Editable Spline (Spline)

While at the Editable Spline (Spline) level, you can select single and multiple splines within a single spline object and move, rotate, and scale them using standard methods.

Procedures

To change spline properties:

Interface

Rendering, Interpolation and Selection rollouts

For information on the Rendering, Interpolation and Selection rollout settings, see Editable Spline.

Soft Selection rollout

See Soft Selection Rollout for information on the Soft Selection rollout settings.

Geometry rollout

New Vertex Type group

The radio buttons in this group let you determine the tangency of the new vertices created when you Shift+Clone segments or splines. If you later use Connect Copy, vertices on the splines that connect the original segment or spline to the new one will have the type specified in this group.

This setting has no effect on the tangency of vertices created using tools such as the Create Line button, Refine, and so on.

  • Linear New vertices will have linear tangency.
  • Smooth New vertices will have smooth tangency.

    When this option is chosen, new vertices that overlap are automatically welded.

  • Bezier New vertices will have bezier tangency.
  • Bezier Corner New vertices will have bezier corner tangency.
Create Line
Adds more splines to the selected spline. These lines are separate spline sub-objects; create them in the same way as the line spline. To exit line creation, right-click or click to turn off Create Line.
Attach
Attaches another spline in the scene to the selected spline. Click the object you want to attach to the currently selected spline object. The object you're attaching to must also be a spline.

For further details, see Attach.

Reorient
When on, reorients the attached spline so that its creation local coordinate system is aligned with the creation local coordinate system of the selected spline.
Attach Mult.

Click this button to display the Attach Multiple dialog, which contains a list of all other shapes in the scene. Select the shapes you want to attach to the current editable spline, then click OK.

Cross Section
Creates a spline cage out of cross–sectional shapes. Click Cross Section, select one shape then a second shape, splines are created joining the first shape with the second. Continue clicking shapes to add them to the cage. This functionality is similar to the Cross Section modifier, but here you can determine the order of the cross sections. Spline cage tangency can be defined in the New Vertex Type group.
Tip: When you edit the spline cage, use Area Selection before selecting your vertices. This will keep their positions together as you transform them.
Connect Copy group
Connect Copy
When on, Shift+Cloning a spline creates a new spline sub-object with additional splines that connect the new spline's vertices to the vertices of the original segment. It is analogous to Shift+Cloning edges in Editable Mesh and Editable Poly objects.
Note: For Connect Copy to work, you must turn it on before you Shift+Clone.
Threshold
Determines the distance soft selection uses when Connect Copy is on. A higher value results in more splines being created, a lower value results in fewer splines.
End Point Auto-Welding group
Automatic Welding
When Automatic Welding is turned on, an endpoint vertex that is placed or moved within the threshold distance of another endpoint of the same spline is automatically welded. This feature is available at the object and all sub-object levels.
Threshold
A proximity setting that controls how close vertices can be to one another before they are automatically welded. Default=6.0.
Insert
Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments. Click anywhere in a segment to insert a vertex and attach the mouse to the spline. Then optionally move the mouse and click to place the new vertex. Continue moving the mouse and clicking to add vertices. A single click inserts a corner vertex, while a drag creates a Bezier (smooth) vertex.

Right-click to complete the operation and release the mouse. At this point, you're still in Insert mode, and can begin inserting vertices in a different segment. Otherwise, right-click again or click Insert to exit Insert mode.

Reverse

Reverses the direction of the selected spline. If the spline is open, the first vertex will be switched to the opposite end of the spline. Reversing the direction of a spline is usually done in order to reverse the effect of using the Insert tool at vertex selection level.

Original and reversed splines

Outline

Makes a copy of the spline, offset on all sides to the distance specified by the Outline Width spinner (to the right of the Outline button). Select one or more splines and then adjust the outline position dynamically with the spinner, or click Outline and then drag a spline. If the spline is open, the resulting spline and its outline will make a single closed spline.

Original and outlined splines

Note: Normally, if using the spinner, you must first select a spline before using Outline. If, however, the spline object contains only one spline, it is automatically selected for the outlining process.
Center

When off (default), the original spline remains stationary and the outline is offset on one side only to the distance specified by Outline Width. When Center is on, the original spline and the outline move away from an invisible center line to the distance specified by Outline Width.

Boolean
Combines two closed polygons by performing a 2D Boolean operation that alters the first spline you select, and deletes the second one. Select the first spline, then click the Boolean button and the desired operation, and then select the second spline.
Note: 2D Booleans only work on 2D splines that are in the same plane.

There are three Boolean operations:

  • Union Combines two overlapping splines into a single spline, in which the overlapping portion is removed, leaving non-overlapping portions of the two splines as a single spline.
  • Subtraction Subtracts the overlapping portion of the second spline from the first spline, and deletes the remainder of the second spline.
  • Intersection Leaves only the overlapping portions of the two splines, deleting the non-overlapping portion of both.

    Original splines (left), Boolean Union, Boolean Subtraction, and Boolean Intersection, respectively

Mirror
Mirrors splines along their length, width, or diagonally. Click the direction you want to mirror first so it is active, then click Mirror.
  • Copy When selected, copies rather than moves the spline as it is mirrored.
  • About Pivot When on, mirrors the spline about the spline object's pivot point (see Pivot). When off, mirrors the spline about its geometric center.

    Mirrored splines

Trim
Use Trim to clean up overlapping segments in a shape so that ends meet at a single point.

To trim, you need intersecting splines. Click the portion of the spline you want to remove. The spline is searched in both directions along its length until it hits an intersecting spline, and deleted up to the intersection. If the section intersects at two points, the entire section is deleted up to the two intersections. If the section is open on one end and intersects at the other, the entire section is deleted up to the intersection and the open end. If the section is not intersected, or if the spline is closed and only one intersection is found, nothing happens.

Extend
Use Extend to clean up open segments in a shape so that ends meet at a single point.

To extend, you need an open spline. Click an open vertex to add a segment that extends from the vertex to an intersecting segment on the same spline. If no intersection is possible, nothing happens. Curved splines extend in a direction tangent to the end of the spline. If the end of a spline lies directly on a boundary (an intersecting spline), then it looks for an intersection farther along.

Infinite Bounds
For the purposes of calculating intersections, turn this on to treat open splines as infinite in length. For example, this lets you trim one linear spline against the extended length of another line that it doesn't actually intersect.
Hide
Hides selected splines. Select one or more splines, and then click Hide.
Unhide All
Displays any hidden sub-objects.
Delete
Deletes the selected spline.
Close
Closes the selected spline by joining its end vertices with a new segment.
Detach
Copies selected splines to a new spline object, and deletes them from the currently selected spline if Copy is clear.
  • Reorient The spline being detached is moved and rotated so that its creation local coordinate system is aligned with the creation local coordinate system of the selected spline.
  • Copy When selected, copies rather than moves the spline as it is detached.
Explode
Breaks up any selected splines by converting each segment to a separate spline or object. This is a time-saving equivalent of using Detach on each segment in the spline in succession.

You can choose to explode to splines or objects. If you choose Object, you're prompted for a name; each successive new spline object uses that name appended with an incremented three-digit number.

Surface Properties rollout

Material group

You can apply different material IDs (see material ID) to splines in shapes containing multiple splines. You can then assign a multi/sub-object material to such shapes, which appears when the spline is renderable, or when used for lathing or extrusion.

Set ID

Lets you assign a particular material ID number to selected segments for use with multi/sub-object materials and other applications. Use the spinner or enter the number from the keyboard. The total number of available IDs is 65,535.

Select ID

Selects the segments or splines corresponding to the Material ID specified in the adjacent ID field. Type or use the spinner to specify an ID, then click the Select ID button.

Select By Name

This drop-down list shows the names of sub-materials if an object has a Multi/Sub-object material assigned to it. Click the drop arrow and select a material from the list. The segments or splines that are assigned that material are selected. If a shape does not have a Multi/Sub-Object material assigned to it, the name list will be unavailable. Likewise, if multiple shapes are selected that have an Edit Spline modifier applied to them, the name list is inactive.

Clear Selection

When turned on, selecting a new ID or material name, forces a deselection of any previously selected segments or splines. If turned off, selections are cumulative so new ID or material name selections add to a previous selection set of segments or splines. Default=on.

Parent topic: Editable Spline