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
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?
http://designreform.net/2009/02/3ds-max-tutorial-modeling-a-hexagon-screen/
A tutorial about modeling an hexagon screen.. mabee this technique with a few random variations…
Where is that image? Is that the house in Japan?
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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
