Is there such a thing as a nurb mesh?

Hi. I have been playing around with a mesh, but I am wondering if there is a better way to do something.

This is what I am trying to do: I have a mesh of an aircraft fuselage. I am trying to generate a smooth surface by tracing the mesh. I have tried various approaches, such as creating vertical contours and then lofting them. However, the surface is fairly complex around the area of the cockpit. For instance, it has compound curves and it has to blend into areas where the surface is flat (for instance the cockpit windshield is flat.), also there are creases. that have to transition into compound curves.

What I think I really need to do is this: Trace horizontal and vertical curves and then use these curves to generate surfaces.

The problem I run into is this: I need the intersection of the vertical and horizontal curves to be fixed with one another. For example, if I trace two curves – one horizontal and the other vertical – and they both meet at a specific point – If I move that point, I need both curves to react to that point being moved – and when I am done moving the point, both curves have to still be passing through that point?

I might not be explaining it too well… Please ask me for clarification if I am not doing a good job.

Basically, I am trying to recreate the mesh - rather than having straight lines between each point, I need curves between each point. Is that possible?

Currently, if I pull, push, or move a point, I have to pick which point I am going to move – because there is one point associated with the vertical curve and one point associated with the horizontal curve. I want something where both curves use one single point where the curves intersect. Then, when I move that point, both curves should react to my to my mouse gesture in tandem, but the intersection of the curves is maintained…basically I am trying to maintain topology, but refine and adjust curvature in 3D.

Hi dvanauken - as a general approach, (and I can’t tell from your comments if this is what you are up to) I would not think you could get good results from trying to shoot a single surface through the fuselage and cockpit area. I guess it depends on what the goal is, exactly, but reverse engineering a plane could easily generate dozens of surfaces. That said, there is a cheat that might work for connecting curves at points if that is what you need to do - place point objects at the locations, and create the curves with CrvThroughPt, with History turned on - then moving one of these points will adjust any curve that is using it.
EditTwoCurves.3dm (66.0 KB)

-Pascal