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Manufacturing

Sprue Helix

Sprue Helix

The Sprue Helix command hangs copies of one piece between the turns of a helix: a wire spirals up around a central trunk, and each copy stands in the gap between two turns, held by a connector from the turn below and stitched to the turn above.

It was built for chains: pick one link, say how many you need, and the command works out a helix where hundreds of copies sit close enough to assemble into a chain after casting, yet never touch.

ArtisanSprueHelix

Building the helix

  1. Select link — pick the mesh (or SubD) to multiply. Its two anchor points are placed automatically on its longest axis; the X / Y / Z buttons re-align them, and two gumballs on the original link let you drag each anchor by hand. The chosen axis is the one that ends up vertical when the piece hangs.
  2. Set Copies (125 by default) and, if needed, Min Distance — extra clearance demanded between pieces on top of simply not touching. At 0, only genuine intersections are flagged, which is what interlocking chain links want.
  3. Generate helix — the command works out the turns, diameter, and height from the copies and the piece’s size, and reports the result: how many pieces were placed and how many centimeters of chain that makes. Pieces that still intersect are drawn red in the preview.
  4. Adjust, Recalculate if you change something by hand, and Accept.

Connector

  • Length — how far the connector lifts the piece off the wire; it also drives the spacing between turns.
  • Diameter — thickness of both connectors, the one below the piece and the one stitching it to the turn above.

Helix

  • Diameter — the diameter of the spiral path itself.
  • Height — the height of the helix, which is also the length of the main sprue.
  • Turns — how many revolutions cover that height.
  • Wire Diameter — thickness of the helix wire.

Base

  • Base Diameter / Base Height — the cone standing on the plate.
  • Sprue Diameter — the central trunk the helix winds around.
  • Support Number / Support Diameter — the radial arms tying the helix to the trunk; Generate sets one arm per turn, staggered so they never stack on the same vertical.

The base point of the tree carries a gumball — drag it to move the whole helix on the plate.