Hello dear 3DExperience users,
"What is Surface Modelling using Blueprints and How to approach modelling Complex Surfaces?" In this post, I talked about surface modeling using Blueprints and I included a demo at the end of the post so after this long informational post you can start practicing. This post may seem long but actually there are many things I couldn't cover because I didn't want to bore you😊.
What is Blueprint?
We can define blueprints as sketches that usually include front, top, side and back views of an object and a scaling rod. In some cases, these sketches may also include bottom and perspective views. These sketches can be used as a starting point and reference point in the modeling processes of the objects around us.
In addition, with the blueprints I have added at the end of the post, we will start the design of the Tesla Roadster car and perform a demo. These blueprints will serve as reference points for the accuracy and suitability of our surfaces and curves, which will be the surface boundaries throughout the vehicle's design process.
Things to consider when preparing a blueprint for any project:
- In blueprints that you will come across on the internet, all the views will be on the same image so you will have to separate them as front, top, side etc.
A Sample Blueprint - The height of the Front and Back views and the heights of the Side view should be equal. If they are not equal, they should be scaled to be equal.
- The width of the Front and Back views should be same as the width of the Top view. Likewise, if they are not equal, they should be equalized.
- The long sides of the Side and Rear views should be equal.
The Logic and Operation of Surface Modeling with Blueprint
While modeling with blueprint, the basic aim is to determine the boundary lines of the surface parts of the desired object and create surfaces between these boundaries.
If the program you use while creating these surfaces has Subdivision modeling capability like xShape on the 3DExperience platform, you can create the surface borders of your model like kneading dough. Apart from this easy aspect of subdivision modeling, another plus is that surface continuity can be easily achieved. I will provide information on these continuities, known as G1, G2, and G3, later in the post.
If the program you are using does not have full subdivision modeling
tools like Solidworks, these borders are drawn with the 3D Sketch and curve projection method. The difficulty of this method is experienced in establishing continuity between more than one surface part but the benefit of using this method is you can easiliy produce more precise designs.
As a result, surface modeling via blueprints is performed with these two basic techniques. In the post, I will show an example of the 3D Sketch method with Solidworks. For subdivision modeling with xShape, I recommend you to review @RP 's very nice posts. Some examples:
Surface Continuity and Quality
Surfaces modeled in industrial product and automotive design are classified as Class A and Class B according to their quality. Apart from this distinction, there is also, a G0, G1, G2, G3 distinction according to surface continuity. This continuity distinction is the quality of the transitions between the surfaces that make up the model, within themselves and between the adjacent surfaces and their common borders. These transition qualities, which are the basic requirements of surface modeling, are classified as G0, G1, G2 and G3. G0 stands for positional continuity, G1 stands for tangential continuity, G2 stands for curvilinear continuity, and G3 stands for helical continuity.
General characteristics of Class A surfaces:
- They are visible and have an aesthetic appearance.
- There are no sharp lines, ribs, holes or protrusions on them.
- Surface continuities are at the G2 and G3 levels.
General features of Class B surfaces:
- Surfaces that are not visible and remain on the inside of the product.
- There may be sharp lines, ribs, holes and protrusions on them.
- Surface continuities are usually at the G0 and G1 levels.
Time for the Demo
Now we will perform a demo work with steps from modeling the top of the Tesla Roadster vehicle using Solidworks. You can use the blueprints below while performing this demo work.
Step 1: Adding the Views
Open a sketch on the Right Plane in Solidworks, then go to Tools> Sketch Tools> Sketch Picture and import the side view.
After importing, first uncheck the box next to "Lock aspect ratio" and fill in the relevant fields according to the images I added below. Do the same operations on the Top and Front planes according to the images below. Our Goal here is to equalize the dimensions between views.
For the Rear view, we create a parallel plane 4776mm from the Front plane. Then we create a sketch on that plane and apply the same steps according to the image below.
And we're done placing the Blueprints, now we can move on to the 3D Sketch part.
Step 2: Start Sketching
I prepared this part in the form of an accelerated video as it will be more effective. In the video you will see me designing a part of the bumper of the vehicle.
This was all, hope you liked it. This was a long informative tutorial with a little practice part. I plan to make another post just for practice. 😊
Edu 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS xShape 3DSketch Knowledge Sharing
