Trying to make a 3D sphere.

[large_time]

After brainstorming with a friend of mine I have a project in mind to make a sphere that is cut from different pieces and then weld it together.

Essentially a big ball that is made from the pieces below, welded together to make a ball.

Anyone done anything like this before?.... I am thinking of making it from 16 gauge.

So, my question is.... Do you think that this could be converted to a .DXF and end up a fairly roundish looking ball?

I was thinking about keeping it all as one piece and then bending and tack welding it together as I pushed the pieces together...... You guys and gals think that would work?

If this does work, I was thinking about adding a design to it such as cutting out stars and moons into it and then cutting it from stainless and creating a light that dangles from a chain or cord.

[SignTorch Vector Art]

Doesn't seem plausible to form a really smooth sphere that way. Have you considered a geodesic pattern? The seams would be easier to form and finish.

[Craig]

So, my question is.... Do you think that this could be converted to a .DXF and end up a fairly roundish looking ball?

I was thinking about keeping it all as one piece and then bending and tack welding it together as I pushed the pieces together...... You guys and gals think that would work?

If this does work, I was thinking about adding a design to it such as cutting out stars and moons into it and then cutting it from stainless and creating a light that dangles from a chain or cord.

Cool idea, did you make a paper one to see if it makes a round ball? Unless you round out the sections with a hammer you will end up with a faceted look. Look forward to seeing it finished. Thanks for sharing. Craig Johnson

[large_time]

Doesn't seem plausible to form a really smooth sphere that way. Have you considered a geodesic pattern? The seams would be easier to form and finish.

I am loving the domed look, that would be an epic project welding all of those trianges up! Very cool though.

And the idea of printing it and cutting it out of paper....Genius!

More to follow.

[DXF]

This link looks a lot like what you posted. I use this to create dome roofs for a project.

http://www.gma.org/surfing/imaging/globe.html

Dave Hanks

[large_time]

This link looks a lot like what you posted. I use this to create dome roofs for a project.

http://www.gma.org/surfing/imaging/globe.html

Dave Hanks

WOW! Dave, that piece of work would fit in well at a museum....

Thanks for the link and for the sweet picture of your project... Too cool.

[SignTorch Vector Art]

I am loving the domed look, that would be an epic project welding all of those trianges up! Very cool though.

...

In the reference picture of paper being folded, the pentagon and hexagons have a notch so they can be cupped, but I wouldn't do it that way. I'd chain the triangles together differently (along the longitude of the whole sphere). They can do it that way with paper because they have no kerf to worry about. With a metal geodesic dome you'd want clearance between unconnected triangles equal to the bend line kerf cut between connected triangles, so they all wind up with a kerf width between them when bent and assembled. Then just tack weld the mating corners together, and don't weld along every seam. I wouldn't cut that many separate triangles without bend lines connecting as many as possible.

I made a taj mahal once not as nice but similar to dave's method. That works to... I'd be looking for a slip roll to bend 16 ga steel all on the same radius....

[DXF]

Thanks and thank you Plasma Joe for helping with the design of the dome roof. When I get time my next project is a church with a steeple and then the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Dave Hanks

[tinbender]

Heres one that i made out stainless. I have made many different ones like this. I use a different layout method than the one shown for the globe. The more pieces you make them out of the rounder it will be. There lots of fun and the possibilities are endless with them.

[large_time]

That is looking good!

[Stout]

Here's a soccer ball I cut and welded up a few years ago. 16 gauge. It's actually only 6 separate pieces. I'll look for the pattern.

[Stout]

The pattern on the left is how it all fits together. The pattern on the right is the pieces required to complete one ball.

[SignTorch Vector Art]

Cool!!! Nice job on the pattern. That's the first time I've seen one laid out and assembled in sheet metal.

When the design is right I assume assembly is the easy part. Is that right?

[Stout]

Cool!!! Nice job on the pattern. That's the first time I've seen one laid out and assembled in sheet metal.

When the design is right I assume assembly is the easy part. Is that right?

Yup. Each of the 4 large pieces are individually folded and tacked together. Then 2 of the large pieces are combined for a partial. Then 2 partials are tacked together leaving room for each of the 2 straight pieces. Well it made sense when I did it anyway.

The only issue I have had is alignment due to material thickness. If the material was paper thin, it would all line up great. It takes a bit of pushing and shoving to get all the pieces to line up.

[large_time]

Cool!!! Nice job on the pattern. That's the first time I've seen one laid out and assembled in sheet metal.

When the design is right I assume assembly is the easy part. Is that right?

Yup. Each of the 4 large pieces are individually folded and tacked together. Then 2 of the large pieces are combined for a partial. Then 2 partials are tacked together leaving room for each of the 2 straight pieces. Well it made sense when I did it anyway.

The only issue I have had is alignment due to material thickness. If the material was paper thin, it would all line up great. It takes a bit of pushing and shoving to get all the pieces to line up.

Very Cool! Thanks for the file.

[muzza]

Thanks for the file, I've had this jpg image sitting waiting as a one day job
Murray

unfolded-soccer-ball-2.jpg

[timberfab]

Now what software would i use to take a flat Image and roll it around this sphere to make it cut able? I drew up a 30 inch globe using the link tinbender linked to. now i want to cut a wilderness scene out of it for my back yard.

I have Inkscape, AutoCad 2008, BOBCAB v21 and torchmateCAD. can anyone pint me in the right direction?

[large_time]

Now what software would i use to take a flat Image and roll it around this sphere to make it cut able? I drew up a 30 inch globe using the link tinbender linked to. now i want to cut a wilderness scene out of it for my back yard.

I have Inkscape, AutoCad 2008, BOBCAB v21 and torchmateCAD. can anyone pint me in the right direction?

Thats where I am going... Not sure how to do it though.... imagine a world globe with a light in the middle... Sweetness

[SignTorch Vector Art]

I don't know of any all in one solution, or one that can utilize vector graphics from start to finish.

I just fired up blender to see if I can get it to unwrap a 3D object into a 2D construction pattern in a repeatable way. I think there is a way to create seams on a 3d object, and have the texture editor display them flat and unfolded, to form a 2d pattern, and I think different designs can then be mapped onto that object, and show up in that pattern, sort of automatically....

[large_time]

I don't know of any all in one solution, or one that can utilize vector graphics from start to finish.

I just fired up blender to see if I can get it to unwrap a 3D object into a 2D construction pattern in a repeatable way. I think there is a way to create seams on a 3d object, and have the texture editor display them flat and unfolded, to form a 2d pattern, and I think different designs can then be mapped onto that object, and show up in that pattern, sort of automatically....

Tuned in!

[timberfab]

just downloaded blender. lets see if i can learn how to do this!

[SignTorch Vector Art]

It's trying to work but I'm having a hard time seeing the seams, and coordinating which unfolded faces are which 3d faces, so I need to practice using the unfolded view and using colors to mark each face, seam and bend more clearly.

Blender sure takes a little getting used to, I finally figured out how to split the screen (drag the hash triangle in upper right corner of 3d view) in order to show the model and pattern at the same time. At this rate it will take a while to get up to speed, but so far so good, I did get it to unfold a few faces.

[SignTorch Vector Art]

update: I was able to use different material colors to mark out a group of connected faces, then put a seam on all edges, then remove the seams between the faces that I want connected, and unwrap that pattern in the UV editor. The pattern shown is one half of a one degree icosphere which is a very pointy sphere and easy to work with.



Now the question is how and whether the UV editor will display each face with the same color and pattern as the corresponding faces in the model. So any pattern superimposed on the model will be superimposed on the pattern.

[Marty]

brilliant strategy!

[SignTorch Vector Art]

update: I found some interesting paper folding software called pepakura designer. It easily unfolds a model and has nice features to edit and rearrange folds.



Now to find a good way to place and design pictures on models. Blender is confusing and not hardly wysiwyg.