2012

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The red and green axis arrow grips constrain the movement of the square grip
in their respective directions.
TIP
Not visible in the illustration is a blue axis arrow grip that points toward you.
This axis is visible in other views such as a 3D isometric view, and can be used
to modify the shape of a spline in 3D.
Click the downward-pointing triangular grip to switch to the Move Tangent
Direction option as illustrated below. Even though the axes of the gizmo
change their location, the base point remains the same. With this option,
moving the square grip changes the slope of the tangent at the base point.
The tangent arrow grip changes the magnitude of the tangent at the base
point, creating either a sharper or a flatter curvature at the base point. In the
illustration, the magnitude of the tangent is being increased.
Edit Splines with a Palette
The Properties Inspector palette provides access to several spline parameters
and options, including the degree of the spline, the weight for each control
point, the knot parameterization method used in conjunction with fit points,
286 | Chapter 6 Create and Modify Objects