Making an accordian/ribbed hose

# 1 09-06-2008 , 02:51 PM

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Hi there! It's been a while since ive modeled much in Maya, and I am having trouble deciding how to make a certain shape.

Here is the shape im trying to make:
user added image

I've tried Extrudes, but that will just give me a flat, not ribbed tube. I've also tried making a straight ribbed column, then using a Bend Deformer, but that just bends the column into an arch. I need something more like real ac ducting, that I can preferrably control via a CV curve, just like an Extrude.

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# 2 09-06-2008 , 04:33 PM

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I'm new at this, but here's what I was thinking.

Make a cylinder. Extend it LONG, or create a curve.

Make sure there's a LOT of subdivisions. Change it to vertex mode. Select every OTHER "ring" of vertexs. It may actually be easier to change your perspective mode to side view in order to select them.

Use the scale tool to shrink it.

Select the OTHER vertexs that you did NOT shrink (just Select the entire thing, it will deselect the ones that are selected). Then use the move tool, and bring them closer to the shrunk vertex.

I know it may seem like a hassle, I just don't know any other way. Maybe the more expert Maya users can help.

If you want to look like the dryer tube, another way you can kind of make the texture look a bit weird, is while the "shrunk" vertex is selected, use the rotate tool to give it a slight twist.

That way when you apply a texture, it gives a slight twist look.

Lmk if it worked!

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# 3 09-06-2008 , 05:39 PM

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Thanks for the advice. However that's not quite the part im having difficulty with. The hard part making the tube into an irregular shape like the S shape in the picture. I can make the ribbed / accordian tube straight just fine using a revolve, or a method like you mentioned. Actually, the real shape is not perfectly revolved like an accordian, but more of a helix shape like you see in a spring, or a telephone cord. Then it is wrapped in aluminum.

There has to be some way. Oh well, if I can't figure it out, Ill just use a regular extrude on path and texture the ridges in with my material.

I can always make the shape and then skin it to a long chain of bones and pose it into the shape I want, but that just seems a bit more work than what is needed. Shaping the ac ducting with a CV curve via construction history is easier for me to pose it.

Last edited by onyx86; 09-06-2008 at 05:44 PM.

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# 4 09-06-2008 , 06:41 PM

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I think the easiest way to do it is just start of with a cilinder, than delete the whole cilinder except the bottom (or top if you like to :p) and extrude some edges on the side outwards a bit.
Then extrude this flat surface along a curve.
The only thing you need to do after that is open the extrude attributes and change the amount of twist into a high number (depending on the amount of twists you want)

this is my result, less than 5 minutes to find the right settings

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# 5 10-06-2008 , 03:04 AM

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if you want it controlled by a curve there are two ways I know of to do so. 1: Extrude along a curve and then adjust the geometry to give you the look you wanted. Otherwise I'd have to suggest using clusters and a CV to control it. Just how to set that up... I havn't got the greatest clue. I know it is used for rigging among other things

I believe the theory behind it is that you can select a series of vertices and assign them to a cluster, and you can link a cluster to a point on a curve for example. So when you move the curve or adjust it, the aligning CV's would move in proportion and bring matched verts with them.

You might want to do some searching in the Maya help files for clusters. I would but my computer is currently rendering.

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# 6 10-06-2008 , 03:30 AM

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I'm probably completely wrong but can you do a loft like this?

Maybe you could duplicate 2 different columns multiple times, one row inside the other.. then select them all and loft it?

Or do one section then duplicate?

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# 7 13-06-2008 , 04:53 AM

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Originally posted by ExtrudedDingus
I'm probably completely wrong but can you do a loft like this?

Maybe you could duplicate 2 different columns multiple times, one row inside the other.. then select them all and loft it?

Or do one section then duplicate?

Originally Posted by

I believe you are correct, a loft should work just fine for that too and then you have control over the shape of the curve still.

Good call.

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# 8 13-06-2008 , 02:16 PM

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Cool! I thought I was missing something, some reason why it wouldn't work there.

Would it be better to deform it with some kind of animation deformer?

Or would it be better to parent it to one of those animated skeleton lines in there? I'm forgetting what they are called now.. IK handles?

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# 9 13-06-2008 , 03:53 PM

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Originally posted by ExtrudedDingus
Cool! I thought I was missing something, some reason why it wouldn't work there.

Would it be better to deform it with some kind of animation deformer?

Or would it be better to parent it to one of those animated skeleton lines in there? I'm forgetting what they are called now.. IK handles?

Originally Posted by

Ooooh, no need to get so complicated. When lofting, and one of the nice things about lofting say a tube in this case is that so long as you keep the history on the object, your spline will deform the "pipe" as you desire. So as long as you have built enough freedom into the curve you should have all the control you need.

The deformers will enable you to deform anything with much different control, so if you are not looking to just change the flow of the pipe, but say squash and stretch as well then you'd use one of them nice deformers or even a couple added together for that matter.

IK again is a further complexity which relates directly with a bone structure. This will give you control over just how parts of your object bend based on the pivot/movement of another. I can go into further detail if you like but otherwise I'll stop here for now user added image

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# 10 13-06-2008 , 05:50 PM

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Thanks Alexander. Which methods would you use to make that duct? To deform it?

Could you use a bump map to make that crinkley texture?

This would be a neat turoial I think.

edit: oh.. wait.. now I think I understand.. I remember moving some CV lineor curve when making a loft and it would deform the shape of the loft..

Last edited by ExtrudedDingus; 13-06-2008 at 05:53 PM.

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# 11 14-06-2008 , 10:04 PM

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I'll see if I can draw this up for you tonight. No guarantees though, watching golf and it won't be done for anouther hour and a half or so...

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# 12 15-06-2008 , 07:12 PM

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Thanks for all your replies. I ended up doing it like I originally considered - by making a polygon helix, with a certain number of coils and subdivisions, so that all the edge loops matched up. Then I deleted all the inner faces and merged vertices with a threshold of about 0.05.

Then to pose it, I just made an IK joint chain and did a smooth bind. Not quite as easy to manipulate as a CV curve / construction history setup, but it creates the shape I need.