Making a steel coil

[Anonymous]

How do I animate a coil that wraps around a roll? The coil has to start as a flat plate that approaches the roll then starts to wrap around the roll while creating more layers on itself without crossing its own path. I have tried a path deform with a helix, but that does not work. I am very inexperienced with 3ds so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[jibijib]

Create a spline in the shape of a helix and then deform to path using a cylinder made up of loads of segments.

[Anonymous]

This method does not work because it makes the box look like it moves through itself. The box needs to be able to begin by making one loop around the cylinder then begin to stack onto itself.

[leeminardi]

You can loft a circle along a couple of helices and then use the Scale Deformation feature to control the visibility of the coil.  See the screencast.

Lee