Hi,
I’m attempting to use a 2D drawing representing an isometrically presented component as a template for creating a 3D model.
I import the 2D image to the red-green ground plane and then attempt to align the axes such that they are isometric to the imported drawings plane.
My problem is I don’t have a method to align the axes such that the red and green axes are both 30deg from their normal.
Help!
By placing a 2d image into the 3d model, it becomes challenging to align the 3d axes to match the image. Instead, you would probably have more success using SketchUp’s “Match Photo” feature where you would import the image as a scene (the point of view from where the image was drawn). Take case that you place the axes in Match Photo precisely, since it is ideally used with perspective images.
I’m a little dubious about how well the PhotoMatch system will work with an isometric drawing, since the system is designed to derive a set of vanishing points from the photo to compute the axis positions and camera focal length. Since an isometric drawing has no vanishing points, I’m wondering how well that’s going to work. Not enough to try it, actually, so I’ll just wish you good luck with that and wait to hear about your results.
But why don’t you simply construct whatever is depicted by the isometric drawing? You apparently have a fairly complete set of geometric requirements, so unless it’s something like a Gothic cathedral or an internal combustion engine it should be fairly straightforward to construct and possibly sort of fun. You’ll be constructing the same model either way, edge by edge and face by face; it’s just in one case you’ll trace and in the other you’ll copy.
-Gully