Hi xrok1, yes it will definitely be a pretty big project in any system.

Some solid modeling systems like SolidWorks are really really focused on doing everything driven by 2D profile curves only - I'm not sure that they even make it possible to drag individual points of a sketch curve up to different levels in Z to create a 3D swooping curve like you can in MoI or Rhino.

So I think that MoI is likely to be a step forward from a very Mechanical CAD type program for doing this design.

But really once you are looking at a more sculpting type of procedure where you may want to make surfaces with subtle adjustments in them with some regions that kind of "bump" in or out, then that is really when the tools in a subdivision surface modeler do a better job - it is the type of thing that they are really focused on doing. MoI is just not as focused on this type of thing at this time.

If you do want to pursue it more in MoI, then another possible direction would be to model a base surface of the grip without the finger grooves in it, and then try to place the grooves in as separate parts later on, that may make it easier to create the basic form of the grip.

It's going to be a lot of work though...

- Michael

> BTW, did you have to create the profiles in any specific order to get the loft to work properly?

This one should work fine if you just window select all the curves and then do Loft. If you do pick them by clicking on them one by one, then you will need to click on them in the proper cyclical order because Loft will take them in their picked order when you select them by individual clicks.


> Oh and is there any way to pause the rebuilding function while one is massaging the points?

Nope, sorry.. What I would do for something complex like this would be to delete the Loft, then make several adjustments to the curves, and then create a new Loft after that.


With a sub-d modeler you will work directly on the surface itself instead of on guide curves that produce a surface later, that's one of the things that makes it easier for subtle 3D adjustments.

- Michael

It is possible to model something like this in MOI. I took a quick and dirty 10 min crack at it because its late/early here. Blocked out the shape in rough with a 3 spline vertical loft. Then used a "through points" spline with snapping to draw rounded spline profiles around the blocked out solid. Think of it like threading short loops of string around something (wrap some string around your forearm and you'll get the idea). Too late to write it up in full. I'll be back later to explain it more fully.

that looks pretty good, but a more detailed description would help. i don't understand what "3 spline vertical loft" means.

It means creating three horizontal profiles to rough out the shape as a solid. Top. Bottom. Middle. Loft them. Now you can use this with snapping and a "through points" spline to draw rounded loops around the solid. Those loops are spline crossections along the model that you can use to loft a new solid. Because "through points" uses Bezier rounding, you don't get the initial flat shape but something more rounded and organic looking.

Here's the file. It seems I lost the middle spline somewhere but it was there originally to snap the loop spline points onto the profile splines.