Make Curved Ends that form into a circle base?

Question

So I am trying to figure out how to make this base shape. I've tried array modifier with a circle curve, but that makes my pieces separate and not connected.

So far I have this simple outline, but not sure how to make the top pieces beveled properly since the angles are not fully straight.

Is there any easy solution to making these curved tops?

If I extrude and make bevels it looks like this but it's not angle properly and seems incorrect

Answer 1

1. Delete the inner walls and just keep the outside faces. You can add thickness with a Solidify modifier (now or after creating the rounded tops, doesn't matter).

2. Go into an orthographic view from the front or right, whereever you have your reference. Move the top edge further up with G Z and scale it with S so that it covers the shape you want to achieve.

3. Create a loop cut with Ctrl+R and slide it up to where the rounded tops should start.

4. Now select the top edge again. From the viewport menu, choose Mesh > Split > Faces & Edges by Vertices. You might not see a difference immediately, but each vertex on the top edge is now split in two vertices.

5. While they are all still selected, press Ctrl+Shift+B to bevel the vertices. Like edge bevel you can scroll the mouse wheel to get more or less segments. Hit C to clamp the effect so that vertices can't go past each other. Left-click or Enter to confirm.

6. Now this might look too rounded, so directly after beveling there is the tool options menu on the bottom right. Change the default Offset in the Width Type dropbox to something else, like Percent for example and change the value for width. This looks less rounded.

7. At last, hit A to select all, then M > Merge > By Distance to get rid of the doubled vertices that might be there because of the clamped bevel.

If you now add a Solidify modifier to the object (or already have one), the result looks like this:

Answer 2

You could create a 12 vertex cylinder with Cap Fill Type > Triangle Fan, remove 11/12 segments:

Subdivide vertically, move up the top vertice with the Proportional Editing (Sphere) activated:

Create an empty at the same position as the object origin, give your object an Array modifier, Object Offset mode with the empty as Object, rotate the empty 30° on Z:

Give your object a Lattice modifier, scale down the bottom of your lattice, give your object a Solidify modifier in order to give it thickness:

Shade smooth your object, activate the Auto Smooth option:

Answer 3

This could be a place for Simple Deform > Taper, so you can work in convenient axes.

Staring with a 12-sided topless cylinder:

• Mark all edges with Bevel Weight 1
• Subdivide all with 2 cuts
• Use CtrlShiftNumpad + to select every mid- section edge around the top, and GZ raise to rough half-circles:

.. and then you're ready for:

• Simple Deform > Taper
• Solidify ('Complex', 'Even', 'None')
• Bevel (by Weight, 2 segments, Shape profile: 1)
• Subdivision Surface