TIN Tube

fbartels

To make curvy tube geometry I've always had to resort to using the Follow-Me tool. There is another way that avoids some of the issues involved with Follow-Me. It's done by making a 12 sided (you could do any number of sides) tube where each side is a TIN. This creates tube geometry that the Smoove tool can shape easily. I've attached a model with a tube that you can experiment with.

simple TIN tube small.jpg

simple TIN tube.skp

watkins

Dear Fred,

Do you think you could put a simple tut together showing how you use the sandbox tools to make the beam/tube? I ask because I have never used these tools before.

To use a little used expression, "Thank you in anticipation of.."

Kind regards,
Bob

pilou

Am i right when I explode your Tin tube uploaded before use the Smoove tool?

PS Have you made a special "tuts section" inside your Web site?

fbartels

Hi Pilou,

@unknownuser said:

Am i right when I explode your Tin tube uploaded before use the Smoove tool?

Better to just double click to enter the group and then you can use Smoove within the group.

@unknownuser said:

Am i right when I explode your Tin tube uploaded before use the Smoove tool?

PS Have you made a special "tuts section" inside your Web site

Nope, but I'll consider adding.

Fred

pilou

@Fred
you right: that is more practical indeed!

fbartels

@watkins said:

Dear Fred,

Do you think you could put a simple tut together showing how you use the sandbox tools to make the beam/tube? I ask because I have never used these tools before.

To use a little used expression, "Thank you in anticipation of.."

Kind regards,
Bob

Bob, I made a quick screenshot movie here. I had the usual little SketchUp issues while making the movie which I left in to provide some verisimilitude.

pilou

Tricky!
If I find more speedy, I will come back with it

pilou

OK this one is more speedy

fbartels

@unknownuser said:

OK this one is more speedy

Pilou,

Excellent! That makes perfect sense. Never occurred to me but certainly much quicker.

Pilou, yesterday I tried to make a spiraling TIN tube by cutting what a thought was a properly angled segment from the TIN tube and duplicating it. I couldn't get the pieces to match up perfectly so I gave up. Perhaps you might have some ideas how to accomplish?

Fred