topic Re: Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help

saeidjahromi — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 06:10:56 GMT

Hi! I can't figure out how to design the curves on guitar body when they are not symmetric or a straight shape.

Here's an example where the slope on the top left is deeper than the right side and then the curve from the left to the left bottom levels with the top side of the body. (I hope that makes sense)

I know of the sweep method, or creating a sheet and cutting but those don't give me accurate or freedom of shaping etc (unless I'm not aware of something)

So your help and guide will be appreciated.

Re: Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help

Drewpan — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 16:33:46 GMT

Hi,

Designing your own guitar is Kool, Even when the design is a copy of a classic like a Tele (like mine).

When you are doing guitar stuff there is always a balance between stuff that MUST be right and stuff that SHOULD

be in certain places - and then there is the rest where your imagination can take you anywhere.

The first decision is - do you want a completely unique guitar you are only going to build once or do you want the

newest Axe that Heroes all around the World will play. It makes a difference in the way you do things. Leo Fender

designed his guitars to look good but also easy to manufacture. Once you know that you can work out how to go

about things.

While you can use geometric curves and angles and such, most sexy looking guitars have curves. The best way to get

good curves is with splines. My design above is an early attempt and has way too many points on my splines but it

also looks exactly like a Tele. Your design above could probably be done with about four or five points for the top

curve. With splines - less is more. The Tele here has so many points because I had an outline on graph paper that I

used to get the shape right. I also could have used a canvas and eyballed it and it probably would have worked out

better. As I said it was a very early attempt, I would do it different now.

Once you have the outline you simply extrude the shape and then start working on the cutouts. Telecasters don't

have shaped cutouts, Stratocasters do. The trick is to sculpt the cutouts the way you want them. They could be a

simple plane that slices off a section or a swept or lofted shape used with combine-cut.

Try out these techniques and see what you can come up with. Parametric modelling is good with guitars because

there are important things like Scale Length; String Spacing; Fretboard Curve and String Lengths that are critical.

The Body "could" be Form modeled but it might be a lot of work. Stick with easy stuff first and once you get the

basics happening go for the Special.

Cheers

Andrew

Re: Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help

davebYYPCU — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 07:23:13 GMT

Depending on design intent and what your geometry is,

simply trace the canvass,

Extrude curves for vertical walls.

Loft tops of the walls, with tangency and rails until it looks ok.

Walk up the timeline, happy to answer questions.

Might help....

Re: Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help

laughingcreek — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:05:53 GMT

what does it look like when viewed from this direction?

Re: Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help

saeidjahromi — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:12:16 GMT

Wow thanks for the replies! I'll have a look at them!.

Here's a picture which could give the perspective of how it would look. I couldn't find any direct side view image.

Re: Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help

TrippyLighting — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:00:07 GMT

That sketch has "classically" to many spline control point 😉

Re: Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help

Drewpan — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 07:31:34 GMT

Hi,

If replicating that particular guitar is your goal then the easiest way will be to set the overhead view you have as a

canvas and then scale it. Use sketches and splines to trace the outline. Extrude it. Use the chamfer and fillet tools

or surfaces and planes to slice bits off and shape it. That will get it fairly close. If you want it exactly then the more

shaping effort you are willing to put in the closer it will be.

Cheers

Andrew

Re: Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help

TheCADWhisperer — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:01:45 GMT

@yoqotaterax135

Can you Attach a *.f3d file to illustrate your suggestion, or are you an AI bot?

Re: Guitar body Curve/Slope Design Help

TheCADWhisperer — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:41:00 GMT

@rainetetes

Can you post an example file?