9

Rope Modifier 791
objects are combined to prod uce a coefficient for
the interaction.
Air R esistance—Theextenttowhichtheropeloses
energy as it moves.
Rope Type—
SpringThe default rope ty pe.
StiffnessHow much the rope can stretch.
Dampi ng—How quickly oscillations settle
down when the rope is compressed or
expands.
Num Weaves—Theextenttowhichtheropes
inflexibility extends across vertices. For
example, a value of 3 ensures that all vertices
separated by three or fewer sections are
subject to ext ra forces to stop bending. Large
Num W eaves values produce an inflexible
rope, whereas small values mean that only
sections very close to each other will have
restricted relative movement.
Keep ShapeWhen on, the rope tries to
keep its original shape, such as a spiral,
rather than returning to a straight line. The
effect iveness of this depends on the number
of wea ves (the higher of number of weav es,
the stronger the shape-keeping forces).
Constra int—Uses a simpler, and hence less
computationally expensive, model to simulate
therope.Ropesofthistypearequitestiff,and
cannot be configured in the same way as ropes
with a Spring type.
Avoid Self -Inter sections—When on, the rope will
not intersect with itself during the simulation.
This results in a more realistic simulation, but can
increase simulation time.
Start With Current StateThe rope star ts the
simulation using the current state stored in the
modifier. This can b e useful if you have, for
example, draped the rope around something in the
PreviewWindowandthenupdatedtheviewport
usingUpdateMAX.Whenoff,theropestartswith
the state it had originally, below the modifier in
the stack.
# S tored K ey f ra mes—The number of keyf rames, if
any, stored for the rope. reactor stores key frames
for the rope if you create an animation, or if you
useUpdateMAXinthePreviewWindow.
Clear Key f ra mes—Clears any stored keyfr ames for
this rope.
Use S oft S election—Allows you to use Soft Selection
to smo oth the transition between keyf r amed and
simulated vertices for this deformable object. Fo r
more information, see Soft Selection (page 2–800).
Reset Default Va lues—Resets the values for t his
rope to their defaults.
Constraints rollout
These options let you create a different types of
deformable constraint for the body. For more