organic modelling help

[geoff]

Hello,

Anyone got any ideas on how to model something like the attached image? It will be used as balustrade for a staircase.
I will need a CAD drawing at the end of the day to output so I can make the thing.
I can draw something by hand using my tablet but I would like to go home again this year!
Any bright ideas on how to make this parametric or automate it to a certain extent?



Geoff

[MoonDoggie]

Nothing super easy imo. You could create some good opacity maps to do it (Maybe try a variance of a cellular map to do it procedurally). Otherwise, good old spline drawing is probably your best bet. Any other thoughts?

[thablanch]

http://designreform.net/2009/02/3ds-...exagon-screen/

A tutorial about modeling an hexagon screen.. mabee this technique with a few random variations...

[Sawyer]

Where is that image? Is that the house in Japan?

[geoff]

Thanks for tips.
@Moondoggie, I think textures are out as I need a mesh to fabricate the balustrade (unless you can turn a bitmap into a mesh?). Splines maybe the only option
@theblanch. Thanks for the link. I will mess around with that technique to get a more random effect.

Where is that image? Is that the house in Japan?

Airspace Tokyo by Faulders studio

[3DMK]

Thanks for tips.
(unless you can turn a bitmap into a mesh?). Splines maybe the only option

Try using a bitmap to Vector conversion program [Adobe illustrator, corel draw, etc] to turn a bitmap into splines. Then you can import the vector format into max...extrude & done!

Cheers

[tricky]

When I first started working as a Cad draughtsman (Cad monkey), we often received large, A1 hand drawn plans which we scanned and then used a program like Scan2Cad or something similar. It would convert line drawings into cad drawings. Not absolutely foolproof, but things have possibly moved on a bit from 15 years ago! Have a look. You could then use the above mentioned methods to generate it procedurally and output high resolution 'elevational renders' which you could feed through the software.

http://www.scan2cad.com/

[Neilg]

I'd make 3 different maps and polymodel over them - assuming it's going to be a 3 layer thing like the photo.

You wouldnt have to do too big an area either, just have 3 different tiling sizes and they'll never overlap.


Still wouldnt be a very quick way of doing it though.

[geoff]

I have played a bit more. I leaning towards the drawing it CAD monkey style which seems to be going ok. Tedious though! I am having issues extruding the mesh. A 3m by 1m panel with 100 odd holes it crashes max. I'll keep playing

Thanks again for all the suggestions. Some techniques I can use on less random stuff very nicely! I'll post some images when I'm done.

Geoff

[geoff]

Took a while but found a satisfactory technique.
I used the method in the video that thablanch found. The 'trick' was to have a random mesh to start off with.
Using Voronoi Cells script of scriptspot I was able to get the random looking mesh.



Apologies for the ropey looking renders. Time is money and all that!
Thanks for all your help

Geoff