Computer software for designing envelope patterns?

Hello,

Is there any computer software available for graphically designing envelopes? I.e. I would like to assign colors to individual panels and view the envelope in '3D'.

Thanks,

...Lance

Hello !

Have you ever received therefore any information. Please forward this info to me.

Martin Moertinger

...

Thanks. By '3D' I mean that I want to be able to view the balloon from different angles (above, below and from any point around the

There are various gore pattern spreadsheets around. If you were able to use the gore patterns in a package such as CoCreate's SolidDesigner or its predecessor HP ME-30, you could build the 3-D models and view them from any angle. You could then export the views you want to a paint program and color it as you want it.

Most of the balloon manufacturers' templates are a single view of a 3-D

Balloon Builders Journal has a spreadsheet to allow you to develop gore patterns using general size and number of gores. From this data you could key in the numbers and develope a 3D model of the envelope in Autocad, Cadkey or other 3D cad models

go to http://www.hotairship.com/ebaa/index.html and follow the path to Balloon Builders Journal information

Mark Forss

Don't know who the original poster was, but I can vouch for this spreadsheet from Bob LeDoux and the Balloon Builders Journal. I used it to design and build my experimental home-built, a 73K cu.ft. 'natural shape' envelope, and I was very pleased with the results. The envelope came out very smooth and well shaped. I did use the spreadsheet to generate the all of the gore widths and the radial size information, and created the patterns for the gores using AutoCAD and a large format plotter. Turned out to be a whole lot more sewing than I had bargained for, but I stuck it out, and ended up with a terrific balloon. Go for it. Contact Bob LeDoux and order ALL the back issues, at least for the first two years. Almost everything you need to know to build your own. He can also email you the spreadsheet as an attachment. (I would send it, but I lost my copy in a hard drive crash a year ago).

Joe Seawright the Duke of URL N 369 RD 'Baby Grand'

P.S. .jpg image of the Baby Grand available for the curious, contact me via email and I'll send it out individually, so the usenet bandwidth Nazis won't toast me!!!

...

I posted the original article, and my question was more for just graphically designing the colors on standard manufacturer's balloons (TBW or Aerostar) I received may responses (thanks to all) including one excellent application that is particularly useful for a certain brand of balloon (not one that I am currently looking at), but it looks like it would be modifiable to represent what I am looking for.