Hello! Just getting started with Blender and have run into a solid concrete block wall. Hopefully someone can help shed some light on my problem. FYI, I’ve been searching the forums for the answer and have yet to find something that fulfills my needs. OK, here goes…
I’m modeling a Barcelona chair (see attached photo). I’m shooting for photo realism in the end, but for now, just trying to get the modeling down. Right now, I’m working on the chrome frame and this is how I would proceed in Form Z - my current modeler. First I would draw the 2 crossing curves with the curve tool, then I would sweep each curve with a sectional profile to match the thickness I desire. Next, I would join the two pieces, and bevel the edges as required. That would pretty much do it.
Heres what I’ve been doing in Blender. Draw the curves with the curve tool. Draw the profile with the curve tool (BevOb won’t let me use a mesh). Use BevOb on the curve with the profile object. Combine the two curved objects.
Problems - the ends are open, even when I convert to mesh. When I do convert to mesh, WAY too many vertices and can’t create a face at the open ends, have to use fill, which adds more edges and can’t bevel the edge.
I’m sure there is a better way to do this that I haven’t figured out yet. Can someone please guide me in the correct direction. Maybe a quick tutorial on how to model the framing?.. I know, I’m asking a lot. Just looking for some help. Thank you,
The chair frame begins with a long sweeping curve, that looks a lot like part of a circle. So, using the extrude tool and rotate tool, with a pivot point set on the center of the circle, a series of “e>>region, escape, r, 5, return” will extrude one end of a rectangular prism, escape cancels the automatic grab and move, r rotates the extrusion around the pivot point, and 5 makes the rotation five degrees.
I started this with a cube in front view, scaled the cube into a flat rectangular prism along the x axis, and rotated the rectangle into an approximate starting position first. Eventually I deleted the original cube, and extruded the lower part of the leg by using -5 instead of 5 for the rotations.
To continue, make a loop cut where the back leg/seat support crosses this leg, and reset the pivot point (you’ll need to do this twice) to get the under seat curve and the back leg curve.
Once one leg is done, duplicate it and move it into position, connect the two legs by deleting what would otherwise become interior faces and using the make face tool>>Skin faces/edge loops.
Blender is strong in meshmodelling so i advice you to make a linear rectangle mesh use this in combination with the curve modifier and then make it real and extrude the planes. Afterwards use the edge tools to define the shape: make a clear mesh and at least bevel the whole thing.
Rookie, thanks! I finally figured out the curve modifier and did that. However, when I combine the two meshes and bevel, I’m getting some weird geometries. I’ll have to post image later as I’m at work right now.
Orinoco, thanks to you as well. Even though I didn’t use your method because I had already traced the curve, I will definetly use that method at some point.
Thanks to everyone else. Now I just have to figure a few more things out…
Do you see the faceted sections on the lower front sections? I can’t seem to figure out how to get rid of those. Can someone please give some pointers where to go? Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the reply. I guess I forgot to mention that I’ve already set smooth
on my model. For some reason its just not smoothing out those sections. Any ideas?
You’ve got a series of four faces in a line, a slight angle break, then four more faces in a line, then another break. That may be where the facets are coming from. Is the mesh subsurfed? It doesn’t seem to be.
I think, overall, the problem is that you are trying to model as if Blender were some other program that you already know how to use. Blender is very flexible software, and there are generally ways to make the tools do what you want them to do, but some ways are a lot simpler than others.
I know you said you set smooth, but sometimes it helps to reselect everything and do it again, especially if faces were added after you originally set smooth.
If it were my project, I’d set a level 2 subsurf and throw in some edge loops next to the current edges to keep them square-ish (Turning on subsurf in the middle of a project can do incredibly horrifying things to your model, nothing unfixable, mind, just surprising, and not in a good way.) You’ll need to subsurf sooner or later, since bevel, while available, won’t provide the kind of curves this chair needs at the corners to look photorealistic, and subsurf will.
Yeah, you caught me There are a lot of things in Blender that I would be doing differently in other programs. I got a little tired of doing tutorials, so I’m just going on my own on this one. Always seems easier to learn something when it keeps you INSANELY frustrated. Anyhow, I really appreciate your help on this
Given what you had said above, I’m going to try a couple of other things really quick and post my results. I won’t, however, be getting to this until tomorrow…
Thanks man, heres the result from your sound advice. Really couldn’t have gotten this far without your input. C+C welcome. I’ll post again when I start on the cushions. Thanks again,
Haven’t really had much time to work on this so I’m posting an update for comments/criticism. I grabbed the leather texture from here http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=83329&highlight=leather. Still need some work on the texture. Don’t know why the texture map isn’t creating the texture along the edges of the cushions. And its a little bluish.
I’m still working on the cushions, adding more plumpiness and creases.
If anyone out there has some pointers on how to proceed, that would be great. I’m looking forward to finishing my first Blender model. Thanks,
The bluish cast is from your world horizon / zenith colors — trying making the horizon color closer to white and using a blend setting for now. The modeling looks great, some work on the lighting/shading and you will have it nailed. That leather texture specifies some Ray Mirror but you might want to consider toning it down or turning it off until you get the lighting worked out.
The cushions came out nice. Don’t overwork them; with the texture and good lighting they might look plump enough.
Review the lighting manual, try some different rigs in different layers. An area light would help create a soft shadow that will still have some detail.
You can pull the buttons into the cushion with proportional editing turned on, and the cushion will curve down to the button.
The wrinkles can be done two ways, either model them in, or UV map the cushion and make a bump map texture that fakes the wrinkles by modifiying the lighting on the surface. If you take a look at the photo, the wrinkles are mostly just patterns of light and dark, that don’t affect the geometry of the surface, since they smooth out as they get out of the depressions caused by the buttons. There are, however a couple of wrinkles that extend close enough to the edge that they affect the profile of the cushion. These you can’t fake with bump maps, since bump maps don’t change the geometry.
G60 - Thanks for your comments. I totally agree. Better light settings will definitely help out the rendering. And thanks for the heads up on the ray mirror and the bluish cast. Will be reworking tonight.
Orinoco - Again, your help is proving to be invaluable to this little project. Will be looking into UV maps in certain areas. Proportional editing was used to start the depressions at the buttons, but obviously I need to keep going.
Thanks again for all of your help, I’ll be posting updates (sooner hopefully). :eyebrowlift:
Just posting on this weeks progress. Focusing on the modeling of the cushions right now.Texture is working okay for now. Lighting is okay for now. C+C welcome. Thanks…