A Windsor Bowback Chair, Design, Click,
Hello,
I am trying to draw the A Windsor Bowback Chair that was posted on the design, click, build blog. However, I am having the following issues:
First, I tried to scan the picture from the article, that I have in my collection of articles as a JPEG file. But, the quality of the picture was not as clear as the one posted within the blog. I am wondering how the scan quality within the blog came this way. Is there a special setting that was used when the picture was scanned.
Since I did not succeed in scanning the picture with the same quality, I proceeded to use your picture and saved it as a JPEG file.
When I tried to import the picture into the Sketchup, it came and was aligned with the green axis. However, I used the orbit tool to make it look like it was aligned with the blue axis, so that I can trace it. It there a better way when I import the JPEG file to be directly aligned with the blue axis instead of the green axis.
What is the method to scale the photo to obtain a 1″ gridsize as mentioned in the blog.
What is the correct technique for using tha Arc tool in order to trace the leg?
Any guidance, tips, help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Moataz
Replies
Moataz,
I don't know what settings Tim used when he scanned the drawings but your scanning software should allow you to adjust the resolution of the scan. Exactly how you do that depends upon the software.
When you import the JPG make sure you check the radio button for importing it as an image.
Instead of orbiting so you are looking down on the image, orbit so you are looking more across it so you aare looking along the bottom edge. Select the image so it has a colored bounding box around it. Get the Rotate tool and set the protractor on the bottom corner of the image. While holding the mouse button, drag along the bottom edge. This will orient to protractor correctly. Click on the edge that will be vertical and rotate the image up. Type 90 and hit Enter.
To scale the image, trace a line aling a line in the image that is a known length. You could also pick two points at a known distance and draw a line between them. Then get the Tape Measure tool and measure the line making sure you click at each end. Type the known dimension and hit Enter. You'll be asked if you want to resize the model. Answer Yes and the drawing will be scaled. Keep in mind that frequently drawings may not have the same scale in one direction as they do in the other. You might need to check that and manually scale in one direction or the other to correct that.
One inch grid: Draw a horizontal line. Select it and copy it (Ctrl+Move) one inch. Type 1, Enter and then *n where is the number of copies of the line. Repeat that for the vertical lines. these are just simple linear arrays. Select all of those lines and make a group or component of them so that new geometry won't stick. You'll delete this grid later anyway.
I usually don't bother with the grid but instead set some key guidelines with the Tape Measure and/or Protractor tool. These lines are used to identify important points such as the ends of curves or other details.
Finally, the Arc tool. Basically you'll set the first end point at one end of the arc and the other end at the opposite end. Then drag out the bulge. Some curves might be more easily drawn using the Bezier plugin. If you are using arcs you might find you need to break some curves into shorter bits and joint the parts together.
Once you've finished drawing the parts, delete the image and the grid if you made it. Also, if you made the grid into a component, make sure to purge it from the In Model components library.
Dave
Edited 7/26/2008 7:35 pm ET by DaveRichards
Moataz, I have copied your questions and provided my replies in the Comments section following the Blog Entry on the Windsor Bowback Chair. I prefer to keep these discussions with the blog, so they are together with the original entry.
Thanks to Dave Richards for pitching in here.
Tim
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