Advanced Modeling and Surfacing Techniques with Autodesk AliasStudio (Part I)

Uwe Rossbacher - Autodesk

MA115-2P

Like the real world, the virtual world too provides different ways to model form. This session takes a classic geometry representation, NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines) and looks at it from the perspective of a sculptural material. As a technology, there are strengths and weaknesses, but as a material, the properties of the math become a part of the allure of the medium. Take a fascinating and intimate look at surface modeling and learn why this material has become an essential part of shape definition for all the automotive companies and the top product design firms in the world.

About the Speaker: Uwe Rossbacher brings 10 years of experience in industrial design and 3D surface modeling in the automotive industry to his role as Marketing Manager for Modeling/Technical Surfacing at Autodesk, including more than six years with the Alias Studio Tools product development team. Uwe has a deep knowledge of automotive concept design and technical surfacing and currently focuses on creating and delivering demonstrations, technical marketing materials and field education. Uwe also supports Autodesk product management efforts by identifying and defining market and user requirements. During his time with Alias, Uwe focused his efforts on refining the technical surfacing product specifications according to the needs of customers worldwide, and was a key resource in the development of many new surfacing tools within AliasStudio. Before joining Alias, Uwe held marketing and technical positions at ICEM. Most recently Uwe worked at the VW concept studio in Potsdam, Germany. Uwe received a Masters Degree in Engineering and Technical design from the University of Technology in Dresden, Germany.

Liketherealworld,thevirtualworldtooprovidesdifferentwaystomodelform. Thissessiontakesaclassic geometryrepresentation,NURBS(NonUniformRationalBSplines)andlooksatitfromtheperspectiveofa sculpturalmaterial. Asatechnology,therearestrengthsandweaknesses,butasamaterial,thepropertiesof themathbecomeapartoftheallureofthemedium. Takeafascinatingandintimatelookatsurfacemodelingandlearnwhythismaterialhasbecomeanessential partofshapedefinitionforalltheautomotivecompaniesandthetopproductdesignfirmsintheworld.

Beforecomputercameintothegame

Backinthedaysbeforecomputers,architects,engineers,andartistswoulddrawtheirdesignsforbuildings,roads, machinepartsbyusingpencil,paper,andvariousdraftingtools.ThesetoolsincludedrulersandTsquaresfordrawing straightlines,compassesfordrawingcirclesandtrianglesandprotractorsformakingpreciseangles.Ofcourse,alotof interestingshapedobjectscouldn'tbedrawnwithjustthesesimpletools,becausetheyhadcurvedpartsthatweren'tjust circlesorellipses.Often,acurvewasneededthatwentsmoothlythroughanumberofpredeterminedpoints.

Thisproblemwasparticularlyacuteinshipbuilding:althoughaskilledartistordraftsmancouldreliablyhanddrawsuchcurves onadraftingtable,shipbuildersoftenneededtomakelifesize(ornearlylifesize)drawings,wherethesheersizeofthe requiredcurvesmadehanddrawingimpossible.

Becauseoftheirgreatsize,suchdrawingswereoftendoneintheloft areaofalargebuilding,byaspecialistknownasaloftsman.Theterm loftingoriginallycamefromtheshipbuildingindustrywhereloftsmen workedon"barnloft"typestructurestocreatethekeelandbulkhead formsoutofwood.Thiswasthenpassedontotheaircraftthen automotiveindustrieswhoalsorequiredstreamlineshapes.

Toaidinthetask,theloftsman wouldemploylong,thin,flexiblestripsofwood,plastic,ormetal,calledsplines.Thesplineswere heldinplacewithleadweights,calledducksbecauseoftheirresemblancetothefeatheredcreatureofthesamename.

Theresultingcurvesweresmooth,andvariedincurvaturedependingonthepositionoftheducks.

Ascomputerswereintroducedintothedesignprocess,thephysicalpropertiesofsuchsplineswereinvestigatedsothatthey couldbemodeledmathematicallyonthecomputer.

TheDuckswerereplacedwithsocalledControl Vertices(CV).

DevelopmentofNURBS(NonUniformRationalBasis,orBzier Spline)beganinthe1950byengineerswhowereinneedofa mathematicallypreciserepresentationoffreeformsurfaceslikethoseusedforcarbodiesandshiphulls,whichcouldbeexactly reproducedwhenevertechnicallyneeded. ThepioneersofthisdevelopmentwerePierreBzier whoworkedasanengineerat Renault,andPauldeCasteljau whoworkedatCitron,bothinFrance.Bzier worked nearlyparalleltodeCasteljau,neitherknowingabouttheworkoftheother.But becauseBzier publishedtheresultsofhiswork,theaveragecomputergraphics usertodayrecognizessplines(whicharerepresentedwithcontrolpointslyingoff thecurveitself)asBzier splineswhiledeCasteljaus nameisonlyknownandused forthealgorithmshedevelopedtoevaluateparametricsurfaces.Inthe1960sit becameclearthatnonuniform,rationalBsplinesareageneralizationofBzier splines.

AtfirstNURBSwereonlyusedintheproprietaryCADpackagesofcarcompanies.Latertheybecamepartofstandardcomputer graphicspackages. Realtime,interactiverenderingofNURBScurvesandsurfaceswerefirstmadeavailableonSiliconGraphicsworkstationsin 1989.In1993,thefirstinteractiveNURBSmodeller forPCs,calledNRBS,wasdevelopedbyCASBerlin,asmallstartupcompany cooperatingwiththeTechnicalUniversityofBerlin.

Thelayoutofthepatchesisthebasicknowledge

Oftensurfacemodelingisdescribedasamagicthing.Themodelercommunitymostlykeepthesecretofhowtomodelthe highestqualitylevel,calledClassA.Thereisalotofmythsaboutitaround.Followingaredescribedsometechniquesto findandtrainpatchlayout.Thisknowledgeisindependentfromthesoftwarethatwillbeusedandfitsmostofthetime eventraditionalclaymodelingtechniques.

1Howwouldyoumakeitinfoam?
Tofindthefirststepsinbuildingasurfacemodelithelpstoimaginehowthisprocesswouldbe,whenusingablockoffoam and asawtoworkouttheshape.

Similartothemostpreferredsketchingview,theNURBSmodelerstartstodevelopthecenterline.Thisisthesectionofthe modelthatlaysinthemiddleofitdefiningthesideview.Buildingthecurvesofthecenterlinethemodelergetsanideaofhow manycurvesheneedstodescribetheshapeoftheobject.

Centerlinesurfaces

Allsurfacescrossingthecenterlineshouldbebuildasone Beziersurface.Thishelpstoavoiddiscontinuitiesofthe surfacesatthecenterline.Lotsofdesignsrequireastrict radiusbehaviorofthesurfacesinacertainareaclosetothe centerline.Theonesurfaceacrossthecenterline approachhasthedisadvantagethatwhenCVmodification onthesurfaceisrequired,alwaysthecorrespondingCVhas tobepickedaswell,tomaintainthesymmetry.Thiscosta bitmoretime,butthepriceis,thatthesurfaceisalways 100%smoothacrossthecenterline.

Differenttoaclassicalapproach(atfirstlayoutsomecurves todescribethesurfacesbuildingthewidthofthecar)often theuseofsimplesurfaceplanes,theirpositioningandsome directmodelingisthefastermethodthatfulfillstheideaof modeling.Inclaythedesigneralwaysseesthematerial,the volume.Itcanbesaidhatthereisalwaysphysicalproperty. Thesamewouldcomewithusingshadeable propertyin softwareprocess.Thatswhyitisgoodtoshowinvirtual worldassoonaspossiblesurfacesthatcanbeshaded.

Widthofthecar

Amodelingworkflowbasedonsimpleplanesrequiresafastreparameterizationofthoseplanes.Whentheformer planesalreadyareshapedandwithcertaindegree,itisoftentootimeconsumingtochangethepositionofeachCV individually.Areapproximationtechniqueismuchfaster.Thesurfacewillbetrimmedandthenregardingthistrimedge recalculated.Theresultisacompletelyreshapedsurfacedonebytheinternalreapproximationalgorithm.

Withthisstepitbecomesclearifthepartsdefiningthewidth ofthemodelfittogether.Forcarsitisimportant,thatthe crowningofthesidewindowandthebodysidefittogether. Thiscanbeverifiedbuildingtheshouldersurfaceswith correctangleconditionstobothsidesurfaces. SeetangentangleexamplethatwillcomeinPart2!

Marrytheparts

connectionandmuscles

RockerandFillets

2Detectthefeaturelinesandbuildtheslabsfirst
Scandata(polygons)ofaphysicalmodel Sometimesthemodelerjustgetsascanofaphysicalmodel.ForfurtherdesigniterationsthisscanhastoremodeledinNURBS (ReverseEngineering).UsingGaussianShaderthemoldercandetecttheareasofcurvaturechangeonthemodel.Thisgivesa goodhintregardingthelayoutofthesurfaceboundaries.

InAliasSudio Blendcurvescanbecreateddirectlyon topofthepolygons(Mesh). Thecolorizedareasgivesaprettygoodhintaboutthemajorslabsurfacesthathavetobebuildfirst.Itsimportanttosaythat thosephysicalmodelsusuallyarefilletedandwithalltransitionsurfaces.Thereforeslabswillnotappearanymorewiththeirreal sizebutpartialhiddenortrimmed.Themodelermustextendthecolorizedareastocreatetheslabsintheiroriginalsize. Itsagoodmethodtofittheslabsfirstonthesmallerportion(liketheyappearonthefilletedphysicalmodel)toextendthem afterfitting.Whenthefitiswithsmoothandlowdegreesurfaces,theextendwillprovidereasonableresults.

Sectiondata(curves,rawdata)ofaphysicalmodel

Stilltherearecaseswherejustasectionmodelis available.Herethemodelerfindstheslabsby interpretingsectionlines. Oneapproachistoisolatesmainsectionlines.Then theywillberebuildwithNURBScurves.Thiscanbe donewithallthemainsectionlinesandisasave methodtofindtheareaswhereaSlabcharacterturns intoaTransitioncharacter.

Thesectionlinestillisonecontinuesline. Thebluesectionintheimagebesideis withthreeparts,twomainpiecesand onetransitionpiece(fillet). Themodelerneedstofindthepoints wherethefilletgoesintothemain curves.

? ?

Firstthemodelercreatesthetwomain curves.Heoverbuildsthesectionline.Itis withthemodelersskilltointerpret,where themaincurvesleavesthesectionline.

Thenthemodelerbuildthetransition curve.Itishelpful,whenthecurvehas somekindofhistorysothatthemodeler canmovetheendpointsofthetransition curvealongthemaincurvetofindtheright point,wherethetransitionstarts.In AliasStudiotheBlendcurvetypeisidealfor thisjob. Thecurvatureplotscalculatedonthe createdcurvesalsocangiveagoodhint aboutthetransitionpoint.

Withthismethodallpoints,whereaslab partgoesintoatransitionpart,canbe marked,likeintheimagebeside.This knowledgeisthebaseforbuildingmain surfaces(slabs)andtransitionsurfaces.

Interpretingeveryorlotsofscanlinesseemsabittimeconsuming.Thatswhythereisasecondapproachusingsurfacesto interpretmanysectionlinesinonestep.Forthat,theuserworkswithsimplesurfacesandvisualsections,cutthroughthese surfaces.Thesurfaceshastostayrelativelysimple(movinghullsinsteadofmovingeverysingleCV)andthevisualsections givea permanentfeedbackabouttheleveloffitting. Forexampleasimpledraftsurfacewillbe created.Thisfirstsurfacedoesnthaveto fullyfitthesectionsyet.

Basedonthefirstdraftsurfacesanotherdraftwillbecreated.Itisveryhelpfulwhenthisseconddrafthasahistorical connectiontothefirstdraft.Inthiscasethesecondsurfaceshouldjustfitthesectionlinesintermsoftherightangle(being parallel). Calculatevisualsections!

Adjustthedraftangletofollow thesectionlines!

Fittingthefirstdrafttothesections,theseconddraftalwayswillfollow.Theseconddraftwillbefitmodifyingthefirstone only.Withthismethodthetheoreticallinecanbedefinedveryfast. FitthissurfacebymovingCVs!

3Closetheentiremodelfirstintheory
Finishingasurfacemodeloftenitcomestoareasthataredifficulttoproceedwith.Typicallytheseareareaswheremorethan tworadiicometogether,orwheretransitionsurfacesarewashingout.

Agoodmethodforthosecasesistoclosethemodelfirstjustusingsharpedges.Allfilletsshouldbeavoided.Oftensurfaces mustbebuildthatwontevenappearafterfilletingandthatusuallywontbeconsideredfindingtherightpatchlayout. Thenextstepistobuildthefilletsaslongastheyreachwithoutgettingcomplicatedorwashedout.Thisstepisrelativelyeasyto do.Justareaswithaclearlydefinedfilletsituationwillbeworkedon. Theleftoverregionsarewashoutsormagiccornerswheremanyradiicometogetherandhavetobeblended.Tofilltheseblend regionsfirsttheentrylinesfortheblendshavetobemarked.Asageneraladvicethenaturalflowofthefilletedgesshouldbe continued.Itsobviousthatthesurfacesbetweenthesecontinuedfilletedgesactasablendandisnotafilletanymore.Withthis methodmostofthosesituationscanbemanaged.

2 1

3
Thenaturalflowofthefilletedgeswillbemaintainedand blendedintothenaturalflowofthewheel.

But!
Sometimesestablishingaclassicalpatchlayoutcanbecometootimeconsuming.Thereareshapeswhereitisbettertojust sculpttheentiremodeloutofonesurfacebyinsertingsegments(raisingitsmathematicalcomplexity).Itiscomparableto craftsmanshipwherethesculptorcutstheformoutofoneblockoffoam.

Thismethodhastheadvantagethatthesoftwarecontrolstheinternalcontinuitybyitselfandthedigitalsculptorhasthe freedomtoconcentratejustontheformheisworkingon.Itseemsthattheabilityofmodifyingtheshapeofthoseonesurface objectsareendlessbutwhenitcomestoconcreteengineeringorpackagerequirementsoftenthismethodhaslimitations.The modelerchecksthetechnicalrequirementsusinganalysestoolsandadaptsthesurfacemodelviamovingCVs.Hecannotuse thetechnicalinputdirectlyasabaseforhismodellikehecoulddoitusingatraditionalpatchlayout.

Thedesignoftheshowerheadwasdefinedbasedonthesplittinglinealongtheentiremodel.

Theengineerhaddifficultiestoestablishthepatchlayoutbasedonthisline.Themostcriticalareaisonthetipoftheshower headwheretheclassicallayoutjustoffersaretrianglepatch.Ontheotherhand,theengineerfoundtoomanysurfaces.That can bedifficultbecausethehighernumberofsurfacesmakesitmoredifficulttocontrolthehighlightflowthroughtheentiresurface set.

Adigitalsculptor usedtheonesurface approach.Healmostmatchedthesplitline thatwasgivenasatechnicalrequirement. Literallyhecamecloserandcloserby adjustingtheCVs.Savingpatcheshecould easilycontrolthehighlightofhispatch. Thismethodisnotasaccurateasbuilding surfacesbasedonthesplitlinebutithelps tosculptorganicsurfaces.

SurfaceEvaluation

Softwarerenderssurfacesusingshader,environmentsandshadowcalculationtobecomeclosetothereality.Butinsurface modelingthestakeholdersjustneedtoevaluatetheshapeofasculpture.Colorsandsimilareffectsaretrouble.Thereforeinthe modelshopmodelswillbecoatedjustinwhite(reducedtothenecessary)togetthepureshape,avoidinganydistractionby visualizationgadgets.Onlyshadowsplayaroletoevaluateform. NURBStechnologyoffersanothermethodofsurfaceevaluation.Skilledsoftwaremodelersareabletojudgesurfacesinaccordance theCVspacingandtheirflow.IncompetitiontoshadedevaluationtechniquestheCVpicturebecomesanreasonableinstrument forsurfaceevaluation.

1Shading

ToevaluateSurfacesinClay,themolderworkswithfoil,calledDynoc.Alittlebitofwaterontopofthesmoothclaysurfacesucks theDynocontoit.Nowtheenvironmentreflectsonthefoilandanyinconsistenciesofthesurfaceshapewillbevisible.Ifthe shapeoftheclayshouldbeimproved,theDynochastoberemoved. UsingDynocinclayprocessthemodelercannotwatchthereflectionswhileheisscrapingtheClay.Insoftwareprocessthe modelercanmodifythesurfaceswhilethereflections(diagnostics)areon.Thisisahugeadvantagetoreachsurfacequality much faster.

MostsoftwareforNURBSmodelingoffershadingtoolsthatvisualizetheselectedsurfaces.Butoftentheusercalculatezebra stripes,whichareoftensphericalenvironment.Thisevaluationisnotgoodenoughtojudgehighendsurfacequality.

Itisimportanttoknowhowtheevaluationtool calculatesthereflectionlines.Additionaltothatitis goodwhenthelightsourcecreatingthereflectionlines canbemovedabovethemodel. InAliasStudio theIso AngleToolisthemostaccurate evaluationregardinghighlightsonthesurfaceset,even whenthesehighlightsarenotcomparablewith reflectionsintherealworld.

ReasoningbehindIsoangleanalyses

Isoangleliterallymeans"alineofconstantangle"ona surface.Hereisananalogy:onamapoftheworld, sometimesyoucanseewhatarecalled"isotherms" thesearelinesofconstant temperature.Similarly,"iso bars"arelinesofconstantbarometricpressure.These lineareusedtoindicatetemperatureandpressure trendsontheglobe. Isoangle,thetool, bydefault,showsyouthelineof zeroanglebetweenthesurfacenormals ofthesurface andaninfinite"lightsourcedirection".Infact,you shouldstopthinkingofthisasalightingkindof calculation,butasananalysisofthesurfaceproperties purely.Thepointedarrowintheinterfaceisthereto justindicatethedirectionwithwhichthezeroangleis beingevaluated. Isoanglethereforeprovidesaverytightandaccuratewayofevaluatingthepropertiesofasurface.Itwillindicatesurface properties(liketrends,continuityacrossboundariesetc.)waymoreaccuratelythansphericalmapsofzebrastripes. Whenusedinthemultipleband(thecoloredbands)mode,eachcoloredbandisindicatingalineofconstantanglewiththe directionofthevector forexample,thewhitebandcouldbethezeroangle,theredonenexttoitcouldbethelineofconstant 5degreeangle, thegreenonenexttoitthe10degreeangleetc.Thiskindofevaluationiscalledisophotes actually,andisusedinmathematical analysisofsurfaces.

2CVpicture
Theanalogybetweenducksusedbyloftsman andCVsinNURBStechnologyisaperfectwaytounderstandtheimportanceof agoodCVflowtogetgoodsurfaces.

NURBSmodelingsoftwareoftenoffersvariousUserInterface capabilitiesforsurfacescreationandmanipulation.Butallthisis justamask.ThecommongroundisalwaysthepositionoftheCVs. Foraloftsman theduckplacementwastheonlypossibilitytogeta nicecurvewithaestheticaccelerationandsoistheCVplacement foraNURBSmodeler.Sothesecretofwellshapedsurfacemodelsis withtheirCVlayout.ChoosingaNURBSmodelingsoftwareit shouldbetakencare,thatCVscanbevisualizedandmodeled directly.

CommonrulesaboutCVspacing Asafirstruleitcanbesaid,thattheCVshastolookniceandtheyshouldflowbeautifully(thereareseveralexceptions whenit comestotheCVflow).ExperiencedNURBSmodelerscanreadtheshapeofaNURBSmodelbyinvestigatingtheCVsonly. Butwasisniceandwhatisbeautiful?Somepeoplesay:Beautyisthephenomenonoftheexperienceofpleasure,throughthe perceptionofbalanceandproportionofstimulus.Itinvolvesthecognitionofabalancedformandstructurethatelicitsattraction andappealtowardsaperson,animal,inanimateobject,scene,music,idea,etc.

Judgingbeautyisalwaysdependedontheaudienceandrelative.ToillustratethisthereisanicequotefromFrancisBacon. Thereisnoexcellentbeautythathasnotsomestrangenessintheproportion. TechnicalsurfacingexistsbetweencreativityofdesignandrequirementsofEngineering.AnydefinitionofBeautyseemstobe relativeanddoesntfitinstrictengineeringrequirements.ButtheSurfacemodelerneedstoputagoodunderstandingofa beautifulsenseinhisworktocreategoodsurfacesetsandthereforealotofinspirationisavailable.

EvenwhenthejudgmentofCVstructureisrelativetherearesomerulesintroducingtwoparameters. A lengthofthelinethatconnectstwoCVswitheachother CVspacing B lengthoftheNormalthatisbetweenaCVandtheunderlyingcurve/surface

B A

1.BothParametersshouldchangesmoothlyandwithinsymmetryifappropriate.DrawingthechangeofAandBinagraph,the resultingcurves,mustbenice,smoothandnotwavy.Thereisnoengineeringruleaboutthesecurves.Theusermustconsider hisownsenseofbeauty,symmetryandproportion.

A/B

! !
#ofCV CV#1 CV#2 CV#3

2.ConcentrateCVswherethegeometryshowsmorecurvatureinitsshape.Agoodanalogyistoimaginethespeedofthehand whendrawingacurvewithapencil.Wherethespeedisslow,theartisttriestocreatecurvedshape,theCVsshouldbe concentrated.Wherethespeedgetsfaster,lessCVsareneededtodescribethisportion.

3SurfaceContinuity
Whendefiningaform,animportantfactoristhecontinuitybetweensurfaces howsmoothlytheyconnecttooneanother. Oneexampleofwheresurfacingexcelsisautomotivebodypanels.Iftwocurvedareasofthepanelhavedifferentradiiof curvatureandareblendedtogether,maintainingtangentialcontinuity(meaningthattheblendedsurfacedoesn'tchange directionsuddenly,butsmoothly)won'tbeenough.Theyneedtohaveacontinuousrateofcurvaturechangebetweenthetwo sections,orelsetheirreflectionswillappeardisconnected. Thecontinuityisdefinedusingtheterms G0 position(touching) G1 tangent(angle) G2 curvature(radius) G3 acceleration(rateofchangeofcurvature)

PositionG0 Thiscontinuityspecifiesiftheedgeoftwosurfaces(naturaledgeortrimmededge)fitwithinagiventolerance.Ifthegeometry edgeorendpointfitswithinatolerancetheresultisgoodintermsofG0continuity.Thismeasurementcanbequalifiedasa digitalcheck.

Tangency G1

Thiscontinuityspecifiestheanglebetweencorrespondingnormal'sthatstandsontheedgesofthereferenceandthegeometry. IfthisangleiswithinatolerancethemeasurementisgoodintermsofG1continuity.Thismeasurementcanbequalifiedasa digitalcheck.

Additionallytothemeasurementofthesurfacenormal'sthereisacheckintermsofcolinearityofthetangents(linesconnecting theCVs).Thiscriterionisinterestingjustforcontinuitymeasurementsbetweentwonaturaledges.NoteveryNURBSmodeling systemoffersthischeck(AliasStudio)butitshouldbeinvestigatedbyeveryuser.

CurvatureG2/G3 CurvatureG2(radius) AccelerationG3(rateofchangeofcurvature)

Thecontinuitymeasurementintermsofcurvatureshouldnotbejudgedasadigitalcheckanymore.Inhereitismoreimportant toevaluatetheflowandthesmoothnessofthecurvatureacceleration.Aperfectcurvatureresultjustcanbeevaluatedusing curvatureplots.

4Curvatureplots
WhenitcomestocurvaturemeasurementlotsofsystemsofferlocatorsthatmeasureG2continuityonthepatchbordersand thesetypicalzebrastripestoevaluatehighlights. Thesetwosurfacesobviouslylooksfinetogether,butthisisnottrue.The evaluationtoolsarejustnottherightones. TheG2locatorsimplycomparesthevalueofcurvatureonbothsurface edgeswithinacertaintolerance.Thisinformationisnotenoughintermsof judginghighlightquality.Eventhezebrastripesoftenarejustaspherical maponthesurfacesetanddoesntgiveausefulfeedbackaboutthe smoothnessoftheentiresurfaceset.Theydontshowaccelerationof curvaturewithintheshape.

Justacurvatureplotonasectioncutthroughthesurfacesetshowsthatthe accelerationofthecurvatureofbothsurfacesdoesntmatch.SureG2 continuityisachieved,butitsisnotagoodresultregardingtheflowofthe highlights.

ThatswhyitmakesnosensetojudgethehighlightqualityofasurfacesetjustusingG2checker.Thesurfacesetmustbecutand curvaturecombsmustbecalculatedonthesections.

Thiscurvaturecombshowawell balancedG3result. Thisjudgmentis withtheskillleveloftheoperatorand canbequalifiedasanalog,because thereisnotacertaintolerancethat wouldmakesenseallthetime.

Thisresultiswellbalancedtoo.The smallstepinthecurvatureplot(G2 break)doesnthaveanoticeable impactonthefinalhighlightpicture.In fact,thissurfacesethasonlyG1 continuitybutitisstillgood.

Itisveryhelpfultoseethetwosurfacesbesidemilledout.OftenitbecomesclearthatastrictG2achievementisnotnecessaryto reachhighendsurfacequalityintermsofvisualhighlights.

ClassA

Forreachingthetoptheremustbealwaysabar,ameasurement,alevel.Infreeformsurfacingsuchatoplevelcanbefound intheautomotiveindustry.Hereisenoughpotentialtobuildsurfacesasgoodaspossibleandtoaccumulateknowledge andskillstocreatethosehighendsurfacescalledClassA.

1WhatisClassA?
ClassAsurfacesisatermusedinautomotivedesigntodescribeasetoffreeformsurfacesofhighquality.Although,strictly, itis nothingmorethansayingthesurfaceshavecurvatureandtangencyalignmenttonearperfectaestheticalreflectionquality.

ThepointwhenClassAqualityforthefirsttimeisrequiredisnotfixed.Asmoreasthedesignbecomesfinal,asmore engineeringandfeasibilityrequirementshavetoberecognized.Acleanandlightsurfacestructureisthebasetoincorporate theserequirementsinadigitalmodel.ThefinalresultisasurfacesetthatwillbegiventotoolingortofurtherCADdepartments anditsfinalqualityleveliscalledClassA. Inautomotivedesign,thefirstvirtualsurfacemodelsappearattheconceptstagealready.Afastvisualizationofshapeand proportionisvalid.Basedonsketches,packagesandscannedquarterscalemodels,thedigitalsculptorcreatesthefirstsurface model.Atthisstagetechnicalrequirementsdoesntplaysucharole.Theinterpretationofthestylingideaisthemainapproach. ItscalledConceptModeling.

2TwodifferentaspectsofClassA
ThechallengeforClassAmodelingistocombinetheaestheticsuperioritywithhardrequirementsfromengineering.Asurface setthatappearsjustbeautifulbutwithoutmeetingengineeringrequirementswillnotbeconsideredasClassA.

HighlightQuality Curvaturecombs G3 Accelerationofhighlights kneeratio

Engineeringrequirements Tolerances Splitlines Firstflange Panelgap Fullyfilleted

AsthedigitaldesignprocessgetsmaturelessDataControlModelsgetmilledoutbutthequalitylevelremains.TheStudiostry to pushthepointofdesignfreezemoreandmorebackwardstogaintimetoimprovethestyling.ForClassAmodelingthismeans, thatithastobeestablishsometimesalongtheprocesstobereadywhentheprojectisdone.

3ReverseEngineering
ClassAmodelingmeansalotofinvestmentintime.Duringextensivedesigniterationsoftenitmakesnosensetorequirethe highestqualitylevelofsurfaces.InthepastClassAqualityoftenwasrequiredjustafterthedesignfreeze.Thispointwas reachedwithasocalledDataControlModeldoneandavailableonlyinclay.Thismodelhadthefinaldesignfeaturesincluded. It wasscannedandthenthemodelhadtoberecapturedasNURBSinClassAqualitytoservethefollowingCADprocesses.Sothe ClassAmodelingwasmainlyusingscandataasinputandacertaindeviationtolerancewasgiventothemolder.Itwascalled as reverseengineering.

Thoserequirementswereidealforoutsourcing thework.ThatiswhytodaymostoftheClassA modelingworkisdonewithTearOneSuppliers aroundthebigautomotivecompaniesandso mostoftheknowledgeandskillsaboutit.Itsan interestingphenomenonthatthebestClassA modelersareworkingascontractorsforthose suppliersandcannotbefoundasemployees.

4AndwherecouldClassAgointhefuture?
Tomakethedesignprocessmoreeffective,thestudiosengageengineersearlyonlookatengineeringrequirements togetguidancefromit.Anotherpointtomaketheprocessmoreeffectiveistoimprovethesurfacequalityofthe firstmodelstomakethemreuseableforthenextdesignsteps.Someautomotivecompaniesevendontspeak aboutconceptualdesignanymore.Theyestablishedaprocesswherethedesignmodelingflowsmeaninglessinto engineeringandtooling.

AcommunityofmodelershasestablishedgeneralcriteriafordatatobeconsideredclassA. Priortocheckingedgecontinuity, curvature,highlights,orshapesitisthesurfacestructurethathastobewellestablished. InpresentationsregardingclassA surfacingItrytomakeitclear:ThestructureofthesurfacedataisthebasisofClassAsurfacing. DigitalDesigner BarryKimball NissanDesignAmerica,FarmingtonHills,Michigan

SurfaceModelingParadigms

Incomparisonwithtraditionalmodelingvirtualmodelingisstillveryyoung.Itheavilydependsonthemathematical progress.Thetremendousdevelopmentspeedoftechnologyeveryyearopensnewkindofworkflows.Especiallymodeling techniquesfromtheEntertainmentindustryareinfluencingworkflowsintheAutomotiveindustry.Polygonmodelingand SubdivisionSurfacesarejustafewtopiccomingfromthere.RegardingNURBSmodelingthreeparadigmswillbetouched onthefollowingpages.

1NURBSversusBeziermathematic
MostsurfacemodelingsystemshaveacommonmathematicalfoundationcalledBSplines.SomeofthemcreatesNURBS geometryandsomecreatesBeziergeometry.MathematicallyasinglesegmentNURBSsurfaceisequivalenttoasingleBezier surfacepatch.MathematicallyBeziersurfacesareasubsetofNURBS.AliasStudio iscapableofcreatingNURBSandBezier surfaces.

Theimageshowstwocurveshavingthesameshape. Theuppercurvehas6CVsand3segments(4editpoints).ItsaNURBScurve Thecurvebelowhas6CVsandjust1segment(2editpoints).ItsaBeziercurve.

WhenmovingthemarkedCVsitbecomesobviousthataBezierCVinfluencestheentirecurveandaNURBSCVjusthas influencewithinitssegment.Thispartialinfluenceincreasestheriskofwavycurvatureplotandwiththistheriskofabad highlightpicturewhenitcomestosurfaces.Thatswhyoftenitisrecommendedtoworkwithsinglesegmentedgeometryknow asBEZIERmathematic.Ithasthedisadvantageofmoreworktakingcareforthesurfaceconnections,butalmostguaranteesgood highlights.

Usingmultisegmentgeometrycanbeanadvantageinseveralsurfacemodelingsituations.ButsoftwareisunabletoprovideG3 continuitybetweenthesegmentswhenthereisnotenoughmathematicalfreedom. ToavoidinternalG3breaks(likeshownbelow)thegeometryshouldalwayshaveaminimumdegreeof5.Thedegreevalidation usedinhereisforAliasStudio.Othersoftwarehavedifferentrulestospecifythedegreeofasurface.Basicallythegeometry musthavesixControlVerticestoavoidinternalG3breaks.

Asolutionwherethedegreeofthegeometrydoesntcountiswhenusingstrictlysinglesegmentationapproach.Thisisknown asusingBezierSurfaces.

2Modelingmethod
CADsoftwarepackagesusetwobasicmethodsforthecreationofsurfaces. Thefirstbeginswithconstructioncurves(splines)fromwhichthe3Dsurfaceisthenswept(sectionalongguiderail)ormeshed (lofted)through. Thesecondmethodisdirectcreationofthesurfacewithmanipulationofthesurfacepoles/controlpoints. Bothmethodshavetheirstrength.Theirusedependsonthemodelingsituation.

Proceduralmodeling Curvenetworkapproach: Fitsdesignerswhothinkinfeaturelines. Givesafast3Dinterpretationoftheintendedshape.

traditionalpatchlayoutbasedoncurves: LacksincontrollingtheinnerCVs Requiresahugeeffortofplanningtokeephistoryof edgecurvesandsurface. Thesurfaceisaresultofcurvemodificationandcannot beshapeddirectly.

Surfacesruledbyparameters: Additionallytocurvessurfacescanbedefinedby parameterslikeradii,vectors,length. Servesengineeringapproach

Directmodeling Directmodelinglivesofof CVmanipulation.Todoso,itisneededtoholdtheoverallnumberofCVsdown.Toaligntwosurface witheachother,aspecialalignormatchingcommandisneeded.Thisimpliesmassagingeverysurfacematchindividually. Currentlyitisthebestwaytoensureatophighlightqualityoftheentiresurfaceset,butitrequiresagentlesurfacelayoutthatis basedonprimarysurfacesandsecondarysurfacesthataredependentonthis. ItmaysoundthreateningtomanipulateallCVsindividually.Butaslongaspossible,thedigitalsculptormanipulatesentireCV rowsorusestoolsthatallowamodificationofmanyCVsbasedonarulehowtheinfluenceoneachCVgraduallybecomeless.

Withthistechnique,NURBSbecomesthefirstlegitvirtualmaterial.

PracticalModelingTechniques

Onehelpfulapproachtounderstandandmasterdigitalsurfacemodelingistobasedesignworkflowsonprovenmethodsfromthe traditionalcraftsmanshipandtranslatethemintotheworldofcomputers,softwareandNURBS.

1Surfacesmightbebiggerthantheyappearonafinalmodel

Thebasicsurfaces(oftentheyarecalledslabs)appearonthefinalmodelalwaystrimmed.Agoodanalogyisthecraftsmanshipofclay modelingwherethemodelermovesafixedtemplatealongaguide.Thetemplatecutsclaywhereittouchesthevolumeanditcutair to.Theentiresurfacethetemplateiscuttingisexactlythesurfacethathastobemodeledinsoftware,evenwhenthetemplatecuts airandthecorrespondingdigitalsurfacestandsout.Thedigitalsurfacewillbetrimmedlater,butitsbasicshapemustbemodeledfirst.

Thisdependsonthestageof thedesignprocess.Production carsthathasbeenmodeled afterdesignfreezehavea differentlayoutthatnot necessarilyfollowingthisrule.

Thecolorizedwheellipshould getacertainhighlightflow.To achievethis,theunderlying trimmedsurfacesmustbe shapedtosupportthefinal sculpturingofthewheellip surface.

Thisisanexamplehowsurfacesthatevenwontbeseeninthefinalmodelholdafeature(bluefillet)together.

Thebluefilletsurfacesetmusthaveanice highlightflow.Butbecauseoftheholeinthe bumperitlookslikethereisnosurfacethe twomiddlefilletpiecescanbealignedto.

Thesurfacesaroundtheholeinthe bumpershowsareactuallybiggerandthey areconnectedestablishinganicehighlight flow,evenwhentheyaretrimmedlateron describingthehole. Butonlythiscurvatureconnectionallowsto alignthebluefilletsallwaylong,eventhere wheretheyappearashangingintheair (whenthemodelfinallyistrimmed).

2Angleconditionsalongsurfaceboundaries
Finalsurfacesetsarealwaysfilleted.Thosefiletsoftenplayasignificantroleexpressingfeatures.Inthekneeofafillettheremight beanultrashinyhighlightgloss.Thetangentlinesofafillet(thelineswhereafilletstarts)marktheregionwhereaflatandslow highlightfromthebigslabsurfacesstartstospeedupintothemuchmorecurvyfillet. Soitisclearthattheshapeofsuchfilletsareimportantforthedesignexpressionintwoways: NiceanddeterminedRadiusentrylines Constant orsmoothchangeofkneeradiitoensureanicehighlight.

Theshouldersurfaceusuallywillbebuildwith positioncontinuity(FIXED).

Buildingthefilletjustwiththissimplepositioncontinuityisthereasonoftheproblemwiththefilletdescribedfollowing.

Fillettobedone

Theresultingfilletoftenhasproblemsregardingtheentrylinesorthehighlightalongthefilletknee.

Thisfilletisaconstantfillet.Theradiusentrylinesshowan unevenandbadbehavior.

Thisfilletisachordalfillet.Thethicknessofthehighlightat thekneevariesunevenly.

Thereasonforthisbadfilletbehavioristheunevenchangeoftheanglebetweenbothsurfaces.Inthiscasetheanglebetween thetwosurfacesbecomessmallerandattheenditbecomesbiggeragain.Thetangentcheckershowsaninflectionoftheangle change(inthemiddle).

Thissimpleexampleillustrateshowarolling ballwouldmarkunevenradiusentrylineon bothreferencesurfaceswhentheirangleto eachotherisnotcontrolled.

Controllingtheanglechangingfromoneendtotheothergivesamuchsmootherandcontrolledresultforthequalityofthefinal fillet.ThetangentcheckershowsjustthemaximumandtheMinimumoftheangleexactlyatStartandEndofthefillet. InAliasthiscanbecontrolledusingtheTANGENTANGLEoptioninthesurfacecreationtools.

Thisfilletisaconstantfillet.Theradiusentrylinesareeven (linearinterpolationbetweenthetwoends).

Thisfilletisachordalfillet.Thethicknessofthehighlightat thekneevariesevenly(inaccordancealinearinterpolation).

3TheoryModeling 1
BothSlabsurfaceswillbecutfirst,usingalong blade.Thecuttingedgeofthebladecouldbe imitatedinSoftwarebyaprofilecurve. ThemodelerhastobalancethecrownofbothSlabs toeachother.Hecandothatbyexaminationof bothsurfacesfromthesideandthetopview. Thefinalindicationisthesharpedgebetweenboth Slabs.Itsshapeshowsifbothcrownsfittoeach other.

Todefinethetransition(oftenitsaradius)the modelertapesthetwoentrylines(Tangentoffset) onthesmoothslabs.Themodelerexamsbothlines bycheckingthemfromtheappropriateview.

Whenthetransitionshouldbearadius,themodeler usesadrawingcircletogettherightdistancefor eachtapefromthesharpedge.

Usingarake,themodelercutstheclaybetweenthe tapes.Afterheroughlyachievedtheshapeofthe transition,heusesatemplatebladewithacutting edgethatwasmadeaftertheprofilethetransitional surfaceshouldhaveorafterthespecificradius. Themodelerslidesthebladealongbothtapesto nottouchingthealreadyfinishedslabs. Thelaststepistoremovethetapesandtocarefully smooththeentiresurfaceset.

Afinishedsurfacemodelalmosthasnosharplines.Everythingiswithfilletsandtransitionsurfaces.Butrecognizingmodeling step1 theremusthavebeenasharptheoreticallinebeneaththosefillets.Regardingthisitisaninterestingexperimenttoinspect thehood ofacarlikeshownbelow.Theinspectormovesalongthefrontofacarandnoticestherethreevitalpoints(ABC)wherethefeatureof thehoodappearsinthreedifferentways.

A B C
Thereisoneposition(B),wherethevirtualtheoretical line,andwiththiseventhefilletthatisbuildontop, appearsstraight.OnPositionAitappearsconcave,on positionCitappearsconvex.SoinBthetheoretical lineMUSTbestraight,meansplanar.

A B C

A B

Hereisanexamplefromindustrialdesignwherethetheoreticallineisnotcrispandcausesirritationwiththefinaldesign where filletsareincorporated.

flat

Curved(convex)

Curved(concave)

Thiseffectisabasicruleintechnicalsurfacingtomakemajorfeaturesappearcrispandstrongfromalldifferentviews.Software productsoffertoolsthatcanplanarizeacurveorasurfaceedgetogetthiseffect.Theplanethatisthebaseforsuchcurves rarelyappearsparalleltothethreemainviews(side,frontandtop).Soitisneededtobeabletomodifyacurvesetwhilethe curvestillmaintainsitsplanarcharacterin3D.

Advancedmodelingandsurfacingtechniques withAutodeskAliasStudio

NURBSmodelingisafascinatingmodelingtechniqueonlyexistinginthevirtualworld.Whenweunderstandit astoolamongothersusedinthedesignprocess,interactingwiththerealworldviamillingandscanning,itcan becomeapowerfulnextgenerationelementinDesignandStyling.