morphing shapes around other

[Master chief]

ok heres the story . im trying to make some better looking equipments for my models and one of those parts are there gun barrels . i want to use the standard effect used by most barrel makers with holes in the end ( not the main one the bullet comes out). what i need to know is how can i warp said holes around the tube with out them warping into junk.

 

heres a link to what im taking about

Gun barrel

[pixelplucker]

Easiest way is with a cookie cut stamp. This would be a decal that has an alpha channel (black portions on the alpha become transparent).

[HomeSlice]

The easiest way would be to use a transparency map or cookie-cut decal.

The next easiest way would be to use booleans.

If you want to model the holes, then the only advise I can give is .... lots of practice

[robcat2075]

you can make a transparency or cookie cut decal wrap around a cylinder by choosing "Application Method>Cylindrical" before you apply

[John Bigboote]

I started-out in this direction... but I know what I need to do to get it smoother... time! Maybe later...NO BOOLEANS though...or alpha image trickery.

gunbarrel.mdl

[robcat2075]

the duplicator wizard makes arranging boolean cutters easy

 

 

[John Bigboote]

Yup- I am with Rob---BOOLEANS are the way to accomplish this task.

[robcat2075]

The spline paradox... modeling smooth surfaces is easy, modeling holes in smooth surfaces is hard.