Edit cluster deformers

See also About editing cluster deformation effects.
Tip: If you want to create a falloff (or ramp effect) for this deformer, so that the results of the deformation decrease or drop off after a specified distance, use Component Tags. See Create deformer falloffs.

To edit cluster channels with the Channel Box

  1. Select a cluster deformer node (default name: clustern).

    One quick way to select the cluster deformer node is to select the object being deformed, and then select the cluster deformer node in its history from the Channel Box (under INPUTS). Another way is to select the cluster deformer handle (the C icon).

    Tip: You can control which attributes are listed as keyable attributes (channels) in the Channel Box with the Channel Control Editor (select Windows > General Editors > Channel Control).
  2. In the Channel Box, the following channels are listed by default:
  3. Click the name of the channel you want to edit.
  4. In your scene, middle-click and move the mouse to the left or right. By moving the mouse, you interactively change the value of the selected channel. As you move the mouse, note that pressing the Ctrl key gives you finer control, and pressing the Shift key gives you less control.

To edit cluster deformer attributes with the Attribute Editor

  1. Select the cluster deformer node (default name: cluster).
  2. Open the Attribute Editor.
  3. Edit the attributes.

    See also cluster node.

To prune deformer set membership

  1. Select deformable objects whose currently unaffected points you want to prune from the deformation.
  2. In the Rigging menu set, select Deform > Prune Membership > Cluster.

    This removes the deformable object’s unaffected points from the cluster deformer set.

    Note:

    Prune Membership only removes points from the deformation if they are currently not affected by the deformer. Therefore, if you try to prune the membership of an object whose points are all controlled by the deformer, you will receive the error message “No components could be pruned.”

To query cluster weights

  1. Select the points whose cluster weights you want to edit.
  2. Select Windows > General Editors > Component Editor .

    The Component Editor appears, and displays the component data for currently selected components in the workspace.

    By default, the Component Editor updates dynamically as you select components. Also, as you select components in the Component Editor, the workspace updates dynamically.

  3. Click on the Weighted Deformers tab. The Weighted Deformers section lists the weights assigned to CVs, vertices, or lattice points by cluster deformers (default names: clustern).

To modify a point’s cluster weight

  1. In the Component Editor’s spreadsheet, click the component data box you want to edit.

    Only the component whose box you’ve selected is now selected in the workspace.

  2. Enter a new value.

To modify several cluster weights at once

  1. In the workspace, select the points whose weights you want to edit.
  2. In the Component Editor’s spreadsheet, drag through the component data boxes you want to edit.
  3. Enter the value you want all the boxes to have.

To modify an entire row or column (Linux and Mac OS X only)

  1. In the workspace, select the points whose weights you want to edit.
  2. In the Component Editor’s spreadsheet, click one of the boxes in the row or column.
  3. Click the row or column heading.

    Now all the boxes for the row or column are selected.

  4. Enter a value for all the boxes in the row or column.

To modify an entire row or column (Windows only)

  1. In the workspace, select the points whose weights you want to edit.
  2. To change all the entries of a row or column, in the Component Editor’s spreadsheet, select the row or column heading.
  3. Shift-click any of the boxes in that row or column.
  4. Enter a new value to update the entire row or column.

    For more information see Component Editor.

To delete a cluster deformer

  1. Select the cluster deformer node.
  2. Select Edit > Delete, or press Delete or Backspace.

    The deformer nodes are all deleted. However, the object still has the tweak node as an input node, so any tweaks you might have made are preserved.