I am trying to extrude multiple sets of vertices simultaneously and congruently.
Specifically, I am attempting to do this on the ring-shaped framework in the first image; it was derived from a cylinder whose cap fill type was set to "nothing". It is 50 meters in radius and 4 meters in height. As you can see, it is a ring of 36 connected faces.
My goal is to extrude the set of vertices that compose the outside of each face, as per the second image. Those four vertices have been extruded 18 meters along the X axis.
The goal of that is to make a box shape, as per the third image.
The goal of that is to make multiple boxes spanning the outside of the ring, as per the fourth image; while only two are visible in it, I intend for them to go all the way around the outside. The two box shapes in the fourth image are 100% congruent in terms of size and shape.
While I could certainly do this "by hand", as it were, I'd really prefer not to, since I'm trying to make five layers of this ring, and that'd mean that I'd have to go through the process of making that box 180 times, meaning that I'd have to put in at least 900 faces and extrude at least 720 vertices - not an appealing prospect.
Is there a way to speed this process up while still ensuring that each set of extruded vertices is extruded to the same length?
A good answer will answer the following specific questions:
How do I extrude vertices around the entire thing, and how do I do it so that they extrude an equal amount?
Once those vertices are extruded, how do I draw faces between each individual set of vertices simultaneously?
