Stories from my 3D Journey with Blender, Solidworks and 3d printer
When I sit down to create a new model, I try to come up with something that will be helpful to someone creating a complex scene. Today’s addition is a safety barrier. These barriers are often used in industrial settings or somewhere that needs crowd control.
It was modeled with curves in Blender and then converted to a mesh. The material is very simple. It’s a yellow, non-metallic surface with some procedural bumps to make it look like paint.
When I am tasked with modeling old equipment, I like to do a photo scan (photogrammetry) first. This allows me to go back when I’m done with the design and compare important features. If you have ever made a part and then discovered it was off by 1″ when you went to install it, you’ll understand the value of this.
I once designed a bracket for a generator. I used a tape measure to draw the as received part. Normally, when I use a tape measure, I don’t use the end of the tape. I just don’t trust that the end isn’t bent or the slot in the tape that allows the end to move 1/16″ isn’t damaged. I line up one edge with 10″ and then take the measurement subtracting 10″ from what I read on the other end.
Well…I use 10″ now. I used to measure by lining up the first edge with 1″ and this created the problem with the generator bracket because I forgot to subtract the 1″. The bracket was about 20″ tall and I forgot to subtract the 1″ from the measurement. If I had started with 10″, my error would have been obvious when I was drawing the new bracket.
The lesson learned was that initial measurements are sometimes wrong. If you are modifying a design, that initial photo scan can tell you alot.
So…today I scanned a fluid drive. This is an old American Standard Size 315 Gyrol fluid drive. The size “315” refers to the diameter of the oil circuit inside the fluid drive where 315 = 31.5″.
Even though 99.999% of artist don’t know what a fluid drive is or how it works, they may find the old authentically dirty look an interesting addition to an industrial scene. I didn’t do much work after scanning it. So if you want to use it in a large scene, you may want to decimate it a bit.
https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/industrial/industrial-machine/size-315-fluid-drive
I suppose the platform truck has limited use, so I try to think of a similar model that would have more use. I’m guessing more stories are told in hotels than in big box home stores, so this time I molded a luggage cart.
I took a break from creating CGTrader models for a while. When CAD work fills my day, it’s hard to get motivated to do even more drawing when I get home. Fortunately, I have a job where I wear many hats and lately I have been doing more Photoshop and Blender work, and it has inspired me to get back into Blender modeling.
I have started modeling again.
Today I modeled a platform truck. The only place I have ever seen these trucks is at Home Depot or Lowes, but maybe it will come in handy for someone.
This one drove me crazy. When I would post my models that I created in Blender and exported as OBJ files, people would complain that the textures weren’t included. And they were right.
I have found the solution. Before you export the file, use the “Pack All Into .blend” function. This can be found in the menu. Click File – External Data – Pack All Into .blend.
With COVID-19 making a insane world crazier, I haven’t had to travel for work in a while. Almost a year after lock-downs, I had my first onsite trip to a power plant in western Pennsylvania. I worked the night shift and had nothing to do in my downtime. Even though modeling on a laptop is far from ideal, it’s better than watching daytime TV. So with a tape measure in hand, I modeled the nightstand, lamp and alarm clock.
The whole scene is available on CGTrader: https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/architectural/decoration/nightstand-bundle
Continue reading “Hotel Nightstand”
I found this pressure gauge buried under the pile of un-used parts. I can’t image when I would have purchased a 10,000 psi pressure gauge…made in China. My guess is…I didn’t buy it. It’s not up to the quality my customers expect. It probably came on some equipment and we replaced it. It does however have a unique “Danger Zone” graphic on the dial. I figured this might have artistic appeal.
It was uploaded to CG Trader and I got my first sale 3 days later.
https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/industrial/part/10000-psi-pressure-gauge
Continue reading “Pressure Gauge”
My day job has me designing an oil recovery system for a hydraulic coupling. It’s a complex oil system that uses a residential oil tank. I was surprised to find little in the way of online resources for such a common architectural 3D asset.
So I spent a little extra personal time on this model. I modeled the tank in Blender 2.9. It’s a 275 gallon Granby vertical oil tank. It is available at CGTrader:
https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/interior/other/residential-oil-tank
Continue reading “Residential Oil Tank”
By day, I work in a machine shop where we have tons of items: Some common, some uncommon, but all dirty. Today’s model is a yellow container we used to transfer hydraulic oil from a 55 gallon drum to the our machine tools.
Continue reading “Dirty Plastic Bottle”
My latest model of an Ocean City Beach Patrol lifeguard chair was created in Blender and exported as a GLB file. The GLB files can be imported into Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and many other Microsoft products.
In Word, click “Insert” in the menu. Then click the black down arrow next to “3D Models”. Select “This Device…”
Browse for the GLB file you want to import.
After the file is loaded, you can rotate the part, scale the size, zoom in or out and even create some lighting effects.
If there is any interest, maybe I’ll do a video showing how to use the model in Microsoft Office products.
Update 3/14/2022: Microsoft Word now supports FBX, OBJ, PLY, 3MF and STL files
Simmer3D 