This is a freebie I'm working on - a kind of a lyre. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do the strings. I have them running from the holes in the tuners over the bridge to the tailpiece. Can't figure out how to make them look like they are going into the holes in the tailpiece. Any ideas or suggestions? Comments and critique always appreciated. I use Carrara 1.1. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Maybe you can post a closeup and possible 2 angles of the tail piece so we can get a better look.

I would model the strings in the spline modeler and add bends to the extrusion path where they cross the bridge and at the end where they need to hook down into the tail piece. I'd also suggest making each string progressively thinner from one to the next. You could also go so far as to make spline spirals to simulate the string winds around the tuning posts.

How do you bring more then one piece into the modelers? It would help me figure out where to add the bends and stuff. I have everything grouped under the body, but when I select everything and click on Model, only the body comes in, all the other pieces stay behind. Thanks in advance for all the help.

That is a problem. You can go back and forth a lot. You can turn on grid and take carefull notes of how many inches you need. You could also, perhaps, bone the strings and pose them manually. Would probably take more work to get the bones adjusted right than to go back and forth tweaking, tho. Your instrument looks to be similar to a medieval lyre, somewhat like the 7th-centurt rote uncovered at Sutton Hoo. I look forward to seeing how it comes out.

Yes nomuse - the reference photo I'm using calls it a 'Saxon Lyre' so you are right on the money! Shadowrider at RDNA was kind of enough to post how to get more then one piece at a time into the vertex modeler. I think this info might be useful to others besides me so I'm posting the link. Hopefully I'll be able to get this done today! Will post a pic when I'm done. Thank you all for your help - you've been very kind.

Attached Link: http://host1.bondware.com/~syydr/messages.ez?forum_id=3&Form.ShowMessage=52347

Jade, Thank you for providing the link! - TJ