Creating Custom Vanity/Furniture

[LMPDesign]

I’m new to CA, trying to figure out if it’s the best software for me before my trial phase is over. I like the ease of creating floor plans and modeling basic interior design elements but curious about custom pieces. Right now I’m trying to bring this custom vanity to life in chief architect. Is it possible to do? I’m struggling with the molding at the top of the piece and the curved apron at the bottom. We create a lot of custom pieces and incorporate custom wallpaper, colors, millwork, etc. that I’ll want to include in renders. Need tips/tricks/recommendations 

[ValleyGuy]

9 hours ago, LMPDesign said:

Need tips/tricks/recommendations 

 

I am definitely not a cabinet expert, but the final product came out fairly close. I took your need and made it a Saturday morning learning moment for myself. There is all the tools and training videos in Chief to make very nice furniture... I know, because I just had to use the tools and watch a few videos . I suspect you are using a base cabinet to start from. I used another door panel (less the rest of the cabinet) for the top back splash above - the lower part of the door panel is buried in the main cabinet to only reveal the upper 3 sides, 3D solids for the curved feet and main part of the lower valance, a molding poly line for the bead work (wrapped around the front leg sides). I would suggest making the whole thing into a symbol to make it a single piece so you can move it around the plan, or save it into your library. 

 

Valance: Start by importing your picture and resizing as needed (FILE at the top header to import, and RH click on the pic to find the Resize Tool). I used 42" wide and it resized the whole dresser pic as per scale. Use a CAD box to start the valance overall size - drawing right over the picture. Add some break points on the bottom edge and use the make curved line tool to add in the valance shapes. Select the poly line shape and convert to a 3D solid, adjust thickness and properly place in plan view. Take a back clipped elevation view of the front and use a CAD line from outside of the leg to the other side (at the valance flat spot height). Use the break tool and curve tool to mirror the bottom of the valance shape. Make this line into a moulding line. Choose a moulding from the library and adjust the size until it looks right. You might need to find the mldg as mine was way way way out in front of where I thought it was going to show up in the camera view - just go back into plan view and move it up to your cabinet to not loose the height of this little mldg and to wrap the mldg line around the sides of the legs. It may need a little more tinkering once you see it in 3D.

Note: I had to leave an "Open" space at the bottom of the cabinet (with no bottom) so the main box wasn't visible through the upper curved valance areas. 

I made the curved feet by drawing over the imported pic and making into a 3D solid just like the valance. 

 

It took about an hour and 45 mins to make this final product while watching 4-5 videos (I got side tracked a bit...). This was the first time making a custom piece of furniture like this and I'm pretty sure that I could make the next one much much quicker.  

 

I'm sure that there are many ways to achieve this and maybe someone else will be able to enlighten both of us.

Good luck with it and welcome to Chief.

 

 

[DBCooper]

Nice job Shayne!  I liked the way you started by using the cabinet tools for everything that they can do easily and then mixed in other tools as needed.  Polyline solids, molding polylines, and even other symbols (either ones found in the library or made yourself) can all be combined to make more complex furniture pieces.  You might want to post your plan so that others can take a deeper look into how you made this.

 

Regarding the original poster's questions, I think there are very few things you can't make in Chief using the tools that are built in but there are a number of things I wouldn't try to though.  For example, I would be very willing to build most types of furniture pieces such as the one you are showing but I would never try to design something like say a toilet.  Anything with compound curved surfaces will be a real pain but anything that is basically a dressed up box should be pretty easy. 

 

For those things that I won't try to design in Chief, I first look for something that is close enough in the library and if I can't find one I look to online sources such as 3D warehouse or the manufacturer's web site.  If I can find it somewhere else, then it is usually pretty easy to just import it.  There are other 3D modeling programs out there that can handle some of these things better but I have never felt the need to buy and learn how to use one.  Another option is that if you are desperate you can always hire someone to make it for you.

 

Another source of good info and free symbols is the symbols and content sub-forum you can find here:

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/forum/9-symbols-and-content/

 

One of the things you can find there is the substance player that you can use if you ever need to make your own materials.

 

[ValleyGuy]

Thanks @DBCooper. There was quiet a few adjustments made to the main base cabinet, way more than I ever do for a kitchen layout.  Here is the plan if anyone wants to look at all the fine tuning. It was too large of a zipped file saving all the referenced files, so a zipped plan file is all there is, I hope it works.

 

 

 

Custom Dresser.zip

[KevinWaldron]

Let me say these are my thoughts not necessarily the majority of the CA users. I've been building furniture for 50+ years  both primitive and Period pieces and I don't think CA is the best program for doing what you have shown. It's capable of doing a lot for sure but it is much better at designing houses, light commercial buildings, barns etc. and doing standard normal average house setup.  Can it do these kind of projects sure with enough expertise and time. A rowboat can cross the Atlantic given the right criteria and conditions.

 

I'd personally recommend programs like Sketchup, Rhinoceros, MOI, Solidworks, Inventor, and a slew more for doing custom cabinets, furniture, and the like. It might be that you can afford and learn to use several programs to accomplish your goals.

 

For sure CA is not capable of producing CAM/Cad ready files for a CNC or Laser when detail assembly is required. CA does an outstanding job of doing what it was intended to do.

 

My two cents and showing several JPG files from other programs that I've used for building said projects. Primarily Rhinoceros. None where done with CA.

 

Blessings,

 

kw

 

 

[MarkMc]

20 hours ago, LMPDesign said:

I like the ease of creating floor plans and modeling basic interior design elements but curious about custom pieces.

I've did a lot of work for IDs and KDs. Cooper gave you some good ideas and Valley showed a bit.

Had this sample sheet in an easy to find place. Everything here was done completely in Chief and all of it saw completion at the job. I have more stuff but you should get an idea of what can be done.

@ValleyGuyNice going, a good start. Few tips for both of you.

When possible make symbols into cabinet doors-the valance with perimeter molding on it, even the backsplash as a cabinet door inserted into the back of the cabinet. For the latter you need to look into symbol origins and stretch zones/planes. In some cases to prevent resizing.

The legs should be made to go from the floor all the way. Looks to me as if they are a bit proud as is the molding on them. Only need to make one, add to library, duplicate, open and rotate as needed.

Always make symbols in a seperate plan that has four walls. Big enough you can copy as you progress, easier to go back a step or two if things get botched. Helps to remember what yo did later too. Have folders for saving symbol plans.

 

• #1- learn stretch planes, zones and 3D origins of symbols.
• Don't always try to make a symbol in one shot. Some things are done as symbol 1, change stretch or origin and make symbol 2, and or add a part convert, then symbol 3....
• I often  start with a pline box instead of a solid. Convert in place, copy in place, keep track of your cad layers, change fill or line for each copy. 
• Transform replicate and offset copy are useful tools. (useful when working with boolean transformations) as in this 
• Learn to use the delete surface tool. There should be some info on the forums some time in the past.
• Think about hacking parts from existing symbols-  i.e faucet parts are useful to change to lamp or hardware parts. I've used stuff from library for lamps, furniture, cabinet hardware.
• Rotate a profile- convert it to solid, then explode, move face to origin. Can rotate other angles besides 360, for instance to get notched turnings.
• Don't know if it's still available but I would periodically license Revit Lt for a month- some high end suppliers have symbols that only open in Revit. Doing this you can convert them to something you can import into Cheif.
• When importing OR making symbols be sure to check ALL the tabs in the DBX-advance options always. Good idea to set as many materials as "use default" as makes sense. If there is likely to be a change in direction of wood grains use a seperate material for each direction now. Then you can still set them as use default. Rename the parts when working in the material tab.
• NEVER bring in Sketchup materials except images. Always find a compatible CA material during import.
• Manage your plan materials- merge and purge.

 

[ValleyGuy]

@MarkMc Wow, thanks Mark, that's some really great points.... a couple of really foreign points too. Hacking up items and the rotating a profile technique sound like fun - not your regular plain vanilla stuff. I'll have to do a little research on it.

[KevinWaldron]

Mark, Is a master at cabinets and his skill set is far above mine in Chief! 

 

The question was is Chief the answer for Custom Vanity or Furniture. The person asking the question will have to decide.  Let me offer one more example of what programs like Rhinoceros and others are capable of doing that Chief can't. I've personally chosen to use my skill set learning other programs for doing furniture etc. as we often use CNC to make various items we sell in our homes. (we spent 15 years in manufacturing musical instruments now retired but often use the equipment for various home building projects)

 

Blessings,

kw

[MarkMc]

1 hour ago, KevinWaldron said:

The question was is Chief the answer for Custom Vanity or Furniture.

Insert into that statement what the original poster asked: 

I like the ease of creating floor plans and modeling basic interior design elements but curious about custom pieces.....We create a lot of custom pieces and incorporate custom wallpaper, colors, millwork, etc. that I’ll want to include in renders.

 

Sounds to me like a typical CA user- a designer or draftsman.

If you are building it yourself AND using CNC consistently there are better choices (though casework depends). 

 

When I send a job out to be built, they will take care of the CNC (and unlikely to offer a discount if I supplied a file) they may or may not accept DWG files which I can get easily from chief. Most often they just want a Cad drawing. I'm not so sure that casework on the whole is always better designed elsewhere, IMO certainly NOT SU. If what you are using supports import of DWG and you get familiar enough with Chief casework is a breeze.

Now I would not want to draft anything like the rocking chair unless it was for myself to build since I work the old fashioned way. (even when I was the shop guy a few decades ago) If I needed musical instruments for a rendering I'd find something close enough, if really something special the client owned, I use a photo. If I needed either of those built I'd call a friend who does that. (before the shop guy tour, I was a Modelmaker/SPFX in NYC. We all knew and worked for each other. Nowadays all are doing other things-retired, painting, sculpture, drafting, musical instruments, furniture, play with model trains, selling real estate...   ;-)

[KevinWaldron]

https://www.mozaiksoftware.com/     watch demo

 

[MarkMc]

@KevinWaldron funny coincidence, I'm just wrapping up drawing 4 rooms of cabinetry for an outfit that uses Mozaik.

[Rich_Winsor]

On 9/7/2024 at 8:54 AM, DBCooper said:

but I would never try to design something like say a toilet.

I think you're selling Chief short. 

 

[LMPDesign]

@ValleyGuythis is great!! I’m pleased to know the design was doable in ~45 min. I tried following along with your written steps but ran into issues with break points and converting my curved line into a 3D solid. I’m still learning basic commands so it’s taking me a while. My goal is to get this vanity designed along with the bathroom space so I can render before my trial is over. Is there anyway you could post a tutorial of how you got my design completed?? Thank you so much!

[GeneDavis]

I'm more comfortable modeling furniture and lighting that have surface complexities, using my Sketchup Make 2017, which produces .skp format files that readily import into Chief.  Your image of the chest did not make it clear to me what molding profiles are used in the "backsplash" surround, or in the bottom valance edging, which wraps the legs.

 

But I could guess at it, and do the piece in fifteen minutes or less.

 

The Thomas Moser counter stools shown in the pic attached have shaped legs that are angled, contoured leather seats, and seat rails that would be more work to do in Chief than in SU.  The cube pendants with their curly power cords would be tough, also, unless you want linear cords, which would not look real to me.

 

There is a joke around here that certain Chief experts could model a banana using cabinets, but I am not one of them.

[rgardner]

@MarkMc gave some excellent tips up there in his post and I will say that I may have to import a symbol from outside sources maybe 6x a year tops.  Usually I only do that for custom appliances, or commercial fixtures. I use no other modeling programs and as he says many times you can even find a similar symbol and modify it using tools like the temporary delete surface tool, stretch planes, offsets, molding polylines, and the create symbol tool.  

 

Chief is FAR MORE POWERFUL than many users understand.  Especially if you have never given it a fair shake because you fall back on sketchup, VW, or other modeling programs.

 

Now would I suggest it for a cabinet shop to try to draw cnc files from NO.  But for interior design and architectural design including custom and period pieces it is amazing.

[Shafaqat0]

I'm seeking a person who can guide me for making a 4-laptops table

[Shafaqat0]

These is have any tarkhan

[Shafaqat0]

On 9/9/2024 at 3:33 PM, Rich_Winsor said:

I think you're selling Chief short. 

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