Tabs

Curves On 1 Rail

The “Orient on 1 rail” command is used to move and rotate curves along another curve called the rail. It utilizes the direction of the rail curve to determine the orientation of the curves being moved.

Steps

Ensure you have created a rail curve and a separate curve that you want to orient along the rail.

Click on the Curves on 1 Rail command icon.

First, select the rail curve. Next, select the curve to be oriented on the rail. Press Enter to confirm your selections.

The selected curve will appear at the start of the rail curve, accompanied by gumballs. These gumballs allow you to modify the height and width of the curve, as well as rotate the curve to adjust its orientation as needed.

The command line will display several mode options to customize your operation:

Open: Leaves the shape open along the rail.
Close: Closes the shape along the rail.
Comfort: Adjusts the curve for a more ergonomic profile.
Thickness: Allows you to specify the thickness of the profile. Input the desired thickness value for precise adjustments.

Additional features include the ability to flip the curve’s orientation and the option to create a sweep surface along the rail curve based on the oriented curve.

Adjust all parameters as required and complete the operation by finalizing the adjustments or exiting the command.

This streamlined workflow offers precision and flexibility when using the Curves on 1 Rail command.

Editing the profiles later

The oriented curves are baked as Profiles: each one remembers the rail, its flat source curve and where it was placed (position along the rail, width, height and rotation), and the curves of the same run are kept together as a group with their inner curves and their sweep.

The Outliner lists one Profile row per profile, with its inner curve in the same row. Double-click the name to rename it; the name is stored as the object name, so it shows in Properties too.
Select a profile — or use the Edit button of its row — and run ArtisanEdit to reopen the command on the whole run, with the gumballs back on every profile and the options of that run (mode, thickness, flip, sweep) restored.
Enter replaces the profiles, their inner curves and the sweep in place: the objects keep their ids, layers and names. Only a change in the number of curves (another mode, the sweep switched on or off) adds or removes objects. Esc leaves the run untouched.
The rail must still be in the document to edit the run.

Command-line options

Mode:

Open: This mode creates an open curve.
Close: This mode creates a closed curve.
Comfort: This mode creates a smooth closed curve.
Thickness: This mode creates a closed curve by offsetting it from the main curve.