Finally happy with the neck surfacing, Redid everything from scratch again. Try to list what I did. I feel I will forget this unless I keep practicing to make better
Four main parts to Modelling the neck
1. Heel
2. Neck profile
3. Volute section
4. Headstock
1. Heel section (dark blue curves)
Did the Highline Guitars method but instead of patching it I ran Network surface. 2 curves at base and of heel and end of neck profile and 6 guide curves, drawn carefully, tweaked curves manually. Try to keep curves straight in top view. 2 rail sweep could work also. Sometimes one works better than the other.
2. Neck profile (light blue curves)
- Set up 2 main profile curves- He used the mirror technique, but since this is asymmetrical neck, couldn’t use that exact method.
- I created a guide box in top view 14mm in height and 14.5mm for bottom profile.
- Drew out a 3 degree curve for each half of profile, then match curved it to G2 specs.
- Ran the first network surface. with 2 profile curves and 3 straight rails down the neck.
- Created more guide curves, instead of dividing and sectioning and redrawing manually like Helix, I used the Extract Isocurve command, changed direction to generate the guide curves, way easier this way.
- Deleted surface.
- Created 2 more guide curves by the volute, I copied my first 14mm neck profile curves, manually snapping each curve, using gumball relocate and creating a points to snap to center line where the volute starts. Used rotate and scaled manually to snap to points.
- Rerun Network surface with curves. Surface should go from top of the guitar nut to the heel.
3. Volute Section- (red curves)
- Set up guide curves by creating points along curve that the truss rod comes out of. Also setup points on bottom of Volute along the isocurves.
- Draw one curve for each section from the truss rod curve and bottom of volute. Do this for each side and then connect the curves with blendsrf, I think I used the tangent setting for this. Didn’t edit the blendsrf points. But I did have to adjust the first two guide curves manaully. Create straight line then used the “Change degree” command to 3 and adjust the curve points manually in top view.
- Joined the curves together, think blendcrv can do this automatically.
- Ran network surface- When picking edges, select surface edge for the first curve, this will allow you to tweak that first curve with the curvature setting.
- Split or trim off with the extruded bottom of volute or whatever planar surface you want to use.
4. Headstock
Just extruded from original drawing- Elliots method. Or use Guides to create thickness and the dup edges or create edges manually nothing too hard here.
