How to create a shaped fin?

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 From:  Curt (CLOLSONUS)
4066.1 
I would like to create a vertical stabilizef for a flying wing design I've been working on. I have the desired fin outline as an eps file which I've attached.

I've been able to import the eps file into MoI and see the shape and all the curve points.

I could probably get by with generating a planar, but what I would *really* like to do is give the shape an "airfoil" type cross section. I'm struggling with how I could approach this in MoI.

Do I need to abandon or subdivide my imported eps outline into a couple curves? I'm trying to get my head around how I would do this though given that the fin outline is a pretty complex shape.

You guys have really helped me out with my previous questions, but I still have a lot to learn about MoI and 3d modeling in general.

I'll keep playing around with it in the meantime ... I just had another hair brained idea while I was typing this question. :-)

Thanks!

Curt.
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 From:  BurrMan
4066.2 In reply to 4066.1 
hydrocoptic marzelvanes!

EDITED: 19 Jun 2012 by BURRMAN

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 From:  Michael Gibson
4066.3 In reply to 4066.1 
Hi Curt, well you don't quite have enough information in just this one profile to create a full smooth shape out of it. Or maybe the way I should say it is more like you have too much going on in that one profile to use it to surface with in just one single pass.

One problem with your profile is that it has some sharp corner points in it, in these spots:



Sharp corners like that tend to be difficult to incorporate directly into a single smooth surface, because sharp and smooth don't really go together in a single sweep very well.

You need a more simple shape than that for creating your surface initially. Depending on how you want it to look you might try building 2 different surfaces, one for this part:



And then one for this part:



And then boolean those together. That would give a kind of 2 component structure.


Or depending on what kind of specific shape you want, if you want something that looks more like one big piece with a sharp corner taken out, then you actually want to model it like that as well, starting with a larger extended surface more like this:



Then boolean away the sharp cut out area from that by drawing in some lines shaped like a V and using them as the cutting objects in the boolean operation.

Do you possibly have any kind of concept sketch for how you'd like those sharp areas to look in the full 3D shape? Right now it's not exactly clear how the 3D shape should look.

- Michael

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 From:  SteveMacc (STEVEH)
4066.4 In reply to 4066.3 
Michael's last example looks like the way to go. However, there is a slight problem. You can build an airfoil cross section using conic curves and sweep them. But a fin has no tip or root (like a conventional wing) so you have to decide where those are going to be. Then you will have to fill the top and bottom surfaces with a non airfoil cross section surface. Your shape is like an upside down version of a older type tail fin. See if you can find an example, say pre ww2.

EDITED: 22 Feb 2011 by STEVEH

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