distance to 2d area
distance to 2d area receives any 3D field into its left input port and it receives triangulated polygons (from triangulate polygon, or other sources) into its right input port. It adds a data component to the input 3D field representing the signed distance from the boundary of the input area. Using subsetting modules such as plume shell, you can cut structures inside or outside of the input polygons. Only the x and y coordinates of the polygons are used because distance to 2d area cuts a projected slice that is z invariant. distance to 2d area recalculates when either input field is changed or the “Run Once” button is pressed.
The data values are zero (0.0) at the boundaries of the surface, less than zero (negative) inside the surface, and greater than zero (positive) outside of the surface. To get everything inside, you need to choose “Below Level” in the subsetting modules rather than the default “Above Level”.
distance to 2d area does not cut directly. It provides data with which you can then subset using other modules like plume or intersection. Without the subsetting modules after distance to 2d area, the only effect is the addition of a new nodal data component.
distance to 2d area needs a surface as its input. The surface can be complex, meaning that it can have holes in it, or it can be separate disjoint pieces. If you are starting with lines, they must form a truly closed polyline. Once you have one or more closed polylines, pass those through triangulate polylines to create a TIN surface before connecting to distance to 2d area.
Ports
| Direction | Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input | Input Field | Field | The field to map subsetting data onto. |
| Input | Input Area | Field | The area to use for subsetting. |
| Output | Output Field | Field | The subset field. |
Properties
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Execute | Button | This button will force the module to run even if the Allow Run toggle has been turned off. This allows the user to make a number of changes before updating. |
| Allow Run | Boolean | The Allow Run toggle causes the module to run whenever your inputs change. |
| Nested Surface Cutting | Boolean | The Nested Surface Cutting toggle allows you to cut doughnut like shapes if you have polygons inside of other polygons. |
| Boundary Extraction Method | Choice: Edges by Angle, Boundary Edges | The Boundary Extraction Method determines how the edges are extracted which the signed distances are calculated to. Edges by Angle chooses all edges of cells with an angle greater than the specified angle. Boundary Edges extracts all edges only used by a single cell, which results in edges on the outer boundary of surfaces. |
| Maximum Edge Angle | Double | The Maximum Edge Angle is defined as the angle between two faces or cells in the model. Intersections between faces or cells with angles greater than the Maximum Edge Angle will be cut. This should not need to be modified unless your cutting area is highly non-planar (3D). If the cutting results seem aberrant, you should try adjusting this. |