First try at a more advanced sign

[henrik_o]

Hello,

For mom's birtday tomorrow, I had an idea for a sign which would give me an opportunity to test some different techniques.

This is all stumbling steps of a beginner, but I thought it came out pretty well.

First of all, I wanted to do reliefing, bevelled letters etc, but I don't have ArtCam. I found out that with a competent 3D package (I use Cinema 4D but opensource packages should work as well) you can create some of the effects of speciality software, though it takes a bit of work.

I started by creating a relief-heightmap object, using for my map an inverted version of the standard Windows XP "blue hills" desktop background. After fiddling a bit with the resolution, I had something that could work. I then added a border (a tube object stretched to an elliptic shape), the lettering (extruded text with an applied bevel), a "sun disc" and some rays (hand drawn splines extruded and bevelled). After positioning and fiddling around I had something I was comfortable with. I then spent some minutes setting up a scene for rendering (which I will be able to use for other signs) and here's what it looked like after an hour or so of computer work;


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To complete the process, I exported the whole model as a 3DS file. I could have used DXF, but I have had good experiences with 3DS for some other testing, so for now I'll stick with that.

I imported into MillWizard, which came included with my PRS Alpha purchase, and set it up with a ballnose, 19mm MDF as material. The cutting took a full four hours, but I was busy doing other things and only checked in on it now and then.

Here's what the sign looks like straight off the table with just one coat of primer;


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All in all, it all worked as I had expected it to, and I think the lesson here (if there is any, I may be kicking in open doors) is that while specialty software such as ArtCam can not be beat for professionals, us amateurs can create fairly complicated signs working with generic 3D software. (Again, I use C4D since I have an old student's license, but free open source packages should be able to do this as well, perhaps even better.)


In parting, "Solhem" means "home(stead) of the sun", you golfers may recognize the name Solheim from Solheim Cup; it's the same word with a different spelling. The undulating hills are meant to signify a poem by Dan Andersson, one of Sweden's greatest poets, namely Omkring Tiggarn från Luossa. The most famous lines go

Det är något bortom bergen, bortom blommorna och sången,

det är något bakom stjärnor, bakom heta hjärtat mitt.

Hören - något går och viskar, går och lockar mig och beder -

Kom till oss, ty denna jorden är icke riket ditt.

Ok, that means nothing to you but I had to type it out because it gives me the shivers every time I hear it.

In any case, the first sentence is something like "There is something beyond the ranges, beyond the flowers and the singing, something past the starlit sky, past this heated heart of mine" and the (mountain) ranges in question are the very ranges beyond Solhem, the estate where my mother grew up; Dan Andersson was from the parish and Luossa is close by.

Ok, I'll stop the rambling now.

[joe]

Henrik,

I think you did an amazing job, even if it's the first.

Your mom won't care if was made from a million dollar program. She'll be glad you thought of her. Wish I had my mom back. I'd take a year out of my life and make her the best sign ever. And that wouldn't be enough.

[henrik_o]

Thank you Joe. I appreciate that, coming from such an accomplished professional as you are.

My dearest work ever was when my father, whom I inherited the company from, died. He had stated he wanted a simple pine coffin in the Stora Skedvi manner, straight lines with robust dovetails and a carving on the lid. I disconnected the phone, shut down the power to the machine halls, and brought down the Stora Skedvi hand tools from their wall mountings. Then me and my employees sharpened them all up from their hundred years sleep until they were singing with newfound life, selected the best pine boards from our long term stock, and for a week we worked to build the Master's coffin. It was then hand finished with father's favourite prayers lettered on the inside of the lid by my sisters.

After the funeral, I got a call from the crematorium. The man on the phone said when that coffin came in everything just stopped, everyone from the workers to the office staff to the janitors gathered around and silently watched it go into the furnace. He said he had never felt so bad about pushing the button and just wanted to tell us that.

Still, for our loved ones, it is never enough, is it?

Sorry to ramble, but your post struck a chord with me.

[myxpykalix]

Nice sign, henrik. It's kind of hard to tell from the pic but the hills look like they have a texture to them. Maybe it is just the material itself. It's funny how this machine makes us all look so talented huh?

[joe]

What a powerful description of your dedication to building of your fathers final resting place. Your post made my weekend. Although I don't have a clue as to the Stora Skedvi traditional craftsmanship I do know this is the way family's should behave.

Let me know if I can be of assistance with your sign projects.

Joe