Page 894 - Kitab3DsMax

Part VIII: Advanced Animation Techniques
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 coordi-
nates. 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. n
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 34 directory on the DVD.
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 key mode.
4. Click the Play button (or press the / key) to see the car deform over the hill.
Figure 34.15 shows the results of this tutorial.
PathDeform modifier
The PathDeform modifier uses a spline path to deform an object. The Pick Path button lets you select a
spline to use in the deformation process. You can select either an open or closed spline. The Parameters
rollout also includes spinners for controlling the Percent, Stretch, Rotation, and Twist of the object. The
Percent value is the distance the object moves along the path.

Note
If you use the PathDeform modifier, you can benefit from using the Follow/Bank utility, which gives you control
over how the object follows and banks along the path. n

Figure 34.16 shows some text wrapped around a spline path.
Linked XForm modifier
The Linked XForm modifier passes all transformations of one object onto another, but not vice versa. The
object that controls the transformation is designated as the Control Object and is selected via the Pick
Control Object button (which is the only control in the Parameters rollout for this modifier). After the
Control object is selected, the Control Object controls the selected object’s transforms, but the object that is
being controlled can move independently of the control object without affecting the control object.

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