3
$\begingroup$

I'm trying to make loops for a stunt car racing game. It's easy enough to make a bezier curve that looks like a loop, but once I try filling it with another curve, the results are undesirable.

erroneous loop

Where it's supposed to go from being right-side up to up-side down and back to right-side up again, it instead does only a 90 degree twist at the top of the loop and then finishes with something like a 135 degree twist from the starting rotation? Either way, it is not the iconic roller coaster/hot wheels loop that I am looking for. This is my bezier curve, is there something easily identifiable that I am doing incorrectly?

side view of loop when unfilled

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
1
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Thumbs up for including alt text for the images, good job. $\endgroup$
    – David
    Commented Dec 22, 2015 at 0:01

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
3
$\begingroup$

Adjust handle's tilt value

According to a Blender reference manual's page:

If the “curve path” is 3D, the Tilt value of its control points will be used [...] to twist the “curved” object around it.

See also this page for further explanation, but basically the setting control the direction of the beveled/extruded object along the curve.

You can find the absolute value of the control point tilt in the properties shelf

enter image description here

You can edit the titl value directly there, or tweak it by pressing Ctrl+T shortcut or you can find the operator in the 3D View menu bar-> Curve-> Control points-> Tilt

enter image description here

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
$\begingroup$

You need to control the tilt of your curve. If you look at your curve in edit mode, you will probably see the guides look something like this:
curve control points

You will want all of the "arrows" along the curve to be flat, that is showing the tilt of your curve.

To fix the problem, simply select the control point(s) and press CtrlT

animated gif

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
$\begingroup$

I prefer creating loopings using the add on "Add Curve: Extra Objects" because the manual adjustment of the tilt angle (described in the answers above) didn't look smooth enough in my case.

my looping

You'll find this add on under File -> User Preferences -> Add-ons -> Add Curve -> Add Curve: Extra Objects -> check the box

Once you enabled this add on go back to the 3D view window (in object mode) -> click "shift A" -> Curve -> Curve Profiles -> Helix (3D)

add helix

Directly after you added the Helix, you can change the size of it in the Operator Panel (this is the panel on the bottom left in 3D View, if there's no panel, click T)

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .