A short but satisfying commission. The client wanted a CNC tool-path for a Canadian flag with one catch: it had to look as though it were waving in the wind.
Lofted waving flag surface, CAD
Faking the wind
To get the rippling look we built a wavy surface from NURBS curves on two opposite edges and lofted between them. With that surface as the base, we cut in the flag's details and outline so the whole piece appears to billow.
CAM and delivery
Once the model was finished we generated the CAM to the client's own CNC specifications and delivered both the 3D model and the ready-to-run .nc program files. For visualisation we also rendered the result in a wooden material, so the client could see the finished piece before a single cut was made.
Services used
Surface modelling (NURBS)
CAM programming to the client's machine
Wooden-material render
Deliverables
3D model
CNC .nc program files
Marketing render
Notable technical detail. A lofted NURBS surface between two rippled edge curves is a simple, reliable way to sell the illusion of a flag caught mid-wave.
