Just finished building my second CNC machine tonight - here's a first run "air cut" . . . had no issues - ran a 45 minute cycle without a hitch.

Hi Neil,
I have been playing with the network method and here's my latest attempt
using your drawing as a start.
I have done some trimming and blending to remove some of the crease lines
not sure if that's the best way but it looks Ok to me.
Have you looked at Zarkow video http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=8845.5
I tried it on the neck network and looked promising.
Cheers
Barry

Hi Barry-H,

Man that looks terrific!! Will take a look at that video.

Thanks so much for the help - greatly appreciated.

N

So BurrMan - what was Nat Daniels like? Seems like a brilliant business person - I had a couple of his double cutaways as a kid. They were really fun guitars - and played great.

Thanks Marc!

Mat10x - if you want me to do some milling for you just let me know - always enjoy unique new projects.

The video describing car modeling is amazing - need to learn how to do that - it's advanced modeling for sure - but wow the results are outstanding. Downloaded the scripts now to practice . . . Zarkow is a master is he not? Man.

http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=8845.5

Where is the reconstruct curve with polylines command that Zarkow uses? I can't seem to find it . . .

Hi Neil,

re:
> Where is the reconstruct curve with polylines command that Zarkow uses? I can't seem to find it . . .

I think it's this one here:
http://kyticka.webzdarma.cz/3d/moi/#ReconstructCurve

- Michael

Hey Neil,
"What was he like"

Great question to ask as that is what really set him apart. A couple things stand out for me.

He was generous in a way i had never seen and really stuck with me. He invited me to his house when i was having a rough time and put me to work. The unsusual part was how he shared his knowledge and abilities!

It isnt widely known he was friends with les paul. In his earlier days, they used to tinker and make electronics for themselves. Out of that cane many things that all of us "know"about, like les pauls "black box", but also many other things, like reverbs, tremolos, phasing devices, etc. He didnt have an intrest in "grabbing it for himself". At his house, he had several of these things still around and would show you, discuss how he made it, his thought process and trial and errors, and ask what "i thought"... perfectly ready to tinker, with me, just a kid...... wow!

So many people would think "he's really losing out"! A prevailing perception today! How Nat was wasnt lost on me. A good human...

He was also very knowledgeable. He was smart. But he didnt make that unatainable to someone who didnt know. He worked with me as an equal, even though i was just an uneducated kid. It opened alot for me.....

He was a great guy!

Hi Neil,
this is the result using Zarkow's method.
Barry

Barry, wow - that is excellent - really beautiful job! That is apparently the way to go.

Hi Neil,

Pics look great. Nice wood selection. Love the initials in the headstock! Nice personal touch.

Yeah good start, keep at it! Try those snaps too to keep everything in alignment.

M

Hey Neil,

...notice that he's using "Network" for the car surfaces in those videos.

Very powerful tool.

M

Hey Neil,

That would be great to do a collaboration. I'll guess I"ll have to around to designing something now. ;)

Thx,

Mat

Hello Mat10x - Barry and you are super experienced with MOI - so far the models that I do look pretty good but still aren't solid when done - and often when trying Zarkow's scripts I end up with missing polygons and blocks missing from the face and end up staring over. Will keep at it - Barry made a terrific neck in one evening using Zarkow's scripts - as I'm sure you could as well. Just need to keep working on accuracy. Sometimes using "mirror" the mirrored parts aren't connecting - which must mean the drawing may not be symmetrical . . . sometimes I work on a neck for 4 or 5 hours only to end up deleting it. lol . . . great forum though - best forum I've been on so far. The program is amazing - you guys are really doing some fantastic things. Much thanks for the advice and suggestions.

Hi Neil,
are you working on the curves you posted ?
If so I will check what I modified to see if that helps.
I posted about the Karkow method where I used the nodeeditor
And James Retopo nod to produce the facets thus cutting out
having to do the iso lines,convert to polygon and loft manually.
I am getting some good results and some unexplained at the moment
but hope to better understand the process to get consistent results so it can be a useful tool.
Anyway keep persevering.
Barry

Thanks Barry! My attempts are improving but still not there. It's still hollow - so somewhere I'm not getting it right - although it says "joined" it's still hollow. When using Zarkows method on the neck transition while it smooths and curves it also distorts the corners - so there must be a way to avoid that the way Zarkow does - although guitar necks are a bit different from cars - it is a forgone conclusion that this project would be a minute steak for someone with Zarkows skill and tenacity. :) In your screen shots it looks as though you go way down onto the neck past the transition - where mine are concentrated on just the transition area. This example/version uses a straight/basic network on the heel and an attempt at Zarkows method on the headstock. The heel is good enough for milling - but the headstock transition is still not quite right - although better. Haven't been able to put the truss rod channel in because the neck is hollow. lol . . . To be honest - with regard to this neck - the best looking transition from the headstock is your first trim and blend example!

Thanks for the encouragement Barry! I won't give up. Definitely on the right track thanks to the great help in this awesome forum!

Thanks BurrMan - what a excellent friend you had - really enjoyed hearing about that!