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Figure 5.17 shows some results of using the Axis Scaling options. One of each family type has been created and displayed in the top row for reference. The bottom row has had an axis scaled to a value of 170. This setting causes one type of polygon face to be extended, thereby producing a new shape.

FIGURE 5.17

Hedras with extended faces, compliments of the Axis Scaling option

The Vertices parameter options add more vertices and edges to the center of each extended polygon. The three options are Basic, which is the default and doesn't add any new information to the Hedra; Center, which adds vertices to the center of each extended polygon; and Center and Sides, which add both center vertices and connecting edges for each face that is extended using the Axis Scaling options. With these options set, you can extend the polygon faces at your own discretion.

Way at the bottom of the Parameters rollout is the Radius value, which generally sets the size of the hedra object.

ChamferBox

A chamfered object is one whose edges have been smoothed out, so a ChamferBox primitive is a box with beveled edges. The parameter that determines the amount of roundness applied to an edge is Fillet. In many ways, this object is just a simple extension of the Box primitive.

The only additions in the Parameters rollout are two fields for controlling the Fillet dimension and the Fillet Segments. Figure 5.18 shows a ChamferBox with Fillet values of 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 and the Smooth option turned on.

FIGURE 5.18

A ChamferBox with progressively increasing Fillet values

Cylindrical Extended Primitives

The Extended Primitives include several objects based on the Cylinder primitive that are very similar. The only real difference is the shape of the caps at either end. These four similar objects include the OilTank, Spindle, ChamferCyl, and Capsule. Figure 5.19 shows these similar objects side by side.

FIGURE 5.19

Several different cylindrical Extended Primitive objects exist, including OilTank, Spindle, ChamferCyl, and Capsule.

OilTank

OilTank seems like a strange name for a primitive. This object is essentially the Cylinder primitive with dome caps like you would see on a diesel truck transporting oil. The Parameters rollout includes an additional option for specifying the Cap Height. The Height value can be set to indicate the entire height of the object with the Overall option or the height to the edge of the domes using the Centers option. The only other new option is Blend, which smoothes the edges between the cylinder and the caps. All cylindrical primitives can also be sliced just like the sphere object.

Spindle

The Spindle primitive is the same as the OilTank primitive, except that the dome caps are replaced with conical caps. All other options in the Parameters rollout are identical to the OilTank primitive.

ChamferCyl

The ChamferCyl primitive is very similar to the ChamferBox primitive, but is applied to a cylinder instead of a box. The Parameters rollout includes some additional fields for handling the Fillet values.

Capsule

The Capsule primitive is yet another primitive based on the cylinder, but this time with hemispherical caps. This object resembles the OilTank primitive very closely. The only noticeable difference is in the border between the cylinder and caps.

Gengon

The Gengon primitive creates and extrudes regular polygons such as triangles, squares, and pentagons. There is even an option to Fillet (or smooth) the edges. To specify which polygon to use, enter a value in the Sides field.

Figure 5.20 shows five simple Gengons with different numbers of edges.

FIGURE 5.20

Gengon primitives are actually just extruded regular polygons.

RingWave

The RingWave primitive is a specialized primitive that you can use to create a simple gear or a sparkling sun. It consists of two circles that make up a ring. You can set the circle edges to be wavy and even fluctuate over time. You can also use RingWaves to simulate rapidly expanding gases that would