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I am trying to map an image of an arrow around a torus and then rotate the torus to animate it, around both its major axis and its minor axis.

I have had responses to this issue back in 2018, but now I need it to work and I do not have the means or ability to figure out why shift-r does not do anything in the blender I have. I believe blender can do what I need, but it has yet to be proven to me, as no one has yet done the animated torri with the arrow images at full bleed. If it can be done and the blender file provided to me, especially if I can animate expanding torri and the whole linked torri spinning in space as well as rotating around both axis (all four - two major and two minor), I am willing to pay money for that blender file. I do not have the time to get up to speed with blender this time around. I appreciate the work, skill and talent, required and involved, based on my experience with Autocad mostly back in 1991 as well as the early 2000's.

I have tried using armatures in the torus and rotating the armatures both around the minor axis and the major axis of the the torus but this kinks the surface of the torus.

The single arrow, on a grid 24x24, extends to the full extent of the torus' surface, which is divided into 24x24 faces to facilitate mapping - whether in Blender or not, but in 2D animation.

Ultimately two torri are linked, each with its own arrow image, one positive and the other negative. The positive arrow on one torrus maps into the negative hole arrow in the other torrus.

Here is a link to the entire completed animation done in 2D: https://www.sites.google.com/site/hesusjoychrist/home/hesus-joy-christ/the-spirit-of-one-animated

I would like to be able to duplicate this 2D animation in 3D Blender.

I need to be able to animate the segments of the torri so that they can expand and contract. This I will have to figure out myself I suppose. So I think I need armatures that can influence both and each torri to fatten and thin as they rotate.

Here are some more images to illustrate the mapping: Male positive Arrow image mapping Female negative Arrow image mapping. female torrus negative image of diagonal arrow cut out of entirety of torrus surface Male torrus positive image of a diagonal arrow forming entire surface of torrus Here is a 2D map of the arrows, but I am using 12x12 rather than 10x10, and the arrows are full bleed in that they both extend each to the limit of the torrus mappings. ![one positive arrow at 90 degrees to a negative arrow, both at 24x24

R David Foster
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  • Does this answer your question? How do I rotate to animate, a torus around its minor axis? – susu Aug 22 '20 at 17:23
  • Well. . . . . . maybe ??? But this is the answer I got when I posted this question 2 years ago, and I am still not able to make it work. As I said, I am willing to pay because I appreciate the skill, experience and talent it takes to solve this. I have not been able to comprehend, if not apply, the responses I received to that question posted two years ago. – R David Foster Aug 22 '20 at 17:31
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    If the question is the same, but you have not been able to make the answers work for you, then edit and update the original question documenting your efforts and addressing specific problems instead of asking the same thing again. – susu Aug 22 '20 at 17:56
  • I chose to attempt the answer that had the armatures because I would like to vary the torri as to minor radius length to enlarge and deflate each torus. Shift-r did nothing. so I was unable to even create the array of armatures. The other answers I was never familiar enough with regarding uv wrapping, so not having the time, I never even attempted them. Here is a link of my capability with blender six years ago. https://sites.google.com/site/vid932008/animation/blender . I do not have the resources to even duplicate that, specifically where the torus kinks. – R David Foster Aug 22 '20 at 18:29
  • I do admit that just because I cannot make it work does not mean blender cannot do it. I do have concerns about whether it can be done at full bleed. – R David Foster Aug 22 '20 at 18:29
  • There it is. If it can be done I will pay for it to be done. My next step is to hire someone through local animation organizations. – R David Foster Aug 22 '20 at 18:30
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    This site is not a forum. So please edit your original question and keep all of it in one post. Also, if the accepted answer is not working for you don't mark it as accepted. – susu Aug 22 '20 at 18:30
  • Read also https://blender.stackexchange.com/help/no-one-answers – susu Aug 22 '20 at 18:32
  • I had to try it, so I accepted that answer. Can I no longer accept it? – R David Foster Aug 22 '20 at 18:34
  • Sure, you can change your mind and accept others. But please erase this post and take all of this to the original post, so that all of it is in a single place and not spread in many. – susu Aug 22 '20 at 18:36
  • Think this could also be done with two curve modifiers. Agree with comments above is same question. – batFINGER Aug 22 '20 at 19:44

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That can be something like this (if I understand the question...):

enter image description here

The idea is to hook a grid (1x2 proportions) then simple deform bend twice to make a torus and finally weld to remove doubles.

Then if we move the hook object (only in X/Y axis), that will rotate around the simple deform with bend option.

enter image description here

In short:

  • Hook will move all vertices (in the animation, just move the hook empty in X/Y so that the arrow will move around the torus)
  • Simple deform / bend 360 makes a tube
  • Simple deform / bend 360 makes a torus
  • Weld merges doubles

lemon
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    Nice. Was looking at two curve modifiers (minor and major radii circles) this is prob better and easier. – batFINGER Aug 22 '20 at 19:47
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This isn't a good place to commission works. I'd recommend posting on https://blenderartists.org/c/jobs/14 instead.

In my opinion, what you want is most easily (and perfectly) acheived by using a curve modified mesh to create your torus. This allows you to animate the "tilt" property of the curve handles in order to rotate the torus in its minor axis.

  1. Create a bezier circle. In properties/object data/shape, check Bounds Clamp and Stretch.

  2. Create a cylinder. In edit mode, delete its end caps, then create additional edge loops (about 30 loop cuts). At default orientation for cylinder and circle, rotate the cylinder 90 degrees in the world Y axis.

  3. Give the cylinder a curve modifier. Target your bezier circle. Follow this with a weld modifier on the cylinder to "seal" your ends. You should now see your torus:

enter image description here

I'm comparing the edit mode (un-modified) mesh on the left with the curve modified mesh on the right. Keep in mind, you can edit this cylinder any way you want, to create the precise torus you want-- for example, scaling it the the YZ axes will reduce the minor radius.

Now you can create controls. I'll recommend one particular way, but anything can be a control. I'm using drivers, so make sure that "Auto-run python scripts" is enabled in user preferences.

  1. Create an armature. In edit mode, name the bone "Root" then create another bone and name it "Roll". Parent Roll to Root.

  2. Parent both the bezier circle and the cylinder, bone relative, to the Root bone.

  3. Enter pose mode on your armature. Select Roll bone, then look on the sidebar. Right click in the field for item/transform/rotation/y and select "Copy as new driver".

  4. Enter edit mode on your bezier circle. Select one of your control points. Look on the sidebar at item/transform/tilt. Right click in that field and select "Paste as new driver." Repeat this step for all four of your control points.

enter image description here

You can see the four drivers in the driver editor screen on top. You can create these drivers manually, but copy/pasting paths as recommended is a very quick and easy way to make nearly any kind of driver.

Now try it out. When you transform Root, the entire torus transforms with it. When you rotate Roll in its local Y axis, the torus rotates around its minor axis.

You've mentioned a desire to also be able to expand and contract parts of the torus. This can be achieved via the "radius" parameter of each of the curve's control handles, which can be driven with any property desired in the same manner that you're driving tilt. In unison or individually, depending on whether you drive from a single control or multiples.

In this simple example, a simple curve object could have been used instead of a curve modified mesh. But that's not always true. Ysing a curve modified mesh creates some additional flexibility not available to curve objects.

Nathan
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