8
854 Chapter 8: Modifiers
Taper group
Amount—Theextenttowhichtheendsarescaled.
Amount is a relative value with a maximum of 10.
Curve—Applies a curvature to the sides of the Taper
gizmo, thus affecting the shape of the tap ered
object. Positive values produce an outward curve
along the tapered sides, negative values an inward
curve. At 0, the sides are unchanged. Default=0.
Taper Axis group
Pri mar y —The central axis or spine of the taper: X,
Y, or Z. Default=Z.
Effect—The axis, or pair of axes, indicating the
direction of the taper from the primary axis. The
available choices are determined by the choice of
primary axis. The effect axis can be either of the
two remaining axes, or their combination. If the
primaryaxisisX,theeffectaxiscanbeY,Z,orYZ.
Default=XY.
Symmetr y—Produces a symmetrical taper around
theprimaryaxis.Ataperisalwayssymmetrical
around the effect a xis. Default=off.
Changing the effect a xis changes the effects of the modifier.
Limits group
The taper offset is applied between the upper and
lower limits. The surrounding geometry, while
unaffected by the taper itself, is moved to keep the
object intact.
Limit Effect—Enables upper and lower limits for
the taper effect.
Upper Limit—Sets the upper limit boundar ies in
world units f rom the t aper center point, beyond
which the taper no longer affects the geometry.
Lower Limit—Sets the lower limit boundaries in
world units f rom the t aper center point, beyond
which the taper no longer affects the geometry.
Left: Limiting the effect of the taper.
Right: Usi n g symmetry.
Tessellate Modifier
Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List >
Object-Space Modifiers > Tessellate
Make a selection. > Modifiers menu > Mesh Editing >
Tessellate
The Tessellate modifier subdivides faces in the
current selection. It’s particularly useful for
smoothing curved surfaces for rendering, and
creating additional me sh resolution for other
modifiers to ac t on. If no sub-object selection has
been passed up t he stack, then the entire object
is tessellated. This modifier lets you tessellate
polygonal faces; the tessellation available in an
editable mesh (p age 1–1001)
does not (it works on
faces, even at the Polygon selection level).