Converting model aircraft plans into a 3D model for printing

[tommeyers]

Tony,

Give me something more concrete but small; what is the first thing you want to do but can't? I'll try to write the steps for you.

Tom Meyers

[TonyR]

Thanks Tom - much appreciated.

I'll send you scale sized JPGs of the first 2 nose cone formers and their Z-axis offset (distance apart).

They're more or less circular and should't take much to trace for a skilled user.

I'm assuming that the next step would be assemble them in 3D space with the correct orientation and spacing between them, then finally render a 3D extrusion of that section of the nose of the airframe...

[TonyR]

Actually, I have already posted up the first 2 formers on page 1 of this topic.

The spacing between them is 66mm.

[tommeyers]

it is 9PM here; I am on Atlantic Time currently the same as US Eastern Time. I live in the Dominican Republic. I have the two images and the measure 66mm.

Tom Meyers

[TonyR]

[bejant]

'll send you scale sized JPGs of the first 2 nose cone formers and their Z-axis offset (distance apart).

They're more or less circular and should't take much to trace for a skilled user.

I already did the first one, it is in the first page of this topic. And in the file there, I already placed the images 66 mm apart.

[tommeyers]

Step 1:

Here are the two formers. They were traced from the images and placed 66 mm apart on the y axis. I used closed splines with control points at the axes and two more in each quadrant. I got a good match to the drawing. Please explore in sketcher.

Please examine the two sketches and manipulate the control points to see how the left and right (on x-axis) are constrained to create/assure symetry across the z-axis.

I have in-mind to add a scale factor because it appears that these formers are concentric shapes (later).

Next:

Please give me measurements for the x-axis width fo the formers. I will make them that size.

How thick (y dimension) do you want the formers? Or, maybe 0 thickness. Do you want the formers to define a surface? How thick?

Are there more formers? Do these come to a point?

Tom Meyers

[hammax]

...hi Tom,
I made something similar out of a rather "diffuse" paperplan with a Me262-hull.
A BSpline-master-sketch copied and distributed along the hull-axis.
These mastersketch-crosssections are fittet to the frames in the plan. (Scaling is done with the the plan-image)
The BSplines have horizontal constructionlines (blue) and all bspline-knots are deleted for a better picking of the poles.
Maybe a decent hint for your modeling.

[tommeyers]

Max, Thanks ...

This is the direction we need to go. We have 2 formers and need to draw the rest some may be symetric and so we might be able to make them with copies that have expressions for scaling.

I am keeping in mind: this is to be 3d printed so we will need some supports and wall thicknesses. Maybe some thought to printing in parts and assembling post printing.

Tony, do you want to take the next step: create the rest of the formers?

Tom Meyers

[salp]

Dont get discouraged all CAD applications have a steep learning curve.

I have been working on a similar project for a while now, take a look at the attached fuselage sketch it may help you get started.

I imported the fuselage stations image to set the location of the cross sections

stations.png (643.53 KiB) Viewed 388 times

Then I started to draw each cross section and placed them properly (this may not be the optimal way of doing it, but it works for me)

Fuselage_Stations_00.FCStd

(52.66 KiB) Downloaded 30 times

cross-sections.png (56.42 KiB) Viewed 388 times

A detail of a rib section from blueprints

Rib_Nose_Det-15-16-93.fcstd

(325.3 KiB) Downloaded 22 times

rib-nose-detail.png (1000 KiB) Viewed 388 times

If you want, post some of the sketches you are working with and I'll try to help create the drawing and explain what I'm doing.

Sal

and as always I'm replying to an older post