CompuServe Messages

>>,,,converting AutoCAD contour lines into 3D Studio surface… >>…should I create it in AutoCAD or 3D Studio… When moving from AutoCAD to 3D Studio, my experience has been that it is best to create as much as possible in 3D Studio. I have NEVER transferred an even moderately complex 3D object from AutoCAD to 3DS without some normal "wierdness" that had to be fixed. Try working on a complete 3D building using AutoCAD and Archt for several days then having to spend a couple of days flipping normals in 3D Studio. As far as your terrain mesh, Schreiber Instruments/4D Vision sells a program called 3D Surf. It includes an Autolisp routine that extracts all the X,Y,Z points from your AutoCAD drawing and dumps them to a file. 3D Surf then reads this file and creates a mesh. It works pretty good for me. It is also priced attractively and won't break the bank. John Hostick