Dramatic entrance and help required

benanderson

Introduction
Dramatic as in "I fell down the stairs".

Have been using sketchup since version 6 reared its ugly head and have a few odd models floating around.
I mostly (everything) do 1:1 scale models of random bits and bobs of techno babble.
Though a hard drive failure in 2008 lost almost all of my models (and subsequently sent the Dell computer I was working on flying out the window for the hyper-billionth, time along with MS Windows).
So what I managed to save from all this is right here:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=d05e40aeb8081384850db66bac01615f
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=d29194968bbf7fa436a6da92dbb88b3a
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=32d68bd4315a43b9ab740b857f575c7f
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=f1b4c355c2df53e436a6da92dbb88b3a
The CZ3000 is probably my favourite model out of all the models I've done.

For ones that I have not uploaded or were lost:
http://homepage.mac.com/benanderson89/images/PS3.png
http://homepage.mac.com/benanderson89/images/iMac.png
http://homepage.mac.com/benanderson89/images/macbookAluminium.png
http://homepage.mac.com/benanderson89/images/esq-1.png

So yes, yet more techno rubbish spewing from Sketchup

Help
I have a bit of a problem with a model I am working on. A model of my Advent Modena Laptop (what a surprise) and I cannot seem to get the bevel around the edge to work. I can do a beveled edge with the follow me tool like I have done with the MacBook Aluminium model you see above, giving it a nice rounded corner, but the problem with the Modena I'm modelling is that the size of the bevel is not uniform around the computer.
This picture explains it better than I do:
http://homepage.mac.com/benanderson89/images/modena-underside.jpg

Any ideas how I could achieve this in Sketchup 8?

Cheers!

Marian

No idea...I also stumbled on the same problem when I modeled my dell laptop and I settled for a compromise. http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=ed35ed3a7c8824e5996bace9c8deb982&prevstart=0

I'll watch this thread maybe I'll get a solution for my laptop model too

Btw...welcome to SCF. Have a nice stay here ^_^

pilou

Round Corners by Fredo6 can must make that

Marian

@unknownuser said:

Round Corners by Fredo6 can must make that

Are you sure? Did you see the last link

Dave R

I'm just thinking and haven't tried it yet but I would make it with either Follow Me or Round Corner with the smaller radius (it may not be a circular curve so Round Over may not be appropriate. Then I would use FredoScale to scale the front curve to make it wider.

Another option might be one of TIG's Extrusion Tools plugins. Draw the bottom of the arc and the edge to use as rails and an arc profile for the roundover. Do only half, copy and flip the copy to make the opposite side.

Dave R

Well, Extrude Edges By Rails almost works.

6-2-2011 5-09-51 PM.png

Looks good from this angle but...

6-2-2011 5-10-51 PM.png

Something fell apart. I expect if the right thing was done, it could be made to work.

pilou

like this? only 2 sides made

Rich O Brien

Here's my suggestion using Artisan (or Sub Divide and Smooth)
[flash=800,600:dy6uok5o]http://www.youtube.com/v/ckwgXqKH_uc[/flash:dy6uok5o]

Marian

Nice one Rich.

Dave R

Here's my shot at it.

computer bottom.skp

Rich O Brien

@marian said:

Nice one Rich.

I was surprised at the final result as I was thinking Curviloft and BezierSpline. Then SDS came to mind. It's a plugin that is so powerful that it never fails to impress me.

All I need now is talent

Dave R

Rich, that works quite nicely. Good job.

Rich O Brien

Don't thank me. Thank Dale. It's his b'day today as well so I'm sure he'll appreciate it!

jeff hammond

yet another suggestion here..

using the loft tool in curviloft set to 'bezier method2 respect tangency' along with the uniform B-splines from bezierSpline.rb..

results from the video

[flash=700,555:ek1lph60]http://www.youtube.com/v/Xt_MffSkCEI?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0[/flash:ek1lph60]

Dave R

Jeff, that's very good. I agree the corners probably aren't circular curves. I just used them for speed but would have used a Bezier curve instead. I did use a Bezier curve for the profiles, though. I used TIG's Extrude Edges by Rails and it went pretty quickly. I did three sides since all three have different widths.

re: the back face color. Makes you want to correct reversed faces, doesn't it?

KarinaGM

Mmmhhh I'm a bit late but here's how I've solved this in the past
bevels.skp

Ohh nice one Dave! faster than mine
Jeff, I liked the result but I can't watch youtoube from work
Nor whatever Rich is using.... flash maybe?

I have to miss half of the stuff posted in the forum due to restrictions in my pc
hate that

benanderson

D'OH! Forgot to hit "notfy me of a reply".
So many replies and so little time :B

@marian said:

No idea...I also stumbled on the same problem when I modeled my dell laptop and I settled for a compromise. http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=ed35ed3a7c8824e5996bace9c8deb982&prevstart=0

I'll watch this thread maybe I'll get a solution for my laptop model too

Btw...welcome to SCF. Have a nice stay here ^_^

Sweet model! And thanks

@unknownuser said:

like this? only 2 sides made
[attachment=0:1ew1d1ur]23.jpg[/attachment:1ew1d1ur]

I tried that at first but then I ran into problems trying to get the rounded off corners. I could probably make 8-segmants and then join them all together in a very hack and slash way to get the result if all else fails.

And then their is always the option of going bananas with the move tool!

@unknownuser said:

Here's my suggestion using Artisan (or Sub Divide and Smooth)
[flash=600,480:1ew1d1ur]http://www.youtube.com/v/ckwgXqKH_uc[/flash:1ew1d1ur]

That looks like it would work, where can I download this plugin? I'll have a play about with it tonight when I get home.

@unknownuser said:

yet another suggestion here..
using the loft tool in curviloft set to 'bezier method2 respect tangency' along with the uniform B-splines from bezierSpline.rb..
[attachment=0:1ew1d1ur]computerBottomjh.skp[/attachment:1ew1d1ur]
[flash=700,555:1ew1d1ur]http://www.youtube.com/v/Xt_MffSkCEI?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0[/flash:1ew1d1ur]
http://youtu.be/Xt_MffSkCEI?hd=1

Beizer Curves would be a good way to get the weird angle the bevel of the laptop sits at. Its very steep, almost straight.

@dave r said:

Jeff, that's very good. I agree the corners probably aren't circular curves. I just used them for speed but would have used a Bezier curve instead. I did use a Bezier curve for the profiles, though. I used TIG's Extrude Edges by Rails and it went pretty quickly. I did three sides since all three have different widths.

re: the back face color. Makes you want to correct reversed faces, doesn't it?

Actually, on closer inspection, it has a radius of about 0.5cm on the bottom. You can see it when light hits of the bottom of the computer.

Rich O Brien

http://www.artisan4sketchup.com

Ther's a 15day trial but I recommend you buy it

benanderson

@unknownuser said:

http://www.artisan4sketchup.com
Ther's a 15day trial but I recommend you buy it

I'll give it a shot, I'm not that heavy a Sketchup user. Though given the exchange rate from $ to £ it might be worth it even if its just going to sit there best part of the year! haha

@karinagm said:

Mmmhhh I'm a bit late but here's how I've solved this in the past
[attachment=1:299w5w9d]bevels.skp[/attachment:299w5w9d]
[attachment=0:299w5w9d]bevel.jpg[/attachment:299w5w9d]

Ohh nice one Dave! faster than mine
Jeff, I liked the result but I can't watch youtoube from work
Nor whatever Rich is using.... flash maybe?

I have to miss half of the stuff posted in the forum due to restrictions in my pc
hate that

May I ask what tools you have used to do this?

KarinaGM

@unknownuser said:

May I ask what tools you have used to do this?

It is explained in the file I attached, but for the curves I used bezier spline, restricted to 8 segments per curve (the default is 20).
Push pull for the profiles and curviloft to join the resultants edges (the image attached to the message).