Nomeradona SketchUp VR: Sturctural Curvy Roof Tutorial: Simon Bonnet

Simon Bonnet allowed us to post this excellent SketchUp modeling tutorial of a complicated roof structural system. Thank you very much Simon.

Simon will share to us on how he will model this structure similar with the photograph on the left using different ruby scripts which are available at www.sketchucation.com. You need to register on this site in order to download the following scripts.

Sturctural Curvy Roof Tutorial by Simon Bonnet

This is my following work flow for this tutorial.

Step 1: The Basic Dome Shape

Step 2: The structural framework outline

Didier Bur [Plugin] Projections version 2 UPDATED 03.07.09

Step 3: Path Profiles for the structural ribs

Matt666_Selection manager
Jim_Selection Memory
Thomthom_Selection Toys (1.4.0)

Step 10
Weld by Rick Wilson
Fredo_BezierSpline

Step 4: The structural ribs

Native FollowMe tool is overpassed with this kind of 3D curve job. It makes the shape rotating along the path. Some other solutions exists. I have tried: wikii_FollowMe and keep But in our case, the result does not suit. We can also use Kirill _ 2 Faces + Path following this kind of method: Copy Array Along Path tool...have a look. but this exercise is hard for it too. The last solution to make our shape follow our curves resides in Extrude along a path from 1001bit tools. This one also need to be tamed. For example it absolutely doesn't like to initiate on a vertical line. (29$ seems to be a reasonable price..)

Step 5: Completing the whole ribs system

Once this new ExtrudeAlongPath along these prolonged curves is done, we put the shapes in coincidence two by two for IntersectWithModel and cleaning unwanted. Then the three curves and center references are put together to produce a clean basic roof element component.

Step 6: Modeling the Arches

Step 7: Modeling the Pedestals

Step 8: Here is the complete Model
The dome previously drawn with FollowMe tool is painted in glass material and put in place easily with the centered construction point..