How should I build a realistic water slide?

Question

I've seen a few posts online about this question before, though all the answers lack realism to the slides. My main issue is not knowing where to begin. I've tried several methods though all of them seem to have some kind of problem. (I should note that I don't know everything about Blender yet.)

Example of what I'm looking for:

There are a few things to note:

• Each segment of the slide has 2 connectors on each side split down the middle. The rotation of these connectors varies per piece.
• I would preferably like to have each slide segment split as a separate mesh for exporting.
• Some slides have non enclosed sections with varying heights depending on forces (see image below.)

Sorry if it seems like I'm asking for too much here. I just need to be pointed in the right direction on how to do something like this. As I said earlier, the other posts about this are great, but they lack the realism I'm trying to achieve.

Thanks for reading!

Answer 1

If you build it in 3.2 alpha you will have some geometry nodes to choose from that were not there before. The trim curve and extrude node are super useful for a project like this. An advantage to building it with geometry nodes is that you can copy your "waterslide modifier" to as many curves as you like. However, this may take some patience to put together, and you will have to change the design to fit your exact needs. Remember that the previous suggestions on Stack Exchange you have read for building waterslides were solid advice, and the realism will come from focussing on each element of your scene and working on the details until you are satisfied.

Here is my idea-

With Add Curve: extra objects enabled in your preferences create an interesting curve, such as a spiral with a bit of height.

Then add a geometry nodes modifier and begin to work on your tree. Also add a solidify modifier after it.

Here are the necessary nodes to create a tube out of your curve with the trim curve node so that we can adjust the length. Use an arc as the profile, in order to create the non-enclosed space on the slide:

Then build the outside lattice or edge rings from the same curve:

After you have connected everything here is what you should have:

If you copy the tree and change the profile curve to a circle instead of an arc, you can have the enclosed part of your waterslide.

optional If you wish to eliminate the solidify modifier or smooth the rivets, it can be done without them:

After change the trim curve, delete or add some nodes, and this should at least give you enough ideas to start working.