Decorating Columns & Pilasters

Fluting Columns or Pilasters

Apply Fluting to a Column Shaft

The Greeks developed two types of fluting for their columns, the Doric & Ionic. The former was almost exclusively used on Doric columns, but the latter was used on all the orders except the Tuscan, which was never fluted.

The primary difference between the two forms is the form of the concave curves. The Doric style is formed of shallow segmental curves whose sides meet together at an angle, or arris, while the Ionic style is formed of deeper semicircular curves whose sides are separated by vertical fillets.

The way the flutes are capped at top and bottom can vary greatly.

In the Greek Doric, the flutes generally terminated right up against the fillets under the capital and right down to the bottom. In the later periods, the Doric style flutes usually end in shallow segmental hemispheres.

The Ionic style fluting usually has semi-circular ends, though not always. In Perrault’s Ordonnance he shows three views of the top of an Ionic column shaft, and each is treated differently: the center example showing the standard semicircular cap; that on the right shows the sides of the flutes terminating at what appears to be the bottom of the congé, but the central part of the top of the flute is a convex semicircular form hanging down into the flute; and that on the left has the flutes terminating in a straight flat edge (the latter form also being shown for the bottom termination of Vignola’s Ionic example).

There is no common location I can find for the termination of the fluting, as it is hard for me to determine from the drawings. Vignola, Palladio, and Scamozzi all appear to show their fluting terminating into the curve of the congé, while later authorities like Gibbs, Langley & Chambers, show their fluting terminating either at or clear of the curve of the congé at top and bottom.

The number of flutes is generally 20 for the Doric style, as specified by Vitruvius, though Palladio & Gibbs give it 24 flutes. Vitruvius proscribed 24 flutes for the Ionic style, and this was followed by most authorities, including Serlio, Palladio, Vignola, Gibbs, & Chambers. Perrault, on the other hand, mentions Ionic examples with either 20 or 32 flutes.

For the vertical fillet between the flutes, Chambers says they should not be broader than 1/3 or narrower than 1/4 of the width of the flutes themselves (i.e. the flute gets 3 or 4 parts respectively and the fillet gets 1 part), though Serlio sets the fillets at 1/5 of the width of the flutes.

One big issue that must be handled is where to set the starting point for the curves to form the ends of the flutes. In order to know where to set the start point you need to decide:

• how far you want the cap to penetrate into the curve of the congé, if at all;
• then you need to know the height of the caps;
• but that depends on the width of the flutes, which can change depending on where they are positioned on the shaft (as the shaft diminishes in diameter from bottom to top);
• in addition to depending on whether the flutes cover the entire front of the wedge (Doric style) or if they leave a fillet between them (Ionic style).

So what you really end up with is a case of trial-and-error, using a guessed position, creating the terminating cap for the flute, putting it in place, seeing if it works, and if not, then trying it again, till you come up with something you like. The below will walk through this process for one of the terminating ends, so you can see what you have to go through.

The basic steps I use for forming flutes are the same, whether it is the Doric or Ionic forms, but there is enough difference that I feel the need to provide separate instructions, especially as they can use different techniques depending on the geometry, so this way I think it makes it easier.

Apply Doric Style Fluting to a Column Shaft

There are two manners that the Doric flute can be made, that shown by Vitruvius in his treatise, and the version introduced by Vignola, the latter of which has a shallower curve than that of Vitruvius.

It will also assume the upper end terminates in a semicircular hemisphere that penetrates the congé, and the lower end terminates in a segmental hemisphere (imitating the flute plan) that also penetrates into the congé, but has it’s start point even with the top of the congé curve.

1. With only the Plain Column Shaft Component visible in Top View, Open the Component, Select the Shaft Wedge Component to the right of the Centerline on the Red Axis, Copy it into memory, Close & Hide the Shaft Component, then Paste-in-Place, Right-Click, Make Unique, and Rename (I replace ‘Shaft.Plain.wedge#1’ with Shaft.Fluted.wedge’)
2. Open the Wedge copy, Select All, turn on Hidden Geometry (click ‘View’, then ‘Hidden Geometry’ on the Menubar), and then click ‘Edit’ on the Menubar, followed by ‘Unhide’, and ‘All’, then turn off Hidden Geometry, and Close the Component

In the following I will walk through setting the flutes based on positions that I am comfortable with, but note that these are my preferences, and should only be used as a starting point for you to use. They are not in any way canonical or authoritative. I will include at least one example where the position changes from the initial placement, so you can use those steps to follow when adjusting your locations.

3. The Doric style of fluting stretches from the width of the wedge, so to establish the height to set for the caps, turn on X-Ray Style, use Isometric View, and draw a plane (the width of the flute) on which a preliminary flute plan can be created to gauge the desired height
4. Draw a Line on the Green Axis, connecting the top Endpoints of the congé on the lower cincture, and Rotate/Copy the Line upwards 90 degrees on one side, and draw a pair of Lines to match the existing to create a vertical Plane, and make a Group, then repeat for the upper cincture, except using the bottom Endpoints of the congé and Rotate/Copy the Line downwards
5. On each of the Planes, draw the flute plan of your choice (as explained below) heading into the curve of the congé, then Select the plane & flute plan and move it up & down on the Blue Axis to decide the location you want your flute to terminate
6. The top will terminate in a semicircular end, so I Hide the Wedge, and draw an Arc, centered on the Midpoint of the top Edge of the upper square Group, starting & stopping on the two top corners of the square, then draw a Line connecting the two Endpoints of the Arc to create a Face, then Push/Pull the Face outwards towards the left a short distance
7. Unhide the Wedge, and (using Front View) check to see where the top of the flute cap stops, and move it up and down as needed (I initially moved it down 2 min, then looked at it in Front & Right View, and thought it was too high, so tried it down 1/4 min, then another 1/4 min, till I was happy with a total of 2 1/2 min)
8. With my final location chosen, I Hid the Wedge, Erased the square Group, Erased the curved top of the Pushed/Pulled Arc, along with the two Arcs themselves, then used the Offset tool to enlarge the horizontal plane that remained, and Erased the inner lines of it so it was a single Face
9. I then Unhid the Wedge, Double-clicked the Face, Right-Clicked, and ran Intersect Faces with Model, which gave me the intersection of this plane with the Wedge sides, so I could draw a Line going from corner to corner (to get the correct width for the flute at this height), after which I Erased the rest of the plane, recreated the square Group and drew the final Flute Top Arc (which was made a Group)
10. As this is not the actual plan of the Flute at the top, but only the plan of the Face, a second Arc needs to be drawn at this width, that is the actual Flute Plan that will be used, which is then Rotated 90 degrees inwards towards the Centerline

The square Group was then Erased, the Arc Group was Exploded, and the two Arcs made into a Component (Shaft.Flute.End.Top.Arcs)

11. The bottom will terminate with a segmental Arc that starts at the top of the Congé, so I draw my Flute Plan on the vertical square (which is already positioned where I want it, though I temporarily Unhide the wedge to verify this), then Rotate/Copy it 90 degrees towards the Centerline, Select both Arc Faces and make a Component (Shaft.Flute.End.Bottom.Arcs), then Erase the square Group

Create the Doric Flute Plan of Vitruvius (from the Center of a Square)

This is the method described by Vitruvius and used by Serlio and others, and is the one preferred by Le Clerc as it gives a more pronounced curve to the Fluting.

1. Using the vertical square created above, Hide the Wedge Component, and set a pair of Guides going from corner to corner to get the center of the square
2. Draw an Arc, centered on the middle of the square, from one Endpoint to the other Endpoint, the arc bulging towards the column cinctures
3. Draw a Line connecting the two Endpoints of the Arc to create a Face, Erase the two Guides and Unhide the Wedge Component

Create The Doric Flute Plan of Vignola (From Equilateral Triangles)

This method provides shallower fluting than the previous, and is found in Vignola’s treatise as an alternative to the older, deeper, style of fluting.

1. Use the vertical square created above as your drawing plane and Hide the Wedge Component
2. Along the Edge closest to the Cincture draw two Circles, each centered on one Endpoint and with a radius equal to the other Endpoint
3. Draw an Arc, centered on the Intersection of the circles away from the Cincture, from one Endpoint to the other of the Edge closest to the Cincture, the arc bulging towards the Column Cinctures
4. Draw a Line connecting the two Endpoints of the Arc to create a Face, Erase the construction circles, leaving only the Arc Face, and Unhide the Wedge Component
5. Adjust the Flute End geometry to account for any intrusions into the curve of the Congé at the top or bottom of the Shaft, so turn off X-Ray Style
6. Both the top & bottom of the Flute penetrates into the curves of the congé moldings, so Unhide the Fluted Wedge, Open it, Select the curved outer Face of the Wedge, Copy it into memory, Close & Hide the Component, and Paste-in-Place
7. Copy both the Flute End Arcs, Hide the originals, Paste-in-Place, and make Unique
8. Open up the top Flute End, Double-click the vertical Face, Copy it into memory, Close & Hide the Component, Paste-in-Place, then Push/Pull the Face outwards a bit, and inwards a bit, so it is clear of the curved Face of the Wedge
9. Triple-Click the Geometry to Select, Right-Click, Intersect Faces with Selection, then Erase the two vertical Faces and associated Lines (what you want is a hemispherical face that can be selected separate from the rest of the wedge face)
10. Double-click the hemispherical Face, then Deselect the Face itself and the four horizontal Edges at the bottom, and use Weld to joint the rest into a single Arc, then Erase the Face
11. Repeat the above for the bottom Flute End Component
12. For each of the Shaft Flute Ends, create the hemisphere or ending geometry, so Hide everything except the Flute End Arcs Components
13. Select all of the curved Wedge Face Geometry and make it a Group
14. Open the Flue End Arc Copy and Delete the vertical Arc, then Close it, and draw a rectangular plane, from the top Midpoint of the near-vertical Arc on the Wedge Face down to the Midpoint of the curve of the horizontal Arc Face, Double-click it and make it a Group, then use it as a drawing plane to create an Arc that will form the back curve of the upper hemisphere
15. With a connecting Arc that you like, Erase the Rectangle Group, Explode the Wedge Face Group and the Flute End Arc Copy Component, then Erase the straight Line connecting the Endpoints of the horizontal Arc
16. Select (Single-Click) the long curved face of the Wedge and see if it also Selects the curved Face above the semicircular opening stretching from side to side (if it does, something has gone wrong and the two faces are still connected; one way to fix it is to try Erasing the two short horizontal Edges at either side of the top of the long Face, and then redrawing them and then over the Edge on the upper Curved face where it got cut off, after which Hide the new Lines in the upper Face)
17. Now Select the four Arcs at the top around the semicircular opening (the two near-vertical, the two horizontal, and the connecting one) and use the Curviloft Extension ‘Skinning of Shapes, Loft junctions following two paths’ to create the hemispherical top of the Flute
18. As the bottom has a hemispherical ending that penetrates the curve of the Congé also, repeat the above steps to create the bottom ending of the flute
19. Next is to create the long concave body of the flute
20. Hide the two Curviloft generated Groups, Erase the long curved Face of the Wedge, and the horizontal Edges remaining from it at top and bottom, then use Weld to join together the individual Arc segments on each side into a single Arc
21. Select the two long side Arcs, and the four horizontal Arcs at the top & bottom, then use the Curviloft Extension ‘Skinning of Shapes, Loft junctions following two paths’ to create the curved back Face of the flute
22. With the Curviloft Groups created, Unhide them all, Explode them, and Hide any Lines and Edges that shouldn’t be seen (particularly the central connecting Arcs in the Doric hemispheres, .and in the Ionic style there are the lines separating the curved Faces next to the Cinctures, and the lines separating the ‘drop’ from the Face above it, as well as the underside of the ‘drop’ ), use Weld to join together any exploded Arcs along Edges (though be careful to try and join only contiguous segments that would originally have been joined together), and Orient and Reverse as needed the Faces
23. When finished cleaning up the Geometry, Select the entire Flute Wedge Face, Cut/Copy it into memory, Unhide the Fluted Wedge Component, Open it, Erase the curved Wedge Face, and Paste-in-Place
24. Now you can Rotate/Copy the Wedges to create a full Fluted Column Shaft just as for a regular Plain Column Shaft

The above is meant to provide as much information as I can on how to create fluted columns, with as many different varieties covered as I could, in terms of placement and end styles. Please remember that the semicircular flutes ending I applied to the top of the Doric style is usually applied to the endings of the Ionic style, I just provided it there so I could show the two alternate methods on the Ionic example itself. With the sole difference of the Fillets on the sides, the same steps can be taken from the Doric and applied to the Ionic. Also note that the straight end on the bottom of the Ionic example is also found on the Doric style, so the same situation applies. I hope this is clear to you, as I tried my best to offer the best information I could.

Apply Ionic Style Fluting to a Column Shaft

All the Ionic flutes appear in a half-circle form (though Chambers advises “the plan should be a little more than semicircular … because then they are more distinctly marked”).

This also assumes the Ionic style illustrated here will have fillets that are 1/3 of the width of the flutes, and the upper end will terminate with a hanging semicircular drop at the top (such as Perrault shows,

) the top of which is even with bottom of the congé, and a flat bottom, that sits at the start of the congé.
1. With only the Plain Column Shaft Component visible in Top View, Open the Component, Select the Shaft Wedge Component to the right of the Centerline on the Red Axis, Copy it into memory, Close & Hide the Shaft Component, then Paste-in-Place, Right-Click, Make Unique, and Rename (I replace ‘Shaft.Plain.wedge#1’ with Shaft.Fluted.wedge’)
2. Open the Wedge copy, Select All, turn on Hidden Geometry (click ‘View’, then ‘Hidden Geometry’ on the Menubar), and then click ‘Edit’ on the Menubar, followed by ‘Unhide’, and ‘All’, then turn off Hidden Geometry, and Close the Component

In the following I will walk through setting the flutes based on positions that I am comfortable with, but note that these are my preferences, and should only be used as a starting point for you to use. They are not in any way canonical or authoritative. I will include at least one example where the position changes from the initial placement, so you can use those steps to follow when adjusting your locations.

3. The Doric style of fluting stretches from the width of the wedge, but for the Ionic style, the Fillets need to be accounted for, so a width needs to be established:
4. Draw a Line, starting at the Centerline and top of the column shaft, out to the right on the Red Axis to a point past the Wedge, then continue it down on the Blue Axis till it reaches the bottom of the column shaft, then turn back on the Red Axis to the Centerline, and finish by returning to the starting point, then Double-Click the rectangle and Rotate it 5.625 degrees counter-clockwise (on the Centerline), then Rotate/Copy this rectangle 11.25 degrees clockwise (again on the Centerline), then Select both planes, Right-Click, and Intersect Faces with Model and make a Group (the distance between these planes being the width of the flute at any point along their length)
5. To establish the height to set for the caps, turn on X-Ray Style, use Isometric View, and draw a plane (the width of the flute) on which a preliminary flute plan can be created to gauge the desired height
6. Draw a Line on the Green Axis, connecting the top Endpoints of the congé that is cut into the vertical Planes at the Lower Cincture, and Rotate/Copy the Line upwards 90 degrees on one side, and draw a pair of Lines to match the existing to create a vertical Plane, and make a Group, then repeat for the Upper Cincture, except using the bottom Endpoints of the congé that is cut into the vertical Plans, and Rotate/Copy the Line downwards
7. On each of the Planes, draw the flute plan of your choice (as explained below) heading into the curve of the congé, then Select the plane & flute plan and move it up & down on the Blue Axis to decide the location you want your flute to terminate
8. The top here is going to terminate with a hanging semicircular drop (which I am going to assume is a half-circle the width of the flute), so the location of the square Group is where I want it (at the bottom of the congé), so I Hide the Wedge and the Group with the vertical rectangles
9. Next, I draw a half-circle Arc centered on the top of the square, but going downwards, draw a Line connecting the two Endpoints of the Arc to create a Face, then Rotate/Copy that 90 degrees upwards towards the Centerline (as the actual Plan of the flute)
10. Now Select the two Arc Faces, and make a Component (Shaft.Flute.End.Top.Arcs), and Erase the square Group
11. The bottom will terminate with a straight edge at the top of the congé (so the location is correct), and I only need to draw the half-circle of the Plan, so I Rotate the square Group 90 degrees inwards towards the Centerline (rotated on it’s bottom Edge), then draw my half-circle Plan on the top of that, then Rotate the square again (using the same Edge) for 7.5 degrees upwards (this time outwards away from the Centerline), then make both Arc Face & Square Group a Component (Shaft.Flute.End.Bottom.Arcs)

Create the Ionic Flute Plan

1. Use the vertical square created above as your drawing plane and Hide the Wedge Component & the Group containing the long vertical rectangles
2. Along the Edge closest to the cincture, draw a half-circle Arc, centered on the Midpoint of the Edge, from one Endpoint to the other of the same Edge, the arc bulging towards the column cinctures
3. Draw a Line connecting the two Endpoints of the Arc to create a Face, and Unhide the Wedge Component & Group
4. Adjust the Flute End geometry to account for any intrusions into the curve of the congé at the top or bottom of the Shaft, so turn off X-Ray Style
5. Both the top & bottom of the Flute need adjustments, so Hide the Fluted End Arcs, Unhide the Group containing the vertical rectangular planes, and the Fluted Wedge Component
6. Open the latter, Select the curved outer Face of the Wedge, Copy it into memory, Close & Hide the Component, and Paste-in-Place, Right-Click, Intersect Faces with Model, then Hide the Group, and Unhide the Flute End Arc Components
7. Copy both the Flute End Arcs, Hide the originals, Paste-in-Place, and make Unique
8. Open up the top Flute End, Double-click the vertical Face, Copy it into memory, Close & Hide the Component, Paste-in-Place, then Push/Pull the Face outwards a bit, and inwards a good distance (as the rear needs to clear the actual back of the flute)
9. Triple-Click the Geometry and make it a temporary Group, then Hide it, and Unhide the Flute End Copy, Open it, Double-click the horizontal Face, Copy this into memory, Close & Hide it again, then Paste-in-Place
10. Unhide the Group just created, and Push/Pull the horizontal Face downwards till it is past the vertical Geometry, then Explode the Group, Trip-Click, Right-Click, Intersect Faces with Selection
11. Double-click & Erase the front & back vertical End Faces and the top & bottom horizontal End Faces, then the straight Lines coming out front & back, and the straight ones coming down on either side (what you should end up with is the Wedge face still existing, though with line cuts showing through, and a curved triangular face at the back, that will form the top of the inside curve of the flute)
12. Open the bottom Flute End Component, then the Group within it, and draw a short Line outwards from the front right corner of the square such that it continues the angle of the plane (on mine SketchUp says the Line is ‘On Blue Axis Outside Active’ but that might vary for you) and it is past the Wedge Face, then continue the Line backwards on the Green Axis till it reaches the rear side of the Group, then connect the Line to the rear right corner of the square, and Erase the Line separating the two parts
13. Now Close and Explode the Group, then Push/Pull the horizontal Arc Face up through the slanted square Face, Select All, Right-Click, Intersect Faces with Selection, and Double-click the Top Arc Face to Erase, then Erase the bottom Arc Edge, along with the two short vertical Lines next to the Wedge Face, then Close & Explode the Component
14. Trip-Click the Geometry to Select, Right-Click, Intersect Faces with Selection, then Erase the four Edges forming the plane, along with the straight Line crossing behind the Wedge Face connecting the sides of the slanted Arc Face (this should still remain as it is connected to the curved Wedge Face)
15. For each of the Shaft Flute Ends, create the hemisphere or ending geometry, so Hide everything except the Flute End Arcs Components
16. The ends of this Flute have already been created as part of the above, and just need connecting and final cleanup
17. Next is to create the long concave body of the Flute
18. Erase the long central curved Face of the Wedge, and use Weld to join all the separated Arcs into their logical connections (these are the back curved underside of the top ‘drop’, the curve of the angled bottom, and the inner Edges of the long sides)
19. Select the two long inner side Arcs, and the top and bottom half-circular Arcs, then use the Curviloft Extension ‘Skinning of Shapes, Loft junctions following two paths’ to create the curved back Face of the Flute
20. With the Curviloft Groups created, Unhide them all, Explode them, and Hide any Lines and Edges that shouldn’t be seen (particularly the central connecting Arcs in the Doric hemispheres, .and in the Ionic style there are the lines separating the curved Faces next to the cinctures, and the lines separating the ‘drop’ from the Face above it, as well as the underside of the ‘drop’ ), use Weld to join together any exploded Arcs along Edges (though be careful to try and join only contiguous segments that would originally have been joined together), and Orient and Reverse as needed the Faces
21. When finished cleaning up the Geometry, Select the entire Flute Wedge Face, Cut/Copy it into memory, Unhide the Fluted Wedge Component, Open it, Erase the curved Wedge Face, and Paste-in-Place
22. Now you can Rotate/Copy the Wedges to create a full Fluted Column Shaft just as for a regular Plain Column Shaft

The above is meant to provide as much information as I can on how to create fluted Columns, with as many different varieties covered as I could, in terms of placement and end styles. Please remember that the semicircular flutes ending I applied to the top of the Doric style is usually applied to the endings of the Ionic style, I just provided it there so I could show the two alternate methods on the Ionic example itself. With the sole difference of the Fillets on the sides, the same steps can be taken from the Doric and applied to the Ionic. Also note that the straight end on the bottom of the Ionic example is also found on the Doric style, so the same situation applies. I hope this is clear to you, as I tried my best to offer the best information I could.

Apply Fluting to a Pilaster Shaft

In addition to applying fluting to column shafts, fluting can be applied to pilaster shafts as well. Here, though, there does not seem to be as much of the duality between ‘Doric’ & ‘Ionic’ styles of fluting as there is with column shafts, as the Ionic style was applied to all the orders (excepting the Tuscan), with the Doric style of fluting rarely applied.

Batty Langley shows both Doric & Ionic pilasters fluted the same (in ‘The Builder’s Jewel’, Plates 11 & 27), with 7 Ionic style flutes, where the Face is divided into 29 parts, with the fillets in between the flutes (and at each side) being 1/3 of the flute width (so the flutes are 3 parts & the fillets 1 part). He does, however, show a second version (in ‘The Builder’s Jewel’, Plate 27 at the bottom), with an Ionic pilaster very similar to the above except having the Face divided into 31 parts, with the fillets in between the flutes (and at each side) being 1/3 of the flute width, except the extra part on each side is a quarter round chamfer/flute on the corner.

The only details Chambers gives for fluting, is that the plan “may be a trifle above a semi-circle, and they must be to the number of seven on each face, which makes them nearly of the same size with those of the columns”, and that “the interval between them must be either 1/3 or 1/4 of the flute in breadth”.

The method I use for forming flutes on pilasters is similar to that for on columns, however the number of Components differ, as the column has the same size wedge all the way around, however (unless you use completely undiminished pilasters

Just as with the fluted columns, here I will do two different styles, to try and show the different techniques. The first will be the singular ‘Antick’ Doric of William Pain, and the second will be the more ornate Ionic of Batty Langley, featuring the chamfers on the sides. Also as before, I will not provide separate instructions for each style, but instead give the common instructions, and where they differ for the two types, will provide the unique steps that are needed for each example provided.

Another thing pilasters share with columns is the problem of setting the start point for the curves to form the ends of the flutes when you used diminished pilasters

Apply Doric Style Fluting to a Pilaster Shaft

The Doric, as stated earlier, will be that of William Pain, with 7 shallow flutes across the front & 2 on the sides, with no fillets between them or at the corners. I will use a simple segmental end at top and bottom, each penetrating into the curve of the congé their full height.

The Ionic will have 7 half-circle flutes separated by fillets that are 1/3 of the their width, with the corners having a quarter-circle chamfer equal to the width of a fillet. I will use a simple semicircular end at the top and bottom, that stops just before the start of the curve of the congé.

Please remember that I am not saying anything here is canonical for the orders, especially here, as there is so little information. I do not know whether the above examples were meant to be used with diminution or not, or if the depth is correct, or in how I will be handling the sides, they are just my own interpretation in order to show how to construct them in SketchUp. For correct, canonical, rules to follow, please look to the authority of your choice.

1. With only the Plain Pilaster Shaft Component visible, Copy it into memory, Hide the original, Paste-in-Place, Right-Click, Make Unique, and Rename (I replace ‘Pilaster.Shaft.Plain’ with ‘Pilaster.Shaft.Fluted’)
2. The Doric style flutes are divided equally across the width of the pilaster, while the Ionic style has flutes divided evenly across the front between fillets, but with the addition of chamfers at the front corners, so first you need to establish a width in order to find the heights for the flute ends

Doric:

Draw a Line across the bottom of the Pilaster Face, from the top of the left congé to the top of the right congé, and Divide it into 7 parts

Select the part farthest to the right, and Rotate/Copy it 90 degrees clockwise upwards from it’s right Endpoint (making sure to lock the rotation so it is angled correctly along the vertical plane), then Rotate/Copy again 90 degrees clockwise from it’s top Endpoint, then Draw a Line connecting back to the original Line to form a Plane

Select both Plane and divided Line and make a Group;

Repeat the above for the top of the Pilaster Face, except create your plane going downwards instead of upwards;

When done, Hide the Shaft Component

On each of the Planes, draw the flute plan of your choice (as explained above in the section ‘Apply Fluting to a Column Shaft’) heading into the curve of the congé, then Select the plane & flute plan and move it up & down on the Blue Axis to decide the location you want your flute to terminate and set the height of the start of the curvature

Doric:

As both the bottom & top will terminate with a segmental Arc (in this case based on Vignola’s plan) that starts at the Endpoint of the congé, the location is already determined and doesn’t need adjusting.

Create the final Flute Plan profiles for the two Orders

Doric:

Draw the Flute Plan on the vertical squares (going into the curve of the congé), then Rotate/Copy the Faces 90 degrees towards the back of the Flute, Select both Arc Faces at bottom and make a Component (Pilaster.Shaft.Flute.End.Bottom.Front.profile), then do the same for the top (Pilaster.Shaft.Flute.End.Top.Front.profile);

Draw a pair of Lines, starting from the front right corners of the profiles above, going backwards 15 min (which will be to the rear edge of the pilaster)

Move/Copy each End Profile from it’s leftmost Endpoint rightwards to it’s rightmost Endpoint, then Rotate 90 degrees counter-clockwise so it is at right-angles to the front profile

Select the top side Profile, and Scale it, from end to end (Scale about Opposite Point), so it reaches the Midpoint of the side line just drawn above, then Erase that line, Right-Click the Component, Make Unique, and Rename (Pilaster.Shaft.Flute.End.Side.Top.profile), then repeat for the bottom, (Pilaster.Shaft.Flute.End.Side.Bottom.profile)

Adjust the Flute End geometry to account for any intrusions into the curve of the congé at the top or bottom of the shaft:

Doric:

Erase the two Groups, Select all four of the profiles, Copy them into memory, Hide the originals, Paste-in-Place, and Make Unique;

Unhide the Fluted Shaft, use X-Ray Style, Open each profile Component, and Push/Pull the vertical Face outwards past the curve of the congé, Select All, Right-Click, Intersect Faces with Model, then Erase the pulled out Faces & Edges beyond the Fluted Shaft, then Close the Component

Hide the Fluted Component, and Open each profile Component, use the Weld Extension to join the Curve that was broken up, Erase the remaining part of the pulled out Faces & Edges that were not gotten above, along with the straight Line connecting the Arc Endpoints (so you end up with a pair of Arcs connected at their ends), then Close the profiles

Create the hemisphere or ending geometry for each of the Shaft Flute End profiles

Doric:

Hide everything except the Shaft Flute End copies, and Open each profile Component, draw a new Arc, from Midpoint to Midpoint of the two Arcs, in a curve that will form the hemisphere, then use the Curviloft Extension ‘Skinning of Shapes, Loft junctions following two paths’ to create the hemispherical top of the flute;

Tip: A trick I use for creating the midpoint arc is to draw a Line outside the Component, using a view where I can start from the midpoint of each arc and just go out a ways, then Open the component and use the endpoint of the short line to find the midpoint.

After running the Extension, Open the Group Curviloft created, Orient the Faces & Reverse if necessary, Close the Group, Erase the short connecting Arc just created above, Cut/Copy the Group into memory, Close the Component, Paste-in-Place, Make Component (name it same as profile, but without the ‘profile’ at the end);

Select both the Flute End Top final & profile Components, and Move/Copy them leftwards from Endpoint to Endpoint 6 times, then do the same for the Flute End Bottom Component

Then Select the Flute End Side Top final & profile Components, and Move/Copy backwards from Endpoint to Endpoint, then do the same for the Flute End Side Bottom Component

Select all the final Ends and make them a Group, then Hide the Group

Next is to create the long concave body of the flute

Doric:

With the profile copies visible, draw Lines connecting the Endpoints of the Arcs from the upper to the lower, on either side of the four Ends on the right of the front, and the two Ends on the right side

Select all the profile copies and Explode them

Select the Lines and horizontal Arcs on the right side, and use the Curviloft Extension ‘Skinning of Shapes, Loft junctions following two paths’ to create the pair of side flute backs, then Right-Click, Make Component (Pilaster.Shaft.Flute.Back.Side)

Select the Lines and horizontal Arcs for the three Flutes on the left half of the Pilaster, and run Curviloft, then (as it will miss the central Flute geometry) go back and Select the Lines and Arcs for the missing back, run Curviloft, then combine the 2 Groups into a single Component (Pilaster.Shaft.Flute.Back.FrontHalf), Open it, and Explode the Groups, then Close it

Select the Lines and horizontal Arcs for the central Flute back, run Curviloft, and make Component (Pilaster.Shaft.Flute.Back.FrontCenter)

Move/Copy the FrontHalf & Side Flute Back Components leftwards till they clear the Pilaster, then Right-Click, Flip Along Red Direction, and Move them back till they meet the Center Flute Back

Select all the Flute Back Components, make them a Group & Hide it, then Erase all the long connecting Lines

Next, the tops & bottoms of the front & side faces of the Pilaster need to be created, so Unhide the Fluted Shaft Component, Open it, Copy the front and right side Faces, Close & Hide it, Paste-in-Place

Doric:

Click on the Faces, and verify only the area between the top and bottom series of Arcs is Selected (if not, carefully go over the Arcs and close off any areas that went missing), then Erase the central Faces

Double-click the two Faces on the right side, and Move/Copy them over leftwards on the Red Axis till they clear the Pilaster, Right-Click, Flip Along Red Direction, then Move them into place on the left side, then draw a Line connecting the inner Endpoints at the rear;

Create the Corner Chamfer Profiles for the Ionic Order

Doric:

n/a

Finalize the Component

Doric:

The horizontal Arcs are still present, so Erase all of them, then Unhide and Explode the two Groups containing the Flute Backs and Ends, Select all of the Geometry and Components, Cut/Copy them into memory, Unhide the Fluted Shaft, Erase the front and side Faces, Paste-in-Place

Apply Ionic Style Fluting to a Pilaster Shaft

The Doric, as stated earlier, will be that of William Pain, with 7 shallow flutes across the front & 2 on the sides, with no fillets between them or at the corners. I will use a simple segmental end at top and bottom, each penetrating into the curve of the congé their full height.

The Ionic will have 7 half-circle flutes separated by fillets that are 1/3 of the their width, with the corners having a quarter-circle chamfer equal to the width of a fillet. I will use a simple semicircular end at the top and bottom, that stops just before the start of the curve of the congé.

Please remember that I am not saying anything here is canonical for the orders, especially here, as there is so little information. I do not know whether the above examples were meant to be used with diminution or not, or if the depth is correct, or in how I will be handling the sides, they are just my own interpretation in order to show how to construct them in SketchUp. For correct, canonical, rules to follow, please look to the Authority of your choice.

1. With only the Plain Pilaster Shaft Component visible, Copy it into memory, Hide the original, Paste-in-Place, Right-Click, Make Unique, and Rename (I replace ‘Pilaster.Shaft.Plain’ with ‘Pilaster.Shaft.Fluted’)
2. The Doric style flutes are divided equally across the width of the pilaster, while the Ionic style has flutes divided evenly across the front between fillets, but with the addition of chamfers at the front corners, so first you need to establish a width in order to find the heights for the flute ends

Ionic:

Draw a Line across the bottom of the Pilaster Face, from the top of the left congé to the top of the right congé, and Divide it into 31 parts (7 groups of 3 parts each for the flutes, 8 single parts separating the flutes, and a single part on each front corner for the chamfers), then Select the last 3 parts on the right and Rotate/Copy them 90 degrees clockwise at the Endpoint, and Divide the middle of the rotated parts into 3 mini-parts, then select all the parts and Make Group

Set a Guide at the top of the middle vertical part, and then another a mini-part below that (these are tentative starting points for the flute terminations), and set a Guide 2 parts inwards towards the Centerline from the vertical scale, and another 3 parts further inwards (this is the width of the first flute on the right side);

Repeat the above process for the top of the Pilaster

On each of the Planes, draw the flute plan of your choice (as explained above in the section ‘Apply Fluting to a Column Shaft’) heading into the curve of the congé, then Select the plane & flute plan and move it up & down on the Blue Axis to decide the location you want your flute to terminate and set the height of the start of the curvature

Ionic:

Draw a half-circle, going down on the blue axis, whose start and end points are the intersections of the vertical Guides and the lower horizontal Guide (since I am satisfied with this position I Erase the vertical Guides);

Repeat the above process for the top of the Pilaster (create the scales, set the Guides, draw the half-circle Arc, if satisfied, Erase the vertical Guides);

Create the final flute plan profiles for the two orders

Ionic:

Already done above (I know that if I continue these will not be ‘exactly’ sized right, but since there is going to be a fillet between each, and the difference is so minor, I am going to accept this for the sake of convenience)

Adjust the Flute End geometry to account for any intrusions into the curve of the congé at the top or bottom of the Shaft:

Ionic:

Create the hemisphere or ending geometry for each of the shaft flute end profiles

Ionic:

Open the Fluted Shaft, Double-click the front Face, Copy, Close & Hide the Component, Paste-in-Place

Draw a Line connecting the Endpoints of the lower half-circle Arc, and verify it separates the new half-circle Face from the fluted shaft Face, then repeat for the Arc at the top

Double-click the Arc Face created, and Move/Copy inwards across the Face of the shaft 6 times, leaving 1 parts between each Face, at both top and bottom

Draw a Line, connecting the right Endpoint of the rightmost bottom Arc Face up to the right Endpoint of the rightmost top Arc Face, then connect those Arcs’ left Endpoints, verify the space between is isolated from the rest of the pilaster face, then do the same for the next 3 arcs across the face of the Shaft, then Select the 3 pairs of long lines on the right side of the Pilaster, Move/Copy them leftwards on the Red Axis till they are past the Pilaster, Right-Click, Flip Along Red Direction, then Move them rightwards till the leftmost line is on the left Endpoint of the first empty Arc to the right

Double-click the top right Arc Face, Rotate/Copy it 90 degrees towards the rear of the Pilaster (rotated on it’s straight edge), then Double-click both Faces, and Make Component (Pilaster.Flute.End.Top.profile)

Move/Copy the new Component out a bit, draw a quarter-circle Arc connecting the two half-circle Arcs,

Select both the original & the copy, Copy them into memory, Hide the original & Erase the copy, Paste-in-Place, Right-Click (with both Selected), Make Unique, and Rename (removing the ‘.profile#1’ from the name);

Tip: This is easiest working outside the Component, and drawing a pair of short Lines coming off the Midpoint of the curves, going down off the horizontal arc & gong frontwards off the vertical arc, then drawing the quarter-circle Arc tangent to both lines.

Open the copy, Erase the straight Edge, then use the Curviloft Extension ‘Skinning of Shapes, Loft junctions following two paths’ to create the semicircular top of the Flute, then Erase the connecting quarter-circle Arc, Explode the Group Curviloft created , Orient & Reverse Faces as necessary, Close the Component copy and Erase it

Erase the three top half-circle Faces to the left of the new Component, and Move/Copy it over to fill their places, then go ahead and Erase the remaining three top half-circles and leave empty, and finally Erase the short Lines that formed the straight Edges to the half-circles

Repeat the steps just performed, only for the bottom half-circle (naming it ‘Pilaster.Flute.End.Bottom.profile’ and ‘Pilaster.Flute.End.Bottom’);

Next is to create the long concave body of the Flute

Ionic:

Open the Fluted Shaft, Double-click the front Face, Copy, Close & Hide the Component, Paste-in-Place

Draw a Line connecting the Endpoints of the lower half-circle Arc, and verify it separates the new half-circle Face from the Fluted Shaft Face, then repeat for the Arc at the top

Double-click the Arc Face created, and Move/Copy inwards across the Face of the Shaft 6 times, leaving 1 parts between each Face, at both top and bottom

Draw a Line, connecting the right Endpoint of the rightmost bottom Arc Face up to the right Endpoint of the rightmost top Arc Face, then connect those Arcs’ left Endpoints, verify the space between is isolated from the rest of the Pilaster Face, then do the same for the next 3 arcs across the face of the Shaft, then Select the 3 pairs of long lines on the right side of the Pilaster, Move/Copy them leftwards on the Red Axis till they are past the Pilaster, Right-Click, Flip Along Red Direction, then Move them rightwards till the leftmost line is on the left Endpoint of the first empty Arc to the right

Double-click the top right Arc Face, Rotate/Copy it 90 degrees towards the rear of the Pilaster (rotated on it’s straight edge), then Double-click both Faces, and Make Component (Pilaster.Flute.End.Top.profile)

Move/Copy the new Component out a bit, draw a quarter-circle Arc connecting the two half-circle Arcs,

Select both the original & the copy, Copy them into memory, Hide the original & Erase the copy, Paste-in-Place, Right-Click (with both Selected), Make Unique, and Rename (removing the ‘.profile#1’ from the name);

Tip: This is easiest working outside the Component, and drawing a pair of short Lines coming off the Midpoint of the curves, going down off the horizontal arc & gong frontwards off the vertical arc, then drawing the quarter-circle Arc tangent to both lines.

Open the copy, Erase the straight Edge, then use the Curviloft Extension ‘Skinning of Shapes, Loft junctions following two paths’ to create the semicircular top of the Flute, then Erase the connecting quarter-circle Arc, Explode the Group Curviloft created , Orient & Reverse Faces as necessary, Close the Component copy and Erase it

Erase the three top half-circle Faces to the left of the new Component, and Move/Copy it over to fill their places, then go ahead and Erase the remaining three top half-circles and leave empty, and finally Erase the short Lines that formed the straight Edges to the half-circles

Repeat the steps just performed, only for the bottom half-circle (naming it ‘Pilaster.Flute.End.Bottom.profile’ and ‘Pilaster.Flute.End.Bottom’)

Hide the two scale Groups, Erase each of the long narrow 3-part wide Faces across the front of the Pilaster

Double-click on the curved front Face of the Pilaster, Make Group, then Copy it, Hide the original, Paste-in-Place, Explode and Erase the Face itself (leaving the Edges)

Open each of the four Flute Ends on the top and bottom, Select the horizontal Arc, Copy it into memory, Close the Component and Paste-in-Place, and Hide the Flute Ends, and Erase the vertical Arcs

For each of the long openings, Select the two horizontal Arcs and the two vertical Lines, and use the Curviloft Extension ‘Skinning of Shapes, Loft junctions following two paths’ to create the semicircular back of the Flute;

Next, the tops & bottoms of the front & side faces of the Pilaster need to be created, so Unhide the Fluted Shaft Component, Open it, Copy the front and right side Faces, Close & Hide it, Paste-in-Place

Ionic:

Unhide the Flute Ends, and Select the Flute Ends and Flute Backs for the three flutes on the right side of the Pilaster, and Make a Component (Pilaster.Flutes.OuterThree), Open it and Explode the Curviloft Groups, Close it, then Move/Copy it leftwards till it is clear of the Pilaster, Right-Click, Flip Along Red Direction, Move back to take the place of the empty flute edges on the left half of the Pilaster, then Hide both Components

Select the Flute Ends and Flute Backs for the remaining flute in the middle of the Pilaster, and Make a Component (Pilaster.Flutes.Middle), Open it and Explode the Curviloft Group, Close it, then Hide that Component;

Create the Corner Chamfer Profiles for the Ionic Order

Ionic:

Unhide the Group containing the Pilaster Face, and Explode it, then Unhide the Fluted Pilaster Component, Copy the two side Faces into memory, Close & Hide the Component, Paste-in-Place, Trip-Click to Select all and Make Group, and Hide

Unhide the two scale Groups, Open them, and Rotate/Copy the rightmost part 90 degrees to the rear of the Pilaster, then Close the Groups, and Unhide the last Group made;

Set horizontal Guides at the heights of the top and bottom starts of the Flute half-circle Ends and their greatest Midpoint, then draw a Line from the first division of the bottom scale from the right up to the first division of the top scale on the right, then draw a Line from the Endpoints of the single scale part on the right side, then Hide the Scale Groups;

Draw a Line, from the intersection of the Guide at the start of the half-circle and the vertical Line on the front, right to the corner of the Pilaster, then back on the Green Axis to the Line running up the side, for both top and bottom, then Erase the parts of the vertical Lines above and below the angled lines just drawn, then Erase the angled lines;

Explode the Group containing the Pilaster Faces, and draw an Arc, coming from each Endpoint of the long Lines, downwards to the intersection of the Corner of the Pilaster and the Guides marking the greatest extents of the Flute Ends, then Erase the two Faces cut off as a result;

Draw a quarter-circle Arc, centered at the the intersection of the Guide at the start of the half-circle and the corner, starting and stopping at the long edges on either side of it, at top and bottom, then Select the Lines & Edges forming the corner of the Pilaster, the horizontal Arcs just drawn, the two long sides, and the four earlier Arcs, and Move/Copy them leftwards on the Red Axis till they clear the Pilaster, then Right-Click, Flip Along Red Direction, and Move rightwards till they reach the left Corner, then Erase the two Faces there, and both corner Edges;

Select the three Arcs at the bottom of the corner now exposed, and use the Curviloft Extension ‘Skinning of Shapes, Loft junctions following two paths’ to create the bottom chamfer, then repeat at the top, then Select the two Arcs and two Lines between the two and use Curviloft again;

Tip: Curviloft tends to explode Arcs, so what you could do here is each time you Select the Edges to use with the Extension, Copy them into Memory, then, after the Group is created, Open it, Paste-in-Place, and Close it again. When the Group is Exploded it will stay a complete Arc, and there will be less cleanup. A lot of times this can be fixed in other ways, but here, due to the situation, I think this works better.;

With all three Groups created, Select them and Make Component (Pilaster.Chamfer), then Move/Copy it leftwards on the Red Axis till it clears the Pilaster, then Right-Click, Flip Along Red Direction, and Move it rightwards till it reaches the left Corner

Erase the horizontal Arcs on the corners in front of the Chamfers, then Open the Chamfer Components and Hide the corresponding lines there; then Unhide the Pilaster Flutes Components and cleanup any unwanted Lines in there;

Finalize the Component

Ionic:

Select everything, Cut/Copy it into memory, Unhide & Open the Fluted Pilaster Component, Erase the front & side Faces along with the two front corner long Edges, and Paste-in-Place, then Close the Component;