Modeling from diferent elevations

Oh Boy, Aegis, you really need to walk before you can fly. I mean, using several elevation views and plan views of a house would be a good beginning. Modelling some terrain, and some oddly shaped objects using tools such as follow-me and intersect with model would be another good step. After you have done a good few individual objects with organic shapes, it would give you the practice and the ideas of where to go from there for more complex objects. I don't think you will be able to get a few simple sentences on how to go about doing this in SketchUp. It is a tall order.

Thank you for your fast reply.

Well, I´ve done a lot of modeling for my architecture courses for the past 1/2 year using Sketchup, you could say I´m quite accustomed to ¨traditional modelling¨ in the sense of architecture modeling (i.e. based on single view plans and extruding from there , as well as intersecting and using the follow-me tool very often too)

. The kind of proyects I´ve had to work on as a student kind of forces you to explore every aspect of this software ( or rather, Sketchup fills my designing necessities almost completely) so when I say I´m rather new I´m just saying that in comparison to those who have spent years using this sofware. I think I´ve gone throuh almost every tutorial out there for SU but none anwsered my question directly.

I know it seems like a very complicated poject to start practicing more complex modeling but I´m certain I have enough experience to do this kind of stuff.

I just need some help figuring out how to model the plane by using all of the elevations together instead of just proyecting from a single view.

Thanks again for your help.

I'll preface this by saying its out of my league - I really don't touch this kind of stuff. I would venture to say that most of us around here don't do this kind of medling in SU. If your serious about doing it, I think you'll be in new territory in a lot of ways. Its probably going to be a lot of trail and error. And if you come up with great techniques, I'm sure others who are interested would love to hear how you did it so please consider documenting your process :) I think its going to be a lot of tracing, pulling, intersecting, and so on. So good luck with it!

Chris Fullmer

Maybe we can get Mike Lucey to make a comment. He makes a lot of SketchUp Cars and he likely has much to add here. I think he posts mostly in the corner bar these days though. I'll bring his attention to this post and maybe get him to help out.

Aegis:

I have never done anything like this but thinking about where I would start I used the following simple workflow:

* Import jpg file

* Scale overall length to a reasonable dimension – 100’

* Start dimensioning possible subassemblies

If I were doing it a project like this I would:

* Divide the project down it’s central axis

* Block out the major subassemblies: central fuselage, wings, tail, engines, and so

* Make each subassembly a component

* Mirror each subassembly on both sides of the central axis

* Then work on adding detail to each of the subassembly components

Good luck, this is a very ambitious undertaking,

Robert

Thank you for all your replies,

Guess I´ll have to experiment a bit, I was thinking of going the same route you suggested Robert.

Susan is right though, this project is no that different than modeling a car, I would really like to know the kind of workflow that is required for that sort of modeling. Where to begin how to project the diferent 2D views into a single volume (of course, it would have to be reduced to different components to get that final volume first).

I wasn´t expecting this much attention and help so thanks again guys!

I think it is a topic of interest to a lot of SU users, especially lots of the GSU people, who want to make things like this just for fun. I'm sure everyone would appreciate knowing how you did it afterwards.

It's possible to do this. You need to break it down into its main sections - sorta reverse engineer it, as Robert suggests. And grow it from scratch in SU.

One of the useful tools for you is a script called SoapSkinBubble. For Pro users only, it creates tensile structure meshes which you can control how much it puffs out. Download it from the extension warehouse. There are many examples in this thread [xxx dead link] on how it can be used.

One such example which may be of use is in the file 'seat back' at bar stool. It shows one way to make a path from orthographic views for the SSB script. Although many of the paths that you will be working with will be planar and/or created by less complicated layout methods.

Also that same file will show a use of the script extrudelinetool.rb which extrudes a path (found at http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=extrudelinetool-Modified-TIG.) Say, for example, you make part of the fuselage and want to make a part of it dimensional - much as a curb or a road cut would appear. Create that path on the side of the smoothed fuselage (hint: you will need to use Intersect with Model), select that path and extrude it with that script. Select the 'road cut' face, group it, and Move it to the newly created outer edge of the extruded path.

Some other methods that may be of use desk leg question or grow a leg - just pretend the leg is a fuselage or some other slightly curvilinear form on the jet. And an example of some decorative line work http://forum.sketchup.com/showthread.php?p=477602#post477602 [dead link]. Depending on the level of detail, this way of making square to round transition may be handy round to square.

For work order, block out/model the main parts and go back and add the detail later. Don't get bogged down in detail too soon. One way of blocking out the fuselage is by using the top and side jpg. Intersect those two views 90 degrees. Making them transparent and locking their position may help. Draw a front profile of the fuselage for push/pulling using the jpeg images as a guide. Maybe start with the profile about the midsection of the jet. Position that profile directly on top of the locked image, to use the image as a guide for the growing size/shape. Pull the profile out as much as reasonably possible and rescale/move the profile face/edge to fit the locked image guide. Pull out the face again and rescale/recontour the profile edge as needed. This method is in the example 'growing a leg' linked above. One of the advantages of this is that it will leave you with a series of rings that can easily be reshaped/repositioned by the Scale and Move tools, etc, after you are done. Even if you smooth the lines, they can be retooled in Hidden Geometry mode.

Mind your manners on segmentation. Keep it down to as little as you can get away with.

You have a fun project ahead of you. And you will learn a lot of useful stuff. Favorite methods of work can seemingly change with whim, mood and direction the wind blows. You'll find out what methods you favor as you go.

Aegis,

Maybe you can start with something like I have attached.

Regards,

Henry

hey chkthis out... m,aybe this dude can help u out..... http://www.beaty.demon.co.uk/draughtsman/2006/10/lotus-7-model-planning-research.html [dead link]

http://www.beaty.demon.co.uk/draughtsman/2006/10/lotus-7-sketchup-setup.html [dead link]

jenujacob,

Right. Per my suggestion and, as Beaty has demonstrated, this is a typical set up used extensively in 3ds Max, Maya, Lightwave, etc. for modeling cars, planes, spaceships and the like. In fact, there exist entire websites dealing in blueprints for this method. In SU, you will need to turn off perspective and use top, right, front and back views.

Regards,

Henry

Using Henry's file, I intersected the side and bottom image to use as a guide for beginning to form the fuselage.

I used the default number of segments that comes with bezier.rb. This model can look good with less than shown in the file.

Edit: Until I get around to learning more about scripting or someone else updates the script, to change the default number of 20 segments of a bezier.rb generated curve, open the script in a plain text editor like Notepad. Find:

def create_curve

curve = Bezier.curve @pts, 20

# see if this fills in any new faces

Change the number 20 to another number of desired segments. It would be a good idea to add:

### this is the number of segments

after your edit to make it easy to find again. Save the script. If a session of SU is running, open the Ruby console. Write:

load 'bezier.rb'

then enter.

BTW entering a number in the VCB while using bezier.rb will change the number of control handles of the curve. Selecting the curve and r-click to find the Edit Bezier feature.

yf19 fuselage.skp

[edit: FredoSpline and/or Bezier Spline are more feature-rich extensions than the original sample bezier plugin by the SketchUp team.]

I'd say that Coen Naninck is your "go to guy" for this type of modeling and information about the process used to achieve it.

http://www.sketchup.com/?id=21&csid=128 [dead link]

http://forum.sketchup.com/search.php?searchid=149866 [dead link]

http://www.formfonts.com/3D-Model/1/1466/1/colonial-viper-mkii-low-poly/