3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [156]
Refine
The Refine button lets you add vertices to a spline without changing the curvature, giving you more control over the details of the spline. With the Refine button selected, just click on a spline where you want the new vertex, and one is added.
The Connect option adds a new segment that connects each two successive points added with the Refine tool. These segments don't actually appear until the Refine button is disabled. This provides a method for copying part of an existing spline. When the Connect option is enabled, then the Linear, Closed, Bind First, and Bind Last options become enabled. The Linear option creates Corner type vertices, resulting in linear segments. The Closed option closes the spline by connecting the first and last vertices. The Bind First and Bind Last options bind the first and last vertices to the center of the selected segment. Refine is available only for Vertex and Segment subobject modes.
Weld and Fuse
When two end point vertices are selected and are within the specified Weld Threshold, they can be welded into one vertex and moved to a position that is the average of the welded points using the Weld button. Several vertices can be welded simultaneously. Another way to weld vertices is to move one vertex on top of another. If they are within the threshold distance, a dialog box asks whether you want them to be welded. Click the Yes button to weld them.
Caution
The Weld button can be used only to weld spline end points. •
The Fuse button is similar to the Weld command, except that it doesn't delete any vertices. It just positions the two vertices on top of one another at a position that is the average of the selected vertices.
In Figure 12.21, the left image shows a star shape with all its lower vertices selected. The middle image is the same star shape after the selected vertices have been welded together, and the right image shows the star shape with the selected vertices fused. The Selection rollout shows five selected vertices for the fused version.
You can use the Fuse button to move the selected vertices to a single location. This is accomplished by selecting all the vertices to relocate and clicking the Fuse button. The average point between all the selected vertices becomes the new location. You can combine these vertices into one after they've been fused by clicking the Weld button.
FIGURE 12.21
Using the Fuse and Weld buttons, several vertices in the star shape have been combined.
Connect
The Connect button lets you connect end vertices to one another to create a new line. This works only on end vertices, not on connected points within a spline. To connect the ends, click the Connect button and drag the cursor from one end point to another (the cursor changes to a plus sign when it is over a valid end point) and release it. The first image in Figure 12.22 shows an incomplete star drawn with the Line primitive, the middle image shows a line being drawn between the end points (notice the cursor), and the third image is the resulting star.
FIGURE 12.22
You can use the Connect button to connect end points of shapes.
Make First
The Show Vertex Numbers option in the Selection rollout displays the number of each vertex. The first vertex is identified by the yellow color. The Make First button lets you change which vertex you want to be the first vertex in the spline. To do this, select a single vertex and click the Make First button. If more than one vertex is selected, Max ignores the command. If the selected spline is an open spline, again Max ignores the command; an end point must be selected.
Note
The vertex number is important because it determines the first key for path animations and where Loft objects start. •
Cycle
If a single vertex is selected, the Cycle button causes the next vertex in the Vertex Number order to be selected. The Cycle button can be used on open and closed splines and can be repeated around the spline. The exact vertex number is shown at the bottom of the Selection rollout. This is very useful for