Is there a way to preserve geometry of angled faces when scaling an object? Im attempting to make a scalable octagonal deck band, where the overall size as well as the size of the edge pieces are controlled via user input. The angle where the end faces meet should always be 22.5* but since the overall dimension as well as the thickness of the individual members can be changed, so to does the angle of the corner faces.
deck test.skp (268.6 KB)
Scaling an object will result in the angle being scaled, too. There’s no way around that. To avoid the angle changing you would need to split the component into separate objects with the miter at the end being separate from the center section. Then move the mitered part while scaling the center section.
Here’s a quick example.
The functions like this:
Here’s the thing in action.
And to make it look like a single object, hide the corresponding faces and edges in the objects.
If you plan to use Open Cutlist, make the sub-objects groups with the Rim being a component. OCL will report the Rim component and ignore the groups inside it.
Question: How many octagonal decks do you make in a year?
Thanks much, this is very helpful! I was taking a similar approach with just the mitered faces to no avail. I think a little trig and the mitered ends will scale nicely with the thickness as well. We build quite a few octagons, its a somewhat standard shape for the playgrounds and adventure courses we build. Thanks again for your imput!
