3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [375]
To see the effect of the Flex modifier, you need to add some motion to the scene. The flex object flexes only when it is moving. One of the easiest ways to add motion to the scene is with Space Warps.
The Forces and Deflectors rollout includes two lists: one for Forces and one for Deflectors. Below each are Add and Remove buttons. Using these buttons, you can add and remove Space Warps from the list. The Forces list can use any of the Space Warps in the Forces subcategory (except for Path Follow). The Deflector list can include any of the Space Warps in the Defectors subcategory.
Tip
When you add Space Warps to the Forces and Deflectors list for the Flex modifier, they do not need to be bound to the object. •
Manually creating springs
The final two rollouts for the Flex modifier are Advanced Parameters and Advanced Springs. The Advanced Parameters rollout includes settings for controlling the Start and End frames where the Flex modifier has an effect. The Affect All Points option ignores any subobject selections and applies the modifier to the entire object. The Set Reference button updates all viewports, and the Reset button resets all the vertices' weights to their default values.
You can use the Advanced Springs rollout to manually add and configure springs to the object. Clicking the Options button opens a dialog box where you can select the type of spring to add to the selected vertices, including Edge and Shape springs. Edge springs are applied to vertices at the edges of an object, and Shape springs are applied between vertices. For these advanced springs, you can set the Stretch Strength, Stretch Sway, Shape Strength, and Shape Sway.
Melt modifier
The Melt modifier simulates an object melting by sagging and spreading edges over time. Melt parameters include Amount and Spread values, Solidity (which can be Ice, Glass, Jelly, or Plastic), and a Melt Axis.
Figure 35.14 shows the Melt modifier applied to the snowman model (it was inevitable).
FIGURE 35.14
The Melt modifier slowly deforms objects to a flat plane.
PatchDeform and SurfDeform modifiers
Among the animation modifiers are several that are similar in function but that work on different types of objects. The PatchDeform modifier uses patches, and the SurfDeform modifier deforms an object according to a NURBS surface.
In the Parameters rollout for each of these modifiers is a Pick Patch (or Surface) button that lets you select an object to use in the deformation process. After the object is selected, you can enter the Percent and Stretch values for the U and V directions, along with a Rotation value.
Note
The PatchDeform modifier is also available as a World Space Modifier (WSM). WSMs are similar to the normal Object Space Modifiers (OSM), except that they use World Space coordinates instead of Object Space coordinates. The most noticeable differences are that WSMs don't use gizmos and that the OSM moves the patch to the object, while the WSM causes the object to move to the patch. •
Tutorial: Deforming a car going over a hill
Have you seen those commercials that use rubber cars to follow the curvature of the road as they drive? In this tutorial, you use the PatchDeform modifier to bend a car over a hill made from a patch.
To deform a car according to a patch surface, follow these steps:
1. Open the Car bending over a hill.max file from the Chap 35 directory on the CD.
This file contains a simple hill made from patch objects and a car model created by Viewpoint Datalabs.
2. Select the car model, and choose Modifiers⇒Animation Modifiers⇒PatchDeform (WSM). Then click the Pick Patch button in the Parameters rollout, and select the hill object.
This applies the World Space PatchDeform modifier (WSM) to the car object and moves the car to align with the hill.
3. Set the V Percent value to 0 in the Parameters rollout. Then, click the Auto Key button (or press the N key) to enable key mode, and drag the Time Slider to frame 100. Then set the V Percent value to –50, and click the Auto Key button again to disable