Curviloft Alternative Sketchup
Tom Donahou
You may notice that there are certain elements that can be seen in the final model, but nothing is fully resolved. I was focusing on where and how the building cast shadows, how to form the land around the building, and how the form would reinforce my concept and performance, among other things.
Once I had a good base going, I began modeling the curves and softening the transitions. I have tested out many plugins and the problem I come across with most of them is how unstable they are. If they were not used just right or used inside of a group, they would crash my model. The series of plugins that I have found to work best are the FREDO Tools and more specifically the Curviloft plugin. You need to install 2 ruby scripts, the LibFredo6 found here, and the Curviloft found here. You will also need to log into Sketchucation (Free) to download the plugins.
Once I had a series of lines ready to loft, I started the Curviloft plugin. The process is really straight forward. (4) I choose the first spline curve, (5) then I choose the second spline curve, (6) and then hit the check mark twice to complete the process. The plugin creates a smooth surface between the two spline curves, allowing you to choose how many times to subdivide the surface among other options. The best part is that the plugin is really stable and can be used inside of groups.
Finally, time was spent cleaning up the edges removing any unnecessary line work. This meant hiding a lot of the line work. Below, I am showing two screen shots. One with the hidden geometry on, and the other with it off. This tells a better story of what is going on with the geometry and how well a model can be cleaned up for presentation purposes.
1. My linework that I export out of sketchup is always jagged and not clean like yours looks.
I have tried jpg, png, (and pdf which usually crashes) without good results. What is recommended
to get clean linework.
Just upgraded to SketchUp 2013
No Curvioft available for it apparently. Specifically, there is no longer a plugin folder availbale to instal LibFredo library and tools.
ANy suggestions on how to get curviloft again for the upgrade?
@Jay
If you feel that strong about SketchUP vs. Rhino you should just start a blog that is devoted to Rhino. This blog has been great for me and any others who all have jobs at architecture firms and students alike.
I think sketch up has its uses, while i personally haven't used Rhino it seems it has its own place as well.
They way i see it and correct me if im wrong. It seems like Sketch up is the preferred software for students to use in school. While The use of software such as Rhino or Revit is more of the professional side.
The way ive done it is. Ill use sketch up for very free form shapes such as what Alex did. I attempted doing something very similar to this in Revit, and it was a hassle, and didnt come close to looking like what was created in Sketch up. I will use Revit though since i feel its more of a industry standard just how Rhino is. Maybe im wrong and there is such a need for Sketch up.
I think overall we should respect each others use of software and appreciate for the exchange of informaton.
The work Alex has been showing is really interesting and great learning. I personally don't mind him using Sketch up.
@Jay
Dp Architects are based in Singapore which may be why you have not heard of us. It is not uncommon for narrow minded people to be xenophobic. Both Sketchup and Rhino (and Revit and 3DS) are used within the company, each for different purposes and stages of the process. I was making the point that sketchup is used in many firms, although you are correct in saying it is unlikely to be the sole piece of software used due to its limitations. It is useful to be proficient with many different software products to ensure you don't limit you're own options and design capabilities.
@Jonathan Llamas
I completely agree. Also on the point of it being used by students, this is one of the reasons why Alex's blog is so impressive. He focuses as much as possible on free software and doesn't charge for the tutorials, making it universally accesible. As an architect this is very important to me.
I would echo people's take on your opinion. Interestingly enough though, I was having a similar discussion with some colleagues recently and several of these points came up. However, what strikes me as odd is that you are not critiquing Alex's work, aesthetic, or composition? You're actually critiquing Sketchup which is just a tool. If the tutorial instead showed how to use pencils or watercolor, would you still hold the same reservations because of how 'mediocre' that methodology is in the digital age? You can loft surfaces using Revit, Sketchup+Plugins, AutoCAD3D, Rhino, Rhino+Grasshopper, etc. There is no golden rule, and if you prefer a different method, fantastic.
Grow up man, every person has the right to chose their own software and perfect their skills with it, anyways, "program skills" aren't what defines us as architects, its our ideas that define the work we do, software doesn't have to become that tool that makes or breaks our designs.
FYI, check Peter Guthrie's page if you want more proof of what can be achieved with sketchup.
I've actually been seriously looking into 3D printed Privateer conversion. I started in on some of the designs decided to wait until the Hobbyboss kit was released so that I could tailor it to the actual kit, rather than publish dimensions. For example, when designing the 7-foot nose extension I could use the actual fuselage cross-section but that doesn't mean that it would fit what hobbyboss produces. Other parts, like the horizontal stabs I've actually been able to make some good progress on. I'll see if I can post some progress this weekend.
We have a beautifully restored PB4Y-2 at Pima. At some point I'll go down and shoot a walk around series on it for you. The only external thing that's not stock is the single piece windscreen, leftover from her days as a fire bomber.
Hi Jennings and good luck to Iain with your conversion. Heck I would like to see a further conversion to the Model 39 / XR2Y! The 4x2 that now resides at Pima is former tanker C30 buno 59819. I was lucky enough to work on that plane when she arrived at Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston back in the 90s. Thanks to years of research by Nick Veronico co-author of your Ginter book we were able to learn much about the unique blister turrets and many other items thanks to Nick allowing us to copy these materials. I still have all of this info and can scan the dimensions station numbers etc if you would like? Please pm me and we can discuss further. I will not be able to work on till after next weekend as I will be busy with the Spirit of St. Louis airshow.
This is a 2D model of the horizontal stab. The big thing I need before I can proceed is a look at the airfoil cross-section as molded on the Hobbyboss kit. With that I can very quickly create the 3D shape and then add the surface details that I've already mapped.
The alternative is to create the full model now and hope that it sort-of fits the new kit. I've got some very good B-24 plans as well as the Ginter Privateer book so I'm reasonably confident that I could create a decently accurate part model based on actual B-24/PB4Y shapes. The great uncertainty then would be, will it fit the Hobbyboss kit given that their models don't always match the actual shapes? This is particularly concerning when trying to model the 7' fuselage extension plug as it will need to match the Hobbyboss fuselage cross-section, rather than the actual 1:1 shape, nearly exactly.
Just sketchup with a bunch of plugins like curviloft and some of the spline tools. Sketchup by itself is pretty limited with the plugins it becomes significantly more capable. I'd rather use a more powerful package like Rhino but I don't have a spare $1,000 for that.
Would be more than happy to share ideas but I can't see me joining the GB as I can't commit fully at the moment, work has gone mentally busy and as it's our own business all my times goes into that... plus having the B-17 on the bench really takes up a lot of room.
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