Modeling sidewalk detail on terrain
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Does anyone have advice on how you would model the scoring detail on a sidewalk that is on a terrain? Any plugins that would make quick work of adding a bevel on a mesh surface?
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Kinda hard to offer advice without visuals but ToolsOnSurface and JPP would spring to mind for scoring/panelling.
Bevelling depends on mesh density. I find the outcome relies on the source mesh topology. If your dealing with a messy terrain mesh then bevelling will be challenging. Does your render app support bevelling via a shader?
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@rich o brien said:
Kinda hard to offer advice without visuals but ToolsOnSurface and JPP would spring to mind for scoring/panelling.
Bevelling depends on mesh density. I find the outcome relies on the source mesh topology. If your dealing with a messy terrain mesh then bevelling will be challenging. Does your render app support bevelling via a shader?
My typical workflow is to gather the topo information either from importing through SketchUp's add location (not ideal, but if it is all I have, then it is what it is). Or I will get a mess of a file from the civil engineers. I take the messy terrain mesh and use Vali Terrain to create a simplified clean mesh over that, usually using 25' spacing on large sites and less on smaller sites.
Then I get a clean 2D site plan import or drawn into SketchUp, hovering over the mesh. I save the mesh as a component before I make any cuts because changes WILL happen. I make the roadway and sidewalk cuts using drape (doesn't always work perfectly) and then I use JPP to give the roads some depth and create the curb line.
Now, here is where I would like to get more detailing into my model... I draw sidewalk scoring lines on my 2D plan and drape those on the 3D sidewalks and I am looking for a fast way turn those lines into a groove. Mainly I want to do this so I can use a dirt map in VRay to give the sidewalk some realism.
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Maybe you could use something like TIG's Lattice Maker to make a "cutter" of the scoring lines as a solid group. Make the sidewalk a solid group and use Subtract to cut the lines.
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I was able to create this using Flowify. The sidewalk is done on a flat surface and the expansion joints was basically a 2x6 using Profile Builder (you can create your own) which I then arrayed using copy along path. Then grouped all those and exploded them within said group and then just subtracted it from the sidewalk. Then Flowify.
It's not exactly real world flat work but it would be close enough for a rendering. You would have to divide the site layout into rectangle since you need the 4 points for Flowify.
I haven't tried it yet but you can also stamp the topo with Sandbox and then either push-pull manually or use Fredo's Joint Push pull and then apply materials as required. I like to have the sidewalk grouped to apply beveled edges in Thea Render.
After you Flowify the sidewalk you'll have to lower it by about 3 inches because otherwise the sidewalk will project 6 inches from the surface of the topography.
I also subracted the sidewalk outline in the topography.
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Here's skp file which you or anyone else can study with the groups set-up to Flowify on the left.
Justin of Sketchup Essentials has a good quick start video about Flowify.
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Interesting. I cant say I have played with Flowify yet. I well take a look. Thanks!
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You're welcome. I found this video from Tutorials Up for some different methods to create a sidewalk on terrain. The last one looks interesting. Haven't tried any of these yet.
You'll have to watch it on Youtube since they don't allow any embedding for their channel.
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