3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [323]
You can use the Compare dialog box to align shapes included in a Loft.
Note
You can align these two vertices by subdividing the square shape in Edit Spline mode and selecting a new first vertex with the Make First button. •
While the Compare dialog box is open, the Align buttons in the Shape Commands rollout are still active, and you can use them to move and position the shapes. The first vertex on each shape is shown as a small square. If these vertices aren't correctly aligned on top of one another, then the resulting Loft object will have skewed edges. The lower-right corner of the dialog box includes buttons to View Extents, Pan, Zoom, and Zoom Region.
Editing Loft paths
The original shapes that were used to create the Loft object can be edited at any time. These updates also modify the Loft object. The shapes, if not visible, can be selected using the Select by Name button. The shapes maintain their base parameters, or they can be converted to an Editable Spline.
Tutorial: Creating drapes
Modeling home interiors is a task commonly performed by professional architects and interior designers, and creating the drapes can be tricky. In this tutorial, you create some simple drapes using a Loft object.
To create drapes using a Loft object, follow these steps:
1. Open the Lofted drapes.max file from the Chap 27 directory on the CD.
This file contains two splines that can be used to create the loft.
2. Select the straight line spline, and select the Create⇒Compound⇒Loft menu command. In the Creation Method rollout, click the Get Shape button and then click the cross-section spline.
3. Open the Modify panel, and under the Skin Parameters rollout, turn off the Contour and Banking options.
4. In the Deformations rollout, click the Scale button. In the Scale Deformation dialog box that opens, use the Insert Corner Point button to create a new point at roughly 75. Switch to the Move Control Point button and drag the new point downward to create an effect such as tying them together, as shown in Figure 27.23.
FIGURE 27.23
Drapes that have been modeled using a Loft object
Loft objects versus surface tools
You can create compound Loft objects completely from 2D shape splines: One open spline is typically used as the Loft path, and other, closed splines are used as the cross sections. You can have several different cross sections, and these can change as you travel the path. Loft cross sections aren't required to have the same number of vertices, and you can modify the scale and rotation of the cross sections with the Deformation options.
Cross-Reference
See Bonus Chapter 5 on the CD, “Working with NURBS,” for more detail on the surface tools. •
The surface tools, which include the CrossSection and Surface modifiers, provide another way to model that is similar to lofting. The CrossSection modifier takes several cross-section shapes and connects their vertices with additional splines to create a spline framework. You can then use the Surface modifier to cover this framework with a skin.
Although similar in nature, Loft objects and the surface tools have different subtleties and strengths.
One difference is that the CrossSection modifier connects spline cross sections according to their order. This can cause strange results if the order is incorrect. A Loft always follows a path, so the cross-section order isn't a problem.
Another difference is that surface tools give you more control over the surface of a created object. Because the underlying structure is a series of splines, you can add new branches and objects without much difficulty. This can be hard to do with Loft objects.
As a general guideline, Loft objects are better suited to modeling rigid objects with relatively uniform cross sections, whereas the surface tools are better for modeling more organic model types.
Working with ProBoolean and ProCutter Objects
The original Boolean compound object worked well enough for combining, subtracting, and intersecting objects, but it had some limitations that have been overcome