Timber Beams

Hello,

I am going for a medieval theme and Im trying to build buildings that timber beams visible on the outside.

I found if I used the block shape, the "beams" had very sharp edges and look like they have been very precisely sawn rather than the rougher more rounded kind of edges you'd get on old buildings.
So then I tried using the rounded block shape and although the edges look much better, I now have a grid rather than long beam.

I tried stretching a single rounded edge block into the beam length but when you do that the edges get warped into an odd pointy look.

I was wondering what methods people have used to create this effect?

Quote from yahwho

Hello fellow medievalist.

I know this is for roof beems as opposed to external beams. But this is all part of timber framed buildings, and the concept remains the same.

I use multiple beams to create one beam. In the bellow example, each tie beam below the king post is actually created with 10 construction objects.

Each side of the tie beam consists of two "main beams" with a minor angle offset in the middle. Then one side is thickened with 2 x smaller beams with an increating obtuse angle. The central part is rounded off with an elongated half cylinder.

If you're going to do this. Use a normal straight "square" beem. Then add smaller rounded block beams to the ends. Use the manual position tool to sink one end of the rounded block into the other. This creates the effect of a rounded end beam.

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Hello,
Thanks for the reply! Love the cathedral! that must have taken ages

I've been playing a bit more and like you say, once I add more beams and features it looks much better and you dont notice the squarneess so much