The modifier stack controls appear near the top of the Modify panel, just below the Modifier List. The modifier stack ("stack" for short) contains the accumulated history of an object, including its creation parameters and the modifiers applied to it. At the bottom of the stack is the original object. Above the object are the modifiers, in order from bottom to top. This is the order in which modifiers are applied to the object's geometry.
Object with two modifiers applied to it in the stack
Instances and References in the Modifier Stack Display
In the modifier stack display, objects and modifiers appear in normal type unless they are an instance or a reference. Here is how instances and references appear in the stack display:
- The name of an instanced object appears in boldface.
- The name of a modifier appears in boldface if it is part of an instanced pipeline.
- If a modifier is applied to two or more pipelines, it is called an instanced modifier. Its name appears in italic.
- If a modifier is instanced and part of an instanced pipeline, its name appears in boldface and italic.
Top: Instanced modifier displayed in italic (modifier applied to two objects)
Bottom: Instanced modifier in an instanced pipeline displayed in italic and boldface
- A referenced object appears with a dark bar above it. Modifiers below the bar are part of the current pipeline. Modifiers above the bar are unique to the reference object.
Note: You can also create instances of a reference. In this case, the modifier above the reference bar apply to the reference and to its instances.
- A modifier above the reference object bar can itself be an instance and appear in other pipelines, in which case its name would be italic (either plain or boldface).
Top: Object reference shows a bar in the pipe
Bottom: Modifier applied to reference is not bold, as it is unique to this reference
The Make Unique button makes a pipeline or a modifier instance specific to the selected object. When you highlight the base object and then click Make Unique, the whole pipeline becomes unique. When you highlight a boldface modifier and then click Make Unique, this also makes the pipeline unique. If the modifier is an instanced modifier that belongs to an instanced pipeline (it appears in boldface
and
italic), clicking Make Unique makes the modifier unique but not the entire pipeline (the modifier's name is no longer italic, but it is still bold). For more information see How Instanced Modifiers Work and Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow.
Most-Recently Used Modifiers
3ds Max caches the results of evaluating most-recently used modifiers. This means that in general, you can see results more quickly as you move among modifiers on the stack.
To conserve memory use, the list of most-recently used modifiers has a fixed length. Once the list is full, adding a new modifier removes the oldest modifier in the list. By default, the list length is 1. You can increase it by adding an MRUModSize entry to the [Performance] section of the initialization file, 3dsmax.ini. For example:
MRUModSize=10
A good rule of thumb for this value is 10, but results will vary depending on how much main memory your system has.
Interface
The Modifier Stack
Modifier List
The Modifier List lets you choose a modifier to add to the stack. When you choose an Object-Space modifier from this list, it appears above the object, or above the modifier currently highlighted in the stack. When you choose a World-Space modifier from this list, it appears at the top of the stack.
- Use Pivot Points
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The first item in the Modifier List is the Use Pivot Points toggle. It is available only when multiple objects are selected.
When Use Pivot Points is on, 3ds Max uses the pivot point of each object as the center of a modifier's operation. For example, if you bend a line of trees around the Z axis, they all bend along their trunks.
When Use Pivot Points is off, 3ds Max calculates a central pivot point for the entire selection set and modifies the selection as a whole. For example, if you bend a line of trees around the Z axis, trees at the end of the line deform more than those at the center where the pivot is located.
The Use Pivot Points setting persists, so that applying modifiers to different sets of o bjects during the current session always uses the same setting.
Note: Be sure to set Use Pivot Points to the desired value before you apply the modifier to multiple objects. You can't change the setting afterward, although you can delete the modifier and start over without deselecting the selection set.
Modifier Buttons
Between the Modifier List and the stack display, you can optionally display up to 32 buttons. This provides a shortcut for adding modifiers to the stack.
To toggle the modifier buttons, click
(Configure Modifier Sets, below the stack display) and choose Show Buttons.
To customize the button set, click
and choose Configure Modifier Sets.
When a modifier's button is visible, clicking the button adds the modifier to the stack. Object-space modifiers are applied immediately above the currently selected object or modifier. World-space modifiers are applied at the top of the stack.
Stack Display
The modifier stack is organized as follows:
- At the bottom of the stack, the first entry always lists the object type. Click this entry to display the object's creation parameters so you can adjust them.
When you click to choose an entry in the modifier stack, its background highlights to show that the entry is current, and that the object's or modifier's parameters are available for adjusting, in rollouts that appear beneath the stack display.
- Above the object itself are entries for object-space modifiers. Click a modifier entry to display the modifier's parameters so you can adjust them.
This section lets you go back to any modifier you've applied and adjust its effect on the object. You can also delete the modifier from the stack, canceling its effect.
Note: 3ds Max applies transforms after it applies object-space modifiers but before it applies space warps or world-space modifiers. - The top of the stack shows which space warps and world-space modifiers the object uses. For example, if the object were bound to a Ripple space warp, an entry in the top section would read Ripple Binding.
To the left of each modifier in the stack is a light-bulb icon. When the bulb appears white, the modifier is applied to the stack below it. When the bulb appears gray, the modifier is turned off. Click to toggle the on/off state of the modifier.
If the modifier has sub-controls such as a center or a gizmo, the stack also shows a small plus/minus icon. Click this icon to open or close the hierarchy.
Opening a modifier's hierarchy to access sub-controls
When the hierarchy is open, you can select a sub-control, such as a gizmo, and then adjust it. The available sub-controls vary from modifier to modifier.
Objects that have a sub-object hierarchy, such as editable poly, also show a collapsible hierarchy in the modifier stack.
To work at a sub-object level, click the + icon to expand the hierarchy, then click to select the sub-object level. Controls for that particular level or type of sub-object appear in rollouts below the stack display.
Certain types of sub-objects display an icon at the right of the stack, to help you see which sub-object type you are adjusting.
Expanding an object's hierarchy to access sub-object levels
Tool Buttons
Below the stack display is a row of buttons for managing the stack.
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Pin Stack -
Locks the stack to the currently selected object so it remains with that object regardless of subsequent changes in selection. The entire Modify panel is locked to the current object as well.
Pin Stack is useful for transforming another object while keeping your place in the modified object's stack.
-
Show End Result -
Shows the selected object as it will appear after all modifications in the stack have taken place, regardless of your current position in the stack. When this toggle is turned off, the object appears as modified up to the current modifier in the stack.
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Make Unique
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Converts an instanced modifier to a copy that's specific to the current object. See Make Unique.
-
Remove Modifier -
Deletes the current modifier or unbinds the current space warp.
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Configure Modifier Sets
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Click to display the pop-up Modifier Sets menu.