help to create a front part of a mobile phone

[TheNewOne]

Hallo everybody,
since some days i tryout the demo version of PowerNurbs with 3Dsmax2008. I have seen the most video tutorials. So i want to create this mobile phone:http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo243/BlackBerkut/npower_Forum_1.jpg
which a have modeled (polymodeling) in the past.
My problem is, that i don´t know how i can create the front part.
I started with 2 outlines:

http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo243/BlackBerkut/npower_Forum_2.jpg

Then i use the blend function, there are two failure:

http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo243/BlackBerkut/howtocreateamobilephone_2.jpg

When i use the railsweep, i get another failure:

http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo243/BlackBerkut/howtocreateamobilephone_3.jpg

I hope somebody can help me...

[PiXeL_MoNKeY]

It looks like there is a problem with the quality of the curves you created. Are those Max splines, Max NURBS Curves, or Pwr_Sketches? Can you post a file with the curves? Kind of hard to diagnose without a file.

-Eric

[Olaf Finkbeiner]

Hi there,
some of the video tutorials are old...
They confuse more then they help!
I know the feeling!

If you need help please post the actual max files. Screenshots are not usefull in most cases...

kind regards

Olaf

[TheNewOne]

Thank you for your fast replay. Here is the file http://speedshare.org/download.php?id=597E3B8612

[PiXeL_MoNKeY]

Try the file I have rebuilt for you (See attached picture) here: http://speedshare.org/download.php?id=968ACEC413.

I built it using a solids modeling approach.
1) Created a simple Linear Blend for the outter shape.
2) Created Curves for the top and bottom shape (Used Pwr_FaceEdit to reshape the top and bottom faces of the Blend).
3) I then used Pwr_Cutter to split the solid into Top, Middle, and Bottom pieces.
4) I then trimmed the Top and bottom pieces to get the inner shape that I can Blend the outter edges too.
5) Created the Blends for the top and bottom.
6) I filleted the Top, middle, and bottom pieces.
7) I then used Pwr_Cutter to split the area where the phone slides open.
8) I finally Filleted the newly created edges to match the other already Filleted edges.

-Eric

[TheNewOne]

Sorry guys that i write only now, i had´t time.
PiXeL_MoNKeY you are great! But one step i can´t repeat. This is how to create the top part of the the mobile phone.
Here is the file with the defective part.
http://www.speedshare.org/download.php?id=E7D32A7A13

[PiXeL_MoNKeY]

The problem comes from the Blend object. Instead of creating one blend all the way around, create single edge blends (turn off Pick Entire Loop), and then join them all together (you should have 8 blends, instead of 1). It isn't the quickest way to do it, but for some reason it produces much better results. Plus, when you move on to the Filleting it produces much better result. With the single blend all the way around I ended up with alot of failures before getting a working fillet. With blending single edges I get no filleting errors.

-Eric

[TheNewOne]

Thanks, you helped me a lot.:)

[TheNewOne]

I have another problem. When i want to chamfer the surface with Pwr_Fillet i get an error:

http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo243/BlackBerkut/fillet_surface.jpg
It does no matter what type of curve i choose (Circular, Linear...) and also does not depend by the Radius/Dist, i always get this message.
What do i wrong?
Here is the file:
http://speedshare.org/download.php?id=11C3550513

[nPower_Dave]

I have another problem. When i want to chamfer the surface with Pwr_Fillet i get an error:

http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo243/BlackBerkut/fillet_surface.jpg
It does no matter what type of curve i choose (Circular, Linear...) and also does not depend by the Radius/Dist, i always get this message.
What do i wrong?
Here is the file:
http://speedshare.org/download.php?id=11C3550513

This may be an issue of the surfaces being not quite tangent. Would you be willing to send us the model to examine?

[PiXeL_MoNKeY]

The speedshare link is to download the .rar file containing the scene.

-Eric

[PiXeL_MoNKeY]

The issue appears to be how you have created your trims and blends. I am not sure how you got your 16 edges for the blends, your trim objects only had 2 edges.

As I originally outlined, create your trims from a Pwr_Rect set to 4 sketch lines, and use rounding percentage to get the shape you want. From there I created 8 blends from the actual edges on the trim.

From there filleting kind of works, but fails if you make it more than .2-.4cm with constant distance.

I have tried to attach the original file and my Fix in .7z compressed file, but all uploads and formats failed. So you can get the file from here (http://speedshare.org/download.php?id=640F626E2). David please look at the filleting issues, which are pretty much the same as I sent you previously.

-Eric

Edit: Ok on my file if you increase the Number of Curves under Power Surface options to 500, then I can successfully fillet both the top and bottom edges with a larger radius and using constant distance.

Edit 2: Why does changing the Number of Curves or the Surface Definition Type removes any filleting applied?