I’m modeling a bike saddle but struggling to get a smooth transition at the junction shown in the picture, between the main solid body and the closed end surface.
I’d like to ask what workflow in Shapr3D can create smooth connections for this kind of freeform capped end. Similar geometry can also be seen on the tip of game controllers.
My current approach: I loft the end section and the middle solid separately, then combine them with a boolean union. However, this method fails to produce smooth curvature transition.
I’ve attached my model file. I’ve spent quite some time trying to solve this, any tips or suggestions would be much appreciated!
You might want to try a different approach instead of lofting the end separately and then using Union.
I recently used a similar technique in the Extrude 4/5 Challenge. The sloped transition on the base looked quite complicated, but the solution turned out to be surprisingly simple: I created two larger solids and used Intersect, so the required transition was created by the intersection of the two shapes.
Perhaps the same principle could work for your saddle. Instead of trying to blend two finished shapes together, you could extend the main body, create a second smooth solid that defines the rounded end, and use Intersect to create the transition.
It’s not exactly the same geometry, of course, but the Challenge made me realise that sometimes it is easier to let the intersection create the transition than to model the transition itself. Perhaps it help you. I am also curious what others will say!
Thanks for sharing your idea! However, extending the solid end face directly gives very low control freedom over the surface, which makes it hard to implement for my case. I’ve tried this workflow as well but still couldn’t get it working.
Really appreciate your suggestion! I’ve imported reference images inside the attached Shapr3D file. If you’re interested, feel free to treat this model as a modeling challenge, haha.
Thanks for your reply! This is a simple and straightforward solution. Following your workflow, I got an almost perfect surface, though there remains a slight imperfection right at the tip. I tried using Delete Face to extend the surface automatically and cap the end, but it didn’t work.
If I make the final cross-section tiny enough, the flaw can be practically overlooked. I’m a bit of a perfectionist though, and I still want to find a way to create a perfectly closed end cap.
Anyway, many thanks for sharing your method and ideas.
Thanks for your reply! However, I haven’t fully grasped the workflow you shared. If possible, could you record a short video to demonstrate it? Many thanks.
