Well, I got it.
Thanks again for tips and inspiration.
Still no love on the Bezier curves. Played with them for a few hours. My lack of experience with them makes them too unpredictable, at least to me.
Lot's of lines, lots of arcs, too much time! The "wiring" is not "as built", but good enough for what I need it for.
Chris
If anyone needs advice on building a "Hidden Door", just ask. I've built lots of them. This is the first automated one though. I learned a lot on this one.
Wow!
I post a question, go to bed and get a bunch of help when I wake up!
Thank you all for your suggestions.
Massimo, that plugin does look interesting, but for future use. Oh and your last comment was that it failed to install, does it work now?
L i am, I'll give your way a shot, couldn't be any more time consuming than what I'm doing now!
Cotty, that's more or less how I AM doing it now, but with just the arc tool. I have never gotten the hang of Bezier curves. Not in SketchUp, AutoCAD, Photoshop, or any other program that has them. I guess I need to because your "wires" sure look smoother than mine. Does B-spline follow the line path? Or do you have to draw every curve? I guess I'll look that up!
Thank you all again!
Chris
Oh, and thank you HornOxx and L i am, on the compliment. The model is going to be used in an "Owners Manual" so to speak for a hidden door I built for a client. Between the mechanics and circuitry, it took me months to figure it out. The cabinets were a snap because that's what I actually do.
Hey all,
Just wasted most of the day "wiring" a model.
I'm familiar with many ways to make the wires, once the path is created (Follow Me, Pipes on Path, Follow Me and Keep...).
What is the most efficient way to create a path?
I'm including a screenshot. But will be happy to share the file. I will eventually anyway because some of you might appreciate it.
Thanks,
Chris
PS. I'm not looking for someone to spend time making me a tutorial, just point me to some, thanks.
@rv1974 said:
because it's logical to refine one fragment (with intersected element) make it a component and only then array it X600, isn't it?
You are probably correct, but it did finally work.
I will keep that advice in mind for next time, however! Thanks
Chris
@rv1974 said:
Were components inappropriate in your case?
May have been, but it did eventually work.
Why do you suggest that they were "inappropriate"? Just asking.
Chris
Awesome!
Now, has this actually been built? Or is it like a three-pronged blivit?
Just asking.
Chris
I see it has, after a bit of searching, so nevermind. 
However the image on the site (the one you posted) looks like a render.
Hi all,
I just asked SketchUp to intersect about 600 little hexagons, with a wall thickness of 1/64". How long do I let it grind before I decide to close the program? Will it actually do it, if I give it long enough?
Thanks'
Chris
OK, the answer is YES, but it took 4 hours!
Thanks for the example Box,
It never occurred to me to bend the bottom twice!
Because I sure would have! Oh well, I learned about "Smart Drop" anyaway!
Chris
Never mind solo, I just realized I was rendering an entire model, just not the fruit bowl and a floor.
But thanks!
Chris
Solo,
LOL, I let mine grind for hours. And it ain't all that slow! Six core running at 3.7.
Box,
Do you mean to tell me that if I'd have bent it on the red axis, then re-bent it (after switching my axis 90 degrees) I could have done it that way? Please show me. But, that's sure a doh moment if that actually works! (and where the heck where you when I asked about that in my first post?)
Chris
Box, this was what I was going for. I wish shape bender could have done it!
Cotty, thanks for responding, I'll look into Indigo more thoroughly!
Solo, that's almost exactly how it looks sitting on my kitchen table!
I'm flattered that you took the time to render it. I've seen a lot of your work over the years. Thanks for showing me what it could look like.
I know because of you experience rendering, you could probably get nearly the same results in many renderers. But out of curiosity, not that I could afford it, what are you using?
Chris
Thanks guys!
Yes L i am, I did render it. But I like Cotty's much better!
My render was too black through the sides. I used Render_nXt, with their "Thick Glass" preset.
Cotty, what did you render it in? Do you think that that preset had the caustics too high?
L i am, I did it by making all those little facets and scaling the heck out of them with the native scale tool, Fredoscales Box Tapering, curviloft, hand stiching, lots of rotating and lots and lots of erasing and redoing!
Smart drop got me the bottom, but not without issues. I do wish there was a plugin like Chris Fulmers Shape bender that created concave and convex group/components.
Mostly it just took a lot of time, and I was fairly determined to see if I could do it!
Thanks again for the kudos!
Chris
Well L i am,
I got it, just took me a few days longer than I had expected.
Chris
3D Warehouse is a website of searchable, pre-made 3D models that works seamlessly with SketchUp.
(3dwarehouse.sketchup.com)
Hey L i am,
Thanks for the reply.
I read that post, watched the tutorial, but decided it wasn't something that would work for me.
I'm getting somewhere with "Smart Drop" though.
Another few hours of tweaks and I might get it!
I did appreciate the response though.
Chris
Hello again,
Happy Halloween for those that celebrate it.
OK, I thought it would be "fun" to model a cut glass fruit bowl I own.
Well...not so much.
Is there an extension similar to soapskin that allows you to make an entire circular group concave?
Adding a file and an image.
Thanks all,
Chris
Again L i am,
You got me on the right track, thank you!
I did end up going a slightly different route on the last lashing, but use your general approach.
Thanks again,
Chris
Thanks for the kudos L i am,
Even though I've been looking at your attached image. I have no idea what you did there. I got the rest of the lashing done. Except for that leg you did.
Granted, I'm trying to intersect an arched stretcher with my leg and I think the one you modeled was cylinders that were perpendicular to each other but I'm just not getting what your workflow was.
What did you use to get that face on your intersection on the leg and the stretcher?
Thanks,
Chris
Thanks L i am,
Your post got me thinking in a different direction.
By setting up a bunch of planes and intersecting them with the stretchers I was able to use them in batches of three, offset the center one by a sixteenth, and then use "Loft by Spline" to create something that looks more like the real stool. It doesn't spiral around, and I made them too wide, but closer to the right look.
I'm playing with the intersection you modeled now.
Chris
Hello all,
I'm trying to fake bamboo lashing on a hassock I'm modeling. The closest I seem to be able to get is by using "Helix along curve".
Could anyone point me in the right direction to actually model this detail correctly?
I've posted it to the 3D Warehouse under "Sectional Hassock".
If I remember how I'll include an image of what I'm trying to model, and the model file here.
Thanks,
Chris
