Introduction
In this session in Maya, we learnt how to extrude a primitive shape along a path. this helps you to make extrusions that are curved – to create pipes, wires and other such objects. We did this using the CV curve tool.
Using the CV curve tool.
To do this, you go to the create menu, and select curve tools, and then choose the CV Curve tool. with the tool, you can create nodes to form a path. The more nodes you place, the more curved your path is. then, we added in a cylinder, rotated it so that it laid horizontal against the grid, and snapped it to the path. From there, we could extrude it to make a pipe shape, that followed the curvature of the curve.
once extruded, it might look like this (image above). this is because the shape has no divisions. with more divisions, gives more curve to the shape, and with less, it is more polygonal. the image below shows the pipe with more divisons, as well as extra extrusions added to it. clearly it has taken the shape of the curve.
here’s a bit of pipework that i modeled in blender that was supposed to be part of a network, but i ran out of time. I think it shows that i’ve been able to practise this skill i’ve just learned using the CV Curve tool in maya.
conclusion.
Today i learned a new maya tool which will help me in my 3d work, and gained some practise with the software, its layout and some basic tools.