Stage 8 : Fillets everywhere !
we are going to do hardest part maybe : filleting edges. For example the "body line" must not be so "edgy". We have to create a small round surface over the edge. Mathematicaly the sofware use the value entered on keyboard to calculate a pipe (which radius is the value you entered) tangent to both surfaces in the concerned edge region. It splits then the 3 surfaces with each other. Then it deletes useless parts.
However, this operation may fail. We are going to see how to get a fillet manually, that is as good as an automatic one.
Work now of the front wings layer. Hide one of the two. We are gonna work onthe other. Select all surfaces :
and join them (_Join)
after some time, the prompt line indicates that 7 surfaces have been joined properly. Good for us.
Use now the _FilletEdge command. This tool is only usable on polysurface edges, remember that.
Enter 0.5 as valuue for it, and then select the edge you want to smooth :
You can already realize that the edge may not be in one single part. click then all the edges in order to have the full length you want to smooth. Sometimes, Rhino ask you to pick between 2 edges wheareas there's only one. In this case the joining failed and so no fillet will be built.
OK so after picking all edges, rightclick and wait.
If everything works, good for you !
if not that was my case, because of "dirty splits" I think), read the following.
Unjoin the polysurface with the _Explode tool :
we are going to use a pipe to split surface, then create the blend surfaces between the two edges.
ok lets create first the line that will support the pipe.
with the _DupEdge select the border edges of the bottom surface (you can hide other one to make it easier)
validate, then Join these curves together (_Join). We got the support line for the pipe. The question is : What radius do we use for it ? 0.5 ? certainly not ! we need to have a reference.
Toggle doors layer on. Join the 2 surfaces
then do the fillet between them (it's working I hope. for me it was, since these two sufaces are simple)
ok back to the wing. use the _Pipe command :
then select the curve we build before near to the door polysurface. You now have a circle that follow your mouse pointer and that will define the pipe section.
Get close as possible of the door polysurface and when intersection between your circle and wing surface fit the fillet edges of the door polysurface, click. Validate for second section radius. The chosen value might be around 0.17 (see the prompt).
You got a pipe now :
We can't use it now for splitting because at his ends it is not long enough. We are going to make it longer.
Select the pipe and Explode it (_Explode).
You got now 3 surfaces instaed of a polysurface.
Zoom to the ends of the pipe and delete the two cap surfaces.
then use the _ExtendSrf command :
Enter a value for the extend coefficient (2 for example), then click on the extreme edge of the pipe. Do the same operation on the other side.
You got now a tube surface that goes far beyond the border of surounding surfaces :
Now split the concerned surfaces with pipe surfaces. Delete the tube and the small split surfaces.
ok let's fill the hole now.
zoom to the ends of the hole and use the _Blend command
pick then the two edges on the near surfaces. A blend curve is created.
Do the same on other end.
We got a 4 sided region but we can't build the Network since the upper edge is not unique.
As before use the _DupEdge command to build a curve that will be our fourth edge.
You can now use a network surface using the bottom edges and the 3 curves.
Join all the surfaces together.
you got a nice smooth edge now.
You 'd had surely noticed that, since we can use tangency on upper curve, the blend surface is not tangent to the upper surfaces. But it's not so far. (You can try to build additional crosssections or use the _BlendSrf command, but it's complicated to; try it.)
This method is always working whe a fillet operation fails. It's pretty long and give rather good results (don't forget we are doing art here, not industrial model !)
ok now filet the edges on rear surfaces (for me it works).
You just have to select all edges at the same time before you validate.
if everything works, Rhino create a small triangle surface at the junction between the 3 fillets. Perfect !