Creating a shape question

[Phil]

A friend asked me to carve a "JOY" plaque for him and the Mrs. Creating the model for the letters was easy but I'm not having much luck with the serifs on J and Y. I just can't create a transition from angle to flat that looks right. Any suggestions?

[Thkoutsidthebox]

It looks like you've used a V-Bit profile to get this far? You should be able to smooth into the Flat areas pretty easily with the smoothing tools in Aspire. Are you ok with cutting these as a 3D model?

[Phil]

I know it looks it was done with a V bit but I created the shape with the angular modeling tool set at 45 degrees in Aspire. I just can't find a way to create the flats at the ens of J and Y.

[Phil]

I tried the sculpting tools but the edges come out rounded, they need to be crisp like the rest of the letter.

[RoutnAbout]

Hey Phil,
Whats the font?

[Dublinman]

I think you get a better result if you do it in 2D instead, using a Vbit & and end mill, way faster than 3D even with a tool change. Theres a tutorial in Vcarve Pro literature. I did it with offset vectors in a complicated way when I then found out the automated version in VCP ( figures ) ~ Dubliner PS a sharp chisel will also help. I learned a few things at Joe Crumleys workshop. We were all trying to make the machine do a final treatment to a part, when Joe walked over with a chisel, beveled the corner we were agonizing over & looked at us as if to say " Get a move on you twits "

[Phil]

RoutnAbout, I don't know what the font is. My friend sent me the image from a magazine, it's the second picture.

Dublinman, this can't be done properly with traditional VCarving. The width of the letters is not consistent, look closely at the O and you'll see what I mean.

[Dublinman]

No, I agree with you & it cant be done with 3D either, but 2d & some hand work make it look more like hand carved than anything. Its a hotly discussed topic amongst the Letterhead Sign Elder statesmen.

[Phil]

I'd bet that James Booth could do it.

[Phil]

Sorry James, I'm not trying to drag you into this, my point is that I believe it can be done in Aspire.

[Dublinman]

I bet he could too, but youll have to wait 'til February when he sobers up after his trip home

[JamesB]

Neville, I am offended at the inference I might like a drink! Its New Years day and I am hang-over free... and working (perhaps for the first time since I was a teenager, but credit where credit is due).

Phil, There is a couple of ways to do what you need but they can be extremely time consuming and would take a very long time to explain properly here. In short though in this case you probably should divide the letters up into seperate shapes so that the serifs are seperate closed shapes and the main trunks of the letters are also. You may even need to divide it where the 2 parts of the trunk come together (such as the divide in the Y). If you get these seperate shapes to overlap just the right amount then when you create the shapes (and merge them) you should get nice clean transitions between each area. There is another much more complex method for modelling "perfect" letters which I have not tried in Aspire, perhaps one day I will get time to go through the process and explain it here!

Cheers and Happy New Year to all,
James

[Phil]

Thanks for the explanation, it helps to have a clue. I started an attempt in that direction. I made two models with the angular too, one with a flat top and one with an angular profile. Now I need to find a way to put them together.

[Dublinman]

My profoundest aplolgies James - Actually I heard that you don't drink any more, but then later I also heard that you dont drink any less either - Best wishes James