Tag: Model

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We’re gonna blow a 60 amp fuse

A classic song lyric goes,

And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
We’re gonna vent our frustration
If we don’t, we going blow a 50-amp fuse

You Can’t Always Get What Your Want by the Rolling Stones

I wasn’t frustrated, but I beat them by 10 amps. This week I blew a couple of 60 amp fuses. As a reminder that I need to order more spares, I have two blown fuses on my desk. I decided that they could be used to test what kind of results I can get modeling with photogrammetry. I get questionable results when I have labels that are on a cylindrical surfaces. Since your eye knows what to look for when looking at text, texture errors in the labels really stands out.

The following story is about how I converted the photogrammetry model into a good mesh with good topology. If you’re interested in how I messed up and blew a couple 60 amp fuses, then jump to the end.

Continue reading “We’re gonna blow a 60 amp fuse”
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Start/Stop Combo Button

I posted a start/stop button on CGTrader today. I was looking for something to model in low poly and I was inspired during a walk through our machine shop. The start/stop button on the bandsaw is a little detail that can be added to machine models.

Reference Photo

My idea was to model it buttons with details (hi-poly) and then again with no-details (lo-poly). Then bake the diffuse and normal maps from the hi-poly model to the lo-poly model. It didn’t work as suspected.

Continue reading “Start/Stop Combo Button”
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Safety Barrier

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.

Safety Barrier available at CG Trader

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/exterior/street-exterior/safety-barrier-24921f63-358e-4c14-832a-838a58aa0e50

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Photogrammetry for Old Machines

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

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Platform Truck

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.

platform truck 3D model

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/industrial/tool/platform-truck-56de2931-c1a9-446d-be9d-3109649945f7

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Residential Oil Tank

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

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Resistor Collection

Wasting time is such a waste (duh). Once you have modeled an object, it is great to have a library of part. The question is…how do you organize them in a way that you can find the part you need and easily import the part into you new design.

Today was my first attempt a building a library in Blender. I created a Blend file with 57 different configuration. There are 19 different resistance values (as indicated by the resistor color code) and each resistor is saved in 3 different mesh forms. The first form is straight. The 2nd form has both terminals bent at 90 degrees for horizontal mounting on a breadboard. The 3rd formation has one terminal bent to 180 degrees for vertical mounting on a breadboard. Continue reading “Resistor Collection”