move it in toward the center of the figure.
The line will now become a curve. That's it. Your desk will have a few more
line segments, but, the process is the same.

Enjoy!
Wapperdude
 
J

Jason Chapman

WapperDude said:
Hi Jason --
You can make your desk using the line and pencil tools. Start with
the line tool. The process isn't difficult, and would go something
like this (you will add a few more points to get your desk shape) --
draw a rectangular shape, but instead of making 4 corners, shorten
two of the siides by chamffering one of the corners. Make sure this
is one continuous line segment if you want it filled.
(Alternatively, you may select all line segments, go to shapes,
Operations, Join.) With the newly drawn figure selected, switch to
the pencil tool. Now the middle of each line segment will have an
inflection node. Use the pencil to grab this node on the chamferred
(diagonal line) and move it in toward the center of the figure. The
line will now become a curve. That's it. Your desk will have a few
more line segments, but, the process is the same.

Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Wapperdude

Thanks for the advice. I ended up doing it by having boxes and then a
curve and subtracting one from the other (I think). It seems to work
and I have it in "my favorites" now. Now I need to work out how to
convince Visio it is a piece of furniture :). I don't get the layer
property for the master, only once I drag them onto the page.

I think it is time to do a couple of online / book courses to actually
realise what visio can do. I have just followed your instructions and
it works. Thanks.


--
Jason Chapman
JAC2 Consultancy
Development - Consultancy - Training
Delphi, InterBase, Firebird, OOAD, Development lifecycle assistance,
Troubleshooting projects, QA.....
Web: www.jac2.co.uk
 
Top