Page 774 - Kitab3DsMax

Part VI: Advanced Modeling
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-Ref
See Bonus Chapter 3 on the DVD, “Working with NURBS,” for more detail on the surface tools. n
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 diffi-
culty. 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 with the ProBoolean and ProCutter compound
objects. The original Boolean could combine only two operands together, but the ProBoolean object can
perform multiple Boolean operations simultaneously. ProBoolean also can subdivide the result into quad
faces. The results of the ProBoolean and ProCutter objects are much cleaner and more accurate than the
original Boolean object.
The original Boolean compound object still is available for backward compatibility, but if you perform a
new Boolean operation, you really should use the ProBoolean object.

Using ProBoolean

When two objects overlap, you can perform different Boolean operations on them to create a unique object.
The ProBoolean operations include Union, Intersection, Subtraction, Merge, Attach, and Insert. Two addi-
tional options are available: Imprint and Cookie.
The Union operation combines two objects into one. The Intersection operation retains only the overlapping
sections of two objects. The Subtraction operation subtracts the overlapping portions of one object from
another. The Merge operation combines objects without removing the interior faces and adds new edges
where the objects overlap. Figure 27.24 shows the original object and the first four possible Boolean operators.

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