Subject: Re: Coiled Cord
From: daniel s milling jr <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 3 Sep 1994 03:11:59 -0500 (CDT)

> 
> What is the best way to make a coiled telephone cord. I'm sure I
> read how to do it somewhere, but I can't remember.  I assume that
> once it is created I can bend it into a more natural position.
> Hints?
> 
> --Doug

  One way to do this is to create a spiral curve and rail extrude a 
disc object along that curve.  To create the curve, I would simply create
an 8 sided disc and REMOVE the polygon.  You are left with 8 points.  If you
created that flat disc in the YZ view, move each point, minus the first,
toward the -X axis.  After you move the first group of points (7) 
deselect the point nearest the first point and move the rest, until all
have been moved an equal amount. 

  To lengthen the coil just copy your points and move the existing points
over toward -X and paste back the original.  Do this until you have enough.
Now it's a simple matter of selecting all of the points in the Front View
(XY) and do a Make Curve.  

  Once this is done, create another simple disc and position it at the head
or start of the curve.  Orient it so that it is more or less perpendicular 
to the first and second connected points.  Now just rail extrude that disc
with ORIENTED turned on.  Instant coil.

Dan Milling
[email-masked]  or  [email-masked]