Hi Csaba,

i thought about the method to unroll the height profile. The method in german is called "Blechabwicklung" i didn't find the correct english expression. It could be done in this example manually but it would be a boring work and on a high detailed profil it would be impossible. If this method could be done automatically then we would come closer to the solution. I had a look at the projecting tools from Didier Bur but there is also no tool which fits. May be i will contact Didier Bur.

Karlheinz

Hi Chris,

May be you had a look in our discussion about road construction on a Sketchup Terrain. After studying some brochures about civil engineering with CAD i thought about a theoratical way to do this in Sketchup.

Please have a look at this post : http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=19364&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15#p161043

I hope that the description of the steps are understandable.

Do you think it would be possible to develop a ruby script which can do the described projections.

Karlheinz

Hi Pete,

Your rendered image above is top class and consistently good.

I agree with you. but if i subdivide the terrain more, it slows down the speed of my PC respectively Sketchup speed very much. But your idea to create the road directly in the 3D space would may be the easiest way.

I will follow up also with the above posted idea. May be we have an civil engineer in the SCF with experience in CAD who can give us some input.

Karlheinz

csaba,

please show your example model.

Karlheinz

Csaba,

here is the link to this PDF

http://www.powel.com/pictures/WhitePaperPowelTerrain.pdf

Hi Csaba,

you are right. I also meant the Follow me and keep plugin. What's about the whole Idea? The idea came to me when i had a look at some civil engineerung some CAD Brochures like this one attached.
Karlheinz

WhitePaperPowelTerrain.pdf

Theoretical steps for a road in a sketchup terrain.

Creation of a road course in 2D above the terrain

Creation of the Height profil of the terrain along the road course

projecting the terrain height profil to a to a vertical face

On this projected flat Profile one could construct the height profile of the road.

The height profile of the road then should be projected back on the 3D terrain height profil surface

Then along this line the road cold be done by follow me and afterwards inserted into the terrain

Please have a look at the attached skp. My description may not be clear.

The Projections shown in this file are faked. I tried to make the projection with unfold.rb but it was not successfull.

Karlheinz

Theoretical steps for a road in a sketchup terrain

Hi Max,

I do not claim your method to be wrong. But how would you use the method along the line in the valley in the attached skp so that it looks realistic?

Karlheinz

terrain from GE

Hi Pete,

i don't have a special projekt for creating a road. It is a general question for any triangulated terrain. For example the attached terrain.

Karlheinz

Terrain from Vue

Hi Mirjam,

sorry if my english language is not perfect. What i'm asked for is a technique on how to create roads, Streets or pathes in a terrain which are seeming realistic. The problem is that Real roads or Streets in most cases do not run like a ribbon over the terrain surface. The Streets cut through the area in some places or they are running above the surface depending on the terrain. If the terrain is more mountainous you will have may be serpentines. The cross section should be horizontally.

In Sketchup you are only able to create horizontal roads with drape and stamp. By using the Follow Me and keep tool you can create a road along a line which is following the terrain surface but with horizontal cross section. But these methods are not yet satisfactory. A tool would be necessary where one can edit the parameters for the Roadway, Gradient, Descent, Curve radius and so on.

Karlheinz

thank you for fast reply. i'm really a little bit confused because i have less experience in use of Vue. But your advise seems the only way. I will follow that way as you have suggested. If my tests should be successful I will present them in the forum.
Again thanks

Karlheinz

Hi Pete,

i have seen many impressiv works from you here in the Forum and on your Homepage. It seems to me that you are an excellent artist and an experienced user of Vue. Recently i saw this nice terrain created by you an by Vue.

May be you have had a look at the discussion about the creation of realistic seeming roads on a terrain within Sketchup.

Me and other users did some trials to create roads on terrain but all methods used in Sketchup are not yet really satisfactory.

My question is, is it possible to create realistic seeming roads on a terrain in Vue. The idea behind is to create the terrain and the corresponding roads and bases for the Sketchup models in Vue.

I saw many architectural works done with sketchup but mostly of them are done on flat terrains. Or am i wrong.

It would be nice to have a realistic seeming terrain , for example a historic castle on a hill with the corresponding Path leading to the castle. May be do you have an idea.

Karlheinz

Hi Thomas,

attached you will find a skp file with a road created by FollowMe and keep. But i have a problem to edit the terrain or the road by the sandbox tool. I didn't exactly understand your explanation above. Could you please help me.

Karlheinz

Riedberg14.skp

Hi Joe,

thanks for your efforts. This methode is similar to the FollowMe and keep plugin. It is always the problem that the road follows strictly the drawn line. May be we will find a solution.

Karlheinz

Hi AcesHigh,

I agree with you in many points. But do you have a solution to create this in Sketchup?

Your last sentences i didn't understand

@aceshigh said:

if you create a 3d terrain mesh from a gray image, you should draw the road on that image. And paint it in one gray color. And then change slowly the road gray color as it moves along the terrain. When making the new image into a 3d Terrain Mesh, the "terraplaning" of the terrain will be ready for you to put a road over it

Karlheinz

Hi Chris,

is it possible to move this topic to the Sketchup discussions.

Karlheinz

Hi cadfather,

your post sounds interesting. It would be nice to see your method. I took some snapshots form the net as an example streets which i mean.

Karlheinz

Hi thomthom,

you are right. May be a ruby could be helpfull

Karlheinz

Hi Chris,

i would say it should be a general Sketchup discussion. Putting it to ruby discussion was a mistake made by me.

Karlheinz

Hello to all SCF Members,

I'm shure there are many members who are interested in this theme. To create a terrain from GE or from contours is not a problem. But to create a realistic roads or pathes on a curved surface is still a Problem for me. I experimented with different plugins like drape and Stamp as well as FollowMe and keep.

But the results are not yet really satisfactory. In my opinion it is only possible with additional 3D software or am i wrong. I own 3DS Max and Cinema 4d but till now I'm not very familiare with these programs and how to create terrains. My wish is to do such things in Sketchup and only do the rendering in a separate program.

In the net i found many examples of nice looking pictures of terrains created by special terrain forming software but without roads. There are also many specialiced Programs for civil engineers where you can create roads.

But the idea is to create not only roads wich are cutting the terrain. In a more flat terrain for example the road should mostly follow the height profil. In a mountainous landscape it will be necessary to create serpentined or winding roads or pathes.

At present i have no idea about creating this in Sketchup. It would be beautiful if these questions would lead to a greater discussion.

Say hello everyone
Karlheinz

Below some trials done wit FollowMe and keep.

Riedberg12.skp

Alpen15.skp

Alpen16.skp