Comment on Epcot - Spaceship Earth by TaffGoch
Do you use some kind of plugin for these?
Nope, most are constructed completely in SketchUp. A few use Excel spreadsheets.
After building a "library" of geodesic tessellations, I base variations on them. I've posted the libraries in the 3D Warehouse, so other modelers can use them as a basis for their creations, as well.
There is, at least, one model that demonstrates how I create a tessellation.
-Taff
After building a "library" of geodesic tessellations, I base variations on them. I've posted the libraries in the 3D Warehouse, so other modelers can use them as a basis for their creations, as well.
There is, at least, one model that demonstrates how I create a tessellation.
-Taff
How do you use spreadsheets in conjunction with these?
Spreadsheets can be used to calculate cartesian (or spherical) coordinates of the geodesic vertices.
The resultant data can be then imported into SketchUp, using a "cloud" plugin (available at "The Ruby Library Depot"). The plugin creates a SketchUp guidepoint at each data(x,y,z) triplet.
The resultant data can be then imported into SketchUp, using a "cloud" plugin (available at "The Ruby Library Depot"). The plugin creates a SketchUp guidepoint at each data(x,y,z) triplet.
Oh, I see. That's what I meant when I said plugin, I've seen your other things and I thought that you must have some kind of thing that arranges the components or at least tells you where to put things, because it would be sheer madness to model those from scratch. 
I think I know what perplexes you.
Due to icosahedron symmetries, I only have to model a small portion (1/120th) of a sphere. That small piece is mirrored & rotated multiple times, to populate and complete the total surface.
Knowing what portion to create? Well, that's the real trick.
Due to icosahedron symmetries, I only have to model a small portion (1/120th) of a sphere. That small piece is mirrored & rotated multiple times, to populate and complete the total surface.
Knowing what portion to create? Well, that's the real trick.
Ah. I don't have good experiences with modeling polyhedra... I think once I tried to make something entirely out of regular hexagons, but there were always parts that wouldn't accommodate the tiles I was placing and it frustrated me to no end.
/incoherent rant.
/incoherent rant.
Uhmm,...
...as I wrote before, most are modeled from scratch. Only a handful employed data import.
...as I wrote before, most are modeled from scratch. Only a handful employed data import.