How would you model this piece of geometry?

I am still learning Blender so I would like to know how would you model this piece? Below pictures you can see my workflow.

Basically, I created 2 rings and used a Loop Tools (Loft Tool) to create the geometry between the rings. I also repeated the same Loop Tool (Loft Tool) process 12 times. Naturally I would still use Subdivision Surface Modifier and scaling down (z-axis) to finalize the piece. In order to avoid the repeating the process, how can I copy the geometry (circular copy) around the rings?

Anyway, I would be willing to know if you have any other ways to create the same geometry. This is because I am still having hard time to get used to “the Blender way of modeling”.




In order to avoid the repeating the process, how can I copy the geometry (circular copy) around the rings?

Select mesh in edit mode, Shift+D to duplicate, rotate around model, repeat
or
Array modifier http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.6/Manual/Modifiers/Generate/Array

You really want an edge loop around the hole to get a clean subsurf result

Here’s how I’d go about it.

  1. Create a UV sphere (12 rings, 12 segments). Delete its bottom half and top vertex. Extrude bottom ring and make a flat disc at the top (either by extruding+scaling the top ring or by adding a loop cut, shift+selecting the top ring and scaling 0 times along Z axis).
  2. Switch to edge select mode and select one vertical edge at the bottom.
  3. Menu Select -> Edge Rings then Select -> Edge Loops.


  1. Bevel (Ctrl+B) to your liking.
  2. Switch to face select mode and invert selection.
  3. Deselect top and bottom rings of faces (Alt+Shift+RMB).
  4. Delete faces.
  5. Back to edge select mode, select a single edge at the bottom.
  6. Select similar by Length (Shift+G).


  1. W -> Subdivide. You should have all the bottom edges selected after this.
  2. Circularize that bottom ring: Alt+Shift+S, 1, Enter.
  3. Select all, extrude, right click, scale along normals (Alt+S).


Somehow, my pie menu got into that last screenshot, I don’t know why.

The rest is cosmetics. Scale along Z with proportional edit, add loop cuts as Richard mentioned (or just bevel appropriate edges), etc.

Thanks a lot for these answers!

Richard, I don’t really like the Array modifier because it is somehow complicated to use. Anyway, I really need to learn to use the Array tool. I noticed that I was able to do the similar thing with Spin tool also.

Stan, this workflow was a real eye opener. I was not aware of the funtionalities (selecting geometry, beveling this way, circularize, etc.) in Blender at all. Therefore, it is great to see different ways to create the geometry.