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786 Chapter 13: reactor
FFD bodies, including descriptions of these
parameters, see FFD Soft Bodies (page 2–786).
Reset Default Values—Restores the default values
for parameters in the modifier.
Constraints rollout
These options let you create different types of
deformable constraint for the body. For more
information, see Constr aining Deformable Bodies
(page 2–795).
FFD Sof t B odies
reactor provides two different types of soft body:
mesh-based soft bo dies, w here the u nderly ing
mesh is directly deformed, and Freeform
Deformation (FFD) b o dies. With an FFD body,
reactor encases the original shape in a simpler FFD
lattice. Then the simulation uses the lattice, rather
than the object itself, as the soft body’s shape. As
thelatticedeforms,itupdatestheoriginalshapeso
that it, too, appears to deform.
FFD bodies are less accurately modeled
than mesh-based s oft bodies, but a lso less
computationally expensive to simulate. Because of
this, it’s generally advisable to u se an FFD-based
soft body when deforming a complex mesh. As
a general rule of thumb, if a mesh has more than
200 triangles, it’s probably a good idea to use an
FFD-based soft body.
Note: When you view an FFD soft body in the
Preview Window, you will see the FFD rather than
theunderlyingshape.Thisshouldstillgiveyou
some idea as to how the body will behave in your
final animation.