Bridge Curvature:another opinion

Hey all,
I’m modeling a long bridge for a project, and I just need a second opinion on the curvature of the bridge. the bridge is supposed to span 2 mountains, so I need it to look realistic enough…any help and advice appreciated.
Thanks


The bridge looks a little too flat.

That specific curve is called a catenary. The formula is y= a*cosh(x/a)

You can enter it in the mesh/math function/ z function as z=a*cosh(x/a)
(you will have to enter a number for a, larger numbers like 5 to 10 will give you what you are looking for…)


I understand that you want a curve, but you can use this object to line it up correctly.

also depends how realist you want to be ?

do you have the real equations for your bridge or is it only an approximation!
and what type of bridge is it like a cable bridge or suspended bridge ?

if sag is less then 10 % you could use an equivalent parabola !

happy bl

Sorry haven’t got to check this in a little while
@Dru:so where do I input this equation? I don’t know where

mesh/math function/ z function
is

@Ricky: I want it to be as realistic as I can be without making the whole model a huge amount of verts. I’m just estimating with a bridge I’ve been to in the past, but a little more tense because it spans mountains. It’s a traditional bridge: wood planks attached to rope. The railings are also thick rope. The connection between wood and railing is…well…rope. I don’t know the difference, even after looking it up

made it a little more curvy…


Must be in mesh addon ‘extra objects’ you will have to enable it in prefs sorry I thought it was part of the default toolkit.

also depends if you need to do a fly by close shot with camera!

so need very high res for a very long bridge ?

what is length for this rope bridge ?

and do you need to show each plank or only one UV map plane ?

happy bl

@Ricky: no, it will just be a mid-long range panning shot. I’ll just make it higher-poly if I decided to do a closer shot
In general, it will look a little bit like: http://www.blenderguru.com/tutorials/how-to-make-cliffs/#.U_1JDBsg_IU , except a little sharper, look a little better maintained

Quickly modeled something of a replica


If you can see the bridge, it will look that small

@Dru: Thanks, I’ll try using it, see how it looks :slight_smile:

Let the Blender work for you…
http://www.pasteall.org/blend/31213

Ok thanks guys, I think I have what I want, using all your suggestions and a simulator to create a combo of them :slight_smile: