How can I make multiple pipes that feed into a main pipe?

Ubaidasaur

Hi everyone,

I've only been using SketchUp for a few weeks trying to 3D print something for a project. I'd really appreciate it if someone could help me out with something that I've been stuck on all day. I've already tried searching for a solution but to no avail

I'm trying to make tubes through a solid that I could feed cables through. The goal is to have the cables start in one location and then branch out.

I was trying to do this by drawing circles at my start (one hole) and end (multiple holes), drawing the appropriate curves between each circle, and then using the "follow me" tool to intrude following the path of the curves. Then, I would intersect the faces where the intrusions overlapped and delete any faces that were inside of the tube, that way I get one clean internal intrusion.

However, I keep running into problems with my model being solid, and I can't get the tubes that are created by the "follow me" tool to be clean enough for 3D printing (i.e. they prevent my model from being solid.

I've attached some pictures in case it helps you understand. In the picture, I've hidden the outside walls and highlighted the start and end holes which I'd like to connect via curved tubes. The "start" hole is at the top of the first picture and the 8 "end" holes are at the bottom.

Is there a better way to accomplish what I'm trying to do? Or am I just not using bezier curves (bezier curves plugin), follow me, and intersect faces properly?

Sides hidden

!["Exit" holes](/uploads/imported_attachments/5ajw_ExitHoles.jpg ""Exit" holes")

pilou

Some idea
Helix a long a curve

Youtube Video

by Gilles

pilou

So
Add faces at the end!

pilou

Else the solution by Box if you want curvated pipes!

Close them with add Faces or much better Solid Solver by Tig if you want "solid" for 3D Print

Ubaidasaur

Thank you for the quick reply!

I am not sure if I can use the first two suggestions but I will give the 3rd one a try! Can you think of how I might apply it to my specific problem? The start and end points are a little more specific it seems, and 8 pipes have to merge together into one. Merging the pipes together is the hardest part so far I've been at it for hours today.

Here is a picture of what I was trying to do. I have just intersected the faces, and as you can see I'm not able to clean out the inside of even these two pipes.

I appreciate your help!

Note the many internal faces that I am not able to get rid of cleanly

Box

This would be a great opportunity to use Thomthom's SUbD.

pilou

@unknownuser said:

Note the many internal faces that I am not able to get rid of cleanly

Clean Up by Thomthom!

Ubaidasaur

@Pilou Thank you for the advice I already had to use ThomThom Clean Up for another part of the project. Super useful! The other extensions I have are SolidInspector and STL Export.

@Box ThomThom's SubD looks perfect! I'm going to try that. I'm only a student so I'd like to avoid buying it for one time use but it looks like there is a 30 day trial.

As far as making the square tubes, did you do it the way I described? Where you make a square face and then used follow me along (in this case) a 3-segmented line?

I'm also not sure how to get my "follow me" lines to be as symmetric and even as yours. I've been drawing rectangles between each circle to serve as a temporary face on which to draw the path, but that didn't account for the curvature of the central cylinder so I was just freehanding that. It doesn't help that my "start" hole is off center because of a design requirement, otherwise I would just do half of the holes and then mirror it with scale.

I didn't realize I could upload the .skp files, so I'm including that in this post in case it helps explain my issues a little better. I'd already gotten started getting it ready to use SubD as best as I could.

I really appreciate all of you guys' help so far; this forum is really responsive!

One exterior face is hidden

Box

A little inspiration.

pilou

You have a free rustic Subdivision plugin!
Loop Subdivision (don't click on the green button but on the Yellow one!

Box

Sorry, your post appeared after I had posted my second gif so I didn't see your model and questions until just now.
There is a bit of a learning curve to getting suitable geometry for SUbD.
You need to think in quads, so everything, as best you can, is made of four sided faces.
So when you use follow me you need to put the edges in where faces join.
Here I have made part of the model for you to show you the construction method I would use.
I've done an array of edges to enable you to connect those back to the main hole.
I have grouped the section so you can hit the subdivide button to see the result. It would be best to create the pipe work in subd then connect it to the rest as normal geometry, which is why I have exploded your original group. Using this structure you can just mirror 3 pipes to the other side.
Here's a little tip many don't know, a gif showing you how to use follow me within a group with the path outside the group.

And here is the model for you to see if you can understand the construction.

Example for SubDBox.skp

gilles

I learn something today: I didn't know you could use FollowMe with a path outside of the face context.

Thanks Box.

Ubaidasaur

Hi, thank you so much for the help! I apologize for the late response I have been busy on another project

I still have not been able to get SubD to work correctly. I tried to copy the way you've done the tubes but it does not look the same. I'm not sure what the problem is, would you mind taking a look?

I think it might have something to do with quads but after messing around with the quadface tool extension I couldn't get it to work either. I did notice that if I click a button that colorizes the model based on "tris, quads, and n-gons" then my part of the sketch is different than yours, if that helps. I tried to make every face on my tube have 4 sides (which I read is what a quad is), but that did not help either.

Please note that in the .skp file I uploaded there is hidden geometry.

Thank you!

No coloration.jpg