joining 3 cylinders, for example

Hi there,

Anyone have a suggestion for joining 3 cylinders?

Imagine 3 cylinders of similar diameter coming at each other, 120
degrees apart. The end of each cylinder stops short of touching the
other 2. How can I make a shape (either surface or solid) that joins
all 3 cylinders, where the outer face is tangent with the outer faces
of each cylinder (i.e., the face with the label on it, if the cylinder
were a soup can).

Similar issue: I'd like to make a human torso shape, where I'll have
the waist, and the 2 legs coming off the torso. How could I make one
shape that "joins" these 3 cylinders?

Many thanks in advance.

 

The basic technique is easy.
http://www.edeaton.com/SWx_sample_files.htm
The first file is a quickie - look at feature statistics and you will
see it took me five minutes from start to fiinish.
So I am guseeing that this is not want you want because you could've
pulled this one off simply with fillets and you would have figured
that out for yourself. Instead of fillets I modeled a more flexible
option so you could see another way of doing it.
After posting that file I thought I would also post something less
'easy', and if you look at feature stats of 'more complicated Y
branch', minus the time to debug this new web page, etc,etc., the
modeling time was more like 20 minutes. When you vary from the
obvious, lofts (or boundary or fill) require some art,
In the case of 'more complicated Y branch' I needed to back off the
split lines to give more space for the fill to do its business.
I hope this helps, but I suspect that you still don't have your
answer. I have been helping folks here for a very long time (I think
I've just crested a decade) and know that, when it comes to these
sorts of joints, the specifics really, really, really, really, really,
really matter.
The final solution will probably be similar to one I provided, but it
might also need to include a Loft or Boundary ACROSS the gap to
control the fills that are used to fill in the gap
If you came to me with the exact diameters and orientations of your
three cylinders and the exact 'character' of the joint you desire(does
it bulge out, does it flow straight, etc) I could likely show you how
to nail it.
Good luck! Hope some of this helps!
Ed

 

Here's a Y blend.. http://www.zxys.com/misc/Y-Blend-zxys.zip

..it's similar to the T&Y blend (circ 2002) here..
http://www.zxys.com/swparts/TnY_Blend.zip

,.. depending on what you are trying to achieve in the n-sided blends
(fill surface),.. it will take more time to adjust the split-lines
angles and pressure/influence used with each side loft.
otherwise.... adding helper surfaces or curves can increase the
curvature around the perimeter.

.. 8^)