Introducing

Modifiers for Basic

11
C H A P T E R

Object Deformation
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

In This Chapter

Using the Modifier

Stack to manage

T
modifiers
hink for a moment of a wood shop with all its various (and expen-
sive) tools and machines. Some tools are simple like a screwdriver Learning to work with
or a sander, and others like a planer or router are more complex, but modifier gizmos
they all change the wood (or models) in different ways. In some ways,
you can think of modifiers as these tools and machines that work on Exploring the Select
3D objects. modifiers

Each woodshop tool has different parameters that control how it Deforming objects with
works, such as how hard you turn the screwdriver or the coarseness the Parametric Deformer
of the sandpaper. Likewise, each modifier has parameters that you and FFD modifiers
can set that determine how it affects the 3D object.
Modifiers can be used in a number of different ways, to reshape
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
objects, apply material mappings, deform an object’s surface, and
perform many other actions. Many different types of modifiers exist.
This chapter introduces you to the concept of modifiers and explains
the basics on how to use them. I also cover a specific category of
modifiers, Parametric Deformers.

Exploring the Modifier Stack

All modifiers that are applied to an object are listed together in a sin-
gle location known as the Modifier Stack. This Stack is the manager
for all modifiers applied to an object and can be found at the top of
the Modify panel in the Command Panel. You can also use the Stack
to apply and delete modifiers; cut, copy, and paste modifiers between
objects; and reorder them.

Understanding Base Objects

The first entry in the Modifier Stack isn’t a modifier at all; it is the Base
Object. The Base Object is the original object type. The Base Object
298 Part II ✦ Working with Objects

for a primitive is listed as its object type, such as Sphere or Torus. Editable meshes, polys,
patches, and splines can also be Base Objects. NURBS Surfaces and NURBS Curves are also
Base Object types.
You can also see the Base Objects using the Schematic View window if you enable the Base
Objects option in the Display floater.

Applying modifiers
An object can have several modifiers applied to it. Modifiers can be applied using the
Modifiers menu or by selecting the modifier from the Modifier List drop-down list located
at the top of the Modify panel directly under the object name. Selecting a modifier in the
Modifiers menu or from the Modifier List applies the modifier to the current selected object.
Modifiers can be applied to multiple objects if several objects are selected.

Note Some modifiers aren’t available for some types of objects. For example, the Extrude and
Lathe modifiers are enabled only when a spline shape is selected.

Other Modifier Stack entities

Most modifiers are Object-Space modifiers, but another category called World-Space modi-
fiers also exists. World-Space modifiers are similar to Object-Space modifiers, except they are
applied using a global coordinate system instead of coordinate system that is local to the
object. More on World-Space modifiers is presented later in this chapter, but you should be
aware that World-Space modifiers (identified with the initials, WSM) appear at the top of the
Modifier Stack and are applied to the object after all Object-Space modifiers.
In addition to World-Space modifiers, Space Warp bindings also appear at the top of the
Modifier Stack.

Cross- Space Warps are covered in Chapter 38, “Using Space Warps.”
Reference

Using the Modifier Stack

After a modifier is applied, its parameters appear in rollouts within the Command Panel. The
Modifier Stack rollout, shown in Figure 11-1, lists the base object and all the modifiers that
have been applied to an object. Any new modifiers applied to an object are placed at the top
of the stack. By selecting a modifier from the list in the Modifier Stack, all the parameters for
that specific modifier are displayed in rollouts.

Tip You can increase or decrease the size of the Modifier Stack by dragging the horizontal bar
that is beneath the Modifier Stack buttons.
 Chapter 11 ✦ Introducing Modifiers for Basic Object Deformation 299

Modifier Stack

Figure 11-1: The Modifier Stack rollout displays all modifiers

applied to an object.

Beneath the Modifier Stack are five buttons that affect the selected modifier. They are as
described in Table 11-1.

Table 11-1: Modifier Stack Buttons

Button Name Description

Pin Stack Makes the parameters for the selected modifier available for editing even
if another object is selected (like taking a physical pin and sticking it into
the screen so it won’t move).

Show End Result Shows the end results of all the modifiers in the entire Stack when
On/Off Toggle enabled and only the modifiers up to the current selected modifier if
disabled.

Make Unique Used to break any instance or reference links to the selected object. After
you click this button, an object will no longer be modified along with the
other objects for which it was an instance or reference. Works for Base
Object and modifiers.

Remove Modifier Used to delete a modifier from the Stack or unbind a Space Warp if one
from the Stack is selected. Deleting a modifier restores it to its same state that it was in
before the modifier was applied.

Configure Opens a pop-up menu where you can select to show a set of modifiers as
Modifier Sets buttons above the Modifier Stack. You can also select which modifier set
appears at the top of the list of modifiers. The pop-up menu also includes
an option to configure and define the various sets of modifiers.
300 Part II ✦ Working with Objects

Cross- For more information on configuring modifier sets, see Chapter 4, “Customizing the Max
Reference Interface and Setting Preferences.”

If you right-click on a modifier, a pop-up menu appears. This pop-up menu includes com-
mands to rename the selected modifier, which you might want to do if the same modifier is
applied to the same object multiple times. This pop-up menu also includes an option to
delete the selected modifier.

Copying and pasting modifiers

The pop-up menu also includes options to Cut, Copy, Paste, and Paste Instance modifiers.
The Cut command deletes the modifier from the current object but makes it available for
pasting onto other objects. The Copy command retains the modifier for the current object
and makes it available to paste onto another object. After you use the Cut or Copy command,
you can use the Paste command to apply the modifier to another object. The Paste Instance
command retains a link between the original modifier and the instanced modifier, so that any
changes to either modifier affect the other instances.
You can also apply modifiers for the current object onto other objects by dragging the modi-
fier from the Modifier Stack and dropping it on the other object in a viewport. Holding down
the Ctrl key while dropping a modifier onto an object in a viewport applies the modifier as an
instance (like the Paste Instance command). Holding down the Shift key while dragging and
dropping a modifier on an object in the viewport removes the modifier from the current mod-
ifier and applies it to the object on which it is dropped (like the Cut and Paste commands).

Cross- You can also cut, copy, and paste modifiers using the Schematic View window. See Chapter
Reference 9, “Working with the Schematic View,” for more details.

Using instanced modifiers

When you apply a single modifier to several objects at the same time, the modifier shows up
in the Modifier Stack for each object. These are instanced modifiers that maintain a connec-
tion to each other. If any of these instanced modifiers is changed, the change is propagated
to all other instances. This feature is very helpful for modifying large groups of objects.
When a modifier is copied between different objects, you can select to make the copy an
instance.
To see all the objects that are linked to a particular modifier, select an object in the viewport
and choose Views ➪ Show Dependencies. All objects with instanced modifiers that are con-
nected to the current selection appear in bright pink. At any time, you can break the link
between a particular instanced modifier and the rest of the objects using the Make Unique
button in the Modifier Stack rollout.

Identifying instances and references in the Modifier Stack

If you look closely at the Modifier Stack, you will notice that it includes some visual clues that
help you identify instances and references. Normal object and modifier copies appear in nor-
mal text, but instances appear in bold. This applies to both objects and modifiers. If a modi-
fier is applied to two or more objects, then it appears in italic.
Referenced objects and modifiers can be identified by a Reference Object Bar that splits the
Modifier Stack into two categories — ones that are unique to the referenced object (above the
bar) and ones that shared with the other references (below the bar).
 Chapter 11 ✦ Introducing Modifiers for Basic Object Deformation 301

Figure 11-2 shows each of these cases in the Modifier Stack.

Reference Object Bar

Referenced modifier

Referenced modifier applied to two or more objects

Instanced object
Instanced modifier
Figure 11-2: The Modifier Stack changes the text
style to identify instances and references.

Disabling and removing modifiers

Clicking the light bulb icon to the left of the modifier name toggles the modifier on and off.
The right-click pop-up menu also offers options to turn the modifier off in the viewport or off
for the renderer.
To remove a modifier from the Modifier Stack, just select the modifier and press the Remove
Modifier button below the stack. This button removes the selected modifier only. You can
select multiple modifiers at once by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking individually on
the modifiers, or by holding down the Shift key and clicking on the first and last modifiers in
a range.

Reordering the Stack

Modifiers are listed in the Modifier Stack with the first applied ones on the bottom and the
newest applied ones on the top. The Stack order is important and can change the appearance
of the object. Max applies the modifiers starting with the lowest one in the Stack first and the
topmost modifier last. You can change the order of the modifiers in the Stack by selecting a
modifier and dragging it above or below the other modifiers. You cannot drag it below the
object type or above any World-Space modifiers or Space Warp bindings.
302 Part II ✦ Working with Objects

Tutorial: Creating a Molecular Chain

Whether you’re working with DNA splices or creating an animation to show how molecular
chains are formed, you can use the Lattice and Twist modifiers to quickly create a molecular
chain. Using these chains shows how reordering the Modifier Stack can change the outcome.
To create a molecular chain using modifiers, follow these steps.
1. Select Create ➪ Standard Primitives ➪ Plane and drag in the Top viewport to create a
Plane object. Set its Length to 300, its Width to 60, its Length Segments to 11, and its
Width Segments to 1.
2. With the Plane object selected, select Modifiers ➪ Parametric Deformers ➪ Lattice to
apply the Lattice modifier. Enable the Apply to Entire Object option. Then set the Struts
Radius value to 1.0 with 12 sides and the Joints Base Type to Icosa with a Radius of 6.0
and a Segments value of 6.
3. Select Modifiers ➪ Parametric Deformers ➪ Twist and set the Twist Angle to 360.
4. Notice that the Sphere objects have been twisted along with the Plane object. You can
fix this by switching the modifier order in the Modifier Stack. Select the Lattice modifier
and drag and drop it above the Twist modifier in the stack. This step corrects the elon-
gated spheres.
Figure 11-3 shows the corrected molecular chain.

Figure 11-3: Changing the order of the modifiers in the Stack can affect the end result.
 Chapter 11 ✦ Introducing Modifiers for Basic Object Deformation 303

Holding and fetching a scene

Before going any farther, you need to know about an important feature in Max that allows you
to set a stopping point for the current scene. The Hold command saves the scene into a tem-
porary buffer for easy recovery. After a scene is set with the Hold command (Alt+Ctrl+H), you
can bring it back instantly with the Fetch command (Alt+Ctrl+F). These commands provide a
quick way to backtrack on modifications to a scene or project without your having to save
and reload the project. If you use these commands before applying or deleting modifiers, you
can save some potential headaches.

Tip Along with saving your file often, using the Hold command before applying any complex
modifier to an object is a good idea.

Collapsing the Stack

Collapsing the Stack removes all its modifiers by permanently applying them to the object.
It also resets the modification history back to a baseline. All the individual modifiers in the
Stack are combined into one single modification. This feature eliminates the ability to change
any modifier parameters, but it simplifies the object and conserves memory. The right-click
pop-up menu offers options to Collapse To and Collapse All. You can collapse the entire Stack
with the Collapse All command, or you can collapse to the current selected modifier with the
Collapse To command. Collapsed objects typically become Editable Mesh objects.
When you apply a collapse command, a warning dialog box appears, shown in Figure 11-4,
notifying you that this action will delete all the creation parameters. Click Yes to continue
with the collapse.

Note In addition to the Yes and No buttons, the warning dialog box includes a Hold/Yes button.
This button saves the current state of the object to the Hold buffer and then applies the
Collapse All function. If you have any problems, you can retrieve the object’s previous state
before the collapse was applied by choosing Edit ➪ Fetch (Alt+Ctrl+F).

Figure 11-4: Because the Collapse operation

cannot be undone, this warning dialog box
offers a chance to Hold the scene.

Using the Collapse utility

You can also use the Collapse utility found on the Utility panel to collapse the Modifier Stack.
This utility enables you to collapse an object or several objects to a Modifier Stack Result or
to a Mesh object. Collapsing to a Modifier Stack Result doesn’t necessarily produce a mesh
304 Part II ✦ Working with Objects

but collapses the object to its base object state, which is displayed at the bottom of the Stack
hierarchy. Depending on the Stack, this could result in a mesh, patch, spline, or other object
type. You can also collapse to a Single Object or to Multiple Objects. Figure 11-5 shows the
rollout for the Collapse utility.

Figure 11-5: The Collapse utility can collapse several objects at

once.

If the Mesh and Single Object options are selected, you can also select to perform a Boolean
operation. The Boolean operations are available if you are collapsing several overlapping
objects into one. The options are Union (which combines geometries together), Intersection
(which combines only the overlapping geometries), and Subtraction (which subtracts one
geometry from another).

Cross- Boolean operations can also be performed using the Boolean compound object. See
Reference Chapter 17, “Building Compound Objects,” for details on this object type.

If multiple objects are selected, then a Boolean Intersection results in only the sections of the
objects that are intersected by all objects; if none of the objects overlap, all objects disappear.
If you use the Boolean Subtraction option, you can specify which object is the base object
that the other objects are subtracted from by selecting that object first and then selecting the
other objects by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking them. Figure 11-6 shows an example
of each of the Boolean operations.

Using gizmo subobjects

As you’ve worked with modifiers, you’ve probably noticed the orange wire-frame box
that surrounds the object in the viewports when you apply the modifier. These boxes are
called modifier gizmos, and they provide a visual control for how the modifier changes the
geometry. If you want, you can work directly with these gizmos to affect the modifier.
 Chapter 11 ✦ Introducing Modifiers for Basic Object Deformation 305

Figure 11-6: Using the Collapse utility, you can select the following
Boolean operations (shown from left to right): Union, Intersection,
and Subtraction.

Clicking the plus sign to the left of the modifier name reveals any subobjects associated with
the modifier. To select the modifier subobjects, simply click the subobject name. The sub-
object name is highlighted in yellow when selected. Many modifiers create gizmo subobjects.
Gizmos have a center and can be transformed and controlled like regular objects using the
transformation buttons on the main toolbar. Another common modifier subobject is Center,
which controls the point about which the gizmo is transformed.

Tutorial: Squeezing a plastic bottle

To get a feel for how the modifier gizmo and its center affect an object, this tutorial applies
the Squeeze modifier to a plastic bottle; by moving its center, we can change the shape of the
object.
To change a modifier’s characteristics by moving its center, follow these steps:
1. Open the Plastic bottle.max file from the Chap 11 directory on the CD-ROM.
This file includes a plastic squirt bottle with all the parts attached into a single mesh
object.
2. With the bottle selected, choose the Modifiers ➪ Parametric Deformers ➪ Squeeze
menu command to apply the Squeeze modifier to the bottle. Set the Radial Squeeze
Amount value to 1.
3. In the Modifier Stack, click the plus sign to the left of the Squeeze modifier to see the
modifier’s subobjects. Select the Center subobject.
The selected subobject is highlighted in yellow.
4. Click the Select and Move (W) button on the main toolbar, and drag the center point in
the Perspective viewport upward.
Notice how the bottle’s shape changes.
Figure 11-7 shows several different bottle shapes created by moving the modifier’s center
point.
306 Part II ✦ Working with Objects

Figure 11-7: By changing the modifier’s center point, the bottle’s

shape changes.

Modifying subobjects
In addition to being applied to complete objects, modifiers can also be applied and used to
modify subobjects. Subobjects are defined as a collection of object parts, such as vertices,
edges, faces, or elements.

Cross- To learn more about applying modifiers to subobject selections, see Chapter 12, “Modeling
Reference Basics.”

To work in subobject selection mode, click the plus sign to the left of the object name to see
the subobjects. Several modifiers, including Mesh Select, Spline Select, and Volume Select,
can select subobject areas for passing these selections up to the next modifier in the Stack.
For example, you can use the Mesh Select modifier to select several faces on the front of a
sphere and then apply the Face Extrude modifier to extrude just those faces.

Topology dependency
When you attempt to modify the parameters of a Base Object that has a modifier applied, you
sometimes get a warning dialog box that tells you that the modifier depends on topology that
may change. You can disable the warning by selecting the “Do not show this message again”
option on the dialog box or by opening the Preference Settings dialog box and turning off the
Display Topology-Dependence Warning option in the General panel of the Preference Settings
dialog box. Disabling the warning does not make the potential problem go away; it only pre-
vents the warning dialog box from appearing.

Exploring Modifier Types

To keep all the various modifiers organized, Max has grouped them into several distinct modi-
fier sets. The modifier sets, as listed in the Modifier menu, include the following:
✦ Selection Modifiers
✦ Patch/Spline Editing
✦ Mesh Editing
 Chapter 11 ✦ Introducing Modifiers for Basic Object Deformation 307

✦ Conversion
✦ Animation Modifiers
✦ UV Coordinates
✦ Cache Tools
✦ Subdivision Surfaces
✦ Free Form Deformations
✦ Parametric Modifiers
✦ Surface
✦ NURBS Editing
✦ Radiosity Modifiers
✦ Cameras
You can find roughly these same sets if you click the Configure Modifier Sets button in the
Modifier Stack. Within this list is a single set that is selected. The selected set is marked with
an arrow to the left of its name. The modifiers contained within the selected set appear at the
very top of the Modifier List.

Cross- Covering all the modifiers in a single chapter would result in a very long chapter. Instead, I
Reference decided to cover most of the modifiers in their respective chapters. For example, you can learn
about the Mesh Editing modifiers in Chapter 14, “Working with Meshes and Polys”; animation
modifiers in Chapter 30, “Animation Basics”; the UV Coordinates modifiers in Chapter 23,
“Controlling Mapping Coordinates”; and so on. This chapter covers the Selection Modifiers,
Parametric Deformers, and FFD modifiers.

Object-Space versus World-Space modifiers

If you view the modifiers listed in the Modifier List, they are divided into two categories:
Object-Space and World-Space modifiers (except for the selected set of modifiers that appear
at the very top for quick access). Object-Space modifiers are more numerous than World-
Space modifiers. For most World-Space modifiers, there is also an Object-Space version.
World-Space modifiers are all identified with the acronym, WSM, which appears next to the
modifier’s name.
Object-Space modifiers are modifiers that are applied to individual objects and that use the
object’s Local coordinate system, so as the object is moved, the modifier goes with it.
World-Space modifiers are based on World-Space coordinates instead of on an object’s Local
coordinate system, so after a World-Space modifier is applied, it stays put, no matter where
the object with which it is associated moves.

Cross- Another good example that shows the difference between the World-Space and Object-
Reference Space modifiers using the PatchDeform modifier is found in Chapter 15, “Creating and
Editing Patches.”