Using a Curve path

I am using Blender 2.72
I am trying to follow a tutorial for making a subway tunnel by Blender Guru… I made the tunnel and used an array modifier to make it the length it is… I added a path to it and made it curve some… when he set the tunnel to follow the path, his only slightly moved … but mine went way out of whack… had to bring it together … finally got it together and created the curve in the tunnel… made some tracks for the subway tunnel and now trying to set it to follow the path and it will not do what it should do… and I have no clue what I’m doing wrong…
I’ve tried to set origin to geometry, geometry to origin, geometry to 3D cursor… no matter what I do… will not go where it should… am totally confused at this point… My camera is set up to see in the tunnel …

here is my file… maybe someone can see what I’m doing wrong …I’ve been following the tutorial step by step…
and rewatch and redo any time something don’t work right…

thanks… subway tunnel.blend (473 KB)

Before playing with the array and curve modifiers, apply all the scaling/rotation/transformation (Ctrl A) and make sure that the origins of curve and objects are at the center (Shift S -> Cursor to Center -> select object and Shift S -> Origin to Center). This will screw up your work so far, but with changing the deformation axis that should be fixable.

Also reverse the curve direction (Edit mode -> specials menu W -> switch direction) so the track starts from the origin.
Add a curve modifier to the track and set the deformation axis to x.
If you do scale objects on the curve to fit/adjust them, always do it in edit mode.

Good luck tweaking…

Okay… will eliminate the array and do the scaling/rotation/transformation again… and try…
am learning Blender and using arrays and curve modifier are new to me now…

thanks

well, I didn’t give up working on it… but I had it doing strange things and not know why… here is the image of the tunnel I made… it’s not the greatest, but am learning… and using the path deforming I’ve not ever used before…

 after I got the tracks and pipes to follow the path..  the moving of them into the right place (because they didn't go where they should (I used the centering cursor and object to cursor and the scale/rotation thing as I worked...  It was weird when I was in object mode, the objects like the track, the pipes were in their proper position once I got them there.. but go to edit and they would rotate 90 degrees...    also when moving them around in the scene, IF I wanted to move them on the Z axis, I had to actually move the X axis manipulator..  to move them on the X axis, I had to use the Z axis manipulator...   Y was okay...   never could figure out why...  

any ideas what I can look for when it does this…
I was using the Mirror modifier modeling the stuff… used the array modifier and used the ‘follow path’ modifier…

thanks

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The modifiers can be finicky about how your object is scaled rotated and where the origin is. One things that nearly always trips me up is mirroring with the origin at the geometry, it needs to be offset to work and I suffer “Duh!” moments often. :slight_smile:

There’s one thing with this Arrays and Path combination- if you add Array modifier, by default Array is set to be 1 on X axis. Increase count and cubes grow along X. Curve path by default is added positioned along X.

Now, if you have a default scene you’d think Y axis as a depth of the scene and instantly try to overcome all these “defaults”.
You rewrite Array Y=1 instead of x, you rotate Path… Then somewhere in a middle of all this things start to go haywire. Linear Arrays tend to turn into steps, Curves change axis depending on edit or obj mode…

Try to NOT rewrite defaults.

Add Path: in edit mode move points along x so that first point is on Center. In obj mode add Cube and in edit mode delete two faces perpendicular to x axis so that tunnel you make would be along X axis. Add Array modifier to Cube, increase count and add a Curve modifier: see, nothing has suddenly changed positions or rotations.
Modify your Path - add some points, move them. Cube, multiplied by Array nicely follows Path. Change Count in Array modifier to Fit Curve: one less problem.

From now you can easily figure that Mirror should happen on Y; there are no hidden applied or unapplied rotations to take in account.

Thanks Eppo
appreciate your reply…