Got the CNC working

[cobywan]

Well I finally got the process of driving my work's DND router from a 3d model. I hope to start playing with free meshes to work out the conversion process. Once all that is in order I hope to go back to the 1/32nd scale Valkyrie project from square one. I figure using the CNC to generate the forms to detail will really make the process work out really great.

[HWR MKII]

How about a 1/35 scale Destroid Tomahawk I would love to see one of those.

[Grayson72]

Sweet, a 1/32 Valk will go perfectly with all my modern jet fighter models in that scale.

[HWR MKII]

Will the valk be variable? HE HE

[Grayson72]

How about a 1/35 scale Destroid Tomahawk   I would love to see one of those.

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Someone was working on a pretty cool 1/35 scale Spartan, I can't remember who it was or how it ended up. Anyone?

[Knight26]

What file format are you working with, and how much would you charge for some of us to send you models to build up with it?

[Less than Super Ostrich]

Go Cobywant Go!!! Get that Battlestar Galactica stuff out of your system so you can focus on your true love.... MACROSS Baby MACROSSSSSSS

[cobywan]

Will the valk be variable? HE HE

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That was the idea. At the very least it would be like Moscato's Legioss. It could be built in any mode you wanted. I think the trick for a variable kit would be metal hinge mechanisms. I know where to go for them but I haven't tried anything yet.

For those who weren't here for the first attempt here is my Valkyrie page;

http://home.comcast.net/~cobywan/Templates/VF.htm

[cobywan]

What file format are you working with, and how much would you charge for some of us to send you models to build up with it?

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I have a couple of models donated for this process from last year when I was first thinking of doing this stuff. But hopefully I will be able to use any file format. Rhino has added some very robust mesh handling tools over the last year.

As for pricing I would have to ask my bosses what they would want to charge for machine time. But I imagine some sort of shared entitlement agreement could be made.

[cobywan]

Go Cobywant Go!!!  Get that Battlestar Galactica stuff out of your system so you can focus on your true love.... MACROSS Baby MACROSSSSSSS

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I do need to get that Galactica stuff out of my system. I still need to make the big one though.

[Kylwell]

How about a 1:48 Siren or Harpy?

[Viceland]

1/32 Valk? pfff...

You've got the tools/machinery/technology, and you've got the talent, why start over in 1/32 when you could start fresh in 1/24!!!!

I can see it now:

Cobywan's UBER Ultimate Detail 1/24 Fully Variable VF-1 Super/Strike Valkyrie w/full weapons

Come on Coby... Put Tanmen to shame...

[Rodavan]

Go Cobywan !

All my 3D model are nurbs models, done in Rhino or Solid Edge ......

Edited September 8, 2005 by Rodavan

[hirohawa]

Just to keep momentum going put me down for two kits.

[Myersjessee]

saweet!

[Fatalist]

Screw 1/24th!!

Why not go in scale with the BBI and 21st Century aircraft and go 1:18th!!!!

[HWR MKII]

In 1/18th we could even fit those gas turbine motors in it and make it flyable yeah! Maybe even make it walk and transform on its own! Just kidding I would tke a 1/32 scale one if it were variable or not. A VF-1 isnt much bigger than a F-16 so it wouldnt take up alot of shelf space even in 1/32 scale.

[cobywan]

I was hoping to do one in a scale not yet done. 1/24th was taken care of by Arii with thier toy/model. Now 1/18th has some merits...

[Grayson72]

I was hoping to do one in a scale not yet done.  1/24th was taken care of by Arii with thier toy/model.  Now 1/18th has some merits...

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No no, 1/32 please

[cobywan]

Maybe I can have my cake and eat it too. There is a scale button in Rhino you know.

And Nurbs are the best way to model for this kind of work. But it's hard to find nurbs models for free online.

A co-worker is into trains and has wanted an HO scale 737 fuselage for a while. I found one online and have been able to get some tooling paths off of it. There's some wierdness that comes from Rhino's MeshtoNurbs command but it was a fairly successful test considering I spent 10 minutes on it.

Right now I have that VF-4 info that was donated last year. I would love to work off of an existing mesh that has already had all the transformation proportions worked out for it.

But that's getting ahead of myself. I still need to do a big Galactica kit.

[Grayson72]

I don't know man, you sound more excited about the Macross work.

~waves hand in front of Cobywan's face~ "you are more excited about the Macross work"

[cobywan]

I'm just excited to have a new technique to play with.

[Grayson72]

May I ask what Nurbs are?

[Kylwell]

Heck I'm just excited.

[THOR]

Cobywan,

If you get any big projects I have some access to a 5 axis cnc router with a 10' x 10' bed. I'd love to work with you on any projects you have in mind.

I've always wanted to do the vf-1, vf-2, yf-19, yf-22, Dragon, Cat's Eye, etc in 1/32. All my training is in AutoCAD. I'm still learning SolidWorks.

Here's a pic of my FB-22 in IDEAS. Too bad it's a polygon shell/cloud.

Explanation for the super-geeks (this gave me a headache):

Mesh - A grid-like polygonal subdivision of the surface of a geometric model.

NURBS - Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines, are mathematical representations of 3-D geometry that can accurately describe any shape from a simple 2-D line, circle, arc, or curve to the most complex 3-D organic free-form surface or solid. Because of their flexibility and accuracy, NURBS models can be used in any process from illustration and animation to manufacturing.

NURBS geometry has five important qualities that make it an ideal choice for computer-aided modeling.

There are several industry standard ways to exchange NURBS geometry. This means that customers can and should expect to be able to move their valuable geometric models between various modeling, rendering, animation, and engineering analysis programs. They can store geometric information in a way that will be usable 20 years from now.

NURBS have a precise and well-known definition. The mathematics and computer science of NURBS geometry is taught in most major universities. This means that specialty software vendors, engineering teams, industrial design firms, and animation houses that need to create custom software applications, can find trained programmers who are able to work with NURBS geometry.

NURBS can accurately represent both standard geometric objects like lines, circles, ellipses, spheres, and tori, and free-form geometry like car bodies and human bodies.

The amount of information required for a NURBS representation of a piece of geometry is much smaller than the amount of information required by common faceted approximations.

Polygon - In the context of 3D modeling, a polygon is a multi-sided object composed of edges, vertices, and faces. An edge is a line segment that forms one side of a polygon. A vertex is a point at which two edges meet. A face is the area enclosed by several edges.

The most basic polygon is a triangular face. Since the three points of a triangle must always be on the same plane, we can say that all triangular faces are planar. Other polygons (e.g. quadrangular polygons, or "quads") may or may not be planar. Polygon faces can share vertices and edges with other polygons, or can have unshared edges known as borders while still being part of the same polygon surface.

A polygon shell is a group of connected faces with some edges open as border edges. In a polygon solid, there are no open borders, and the connected faces form an enclosed volume.

Edited September 9, 2005 by THOR

[cobywan]

Thanks Thor. I couldn't have said it better.

What I have been playing with is being able to "trick" the CAM software into thinking that the polygon mesh is a nurbs model. Basically Rhino will define each triangle as a nurbs face. Not very efficient but it will get the job done fast with little effort on my part. To do a proper conversion I should be able to trace the polygon mech to make splines that I can then loft into a proper smooth nurbs surface.

But that's a lot of work.

[Rodavan]

My Models are kinda big but , if you want to use it , pm me.I can send you the nosepart ( up to cockpit) of my vf-1 in a rhino(Nurbs) format or iges , you can play and see ....

[Grayson72]

Ok I'm sorry I asked, I have a headache now (thank you very much). I'm gonna take some pain meds and go to bed.

[Chronocidal]

Schweeet..... sounds like this could be fun.

I'm going to have to see about getting my YF-19 and YF-21 into nurbs format.. I've always had the worst luck with using nurbs, I don't know why... I can loft simple shapes, but nothing complex. And nothing ever lines up sadly. But, if it would help, I can divide my models up into sections to mold that will approximate the Hasegawa kits. I'll get my 1/48th YF-19 yet...

[electric indigo]

How about a 1:48 Siren or Harpy?

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YESSS!

Crusher Joe deserves more love. I am wrestling with a Fighter One model as a NURBS training project, and Harpy and Siren will be next.

-i-

[Kylwell]

How about a 1:48 Siren or Harpy?

326657[/snapback]

YESSS!

Crusher Joe deserves more love. I am wrestling with a Fighter One model as a NURBS training project, and Harpy and Siren will be next.

-i-

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I have been attempting to (and failing so far) to scratch a 1:48 Harpy for casting. So far I have figured out how not to do it. I may fall back on Joe Brown's sculpt and cover meathod.

[Grayson72]

I've never seen Crusher Joe and don't know what it's about but some of the designs that came out of that show were pretty darn sweet. So sweet that the FASA ripped them off.

[Kylwell]

So when are you going to be building a set of 1:35 Destroids?

Come on Cobywan, I know you can do it. Use the force.

[cobywan]

So when are you going to be building a set of 1:35 Destroids?

Come on Cobywan, I know you can do it. Use the force.

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They will have to go to the bottom of the "to do" pile.

[Sundown]

How about a more proportionate chestpiece for the GBP when it comes out? *bats lashes*

-Al