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How would you mirror an object across both the x and y planes?

If you try and mirror them, you get a heart like shape:

enter image description here

General idea of the shape I am trying to make.

enter image description here

How could you mirror this object, but do so in a way that makes the curve bend the opposite direction?

Blender file located here:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/460997/Blender/curve%20_test.blend

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  • $\begingroup$ Try an array modifier with a rotated object offset. (I would write an answer, but currently having some technical difficulties).. $\endgroup$
    – gandalf3
    Commented Oct 23, 2014 at 0:33

2 Answers 2

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You can also use an Array modifier to do this.

  1. Add an array modifier to your object, disable Relative Offset and enable Merge and Object Offset.

  2. Snap the 3D cursor to the active object's origin by pressing ⇧ ShiftS> Cursor to selected.

  3. Add an empty (⇧ ShiftA> Empty) and rotate it 180° around the Z axis (RZ180)

  4. Set the empty as object offset in the array modifier (a quick way to do this is by pressing E while hovering over the object field and then clicking on the empty):

    enter image description here

The nice thing about this is that changes to one side will update the other side in real time:

enter image description here

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  • $\begingroup$ I'm using cycles, by 'empty' do you mean 'empty plane axis'? Also, in your example, the ring looks quite square which I like. Is this a torus, a square deformed around a circle? $\endgroup$
    – spuder
    Commented Oct 23, 2014 at 5:40
  • $\begingroup$ @spuder By empty I mean an object of the type "empty". You can find them in the add menu (they are all the same except for appearance). Empties are basically just placeholder objects which you can use to define something like a location or rotation, but don't actually appear in the render. To make it squarish I used supporting loopcuts, see my answer here: blender.stackexchange.com/a/9059/599. $\endgroup$
    – gandalf3
    Commented Oct 23, 2014 at 5:46
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Unfortunately, the mirror modifier can't so this as it creates copies of the object for each axis you tick instead of just transforming it but this is easily done with the Interactive Mirror tool (Ctrl + M) or from the 3d view header, Object > Mirror > Interactive Mirror.

Simply duplicate the half of the mesh you want to mirror and use CtrlM + Xto mirror it on the X axis, then without deselecting, mirror it again but this time on the Y axis.

enter image description here

Only disadvantage as compared to the modifier is that if you update one side, you will have to perform the mirror operations again (this can be avoided if you link both object's Mesh Data with CtrlD > Object Data but adds unnecessary complexity IMO). Also, as per Understanding mirroring and inverting an object, you will have to recalculate the normals if you perform this operation in Edit mode.

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