Complex Surfaces

[MFegenbush]

I was wondering if you surfacing/mold generating gurus could answer
this one for me. I have a part that is almost entirely comprised
of complex surfaces (control yoke for an airplane). I need to
model this piece (and some less complex pieces) for a client in order
to manufacture a copy of the piece. He claims that there have
been many attempts to copy this piece, and that they all look
wrong. I would like to draw this piece, but would like to know
where to get dimensions. As an example, if designing aftermarket
parts for a car, where would you get the surfaces of the original to
determine if your parts would look good and fit correctly?



I have seen some of the 3d scanners, and thought about using this
technology, but have been unable to find someone in this area that has
one.



Any help would be appreciated



MFegenbush

 

[dsergison]

it can be laser scanned as you say, or you can use a CMM, a Coordinate Measuring Machine and touch a stylus wherever you want a point. that would be MUCH easier to find.


Asmall machine shop would be likely to own a CMM and be willing tohelp you out. they would typically use it as a quality controll check, but should have no problem recording a field of points.


I would taka a paint marker and paint a dot wherever you want to get points and ask the CMM operatorread all those points and give it to you in a file.


then use those points in proe to constrain style curves.






Edited by: dsergison

 

[miked]

laser scanning is much faster and gives you more data than cmm. You can take the point cloud into something like geomagic or restyle and build nurbs surfaces easily from there.


I use it to compare oem cad data to production vehicles then back to my surface files.


We own ours (minolta vivid 990) but there are places around that will do it for you. I can give you a name for someone in the Toronto area if that helps.


Miked






Edited by: miked

 

[ProE_Addict]

I have a source in the Mineapolis, MNarea as well.