Twisting an object aroud it's own axis

Support Modeling
#1

Hi!

I’ve been using blender for 3 weeks now for work. I have already done several simple models and understand mostly how blender works.

Now I’m supposed to make a model where I start with a long and thin rectangle and then duplicate it move it a bit and then rotate it a little. Sounds pretty simple and it is but what that does is an ugly uncontinous pile of rectangles. What I really should be doing is a continuous plane which twists on it’s axis. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v399/n6736/images/399566ab.eps.2.gif the one on the right is the one I’m supposed to make. Plus it has to be made of rectangles or other parts that are almost like rectangles.

I have spent the whole day trying to find anything that would work for this but I haven’t found anything. I tried arrays but it didn’t work.

Can someone help me?

Hopefully I was able to make you see what I’m trying to do here.

#2

A combination of Simple Deform and Array Modifiers should do it for you.

Use a rotated Empty and the Object offset for the array.

I made an example:-


twist.blend (436 KB)

It is rough, so you might need to fiddle with it a bit…

#3

Thanks :slight_smile:

I don’t get to try that before next week though because blender crashes every 5 minutes on my home computer. But it looks like exactly what I need.

#4

This worked and my model looks nice :slight_smile:

I didn’t want to make a new topic for this next question 'cause it’s basically the same thing.

So I need to make a spring with cylinders. Kind of the same way that I had to do the twist-thingy.

Thanks in advance for your help.

#5

Sounds like a job for the Screw modifier

#6

I don’t know how to use the screw tool for anything other than circles. And that doesn’t give me the result I want. I need to be able to seperate the cylinders if needed. With screw tool it just gives me a continous spiral of connected verticles.

#7

Oh, they need to be separate. Sorry, missed that part. In that case Array modifier is the way to go. Using an empty as Object Offset gives you more possibilities (by rotating and moving it).

Btw, the Screw tool can do more than circles if you change the Screw value. Very strong modifier, especially combined with Array, Solidify and some other modifiers.