Complex chamfers
7 messages in this thread
I would like to know how most little modeling tweeks like chamfering on complex
curves is accomplished by most other users here.
A perfect example of what I'm talking about is chamfered text. You see it all
the time, yet the creation of such chamfers manually for such curves could be
intensive. Is there a means of doing this more easily than is readily
apparent?
Just a quickie question… -JK
Hi Jerome,
>>A perfect example of what I'm talking about is chamfered text. You see it
all the time, yet the creation of such chamfers manually for such curves could
be intensive.<<
Loft each letter of the text independently. In the 3D Lofter, use the DEFORM /
BEVEL command to set up a bevel (or chamfer) at the front and back, or
beginning and end, of your path for the text.
Once each letter has been acceptably lofted into the 3D editor, you can attach
them all back together as one object.
>>Loft each letter of the text independently. In the 3D Lofter, use the DEFORM
/ BEVEL command to set up a bevel (or chamfer) at the front and back, or
beginning and end, of your path for the text.
Hmm. I would have thought that would have simply created a chamfer around the
bounding box, not around the complex curves of the shape you imported.
UNLESS, of course, you're talking about doing something with using the outline
of the letter AS a path to create the bevel itself… I'll have to play around
with closed paths a little more to make that work. Is this what you mean?
I appreciate the help! -JK
>>Hmm. I would have thought that would have simply created a chamfer around
the bounding box, not around the complex curves of the shape you imported.<<
Nope, because I have done this before. Just create a straight path
perpendicular to the shape for the letter, then assign a small bevel to each
end of the path. The only problem is when you have too large a bevel and the
letter outline shape has too small an enclosed angle (such as the tail end of
an S).
Just try it and see what happens.
Best Regards,
Brandon
DesignTec
Yes, I tried it, and saw how it worked. I'm still playing around with
3DS's lofting capabilities, to get an intrinsic feel for how it
"thinks". The lofter seems to be one of 3DS's great strengths.
>>I'm still playing around with 3DS's lofting capabilities, to get an intrinsic
feel for how it "thinks". The lofter seems to be one of 3DS's great
strengths.<<
Oh yeah, its amazing. I have been using 3DS for a couple years now, and still
learn new things about how to use the Lofter every time I sit down in front of
the screen. Its power is only limited by our imaginations.
Glad I was of some assistance.
Yes, the lofter has great power… if we can get booleans to work well to
compliment the power of the lofter, 3DS will be an outstanding modeling tool!
As powerful as the lofter is, it seemss I consistently run into geometries
which NEED booleans, and just can't be done in the lofter, but meet with ill
fates at the mercy of surface intersection math 😉
I appreciate the 2 cents! -JK