Problem making flexible tubes/pipes

[Goob]

I think the easiest way is to bind the tube with smooth or rigid skin.

cheers

goob.

[svenip]

you could also use the modelling history. if it's a simple extrude along a path you could use the path to deform. if it's more complicated you could use a wire deformer for that. then just make the end cv's to clusters and parent them to the connections.

[Goob]

I have tried this technique one year ago. the problem is, that parenting the clusters wont work. you got to point and orient constrain them. after a half day of experiments with that I have decided to use smooth skin, because it is much faster to set up and easier to handle.

goob.

[ironsoul]

thanks for the tips, I've tried something similar, but I was mainly having difficulty rigging the model for animation so that the tubes would flex "nicely" while maintaining their length....do those techniques you've both mentioned account for that?

[svenip]

i think i saw a plugin on highend fixedCurveLength which keeps a curve at a certain length even if you deform the curve.

[Goob]

alternative you could use a chain of joints and a spline ik.

[ironsoul]

I tried that plugin, but it only keeps a curve at a fixed length relative to its start point, I need something akin to an IK solver that can account for start and end orientation and stiffness.

I've tried using the basic IK solvers on a skeleton chain (to represent the tube), but they dont seem to work too well with more than 4 bones, nor do they take account of joint stiffness or preferred angle.

[ironsoul]

bit of a circular reference using a spline IK solver :) as you need a curve to specify the shape to follow and it is that curve I want the IK solver to determine.

[ZrO-1]

What about setting up a latice deformer. You could use that to control how the tube bends and flexes, just like you would around a knee or elbow.

[Goob]

other idea:

binding an nurbs cylinder with smooth bind
selecting an isoparm and duplicate surface curves
now you´ve got a nurbs curve ready for the spline ik.

[ironsoul]

Got something working - a smooth bind to a 3 bone skeleton and an SCIK solver point-constrained to keep the bone ends attached to the cable termination points. Seems to work pretty well.

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