3ds Max® 2009 Bible

Chapter 11. Introducing Modifiers and Using the Modifier Stack

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Using the Modifier Stack to manage modifiers

• Learning to work with modifier gizmos

• Exploring the Select modifiers

• Deforming objects with the Parametric Deformer and FFD modifiers

Think for a moment of a wood shop, with all its various (and expensive) tools and machines. Some tools, like a screwdriver or a sander, are simple, and others, like a lathe or router, are more complex, but they all change the wood (or models) in different ways. In some ways, you can think of modifiers as the tools and machines that work on 3D objects.

Each woodshop tool has different parameters that control how it works, such as how hard you turn the screwdriver or the coarseness of the sandpaper. Likewise, each modifier has parameters that you can set that determine how it affects the 3D object.

Modifiers can be used in a number of different ways to reshape objects, apply material mappings, deform an object's surface, and perform many other actions. Many different types of modifiers exist. This chapter introduces you to the concept of modifiers and explains the basics on how to use them. The chapter concludes by exploring two different categories of modifiers that are used to deform geometry objects: Parametric Deformers and Free Form Deformers (FFD).

Exploring the Modifier Stack

All modifiers applied to an object are listed together in a single location known as the Modifier Stack. This Stack is the manager for all modifiers applied ...