Senerio: I have a complex physical model, lots of curved walls.
Question: Is it possible to model it in a 3d program and "triangulate" the 3d model and flatten the curved face to export to a way i can print it out and trace the triangles.
Goal: To recreate the curved face with an accurate physical model.
can anybody help me out? what programs to use? a tutural perhaps.
formZ has an unfold tool that is expressly for this purpose. Clicking on different parts of the shape unfolds it in different configurations. You'd have to triangulate before doing this and I suggest you watch your poly count or the thing could get out of hand.
Well, after a couple of hours on FormZ... now the problem is that it unfolds to a bloody mess. there is no order to how it onfolds, perhaps is there a way to unfold it on a certian edge.
It was ages ago I used the formZ unfold command, but as a general rule, you simply can't unfold anticlastic surfaces, like hyperbolic paraboloids (so called "saddle" surfaces"), to one flat piece. I think your problem is that the surface now unfolds to a jumble of pieces that overlap each other. You will have to cut up the surface into smaller parts and unfold separately. Probably there is some logic how to do this in the most efficient manner, just let me think a bit...
Unfolding was acturly the reson I started with computers but as AutoCAD 2.6 didn\t offer anything like that, what I did was to write my own unfolding rutines. If you done that just with AutoCAD that acturly offer a reasoable overview about what you program, you will know how many way\s this can go wrong ,anyway I got a serie of design tools put together that way as when you gain the knowleage you soon ask yourself "why not be able to do _this ontop, now I finaly found out that what the program save in the drawing database is used "this way" to show the original rough mesh and "this" way when the other code is this. --- Anyway Rhino is a fair suggestion, but fact is that all the years I had my in-house software, I didn't se any application that work as smooth as my own, ------- there are some but most are limited to a very small mesh and Rhino can only unfold what been drawn within Rhino, not somthing you import from say AutoCAD. AutoCAD on the other hand offer very limited meshes, you can't as you do in boat design, point to a number of ribs and have a mesh created --- this feature I had to add AutoCAD to even draw rasoable lined boats and be able to unfold the mesh into long panels .
Just think about what the program must ask before it make the fairly simple calculations ; do you want the hidden mesh or the mesh generated from that just smoothened so as you se it on the screen ? Do you want long panels with the faces in a row ,then if you want that do you want the rows "this" or "that" way in X or in Y direction.
So to even be able to make unrolled meshes ,I first had to use a seldom used function in AutoCAD and forst make the program that make the mesh from the definations I point out, when pointed out the program must ensure the mesh don't wincle , then I had to make the unfolding program that shuld take 4 cases in count ; you want the original but hidden mesh unfold or the one you se at the screen.
Still it do work ,but please listen to an advise from somone who done this for years ,somone who build a lot with these rutines --- do it in 3D-HoneyComb instead, think about it ; you don't get the thing just by having the panels the panels need somthing to hold their shape, mesh things simply dont work well on their own just like with anything else that consist of a surface there must be a framework to hold it in the air.
Max has several features that can do this, depending on how accurate you want it. Is this for your own project? Or are you being paid to make a model? If it's that latter, then I'd look for accurate software (FormZ or something like SolidWorks).
With Max you have Render to Texture and Unwrap UVW, both made to help you take a form and turn it into 2D shapes, which you can edit and remap (mostly for real time).
With the unfold tool in formZ, the segment you click on forms a kind of datum for the unfolding. I believe that segment gets placed on the X-axis. When you triangulate (using the triangulate tool) be sure you check "Triangulate non-planar faces only" which should help with the poly count.
Dec 2, 04 3:33 pm ·
·
Non digital solution. I had the same problem a few years ago. I printed out the basic guide patterns then carved the curved sections from high density foam. I then coated the form in with mold release and layed on three layers of fiberglass mat. Once it cured I popped the foam out and had the perfect shell. Good solution when you don't have access to cnc or vacu-form facilities
Why not have it rapid prototyped? A small model, about a 4" cube, will run you approx. 200 bucks. The cornstartch printer will be even less then the SLA.
If you model with Solids the best way will proberly be to slice the model the thickness of the sheet material you chose, --- like a common landscape model where you se the kote lines stepvise form a rough model.
Your walls can be made the same way by slicing the model and gluing the sections ontop eachother all you need is to plot it and spray glue the plot ontop some sheet material and then cut from the lines on the plot.
Dec 3, 04 7:30 am ·
·
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Help... Model making?
Ok here i go.
Senerio: I have a complex physical model, lots of curved walls.
Question: Is it possible to model it in a 3d program and "triangulate" the 3d model and flatten the curved face to export to a way i can print it out and trace the triangles.
Goal: To recreate the curved face with an accurate physical model.
can anybody help me out? what programs to use? a tutural perhaps.
thanks
wayne
well, if you make the wall in rhino, you can create the wall as a surface, and use the 'unroll' command to do this
formZ has an unfold tool that is expressly for this purpose. Clicking on different parts of the shape unfolds it in different configurations. You'd have to triangulate before doing this and I suggest you watch your poly count or the thing could get out of hand.
Well, after a couple of hours on FormZ... now the problem is that it unfolds to a bloody mess. there is no order to how it onfolds, perhaps is there a way to unfold it on a certian edge.
It was ages ago I used the formZ unfold command, but as a general rule, you simply can't unfold anticlastic surfaces, like hyperbolic paraboloids (so called "saddle" surfaces"), to one flat piece. I think your problem is that the surface now unfolds to a jumble of pieces that overlap each other. You will have to cut up the surface into smaller parts and unfold separately. Probably there is some logic how to do this in the most efficient manner, just let me think a bit...
Hi
Unfolding was acturly the reson I started with computers but as AutoCAD 2.6 didn\t offer anything like that, what I did was to write my own unfolding rutines. If you done that just with AutoCAD that acturly offer a reasoable overview about what you program, you will know how many way\s this can go wrong ,anyway I got a serie of design tools put together that way as when you gain the knowleage you soon ask yourself "why not be able to do _this ontop, now I finaly found out that what the program save in the drawing database is used "this way" to show the original rough mesh and "this" way when the other code is this. --- Anyway Rhino is a fair suggestion, but fact is that all the years I had my in-house software, I didn't se any application that work as smooth as my own, ------- there are some but most are limited to a very small mesh and Rhino can only unfold what been drawn within Rhino, not somthing you import from say AutoCAD. AutoCAD on the other hand offer very limited meshes, you can't as you do in boat design, point to a number of ribs and have a mesh created --- this feature I had to add AutoCAD to even draw rasoable lined boats and be able to unfold the mesh into long panels .
Just think about what the program must ask before it make the fairly simple calculations ; do you want the hidden mesh or the mesh generated from that just smoothened so as you se it on the screen ? Do you want long panels with the faces in a row ,then if you want that do you want the rows "this" or "that" way in X or in Y direction.
So to even be able to make unrolled meshes ,I first had to use a seldom used function in AutoCAD and forst make the program that make the mesh from the definations I point out, when pointed out the program must ensure the mesh don't wincle , then I had to make the unfolding program that shuld take 4 cases in count ; you want the original but hidden mesh unfold or the one you se at the screen.
Still it do work ,but please listen to an advise from somone who done this for years ,somone who build a lot with these rutines --- do it in 3D-HoneyComb instead, think about it ; you don't get the thing just by having the panels the panels need somthing to hold their shape, mesh things simply dont work well on their own just like with anything else that consist of a surface there must be a framework to hold it in the air.
Max has several features that can do this, depending on how accurate you want it. Is this for your own project? Or are you being paid to make a model? If it's that latter, then I'd look for accurate software (FormZ or something like SolidWorks).
With Max you have Render to Texture and Unwrap UVW, both made to help you take a form and turn it into 2D shapes, which you can edit and remap (mostly for real time).
With the unfold tool in formZ, the segment you click on forms a kind of datum for the unfolding. I believe that segment gets placed on the X-axis. When you triangulate (using the triangulate tool) be sure you check "Triangulate non-planar faces only" which should help with the poly count.
Non digital solution. I had the same problem a few years ago. I printed out the basic guide patterns then carved the curved sections from high density foam. I then coated the form in with mold release and layed on three layers of fiberglass mat. Once it cured I popped the foam out and had the perfect shell. Good solution when you don't have access to cnc or vacu-form facilities
Why not have it rapid prototyped? A small model, about a 4" cube, will run you approx. 200 bucks. The cornstartch printer will be even less then the SLA.
http://www.approto.com/
JG those guys are really good, I highly reccomend them for complex rapid prototyping needs that your school can't accomodate.
this program might be able to help you do this:
Lamina Design
http://laminadesign.com
another program worth checking out would be touchCAD. seems to be exactly what you're looking for.
Hi
If you model with Solids the best way will proberly be to slice the model the thickness of the sheet material you chose, --- like a common landscape model where you se the kote lines stepvise form a rough model.
Your walls can be made the same way by slicing the model and gluing the sections ontop eachother all you need is to plot it and spray glue the plot ontop some sheet material and then cut from the lines on the plot.
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