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I am trying to make a model of a braided nylon sleve which I want to use for kitbashing.

Here is what im trying to make

Air muscle

I know how to make the tube inside and everything, but I'm struggling with the braided nylon. I want to make the whole muscle straight and in a resting position so I can later deform it as desired.

I know that patterns like this are easy to replicate with normal map patterns in some software, but i am trying to make it as a high poly model I can use while concepting and kitbashing.

The biggest issue I am having is making a single segment that can easily be arrayed and modified so remains similar to it.

So far I have tried using a cylinder, cutting all the faces, modifying it and arraying it and twisting but it only turns out looking like a basic net.

If you could just direct me to what I could do, and you dont need to specifically say the button needed, I know where everything is located and all the buttons, I just need to figure out in which order/way should I go to make this.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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2 Answers 2

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  1. Add a mesh circle to your scene
  2. Extrude it vertically
  3. Poke its faces with Alt + P
  4. Remove the vertical edges by selecting one of them and pressing Shift + G > Select Grouped > by Direction
  5. Remove the triangle faces with the same operator by Polygon Sides

Circle

  1. Add an empty object to the scene
  2. Add a Bezier Curve object too
  3. Now add an Array modifier to the circle
  4. Clear the pre-defined relative offset options
  5. Check the Object Offset option
  6. Pick the previously added empty object
  7. Set it to Fit Curve mode
  8. Pick the previously added Bezier Curve
  9. Now adjust the Position of the Empty to match the rotation and the height
  10. Move it up half the distance extruded in point 2

Modifiers

  1. Rotate it about the Z axis $360°$ divided by twice the number of edges of the circle (by default a circle has 32 edges so $360° / (32 * 2) = 5.625°$)
  2. Rotate the whole Circle + Empty in the Y axis $90$ degrees
  3. Add a Curve modifier and pick the same curve used in the array
  4. Now add a Wireframe modifier
  5. Adjust the curve's shape as necessary

Wireframe

  1. Control the dilation/contraction of the nylon sleeve with the curve vertex radius

Curve Shape

  1. Enter edit mode in the curve, select a vertex and press Alt + S by default.

Curve Radius

  1. Profit!
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    $\begingroup$ First of all thanks a lot! :D this is exactly what i needed.The biggest issue i had is getting the squares cut with an "X" and getting it to look like a net,but with this it made it much simpler. $\endgroup$
    – Nikola P.
    Commented Jul 31, 2016 at 12:48
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There's an alternative route to diagonal meshes, which is quicker than the array method already given, but more destructive: you can't change the number of mesh elements as easily, later in the process.

enter image description here

  1. Starting with a subdivided cylinder
  2. In Edit mode:further subdivide the edges you wish to make diagonal: CtrlE Edge menu > 'Subdivide'
  3. Unsubdivide the same selection withan odd number of iterations, (here, 1): CtrlE Edge menu > 'Unsubdivide'
  4. Construct your deformation curve, ( easiest with coincident origin with the mesh to be deformed, aligned along deforming axis)
  5. Add 'Curve' and 'Wireframe' modifiers, as described fully in Duarte Farrajota Ramos' answer.
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