8

750 Chapter 8: Modifiers
Parameters rollout
Path Deform group
Provides controls that let you pick a path and
adjust an object’s position and deformation along
the path.
Path—Displaysthenameoftheselectedpath
object.
Pick Path—Click this button and then select a spline
or NURBS curve to use as the path. The gizmo
thatappearsisshapedlikethepathandisaligned
with the local Z axis of the object. Once you ass i gn
the path, you can adjust the deformation of the
object using the remaining controls in this rollout.
The path you pick should contain a single, open or
closed curve. If you use a path object consisting of
multiple curves, only the first one is used.
Percent—Moves the object along the gizmo p ath
based on a percentage of the path length.
Stretch—Scales the object along the gizmo p ath,
using the object’s pivot point as the base of the
scale.
Rotation—Rotates the object about the gizmo path.
Twi st —Twists the object about the path. The twist
angle is based on the rotation of one end of the
overall leng th of the p ath. Typically, the deformed
object takes up only a portion of the path, so the
effect can be subtle.
Path Deform Axis group
X/Y /Z—Choose one to rotate the gizmo path to
align with a specified lo cal axis of the object.
Flip—Reverses the gizmo path 180 degrees about
the specified axis.
Poi nt Cache M o di f ier
Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List >
Object–Space Modifiers > Point Cache
Select an object. > Modifiers menu > Cache Tools > Point
Cache
ThePointCachemodifierletsyoustoremodifier
animation to a disk file that records only changes in
vertex posit ions, and then play back the animation
using the information in the disk file instead of
the modifier keyframes. This is usefu l w hen the
computation required for modifier animation
becomes so excessive that it causes animation
playback to run slowly or drop frames.
Anotheruseforthismodifieristoapplythesame
animation to a number of objects, varying the
Start Time and Strength settings for each so they
don’t all move identically.
The Point Cache modifier is also available in a
world-space version, for which usage is the same.
Procedure
To use the point cache modifi er:
1.
Use one or more modifiers to animate an
object. For example, you might apply a
Bend
modifier (page 1–541)
, and then set keyf r ames
for the Angle parameter to make the object
bend back and for th.
2. Click Play Animation.