Rapid texture wainscot

EnRoute is capable of many things. One unique feature is something called Rapid Texture. Normally routing files are created by creating a relief. Detailed 3D reliefs often take a long time to route.

For the wainscot paneling in our new house we are using Rapid Texture. This feature in EnRoute uses the profile of a (large) bit to create the texture by following vector lines generated by EnRoute. The user first creates seed contours. Then by setting adjusting various perimeters (length, amptitude, jitter etc) the lines can be adjusted in controlled or random ways that effect the texture of the final panel. Panels are generated in mere minutes instead of many hours. The vectors are bent, both vertically and horizontally to create patterns for the tool path and resulting textures.

Here's a few screen shots to show the vectors and controls inside EnRoute.

The seed vectors are shown in the first screen shot.

Here's the vector lines generated by the rapid texture feature.

There are quite a number of things that can be adjusted... each one creating a different result.

The tool we used to create the Rapid Texture is a two inch ball nose bit. It's a monster!

And here's a couple of sample panels of the result.

The panels were routed from 4' x 8' x 1" thick 30 lb Precision Board HDU. It holds the detail perfectly and will hold up well.

In the next few days the panels will begin to be fastened into place. It's going to look pretty cool.

-dan

Road trip

There's not much routing in this project but it sure was a fun one!  I thought everyone would enjoy today's adventure.

-dan

Designing in EnRoute

If I have to do a scale drawing for a project I will most often start inside EnRoute. It's the only cad program I have and it is also easy to use as a drawing program.

This past week I was asked to design a gate for a client. My instructions were
to create something really wild, but something that would match the house and fit into the neighborhood. It is a bit like shoot for the moon, but your feet can't leave the ground. But restrictions and limitations often force us to be extraordinarily creative. I was determined this be the case for this project.

The retaining walls on the property were constructed of a split face block. The house features timbers and smaller scale rock work. The obvious solution was to incorporate these elements into the design. Since the gate would lead to the shop at the back of the property my client's company emblem would also be featured on the gate. Since it is a residential neighborhood the company name would be left off.

I first worked out the basic idea as a scribble on paper and then I set to work in EnRoute with a clear idea of where I was going. The gate was to be twenty feet wide so I drew it 20" wide   1'0" = 1" in scale. I drew the basic shape for one side and then copied and mirrored it for the other. A curved line would be the center

The offset drawing tool was used to create the tubing around the outside. It only took a few seconds to get this far.

For the vertical bars of the gate I only had to draw one, the use the duplication tool to spread them a cross the gate. By selecting all the bars I could adjust them to fit perfectly.

Then I used the offset tool to determine the length of the spikes that are on top of the gate. Once the lines were drawn I used the jigsaw tool to create them individually.

The quarter round plates were next. The circles were positioned where they were needed and then I used the combine tool to get the shape I wanted.

Then I used the jigsaw tool to create the individual bars of the gates/

I neglected to get more screen shots of the progress but basically I created the shapes I needed and then used the jigsaw to perform that same maneuver to assemble the drawing. When I was done I grabbed a screenshot of the drawing and then imported that into Photoshop to create the final colored renderings. The first was with only the bars, which I submitted to my clients for comment. They asked for a second version with wood behind to make the gate more solid. This was the version that will be built.

While I could have used any number of programs to create this drawing EnRoute was the easiest way to do it in scale and complete it quickly.

-dan

OOPS!

Some people seriously believe I live a charmed life where each day goes perfectly and nothing could possibly go wrong. The truth is my days are pretty much like everyone elses. In fact, I would argue that my days are filled with more things that go wrong than most others I know. Things go wrong regularly - sometimes horribly and almost always are my fault (although I don't often admit that publicly). I've learned through much experience that the best thing to do when this happens is to have a good laugh, to pick up the pieces and then learn from what didn't go right.

Last week Jeff Hartman, one of the creators of EnRoute Software, was in my studio for a few days. Jeff has many hours of experience programming routers to do amazing things. But last week he was working on something new, writing code for our relatively new four axis router. We would test out the new code by chucking up a piece of work in the giant lathe and then test running it. At the same time we were creating sample pieces for the MultiCam router manufacturer to use as a sales aid for their machines. I was video taping the test runs to show how great everything was working.

As we pushed the go button on the router this particular time, Jeff asked me if we should perhaps do a test run (in the air) to prove the file. I shook my head... what could possibly go wrong?? We were about to find out...

No real damage was done although it looks serious. With a little tweaking the file ran perfectly the second time we tested it. Life went on after a good laugh!

-dan 

Batter up!

This past week we were busy with our MultiCam. Jeff Hartman, one of the creators of EnRoute software was here in my studio. He was here to develop and test an interface to program and run the fourth axis of our router.

Up to now, to run a file I've had to manually insert some code to allow the machine to switch from going back and forth on the router bed and instead position the spindle over the lathe and then turn the piece set degrees. Jeff and his team's work in EnRoute will instead do this work automatically inside EnRoute. To run a rotary file is now a simple matter of using the MultiCam keypad to call up and position the spindle over the lathe. I then need to establish the starting X position (one end of the piece) and then hit start. It sure is a whole lot easier than before!

Jeff was working with his boy scout troop at home to turn some bats by hand. He thought it would be a cool idea to bring three bat blanks with him and turn them on the router to test the work he was doing. We had great fun making the bats and he will have a cool show and tell for his scout troop when he gets home.

The bats turned out great and were a cool way to test Jeff's ideas for the software. Thanks!

-dan

Complex pub sign - part four

I forgot to grab screen captures of the small bottom oval but it was a flat relief, modified with a second layer using the dome tool. Then the 'Q' was added to the top of that with a 0.15" height. It was then merged highest with the previous base relief.

Now we are on to the QUEENS lettering. I built the lettering outline as a separate relief. This would be nudged up or down as necessary in the front view at a later point to make sure it was in proper position in relation to the rest of the sign.

The letter outline relief was then modified by adding beveled letters.

Then I nudged the QUEENS relief vertically until I was happy and merged highest with the background relief.

For the upper crown I took my design cues from the lower lettering and the 'qQ' oval. It would look best arched upwards in the middle. To do this I first created a flat relief and then drew an oval vector around it. I would use this vector to modify the crown outline relief in an arc. I nudged it up a tad in the front view to make it look good in relation to the rest of the sign.

Then I modified the crown outline relief by adding the crown. relief

I checked everything with a render and by looking at the front views and then MERGED it highest with the background relief. The pub sign was looking pretty fine! Not much further to go.

The last step was the PLATE lettering and outline Once again to make things easier to adjust as needed I would build it as a separate relief, starting with the lettering outline, then modifying the outline with the letter shapes and lastly with the top decorations - all at 0.15" tall.

Then I merged highest with the background reliefs one last time.

With that the sign was ready for tool pathing and routing.

-dan

Complex pub sign - part three

 With the background of the sign done it was time to start in on the scroll and lettering. While I could have made the scroll all curved the reality was there would only be 0.15" between the layers on the folds... not much room for anything fancy. Dave was more than capable of doing fancy blends with paint to make the sign more dimensional. The scroll pieces would all be built as separate elements one layer at a time and then merged highest with the background at the end. I started by selecting the lowest elements of the scroll and made them 0.8" tall.

Then I worked my way forward keeping in mind what folded over what. There were four layers over all.

In these front views we can see the layers of the scroll stacked up.

Then, when I was satisfied how everything lined up it was time to merge the layers to the sign. First, after opening the merge menu, I selected the background relief.

And then following the prompt I selected each piece of the scroll, one at a time and then merged HIGHEST to the background. I then moved the pieces of the scroll to a new layer and made it inactive. In this way I could keep the pieces intact for Dave. To make sure everything was right I did a render before I moved on.

 Now it was time to move on to the eatery lettering. This needed some special attention to make it work. I kept Dave's original rendered view handy for reference and noted that the end bits of the lettering on each side tucked under the scroll. But the scroll ends were lower than the shield in the center of the sign. This meant the Eatery lettering had to bend upwards. EnRoute is capable of just such a feat by using a special procedure.

To accomplish this task I drew an oval around the work eatery. We would use this to modify the relief later.

First I created a flat relief that was 0.45" tall. This number was a bit of an educated guess on my part as to the height but it worked out in the end.

Once I had the flat relief I then modified he relief by selecting both it and the oval vector I had created previously. A 12 degree slope on the curve also proved to be the magic number in clearing the center shield and sloping down enough on the edges to tuck under the scroll folds. It took me three tries to figure this out. Once I had the lettering background right I added the lettering to this relief.by raising it 0.15" (not shown)

Then, after checking everything in a couple of different views I could merge highest to the background relief.

The sign relief was coming along nicely and showed some great looking dimension.

We'll pause it here for now and then continue in the next post.

-dan