How would I curve this cushion around this chair's outline?

Question

, Hello! sorry if my question isn't very clear as I'm not sure how to describe what I'm trying to achieve. I'm still new to blender and learning best I can, so also sorry if this is an easy fix to do.

I'm in the process of creating this chair and I'm trying to create the cushions that follow the shape of the chair's outline.

I'm mostly done with the outline of the chair (photo below), still tweaking and finishing some things, but I'm kind of stumped on how to create the back cushions and also the seat together.

I've tried so many times to get it how I want but I really am stuck on how to correctly do it. If someone could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it a lot. I've looked up on youtube and also on here and still am confused on how to about it. Much appreciated any help!

Answer 1

This is a very general, sketched approach, but maybe enough to get you unstuck. The basic structure of the back cushion can be created by sweeping a curve profile around a curve path.

1. Select an appropriate edge loop of your chair, duplicate it, separate it to a new object,and convert it into a Curve. That's your path.
2. Make a profile curve to be swept round it, bearing in mind that its own Z-axis will be the one following the path,and its origin will lie on it.
3. Assign the profile curve as a Bevel object for the path. While it's still a swept curve, you can still edit the profile. The illustration shows the Data tab > Geometry panel for the path.

Convert back to a Mesh. Possibly working under a Mirror modifier..

4. Grid Fill the open ends of the sweep. you need an even number of vertices in the perimeter for this.. you may have to add or delete an edge-loop to get that, and use Proportional editing to puff the front of the arm out a bit, when it's filled.
5. Select a set of faces which can be duplicated to form the back and sides of your base cushion, duplicate, and separate off to a new object

6. Bridge Edge Loops the front edges,of the base-cushion rim, choosing the number of cuts to give you an even number of vertices in the perimeter, so you can ..
7. Again, grid fill the top. Select a central vertex, and under Proportional Editing, pull it up to plump up the base cushion a bit.

See what it looks like under a Subdivision Surface modifier.

The whole thing would then need tweaking, loops removed or added, edges made crisper or reshaped, maybe seams put in, etc. But so long as the basic topology is good, and you don't have too much geometry, it should be a pleasant job.

If you need to weld the base and the arms together, you can bridge some of those edge-loops together easily enough - they started off as duplicates, so their topologies will match.

Supplement: Creating the profile curve.. with Transform Pivot set to 3D Cursor ...

1. Create a Curve > Circle. It's a Bezier curve, by default.
2. CtrlX dissolve the leftmost control point
3. Select the two points on the left, and V convert their type to Vector
4. Select the bottom left point, and ShiftS snap the cursor to selected.

You can move the handles about to adjust the curve with the usual constraint options, (GX, GY, etc.) snap them to the grid, use the cursor as pivot point for scaling, and so on...

5. When you're done, in Object Mode, ShiftAltX > Origin to 3DCursor. The origin will lie on the sweep path.

In the profile's Object Properties tab > Viewport Display panel, switch on 'Axis' to check that the object's Z will point along the path. If not, rotate the whole curve in Edit mode by 90 in whatever, until it will.

You can assign it as the Bevel object to the path curve in the path's Data tab > Geometry panel,as shown in the top illustration.

Answer 2

From the picture the seat's base is part of the back/side cushion with a seat cushion on it. For the seat base you could select a line of faces near the bottom on the inner curve of the back/side cushion that you've modeled, extrude (e then escape key), scale in on the x & y axis (s then shift-z then move the cursor inward, click when they're a little bit in), flatten the line of faces (s then y then 0 if the front of chair is facing front in Blender's screen space, otherwise you may need to use the x axis), then pull the faces to the front of the chair.

For the seat cushion you could select faces on the inner curve of the back/side cushion that will be next to the seat cushion, duplicate them (shift-d then escape key), scale them in a bit on the x & y axis (s then shift-z then move the cursor inward, click when they're a little bit in), then continue modeling from there. You'll probably need to flip the normals on the faces of the seat cushion (alt-n).