how to flatten curved geometry?? please help

[huntch3]

Hi everyone

 

Im making a wood model of a curved element in my project, so i wanted to know how to take a curved geometry, such as a big curved roof, and flatten it out so that i can print it out and then cut it out of wood, bend /conform it to the proper curve. any ideas? Im just trying to get the exact dimensions of the curved volume, as if it was completely flat...thanks for your help

[Claudio Branch]

I don't know why kind of accuracy you are expecting, but you could just use the Measure Utility within Max. Convert your geometry to Editable Poly, select an edge along the curve and hit loop. Then use "Create Shape From Selection" (linear) and use Measure on that.

 

This will tell you the length of the curve. The real problem is when you bend wood or metal it grows (stretches) and you have to take that amount of stretch into consideration for an accurate final dimension.

[luckymutt]

Interesting...Not sure if this will work, but its worth a test:

try pelt mapping.

Add an UnwrapUVW, set it pelt mapping, play about with the settings a bit, in particular the "Relax" settings you'll probably want to set it to Relax By Face Angles and check Keep Boundary Points Fixed.

Pack the UVs and Render a UVW Template. Print it out and see what happens

Again, this is just a thought, I never tried it, but it may well work.

[William Alexander]

If you use atlas unwrapping you might get close to proportional correctness. Then you still have to scale the UV map to fit.... basic problem is finding the actual running length of the arcs to ensure proper proportions.

 

Best bet maybe just create a jig or even use some of the structural elements in your model to form the roof. 1/8" bending plywood or even venneers will allow you to conform your materials to the desired form.

 

Another option might be techniques - applications that the sheet metal trades use to create round flared duct work from flat stock. Much of that is just basic manual drafting techniques.

 

 

If it's not a single arc roof ... a great learning experience,

[Magnus_Alexander]

If you have a copy of Rhino 4, and are able to import pieces of your model, rhino has a really amazing unroll surface command... I can't remember if that's the exact name of the command, but I've build many complex models in this fashion...

[Peter M. Gruhn]

Check the papercraft people. They should have a tool.

 

http://www.papercraft3d.com/upc/index.aspx

http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/index.html