Wrapping tepee cover

[Willy Tschager]

Guys,

as you might know I'm slowly authoring all the missing Western parts from the late nineties, which are missing in the library. Sooner or later the "last part standing" will be "Cloth Tepee Cover with ... Pattern":



http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/cata...=1#T=C&C=1

It will be fairly easy designing a flat version in LDPC, but how do wrap the cloth? Any ideas? How about a wrapper prog for this kind of job?

w.

[Philippe Hurbain]

Hopefully this should be usable: http://forums.ldraw.org/thread-16349-pos...l#pid16349

[Willy Tschager]

Hopefully this should be usable: http://forums.ldraw.org/thread-16349-pos...l#pid16349

As I understand it is for slightly curved surfaces, but the tepee would project on a some sort of cone, offset from the top has to be adjusted, overlap must be allowed 'cos the tepee would wrap and the ends would overlap.

w.

[Philippe Hurbain]

Hopefully this should be usable: http://forums.ldraw.org/thread-16349-pos...l#pid16349

As I understand it is for slightly curved surfaces, but the tepee would project on a some sort of cone, offset from the top has to be adjusted, overlap must be allowed 'cos the tepee would wrap and the ends would overlap.

w.

I guess a ldpc template can be done using Meshmixer unwrap tool https://youtu.be/PCgP8VLFaz4?t=3m11s . I'll give it a try!

[Magnus Forsberg]

   

It looks like the tent needs to have an octagonal base. I can't get a single cone to fit the brick base and the ball-pins.

[Philippe Hurbain]

It looks like the tent needs to have an octagonal base. I can't get a single cone to fit the brick base and the ball-pins.

I am indeed facing the same problem... I guess that IRL it works with flexibility of the fabric. Willy, any suggestion?

[Philippe Hurbain]

Aside from problems mentionned by Magnus, I tried to create a template for LDPC. Good and not so good news...
I was able to create a cone template using the following method:
- Create the cone in LDraw.
- convert it to stl with LDView.
- import the cone in Meshmixer
- Create the flat template with Meshmixer unwrap tool
- export the flat template to stl and convert it to LDraw domain with stl2dat
- Import that file in LDPC and make a template.
- Replace flat projection data of the LDPC template with 3D values from the initial cone.

Now the problems...
- you have to take care of the order of polygons, and of the order of vertices of each polygon, and the long travel between tools tends to mess up things.
- LDPC projection precision looks fairly limited, and resulting pattern has small gaps.

Attached the files. As the process is fairly manual, I limited myself to 7 segments of cones...

Template file:
  tepee.txt (Size: 1.78 KB / Downloads: 7)
example LPC project:
  tepeetest.lpc (Size: 17.28 KB / Downloads: 5)
result:
  tepeetest.dat (Size: 3.3 KB / Downloads: 8)
"raw" cone to see difference between "ideal" shape and somewhat off projected result:
  cone3d.dat (Size: 602 bytes / Downloads: 7)

[Willy Tschager]

It looks like the tent needs to have an octagonal base. I can't get a single cone to fit the brick base and the ball-pins.

I am indeed facing the same problem... I guess that IRL it works with flexibility of the fabric. Willy, any suggestion?

The fabric is not stressed in no point and wraps around quiet loosely. Here are some pics:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/apqtky13762sbw...1.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6xl7yo05ayzp7y...2.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jayz3frjf6gmvj...3.jpg?dl=0

w.

[Philippe Hurbain]

Results so far for basic shape (without holes). Comments?

[Willy Tschager]

Results so far for basic shape (without holes). Comments?

Awsome! Looks really good. Get out the driller and let's make some some holes :-)

w.

[Philippe Hurbain]

Using a small drill bit... Support holes are now there, remains the entrance hole.
Big problem: the flat and formed files are now a soup of tri/quads, and I have no idea how to sort both files in the same order to generate a LPC template. LPC template which is usable only if precision issue is fixed anyway...

If LPC is fixed, the best bet is probably to make a template from undrilled files, and drill again the patterned version. If it is not, then the best solution is probably to make pattern from side projections (4 sides) and repair pattern at junctions with LDPE. Drawback of the last method, no flat version is generated as a by-product.

   

[Magnus Forsberg]

Looks very good indeed, but I wonder, is it possible to have the top outer "corner" follow the cone shape better?
I think it would be great if the profile of the tepee was always cone shaped.

I've found lots of good pictures ot the tepee in Rober-to's Brickshelf western gallery. Sets 6746, 6766.
His Brickshelf is a real goldmine. Lots of scanned stickers and photots of old sets.

btw.
What's the correct spelling of "tepee" in Australian English?

[Philippe Hurbain]

Looks very good indeed, but I wonder, is it possible to have the top outer "corner" follow the cone shape better?
I think it would be great if the profile of the tepee was always cone shaped.

Possible of course, but I think it would be less natural. A canvas tend to be flat...

[Philippe Hurbain]

If it is not, then the best solution is probably to make pattern from side projections (4 sides) and repair pattern at junctions with LDPE.

Actually maybe the best solution is probably to use a single (apart for overlap) projection from top, using this kind of photo: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6xl7yo05ayzp7y...2.jpg?dl=0

[Willy Tschager]

Looks very good indeed, but I wonder, is it possible to have the top outer "corner" follow the cone shape better?
I think it would be great if the profile of the tepee was always cone shaped.

Possible of course, but I think it would be less natural. A canvas tend to be flat...

+1

[Willy Tschager]

Using a small drill bit... Support holes are now there, remains the entrance hole.

The entrance hole has a diameter of 3,5 cm
It should be a flat cylinder (not formed) which hangs perpendicular
At the top it is attached for 1,3 cm
The distance from the bottom (of the flat laying cloth) is 1,4 cm

w.

[Willy Tschager]

Big problem: the flat and formed files are now a soup of tri/quads, and I have no idea how to sort both files in the same order to generate a LPC template. LPC template which is usable only if precision issue is fixed anyway...

Agree, but being a total ignorant I still do not understand how to use the template (better it's outcome) on the projection? For the faced I do I use SlizerPro but this is a total different story.

w.

[Philippe Hurbain]

Agree, but being a total ignorant I still do not understand how to use the template (better it's outcome) on the projection?

You just have to place the template.txt file in LDPC template folder (%appdata%\Nils Schmidt\LDPatternCreator\template, then use it as you would do to make a torso or a slope brick pattern.

For the faced I do I use SlizerPro but this is a total different story.

As I am not sure that template will be usable here, this method will probably the one to use!

[Philippe Hurbain]

Using a small drill bit... Support holes are now there, remains the entrance hole.

The entrance hole has a diameter of  3,5 cm
It should be a flat cylinder (not formed) which hangs perpendicular
At the top it is attached for 1,3 cm
The distance from the bottom (of the flat laying cloth) is 1,4 cm

w.

Thanks! comes in just in time

[Philippe Hurbain]

Hole of the day...
I think it looks better with the slightly curved door.

[Magnus Forsberg]

A canvas tend to be flat...

I don't understand this.
It is always possible to roll a flat sheet, of any shape, into a perfect cone. I don't see why it has to look like this. I'd expect the top corner to follow the yellow arrow, and not extend in a tangential direction. Is the canvas very stiff, and don't want to be rolled up?


  Image 1.png (Size: 25.82 KB / Downloads: 89)



And maybe that corner is a tiny bit to long? If I look at pictures of a flattened canvas, it looks to be symmetrical.

   

[Philippe Hurbain]

A canvas tend to be flat...

I don't understand this.
It is always possible to roll a flat sheet, of any shape, into a perfect cone. I don't see why it has to look like this. I'd expect the top corner to follow the yellow arrow, and not extend in a tangential direction. Is the canvas very stiff, and don't want to be rolled up?

LEGO canvas are generally rather stiff, and look at a real world tepee!

And maybe that corner is a tiny bit to long? If I look at pictures of a flattened canvas, it looks to be symmetrical.

Mmhhh... yeah, perhaps a tad too wide on that side.

[Willy Tschager]

Hole of the day...
I think it looks better with the slightly curved door.

Fine from my side. Submit. What about the name. "Cloth" or "canvas"?

w.

[Philippe Hurbain]

Hole of the day...
I think it looks better with the slightly curved door.

Fine from my side. Submit. What about the name. "Cloth" or "canvas"?

w.

I'd say "Canvas". Do I submit a flat version too?

[Orion Pobursky]

Fine from my side. Submit. What about the name. "Cloth" or "canvas"?

w.

I'd say "Canvas". Do I submit a flat version too?

For consistency with other cloth/canvas parts I'd say yes.

[Philippe Hurbain]

Now on PT !

Horse pattern canves design number is 71562 (WIGWAM/CHIEF)

Buffalo head pattern canvas design number is 71426 (WIGWAM/MEDICINE MAN)