3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [321]
If you forget to start and end a section with the same cross section, the loft blends between the two different cross sections. •
6. In the Path Parameters rollout, increment the Path value a final time to Step 61, click the Get Shape button, and click the circular shape. Click the Pick Shape icon button at the bottom of the Path Parameters dialog box to change the cross section of the hanger to the end of the path. Right-click in the viewport to exit Get Shape mode.
Figure 27.17 shows the finished designer hanger.
FIGURE 27.17
A lofted hanger created with two different cross-sectional shapes
Deforming Loft objects
When you select a Loft object and open the Modify panel, the Deformation rollout appears. This rollout includes five buttons that let you Scale, Twist, Teeter, Bevel, and Fit the cross-section shapes along the path. All five buttons open similar graph windows that include control points and a line that represents the amount of the effect to apply. Next to each button is a toggle button with a light switch on it. This button enables or disables the respective effect.
The Deformation window interface
All five deformation options use the same basic window and controls. The vertical lines within the window represent the placement of vertices on the loft path. As an example of the Deformation window interface, Figure 27.18 shows the Scale Deformation window.
FIGURE 27.18
The Deformation dialog box interface lets you control the cross section over the length of the path.
Dragging the curve directly can modify the deformation curve. You can also insert control points at any location along the curve. These control points can be one of three different types: Corner, Bézier Corner, or Bézier Smooth. Bézier type points have handles for controlling the curvature at the point. To change the point type, select the point and right-click. Then make your selection from the pop-up menu. The end points must always be either Corner or Bézier Corner type.
To move a control point, select and drag it or enter a horizontal and/or vertical value in the fields at the bottom of the window.
Table 27.2 describes the buttons at the top of the Deformation window.
Note
Several buttons are disabled on the Twist and Bevel Deformation windows because these dialog boxes have only one deformation curve. •
At the bottom of the Deformation dialog boxes are two value fields. The value fields display the X and Y coordinate values for the currently selected point. The navigation buttons enable you to pan and zoom within the dialog box.
Figures 27.19 and 27.20 show the various deformation options applied to a lofted column.
FIGURE 27.19
The Loft compound object deformation options: Scale, Twist, and Teeter
FIGURE 27.20
The Loft compound object deformation options: Bevel and Fit
Scale Deformation
The Scale Deformation window can alter the relative scale of the Loft object at any point along its path. This window includes two lines: one red and one green. The red line displays the X-axis scale, and the green line displays the Y-axis scale. By default, both lines are positioned equally at the 100 percent value. Specifying a value greater than 100 percent increases the scale, and specifying a value less than 100 percent has the opposite effect.
Twist Deformation
The Twist Deformation rotates one cross section relative to the others along the shape's local Z-axis and can be used to create an object that spirals along its path. This option is similar to the Banking option, which can also produce rotations about the path.
The Twist Deformation window includes only one red line representing the rotation value. By default, this line is set to a 0-degree rotation value. Positive values result in counterclockwise rotations, and negative values have the opposite effect.
Teeter Deformation
Teeter Deformation rotates a cross section so that its outer edges move closer to the path. This is done by rotating the cross section about its local X-axis or Y-axis. The result is similar to that produced by the Contour