Thanks so much for understanding, Matt. I think I do it at least once every year. Shame on me! I have to get better than that.
Sorry, I have no idea if I get invited to NAB. I would love to go, it has been a while, at least for Las Vegas. (At NAB New York, I had presented twice last year.) We had a great crew at the booth. I have nothing but good memories of any NAB, especially in ‘06, when MoGraph was introduced. MoGraph got this year an Academy Award (Oscar), I’m so proud to be from day one on board with it and help to make it grow since.
To your file, yes finally, it took me a few hours to find something that is relatively quick to explore and easy to share. (I have examined this area a little bit this evening.) I have created three different approaches, whereby I think that version …_21.c4d is the simplest, given the target here.
Please have a look
Scene files and screen capture
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/pYOh94hgFbL8adLda0kyBkmeaO8oCEx0RmFX6pdT4EB
The idea for version …_21.c4d was to create with a small set of Linear Fields a value space where any number of helix could be rotated in and receive the information needed. If I understand the principle of the compressor correctly, the gas moves into the helix and encounters there progressively less space, hence the increased pressure. This works on two sides, with a 180º rotation in the same way, which keeps several parts in balance.
Each side starts with low pressure and then it increases, which is per side created by two Linear fields. The Blend mode MULTIPLY allows here only for create than zero values of both have values greater than zero (otherwise zero times anything = zero). One Linear Field separates the 180º space from the other, and the one Field applies values only in a small area. This space is pretty much where the pressure is the highest. If the helix arrives partially on the other side, the pressure is low again, and the other two Fields start their influence.
Since all of that is kind of dynamic, but also in a way static, the animation needs some care. So, each requires its own material. Well, that pushes to see if the Fields could just serve something more complex.
Scene file
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/MQhkGcw89xWCr9mt6fzVe9buVNVXtaGnzHCOfVA0i2j
The idea was here to have six copies, and just one material and one Vertex Tag. It works. I even moved and rotated it, and it keeps working.
Let me know if that is useful for you or if we have to look into something else.
My best wishes