How to create perfect gears in Blender

[@doodlebob2000]

Somewhat new to blender and recently made some gears for a project, absolute nightmare trying to make my own with the checker deselect, thank you so much for showing this other technique!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

No worries Bob. Glad it's going to help!

[@Bee-KL]

Thanks for sharing. After you have subdivided the gear from the extra objects, select the outer faces and assign them to a vertex group. There are existing groups, the one for the tips works as a base. After subdividing you have to ctrl- (select less) and you have your new group. Make a cylinder with a high vertex count which has exactly the same dimensions and shrinkwrap the vertex group to the cylinder. repeat that for the inner faces. I usually select those and after assigning them to a new vertex group, I duplicate and separate them to get the correct size for the 2nd cylinder.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Very nice use of vertex groups 👌🏼👍🏻 I'm not sure that would take much less time than creating your own from scratch but it's a very elegant approach 😁

[@Bee-KL]

@@ArtisansofVaul That is true, if you use a bool addon. IMHO, with the free addon ND it is even easier compared to HOps, but not everyone uses such addons, and I still prefer the shrinkwarp, there is no clean up later on. For me shrink wrapping is easier, quicker and more precise than the manual approach with the relay. You were asking for an alternative for that approach and this is mine 🙂 If I would do them completely manually, I would rather do two mesh circles with the measurements I need, connect the correct edges for one tooth and do a circular array. That isn't hard to do, and if I need a pressure angle that might be the quickest and easiest way to get to the correct result. Getting the correct angle with a bool tool can be time consuming.

[@richardokeeffe8375]

Always love the multiple method approach dude

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Thanks man 😁👍🏻

[@mind_of_a_darkhorse]

This is good to know and the gear tool tends to be a pain! Thanks for an easy-to-digest explanation of what all the options are on it!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

No worries Darkhorse. Glad it was helpful.

[@markghostrock]

There's an add-on called Precision Gears by Maker Tales (on both Gumroad and Blender Market), and the latest version (0.1.93) works in Blender 4.1.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Thanks so much. I'll check it out 😁👌🏼

[@choober75]

9.15 - regarding checker deselect not working as expected - you can fix that by selecting all but one face, which will change the behaviour of checker deselect from symmetrically deselecting (where deselections emanate out clockwise AND anticlockwise from the clicked face), to just a single direction.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Im going to have to check this out. I never heard of that so that could be totally game changing! Thanks so much!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Tried it. Blown my mind! Great tip!

[@chrismartinartist]

Hi AV, two ways you could solve the outer curvature, there's a free add-on called Neltulz Edge Curve Plus, it adds loops while maintaing the curve. Or a more prcise way you could use the inner hole of a cylinder (like a Polo mint) as a Boolean cutter. Love the channel.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Thanks so much. I'll be sure to look that one up!

[@pranavnalole8005]

i have 4.2 and the add mesh: extra objects isn't popping up. did it change in this version or something?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@pranavnalole8005 it might need to be activated.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

If it isn't in your addon menu go to the get extensions section and add it from there first 👍🏻

[@pranavnalole8005]

@@ArtisansofVaul you're right lol i found it. thanks for replying so quickly!

[@83Ironside]

Couldn't you expand the length of the teeth using the built in mesh object and use an intersection boolean with a correctly sized cylinder to round them off?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

That's a good use of the intersection boolean. That would definetly work but wouldn't solve the issue of the curves between each of the teeth. You could use a cut/knife project function slightly insides tjose to do the same and delete the verts from the original geometry too, but that's possibly a bit time consuming.

[@minimeijertje]

Thank you! does anyone know how to scale the "add gear" window? mine is to small for settings to display.. :(

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@minimeijertje That's odd. Even when you press the "arrow" to expand it? There is a setting but it will enlarge everything/all text

[@minimeijertje]

@@ArtisansofVaul yeah it was displaying the arrow, i think it had to do with differend resolutions of my screens. Updated blender to te latest version did fix it though:)

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@minimeijertje Sweet 👍🏻

[@flaminggorilla7492]

Appreciate you making the video! Some great tips and will give it a shot for my Iron Hands. This request might be a bit more, but do you have any tips for making Eldar weapons? Not like the perfectly round ones, but some of the weirder shapes like shuriken pistols and what not? Thanks again mate!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

I'd normally use sub D for most of the odd shapes. This video might be of use, it's a bit of an old one but it's eldar related and has a combination of rounded shapes but also flat parts: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5LLXqODatmBb7s

[@flaminggorilla7492]

@@ArtisansofVaul I'll give it a look! Thanks for all the excellent videos.

[@tacticalteamkilling6539]

None of these methods are anything like real gears. Great technique for cosmetic gears for a video game or something, though.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

What makes them not like gears specifically? It would be helpful to know.

[@tacticalteamkilling6539]

@@ArtisansofVaul There's a lot more math involved when it comes to functioning gears. The addon has the basics and could probably produce a working gear if it had better resolution and with a bit of playing around with the settings. There's a lot that can be improved with the addon though.

[@georgb302]

@@ArtisansofVaul just search for "gear calculation". You will find a lot technical stuff and some gear generators.

[@billyreynolds2707]

The video does start with “Greetings Hobbyists,” so there’s no mistaking the level of depth tbh

[@WarlordTraveler]

This is so good! Hey, got a question for you. Do you think you can make a video on how to make another gear part from a vehicle? Specifically, a "Clutch?"

[@ArtisansofVaul]

That sounds fun. Im going to be honest my knowledge of car parts is pretty limited though so I would be worried I would be incorrect in what I am showing, which wouldnt be of benefit.

[@WarlordTraveler]

@@ArtisansofVaul Hm, alright. In that case, do you know where I can find a video related to that?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@WarlordTraveler I can't say I have seen one I'm afraid. Out of curiosity what you planning on doing with it?

[@WarlordTraveler]

@@ArtisansofVaul Oh, just a school project.

[@emmamarx9284]

Great video! Thanks! 🙏

[@ArtisansofVaul]

My pleasure Emma. 😁👍🏻

[@WarlordTraveler]

By the way, what blender are you using?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

At the moment 4.2. I pretty much keep up with the major releases.

[@cyrkielnetwork]

Just above Gears there's Math Function. You can use math to generate shapes, and you can find functions for different type of gears.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Oh cool? That's an awesome tip! I'm going to have to check that out. Thanks so much 👌🏼

[@6k911Channel]

Remember to install the "Extra Mesh Objects" addon in Edit -> Preferences before you begin Edit: I realise he mentions it in the vid but I skipped by that lol

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@6k911Channel haha. A reminder is always good 😁👍🏻

[@ravenpilled]

Why not just use a bevel on the sharp edge loops to smooth them out 8:23

[@ArtisansofVaul]

That's wouldn't result in them being round as the cylinder behind. They would be more rounded but not a circular shape.

[@stigmautomata]

Uh oh, here come the machinists

[@ArtisansofVaul]

😂😂😂 I may have angered them 😨

[@k4x4map46]

noice!!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Cheers 😁👍🏻 Thanks for blitzing through so many videos.

[@k4x4map46]

@@ArtisansofVaul oh yeah its holiday so catching up!!!

[@chuckysmith5255]

Have a look into getting a zues book its the best thing in the entire world. It literally has all engineering equations in it and how to work them out. For thongs like this it woupd work fsr easier its just alot more maths. Was best thing during my aprentaship

[@ArtisansofVaul]

😁👍🏻Cheers

[@chuckysmith5255]

@ArtisansofVaul your very welcome you have a look on toolstation

[@slawomirmiazga3728]

None of them will work actually. There is some guides how all the curve should go to make gear working. For art or decoration is OK, but for printing and working none at all.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

👍🏻

[@darrennew8211]

Good description of the gear numbers, which probably make perfect sense to people who actually make machines that use gears. The guy who runs the "Keep Making" channel has a very sophisticated paid gear/bolt/screw generator add-on, specifically designed for working 3d-printed gears that are actually functional instead of just looking good. v=gKR1FHc7Iuc

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Oh cool. I'm not sure your link posted correctly....

[@darrennew8211]

@@ArtisansofVaul I did that because youtube comments with links in them get deleted. :-)

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@darrennew8211 Ahh... ok