8
496 Chapter 8: Modifiers
The Pr inciple of Commonality
When you select multiple o bjects, 3ds Max
determines w hat the par ticular selected set of
geometry has in common, if anything.
Given a ny "commonality" among objects, 3ds Max
presents the options as available modifiers.
Unavailable modifiers represent areas where
commonality does not hold.
You can apply modifiers to different categories of
objects, depending on the modifier. For example,
you might apply a Bend to both a 3D object and a
2D shape. You can apply Mesh S elect to a spline
primitiveandconvertittoamesh,butthereverse
is not true: Spline Select is restricted to objects of
the spline category.
To modify multiple objects:
1.
Select two or more objects.
For selec tion sets, the name at the top of
the Modify panel changes to read "Multiple
Selected." If the objects are grouped, the g roup
name appears.
2. Choose the kind of pivot point you want to use.
See Using Pivot Points, (below).
3. Apply a modifier and adjust its parameters.
If you apply a Mesh Select modifier, you can
select geometry on one or more of the objects
to use as a sub-object selection set.
Using Pi vot Points
The first item in the Modifier List is a toggle called
UsePivotPoints.Thistoggleisunavailableunless
multiple objects are selected.
• When turned on, the program uses the pivot
point of each object as the center of a modifier’s
operation. If you bend a line of trees around the
Z axis, they all bend along their trun ks.
• When turned off, the program calculates a
central pivot point for the entire selection set,
and modifies the selection as a whole. For a
Z-axisbend,treesattheendofalinewould
deform more than those at the center where the
pivot is located.
Tip: Choose the pivot setting before you apply
the modifier. You can’t change the pivot point
afterward, although you c an delete the modifier
and start over without deselecting the selection
set.
Instanced Modifiers
When you apply a modifier to multiple objects,
each object receives an identical version of the
modifier. T hese are called
instanced
modifiers.
They are interchangeable. A change to any one of
the instances affects all the other instances.
How
Instanced Modifiers Work (page 1–496)
covers
instanced modifiers in detail.
Tip: Sometimes you might apply modifiers to a
select ion set, perform s ome other operations, and
select the set again, only to find its modifier stack
is empty. This happens if you applied another
modifier to an individual object in the original
selectionset.Whenyouselectthesetagain,the
modifier stack is empty b e cause al l members of the
set no longer have all modifiers in common. You
can sti ll access the instanced modifiers by selecting
asingleobjectintheset.Theindividualobject’s
stacks st ill contain the m o difiers you applied to
the set as a whole.
How I nsta nced Modif ier s Work
When you apply a modifier to a selection set, the
same modifier is carried on the stack for each
individual object. T hese are
instanced
modifiers:
they are all exactly the same, and a change to the
instanceforanyoneobjectwillchangeallthe
others.
In the stack, the name of an instanced modifier
appears in
italic
.