Circular Array
Currently, to create a gear, a wheel or similar objects, we have to create an empty, which has the same exact scale and location as the main object, and rotate it by 360 divided by number or spokes.
Also, we cannot easily move, duplicate or scale the object, since we need to carry the empty with it.
We could also have a clipping option, working exactly like on the mirror modifier, to avoid crossing the junction between spokes.
This could be integrated into the array modifier, or by adding a "use duplicate" option on the Screw modifier
This idea was marked as a duplicate of Circular Array Modifier (spin in mod form).
8 Comments
i got an addon that do this and modal to orient it to x and y and rotation . you can try it on my gumroad and its FREE. rodlum62.gumroad.com/l/lfmqk
Actually, you don't have to do that. Creating a radial array with geometry nodes works quite well.
Geometry nodes is awesome, but having to deal with the whole geometry node system just for a circular array is not really a practical alternative, having to figure out how to setup a (quite complex for beginners) geometry node for this is not intuitive, In an alternative world, we could remove every modifiers and ask people to do their mirror, array and subdivision surface with geometry nodes. It would work, yes, but it would be painful to use ! I think that geo nodes is for very specific things, or to develop addons. A circular array is a quite generic thing (it even exist as a destructive tool in edit mode).
afaik Goal of BF is to just ship things like circular array geometry node with blender.
So users don't have to know how to make it themself, and its easier to maintain and modify for others.
I've been advocating that a very long time. This requires nothing more than dropping some node groups into the installer asset folder, or the default scene. No idea why this simple QOL step hasn't been taken.
Currently the problem, which in fact have been a problem for blender for years is that everyone will have to do same steps to make Blender "production ready". Which means that they download same addons and in this case node groups and then try to figure out how to setup and use those. It would be very useful if some simple tools like this was always shipped from the start with Blender.
No idea too. My guess that's because nodes are not yet capable to create nice to work with modifier like that.
Panels, enums came very reccently. Gizmos and more customizable UIs are not yet done.
And looking at this task it checks out: projects.blender.org/blender/blender/issues/105248
Node groups for a radial array already exist, and work great. I've got one in my startup file.