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The two end pieces connect.

4. In the Parameters rollout, select the Smoothing: Bridge option to smooth the seat of the bench.

Figure 27.15 shows the resulting park bench.

FIGURE 27.15

A Connect compound object can join two open holes in separate objects.

Creating a Loft Object

Lofting is a term that comes from the shipbuilding industry. It describes a method for building ships that creates and positions the cross sections and then attaches a surface or skin along the length of the cross sections.

To create a Loft object, you need to have at least two spline shapes: one shape that defines the path of the Loft and another shape that defines its cross section. After the shapes are created, select the Create⇒Compound menu command. A Loft button is enabled if two or more splines are present in the viewport.

Tip

Be aware of the orientation of the cross-section shape and the loft path before the loft is applied. The cross section's local Z-axis is always aligned with the path's local Y-axis. By making the correct orientations before applying the loft, you can save some headache. If the orientations aren't correct, you can edit the pivot on either object. •

Using the Get Shape and Get Path buttons

After you click the Loft button, the Creation Method rollout displays the Get Path and Get Shape buttons, which you use to specify which spline is the path and which spline is the cross section. Select a spline, and then click either the Get Path button or the Get Shape button. If you click the Get Shape button, the selected spline is the path, and the next spline shape you select is the cross section. If you click the Get Path button, the selected spline is the shape, and the next spline shape you select is the path.

Note

After you click the Get Path or Get Shape button, although the cursor changes when you're over a valid spline, not all spline shapes can be used to create Loft objects. For example, you cannot use a spline created with the Donut button as a path. •

When creating a Loft object with the Get Shape and Get Path buttons, you can specify either to Move the spline shape or to create a Copy or an Instance of it. The Move option replaces both splines with a Loft object. The Copy option leaves both splines in the viewport and creates a new Loft object. The Instance option maintains a link between the spline and the Loft object. This link enables you to modify the original spline. The Loft object is updated automatically.

The vertex order of the path spline is important. The Loft object is created starting at the vertex numbered 1.

Note

You can tell which vertex is the first by enabling Vertex Numbering in the Selection rollout of an editable spline. The first vertex is also identified with a yellow box. •

Controlling surface parameters

All Loft objects include the Surface Parameters rollout. Using this rollout, you can set the smoothing of the Loft object with two different options: Smooth Length and Smooth Width. You can use the Mapping options to control the mapping of textures by setting values for the number of times the map repeats over the Length or Width of the Loft. The Normalize option applies the map to the surface evenly or proportionately according to the shape's vertex spacing. You can set the Loft object to automatically generate Material and Shape IDs, and you can specify the output of the Loft to be either a Patch or Mesh.

Changing path parameters

The Path Parameters rollout, shown in Figure 27.16, lets you position several different cross-sectional shapes at different positions along the Loft path. The Path value indicates either the Distance or Percentage along the path where this new shape should be located. The Snap option, if turned on, enables you to snap to consistent distances along the path. The Path Steps option enables you to place new shapes at steps along the path where the vertices are located. Each path will have a different number of steps, depending on its complexity.