The Energon Pub

[wulongti]

I made this to use as reference for an upcoming project but is it something that folks would like to see put up on shapeways?

[Tresob]

Gray lego-heads are pretty darned cheap on the Pick-a-Brick site, but they don't have the distinctive Kreon chin...so I'm not really sure whether or not I'd order custom-made heads. (If I wanted a head really bad, I could just buy a micro-changer and cannibalize the parts.)

Now, if the head had something distinctive that you couldn't get elsewhere...like Alpha Trion's beard, there might be more demand for it.

What we really need are unique helmets. Of course, tossing in a blank head with a custom helmet shape would be pretty handy.

[wulongti]

Gray lego-heads are pretty darned cheap on the Pick-a-Brick site, but they don't have the distinctive Kreon chin...so I'm not really sure whether or not I'd order custom-made heads. (If I wanted a head really bad, I could just buy a micro-changer and cannibalize the parts.)

Now, if the head had something distinctive that you couldn't get elsewhere...like Alpha Trion's beard, there might be more demand for it.

What we really need are unique helmets. Of course, tossing in a blank head with a custom helmet shape would be pretty handy.

heh, yeah. making custom helmets is the whole reason I made the model of this head. so that I would have something to build on top of. Fakebusker over on TFW suggested a skull head for bludgeon and I like that idea. I'm just worried about putting anything outwards like a beard or bug eyes as that would make it impossible to fit a helmet over the head...

But I COULD do a custom Alpha Trion helmet that has the beard integrated into it

[Tresob]

So any tips for a SketchUp noob?

I just re-downloaded the program, and I've been playing with it for several hours.

My plan at the moment is to crate files with individual design features for helmets (antennae / crests / etc.) that I could then import and assemble into files. (My big accomplishment tonight was making a domed scalp, and then attaching a domed brim to the front of it...)

And should I just make the helmet, and then try to intersect it with a sample head to "cut out" the head space?

Figuring out how to carve the interior of the helmet is probably giving me the most anxiety about this experiment.

[wulongti]

So any tips for a SketchUp noob?

I just re-downloaded the program, and I've been playing with it for several hours.

My plan at the moment is to crate files with individual design features for helmets (antennae / crests / etc.) that I could then import and assemble into files. (My big accomplishment tonight was making a domed scalp, and then attaching a domed brim to the front of it...)

And should I just make the helmet, and then try to intersect it with a sample head to "cut out" the head space?

Figuring out how to carve the interior of the helmet is probably giving me the most anxiety about this experiment.

That's precisely why I modeled the Kreon head in it's entirety, so that I could model around it. I took the head I'd made and chopped/sealed it just under the domed bit at the top. I then extruded that down to the top of the neck bit. I turned all the faces inside out and there's the hollow bit to your helmet. From there, it's a matter of adding/sculpting/modeling stuff around that keeping in mind a minimum thickness of 1mm (spec for WSF is actually 0.7mm).

I think creating a set of parts that you can mix and match is a fantastic idea. One that I've started to do myself. At least with ball joints, and ports in my case.

If you run into trouble I'd be willing to share my "starter helmet base" file if interested.

[Tresob]

I'd certainly be grateful to accept your head model.

Here's what I've been experimenting with. It's not much to look at, and, at the moment, it is little more than a bad copy of the Optimus Prime helmet (minus the mouth plate). But, at the moment, I'm just getting a feel for the controls. I didn't even bother trying to scale any of it yet. The image consists of six different "groups": brim, scalp, antennae (copied and mirrored), crest, and backing.



I have no idea what's actually going on beneath the exterior where the pieces intersect. I'm hoping SketchUp has a feature that will just make the object solid.

[wulongti]

I'd certainly be grateful to accept your head model.

Here's what I've been experimenting with. It's not much to look at, and, at the moment, it is little more than a bad copy of the Optimus Prime helmet (minus the mouth plate). But, at the moment, I'm just getting a feel for the controls. I didn't even bother trying to scale any of it yet. The image consists of six different "groups": brim, scalp, antennae (copied and mirrored), crest, and backing.



I have no idea what's actually going on beneath the exterior where the pieces intersect. I'm hoping SketchUp has a feature that will just make the object solid.

Okay cool. Sadly, SU doesn't possess such a feature. There may be a plugin that offers a "shrinkwrap" function that will generate a solid, water tight mesh based on your geometry but I have yet to find it.

Creating such a mesh is certainly a pain in the arse with SU, but such is the price of free I suppose as opposed to using Autocad (which is actually designed for creating these sorts of things but is big $$$)

Cleaning up your models and getting them ready for 3D printing is going to be quite the joy for you to discover lol

I'm happy to help however I can though. Maybe we should start a shapeways or sketchup thread if there is enough interest for one.

Shoot me a PM or IM w/ your email and I'll send you the file as well as share the plugins I've gathered so far.

[Tresob]

PM sent.

I guess I'm a little less worried about making it water-tight (that there are no open panels to confuse the printer, right?) than that intersecting two objects means that I have a face hanging out inside of another object.

The Shapeways directions says that's a bad thing.

[wulongti]

PM sent.

I guess I'm a little less worried about making it water-tight (that there are no open panels to confuse the printer, right?) than that intersecting two objects means that I have a face hanging out inside of another object.

The Shapeways directions says that's a bad thing.

yeah, one of the plugins in my shared folder is fantastic for finding this kind of stuff. It's called Solid Inspector and it will highlight any problem areas like hidden lines floating around not being used for anything, or multiple faces occupying the same space at the same time.

I've also mapped "Show/Hide Hidden Geometry" and "X-ray View" to hot keys to make it easier to jump in/out back/forth with those views.

[Tresob]

PM sent.

I guess I'm a little less worried about making it water-tight (that there are no open panels to confuse the printer, right?) than that intersecting two objects means that I have a face hanging out inside of another object.

The Shapeways directions says that's a bad thing.

yeah, one of the plugins in my shared folder is fantastic for finding this kind of stuff. It's called Solid Inspector and it will highlight any problem areas like hidden lines floating around not being used for anything, or multiple faces occupying the same space at the same time.

I've also mapped "Show/Hide Hidden Geometry" and "X-ray View" to hot keys to make it easier to jump in/out back/forth with those views.

I see.

It also occurred to me that if there is too much junk inside an object, wouldn't it be easier to virtually "cast" the model, like you would an actual object. Say you make a helmet, but it's messy on the interior. Couldn't you make a giant block...put the helmet inside it and intersect the block? Wouldn't you have a reverse of the helmet in the big block? Then couldn't you put a smaller block inside the larger one and intersect the smaller one? Wouldn't that "carve out" the original shape but without the interior?

I'm approaching this software with the sophistication of an eight-year old kid. But if something that blunt would work, someone must have scripted a button to push that would do the same thing. Or maybe my blunt approach wouldn't work?

[wulongti]

I see.

It also occurred to me that if there is too much junk inside an object, wouldn't it be easier to virtually "cast" the model, like you would an actual object. Say you make a helmet, but it's messy on the interior. Couldn't you make a giant block...put the helmet inside it and intersect the block? Wouldn't you have a reverse of the helmet in the big block? Then couldn't you put a smaller block inside the larger one and intersect the smaller one? Wouldn't that "carve out" the original shape but without the interior?

I'm approaching this software with the sophistication of an eight-year old kid. But if something that blunt would work, someone must have scripted a button to push that would do the same thing. Or maybe my blunt approach wouldn't work?

looks like w/ the CAD plugin included in that folder I shared, there is in fact a shrinkwrap function. I don't know how well your method would work or even IF it would work, I'd be afraid that it would just end up with the whole thing fused inside of a big box and you're left having to carve out the inner stuff anyway. Might be worth experimenting with though