What's the best way to fill a pipe using geometry?

[magneto]

Hi,

Kind of like water flowing but using a simple geometry that conforms to the shape of the tube/pipe geometry.

Here is a screenshot:

Currently I am using the Trail SOP with a small increment and a Trail Length of 500, but it feels inefficient to me. I had to use a large number so by the end, the start of the "fluid" geometry doesn't disappear.

Is this the best way?

Thanks

[tmdag]

you could use carve tool

pipe.hipnc

Edited October 23, 2013 by tmdag

[magneto]

Thanks tmdag, I tried that but when the curve is NURBS and you use PolyWire (after Convert) or Sweep, Skin, the geometry detail moves noticeably around the corners. Not sure if that can be fixed

[amination]

If your control movement is one direction ONLY, I would suggest get few particles flow along the curve and copy Metaballs on them.

Hope this helps!

[tmdag]

maybe one of those will suit your needs ?

pipe2.hipnc

[yaohaosquall]

Hi~if you worry about the details lost at the corners of the curve,you can use a resample sop which will maitain most of the details you need with appropriate paramaters.And if you want to reduce the number of the points generated by the resample node,you can then wire in a refine node and choose "Unrefine" mode,which will reduce the number of points at the flat area while keep the points at the corners.

[DBaciu]

Or maybe something like this?

pipe3.hipnc

[magneto]

Thanks alot guys. @tmdag: Lots of creative ways, cheers

[Guest mantragora]

pipe.hipnc

[magneto]

Thanks mantragora, that's pretty impressive

[DBaciu]

I fail to see the benefits of what Mantragora did... What's the point of skinning the tube in longitudinal, alternating pairs?

[Guest mantragora]

It's just another way. Nothing more. Pick your poison.

[magneto]

Yes it's just one of the ways that maintained segments along the way instead of shifting just like a handful posted here.