Tutorial: how to model and render a realistic spiral cable in Blender / Yafaray
Marco wrote:
At work (I’m a Mechanical Design Engineer) I had to render a model of a video intercom to get a realistic shot. I already had all the parts as CAD models, so I had just to export them in STL format and import each file in Blender. All but the cable.
Even if I’m not a good Blender modeller, I thought that it could be easier (and cleaner) modelling it into Blender than into the CAD software; furthermore I could easier apply modifications to adapt the shape of the cable to the position of intercom body and handset.
I wrote a two-part tutorial where I described how to model the spiral cable.
Tutorial Links:
Cool! I just saw something like this for Maya the other day. Good to see a Blender version too.
awesome !!!!!
Good tutorial, but why not using 2.5 ?
This is a pretty good and simple tutorial! Thanks for sharing!
Misleading title: in the tutorial not a word about the rendering side in Yafaray.
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?103529
my challenge at that time was -how to build armature fast. In video (on this page) you can skip modeling cabel but keep on mind to create center of cabel on a grid.
http://mond.own.cz/blender/phonecabel/TUT-phone_cabel.mov
Anyway in 2.59 you can use Lieros AddOn – Armature from edge loops I think . . . :)
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?227219-armature-from-edge-loops
Nice try pal, that’s clearly a photo! :D
Very interesting tutorial…and I like the final result!
@James: http://marcoalici.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/11.jpg
Thanks for the tutorial and what an ingenious use of the cloth modifier in the end, I never would have thought of that.
Great Tutorials. Thank You for taking the time to share your view with us.
Web Design Company London
Few years ago I found armature as the same useful technique.
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?103529
But biggest discovery was how to make all the bones quickly
http://mond.own.cz/blender/phonecabe…hone_cabel.mov
To use envelop for bones you need to keep center of cabel on a grid so you can use Snap to Grid Option.
Anyway in 2.59 there is great Liero Script – Armature from Edge Loops that look promissing to get armature in one click :)
Thank you all for the comments!
@vblend: The stable version of Yafaray (0.1.1) is for Blender 2.4x. As soon as Yafaray 0.1.2 will be reasonably complete and stable, I will upgrade even for production purposes. :)
@JW: You are right. I wanted to dedicate a whole third part to yafaray settings, but I had not time to complete it, so I preferred to publish the first two in the meanwhile. Please, stay tuned! :)
@MarcoA
Your rigging process would be quite easier in 2.5x. I’m not sure if its there in 2.4x, but there’s a feature in 2.5x called ‘Bone Segments’. With that, you wouldn’t 40 small extrusions, just around 4 large bones with 10 segments for each.
Excellent tutorial… and this is the way to do it too! He didn’t fall into that trap that “some” people do, making 90 minute videos of endlessly pushing vertices around, telling bad jokes and pretending it makes him a “Guru” of Blender… not naming names though!
@ Milad Thaha
Actually even in 2.49 the “subdivide” and “subdivide multi” tool is available for bones too.
Well, I wrote that I’m not a good modeller in Blender, and there was the first time I used an Armature. :)
Thank you for the tip!
Hi all,
I added the part about Yafaray settings for rendering here:
http://marcoalici.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/tutorial-how-to-model-and-render-a-realistic-spiral-cable-in-blender-and-yafaray-3/