Creating a fan blade - join arcs?
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Hi all,
I'm trying to create a fan blade for my TRANSFORMER radiator. I'm using the arc tool, copying, then joining. But I can't add material to the joined entity. I tried to make it a component, but that didn't work. The lines appear to be coplanar and joined at the nodes.
I would like to make one blade a component, then copy and rotate them. This is pretty easy in CAD, but I'm forcing myself to learn SU.
Any help is appreciated,
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Without image or file skp (save as v6 for more large audience) that is difficult to answer
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It sounds to me as if you haven't created any surfaces to paint. As Pilou says, at least an image would be a big help. Your SKP file would be better.
I did a fan as part of a larger model awhile back. I drew the perimeter of it and used TIG's Extrude Tools to skin it. Then I used Joint Push/Pull to extrude it and give the blade a little thickness.
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Superb!
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In the skp file I have a progression of making blade with native "Sandbox" skinning, and the rotate tool.
I know nothing about blade design but just used the rotate tool to rotate various parts to look twisted like a fan blade. You can do what you like to get your outline.
I then used Sandbox and skinned the blade. Then duplicated and offset in blue direction. Then (and this is not too nice, but I wanted to try it with SB) I copied out the edges of the two faces, split in two parts, rotated 90 degs and used sandbox on those. You then have to unsmooth and erase what you don't want, fix a few faces etc. rotate back and join, soften edges, put it back together (phew).well it actually didn't take that long and if you only use 90 deg rotations on axis in the second part it works out easily to stick it together. At the end there's two components, one to show it can be "solid". But use a plugin if you want, by all means
You'll certainly get nicer geometry.edit--looks like I forgot to reverse the bottom face. eh I care not
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So, I'm trying to copy these blades on the radiator. How do you create the surface when I've created the component? How do you skin the surface?
Thanks for any help
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Components have nothing to do with it, except you won't generally get anything working on a component. You need to work inside ("edit") the component on the edges and curves inside it.
As you indicate, coplanar edges snd arcs should form a face when closed (sometimes it may be "ready" but you need to retrace an edge to make the face). If the edges are NOT coplanar you need to make the face via skinning plugins or Sandbox "from contours" (which is sort of a plugin) or you have to add edges inside the shape til faces are made--entirely of triangles if necessary.
Looking back to your first post, if a flat blade is what you are after, and the edges can all be coplanar. Do your drawing on a surface, like the face of a rectangle, to help be sure it is coplanar. Make the component after you've done most of your work making the face.
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@pbacot said:
Looking back to your first post, if a flat blade is what you are after, and the edges can all be coplanar. Do your drawing on a surface, like the face of a rectangle, to help be sure it is coplanar. Make the component after you've done most of your work making the face.
Yeah, I think the 2 arcs were not coplanar AND I didn't create a face. It works now. I just got to make it pretty.
Thanks for everyone's help,
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