Alias Reference Book

Autodesk Alias 2011
Tools, Menus, and Control

Panels in Alias
March 2010
2010 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be
reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose.
Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder.
Trademarks
The following are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and other countries:
3DEC (design/logo), 3December, 3December.com, 3ds Max, Algor, Alias, Alias (swirl design/logo), AliasStudio, Alias|Wavefront (design/logo),
ATC, AUGI, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Learning Assistance, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Simulator, AutoCAD SQL Extension, AutoCAD SQL Interface,
Autodesk, Autodesk Envision, Autodesk Intent, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Map, Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Streamline, AutoLISP, AutoSnap,
AutoSketch, AutoTrack, Backburner, Backdraft, Built with ObjectARX (logo), Burn, Buzzsaw, CAiCE, Civil 3D, Cleaner, Cleaner Central, ClearScale,
Colour Warper, Combustion, Communication Specification, Constructware, Content Explorer, Dancing Baby (image), DesignCenter, Design
Doctor, Designer's Toolkit, DesignKids, DesignProf, DesignServer, DesignStudio, Design Web Format, Discreet, DWF, DWG, DWG (logo), DWG
Extreme, DWG TrueConvert, DWG TrueView, DXF, Ecotect, Exposure, Extending the Design Team, Face Robot, FBX, Fempro, Fire, Flame, Flare,
Flint, FMDesktop, Freewheel, GDX Driver, Green Building Studio, Heads-up Design, Heidi, HumanIK, IDEA Server, i-drop, ImageModeler, iMOUT,
Incinerator, Inferno, Inventor, Inventor LT, Kaydara, Kaydara (design/logo), Kynapse, Kynogon, LandXplorer, Lustre, MatchMover, Maya,
Mechanical Desktop, Moldflow, Moonbox, MotionBuilder, Movimento, MPA, MPA (design/logo), Moldflow Plastics Advisers, MPI, Moldflow
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Softimage|XSI (design/logo), Sparks, SteeringWheels, Stitcher, Stone, StudioTools, ToolClip, Topobase, Toxik, TrustedDWG, ViewCube, Visual,
Visual LISP, Volo, Vtour, Wire, Wiretap, WiretapCentral, XSI, and XSI (design/logo).
All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
Disclaimer
THIS PUBLICATION AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS MADE AVAILABLE BY AUTODESK, INC. "AS IS." AUTODESK, INC. DISCLAIMS
ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS.
Published by:
Autodesk, Inc.
111 McInnis Parkway
San Rafael, CA 94903, USA
Contents
Tool Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1
Pick palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Pick > Nothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Pick > Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Pick > Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Pick > Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Pick > Pick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Pick > Edit Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Pick > Point Types > CV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Pick > Point Types > Hull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Pick > Point Types > Blend Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Pick > Object Types > Curve on Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Pick > Object Types > Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Pick > Object Types > Image Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Pick > Object Types > All Objects/Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Pick > Object Types > Pick by Shader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Pick > Locator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Pick > Pick Visible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 2
Transform palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Transform > Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Transform > Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
iii
Transform > Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Transform > Non-p Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform > Modify > Proportional Mod . . . . . . . . . .
Transform > Modify > Move CV Normal . . . . . . . . . .
Transform > Modify > Rotational Scale . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform > Local > Set Pivot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform > Local > Center Pivot . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform > Local > Set Local Axes . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform > Zero Transforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform > Object Placement > Duplicate Place Toolbox .
Transform > Object Placement > Place . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 3
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. 13
. 15
. 15
. 17
. 18
. 18
. 19
. 20
. 20
. 21
. 25
Paint palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Paint > Pencil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Airbrush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Pastel Soft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Solid Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Eraser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Eraser > Clear Canvas Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Effect Brush > Sharpen Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Effect Brush > Blur Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Effect Brush > Smear Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Effect Brush > Clone Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Effect Brush > Dodge Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Effect Brush > Burn Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Flood Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Pick Layer by Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Select > Magic Wand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Select > Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Select > Toggle Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Select > Invert Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Select > Clear Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Select > Transform Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Shape > Make Image Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Shape > Make Mask Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > Shape > Make Invisibility Mask Shape . . . . . . . .
Paint > Text Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint > PaintSymmetry > Modify Canvas Brush Symmetry .
Paint > PaintSymmetry > Toggle Canvas Brush Symmetry . .
Paint > Color Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 4
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. 27
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. 47
. 47
. 50
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. 56
. 58
. 61
. 65
. 65
. 66
. 67
. 67
. 67
. 68
. 68
. 68
. 69
. 70
. 71
. 73
. 74
. 74
Paint Edit palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Paint Edit > Modify Layer > Transform Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Paint Edit > Modify Layer > Horizontal Flip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
iv | Contents
Paint Edit > Modify Layer > Vertical Flip . . . . . . . . . . .

Paint Edit > Deform Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Make Warp Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Manipulation . . . . .
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Brightness & Contrast . . . .
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Saturation & Value . . . . .
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Balance . . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Replace (HSV) . . . .
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Replace (HSL) . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Effect > Sharpen Layer . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Effect > Blur Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > New Image Layer . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > New Mask Layer . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > New Invisibility Mask Layer .
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > New Layer Folder . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > Duplicate Layer . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > Merge Below . . . . . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > Merge Visible Layers . . . . .
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > Merge All Layers . . . . . . .
Chapter 5
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. 79
. 79
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. 91
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. 93
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. 96
. 96
. 97
. 97
. 98
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Curves palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Curves > Primitives > Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Curves > Primitives > Sweeps . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Curves > New Curves > New CV Curve . . . . . . . .
Curves > New Curves > New Edit Point Curve . . . .
Curves > New Curves > New Sketch Curve . . . . . .
Curves > Blend Curve Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Create . . . . . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Add Points . . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Edit . . . . . . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Planarize . . . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Constraint Dissociate . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Pt Make Master . . . . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Interpolation Direction .
BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Direction Type . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Continuity . . . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Curvature Type . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Curve Degree . . . . . . . . . . . .
BlendCrv Tools > Curve Knot Spacing . . . . . . . . .
Curves > Keypoint Curve Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Circular Arc . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Ellipse . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Rectangle . . . . . . . . . . .
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Contents | v
Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Arc (Three Point) . . . . . . . . . . .

Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Arc (Two Point) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Arc Tangent to Curve . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Concentric Arc . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Polyline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Parallel Line . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Line at Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Line Tangent & Perp > Line Tangent to
Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Line Tangent & Perp > Line Tangent from/to
Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Line Tangent & Perp > Line
Perpendicular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Line-arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Break & Join > Break Curve at Keypoint . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Break & Join > Join Curves . . . . . . . . . .
Keypoint Curve Tools > Drag Keypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Curves > New Curve-on-surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Curves > Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 6
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. 128
. 131
. 131
. 131
. 132
. 133
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. 135
. 136
. 137
. 142
. 142
. 146
. 148
. 148
. 151
. 153
. 153
. 155
. 156
. 157
Object Edit palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Object Edit > Attach > Attach . . . .
Object Edit > Attach > Detach . . . .
Object Edit > Insert . . . . . . . . .
Object Edit > Extend . . . . . . . . .
Object Edit > Symmetric Modeling .
Object Edit > Align > Align . . . . .
Object Edit > Align > Align 2008 . .
vi | Contents
. 126
Curve Edit palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Curve Edit > Create > Duplicate Curve . . . .
Curve Edit > Create > Combine Curves . . . .
Curve Edit > Create > Fillet Curves . . . . . .
Curve Edit > Modify > Add Points . . . . . . .
Curve Edit > Modify > Transform Curve . . .
Curve Edit > Modify > Stretch . . . . . . . . .
Curve Edit > Cut > Break Curve at Inflections .
Curve Edit > Rebuild Curve . . . . . . . . . .
Curve Edit > Project Tangent . . . . . . . . .
Curve Edit > Curve Planarize . . . . . . . . .
Curve Edit > Curve Section . . . . . . . . . .
Curve Edit > Fit Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Curve Edit > Sort Sections . . . . . . . . . . .
Curve Edit > Reverse Curve . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 7
. 115
. 117
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. 120
. 121
. 122
. 123
. 124
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. 181
Object Edit > Align > Symmetry Plane Align . . . . . . . .

Object Edit > Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Transformer Rig .
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Lattice Rig . . . .
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Twist Rig . . . .
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Bend Rig . . . .
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Conform Rig . .
Object Edit > Object Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Object Edit > Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Object Edit > Edit Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Object Edit > Patch Precision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Object Edit > Query Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 8
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. 187
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. 237
. 238
. 238
. 238
Surfaces palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Surfaces > Primitives > Sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Primitives > Torus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Primitives > Cylinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Primitives > Cone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Primitives > Cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Primitives > Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Planar Surfaces > Set Planar . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Planar surfaces > Bevel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Revolve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Rail Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Extrude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Anim Sweep . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Boundary Surfaces > Square . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Boundary Surfaces > N-sided . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Surface Fillet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Freeform Blend . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Profile Blend . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Fillet Flange . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tube Flange . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tubular Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Round . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Draft Surfaces > Multi-Surface Draft . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Draft Surfaces > Draft/Flange . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Curve Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CrvNet Tools > Pick Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CrvNet Tools > New Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CrvNet Tools > Continuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CrvNet Tools > Add/Subtract Curves > Add Curve to Network .
CrvNet Tools > Add/Subtract Curves > Remove Curve from
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CrvNet Tools > Analyze Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 302
. 309
. 316
. 319
. 322
. 327
. 329
. 330
. 330
. 330
. 330
. . . . 330
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Contents | vii
CrvNet Tools > Reset Sculpt Curves Mapping . . . . . . .

CrvNet Tools > Add/Delete Sculpt > Add Sculpt Curve . .
CrvNet Tools > Add/Delete Sculpt > Delete Sculpt Curve .
CrvNet Tools > Pin Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CrvNet Tools > Influence Weights > Multi Weight . . . .
CrvNet Tools > Influence Weights > Unit Weight . . . . .
CrvNet Tools > Lock Intersection . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CrvNet Tools > Region of Influence . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Combine Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Ball Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surfaces > Tube Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 9
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. 335
. 337
Surface Edit palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface > Project . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface > Intersect . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface > Geometry Mapping .
Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Trim > Untrim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Convert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Stitch > Shell Stitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Stitch > Shell Unstitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Shells > Shell Subtract . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Shells > Shell Intersect . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Shells > Shell Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Planarize Hull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Rebuild Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Claymate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Fit Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Orientation > Set Surface Orientation . . . . . .
Surface Edit > Orientation > Unify Surface Orientation . . . . .
Surface Edit > Orientation > Reverse Surface Orientation . . . .
Surface Edit > Reverse Surface UV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 10
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. 349
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. 359
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. 363
. 364
Mesh palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Mesh > Mesh Tessellation > Nurbs to Mesh . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Tessellation > Cloud to Mesh . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Tessellation > Displacement Map to Mesh . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Partitioning > Mesh Subset . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Partitioning > Mesh Merge . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Partitioning > Mesh Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Project Curve . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Project Normal . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Intersect . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Extract Theoretical Intersection .
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . .
viii | Contents
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. 369
. 369
. 370
. 370
. 371
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Smooth . . . .

Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Reduce . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Hole Fill . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Bridge . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Weld Vertices .
Mesh > Mesh Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Collar . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Stitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Reverse Mesh Orientation . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Positioning . . . . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Edge Reconstruct . . . . . . . .
Mesh > Mesh Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 11
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. 400
. 400
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Construction palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

Construction > Point . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Construction > Vector . . . . . . . . . . . .
Construction > Plane . . . . . . . . . . . .
Construction > Set Construction Plane . . .
Construction > Toggle Construction Plane .
Construction > Grid Preset . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 13
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View palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

View > World Move Camera > Tumble . . . . . . .
View > World Move Camera > Track . . . . . . . . .
View > World Move Camera > Dolly . . . . . . . .
View > World Move Camera > Track/Dolly/Tumble .
View > Local Move Camera > Twist . . . . . . . . .
View > Local Move Camera > Azimuth/Elevation . .
View > Local Move Camera > Yaw/Pitch . . . . . .
View > Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View > Look At . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View > Set Non Proportional View . . . . . . . . .
View > Toggle Non Proportional View . . . . . . . .
View > Previous View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View > Reset View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View > Toggle Stereo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View > New Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View > Adjust Clipping Plane . . . . . . . . . . . .
View > View 1:1 > Calibrate 1:1 . . . . . . . . . . .
View > View 1:1 > Toggle 1:1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 12
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Locators palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Locators > Move Locator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Contents | ix
Locators > Annotate . . . . . . . . . . . .

Locators > Measure > Distance . . . . . . .
Locators > Measure > Angle . . . . . . . .
Locators > Measure > Radius . . . . . . . .
Locators > Measure > Diameter . . . . . .
Locators > Measure > Arc Length . . . . .
Locators > Deviation > Closest Point . . .
Locators > Deviation > Deviation . . . . .
Locators > Deviation > Curve to Curve . .
Locators > Deviation > Surface to Surface .
Locators > Deviation > Curve to Surface . .
Locators > Deviation > Mesh to Surface . .
Locators > Deviation > Cloud to Surface .
Locators > Curve Curvature . . . . . . . .
Chapter 14
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. 417
. 418
. 418
Evaluate palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

Evaluate > Continuity > Surface Continuity .
Evaluate > Continuity > Curve Continuity . .
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Highlights . . .
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Curvature . . . .
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Contour . . . .
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Horizon . . . . .
Evaluate > Dynamic Section . . . . . . . . . .
Evaluate > IsoAngle . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Evaluate > Parting Line . . . . . . . . . . . .
Evaluate > Min/Max Curvature . . . . . . . .
Evaluate > Mass Properties . . . . . . . . . . .
Evaluate > Check Model . . . . . . . . . . . .
Evaluate > Deviation Map . . . . . . . . . . .
Evaluate > Contact Analysis . . . . . . . . . .
Evaluate > Dynamic Measurement . . . . . .
Evaluate > Pedestrian Protection . . . . . . . .
Chapter 15
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. 442
. 444
. 444
Point Clouds palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

Point Clouds > Subset . . . . . . . .
Point Clouds > Project Curve . . . .
Point Clouds > Surfaces > Gridded .
Point Clouds > Surfaces > Detailed .
Point Clouds > Surfaces > Corners . .
Point Clouds > Merge . . . . . . . .
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. 447
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. 450
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Chapter 16
x | Contents
File menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
File > New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

File > Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Open Recent > Clear History . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Open Stage Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Save Stageset As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Checkpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Import > File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Import > Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Import > Anim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Import > Image Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Import > Canvas Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Import > Alias Paint Canvas . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wire import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IGES import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VDAIS import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JAMAIS import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
C4 import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VDAFS import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
UGS NX import options (Windows only) . . . . . . .
DES import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STEP import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Autodesk Inventor import options (Windows only) .
CATIA V4 import options (Windows only) . . . . . .
CATIA V5 import options (Windows only) . . . . . .
CAI import options (Windows only) . . . . . . . . .
OBJ import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Encapsulated Postscript import options . . . . . . . .
Illustrator import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pro/E Render import options . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OpenInventor import options (Windows only) . . . .
STL import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JT import options (Windows only) . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > Active As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > SDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > Anim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > SLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > Rapid Prototype . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > Current Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > Canvas Image/Mask Layer . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > Make Canvas Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Export > VRML 2.0 (Windows only) . . . . . . . . .
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. 453
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. 464
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. 481
. 481
. 483
. 483
. 484
. 484
Contents | xi
Export options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
UGS-NX export options (Windows only) . . .
DBVIEW export options (Windows only) . . .
CAI export options (Windows only) . . . . . .
CATIA V5 export options (Windows only) . .
STEP export options . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PTC Granite export options (Windows only) .
OBJ export options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DWF export options (Windows only) . . . . .
DWG export options (Windows only) . . . . .
DXF export options (Windows only) . . . . .
DES export options . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VDAFS export options . . . . . . . . . . . . .
C4 export options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JAMA-IS export options . . . . . . . . . . . .
VDAIS export options . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IGES export options . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
WIRE export options . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Reference Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Print Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Show Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
File > Image References > Image References . . . . .
File > Image References > Extract Image References .
File > Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 17
Edit
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. 489
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. 523
. 523
menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Edit > Undo . . . . . . . .

Edit > Redo . . . . . . . . .
Edit > Reinvoke Last . . . .
Edit > Cut . . . . . . . . .
Edit > Copy . . . . . . . . .
Edit > Paste . . . . . . . . .
Edit > Cut Image . . . . . .
Edit > Copy Image . . . . .
Edit > Paste Image . . . . .
Edit > Duplicate > Object .
Edit > Duplicate > Mirror .
Edit > Ungroup . . . . . . .
Edit > Group . . . . . . . .
Edit > Expand Instances . .
Chapter 18
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. 535
Delete menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

Delete > Delete Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
Delete > Delete Construction History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
xii | Contents
Delete > Delete Locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Delete > Delete Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Delete Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Painting > Delete Canvases from Construction Plane .
Delete > Painting > Delete Canvases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Painting > Delete Active Image Layer . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Painting > Delete All Mask Layers . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Painting > Delete Sketch Projection . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Delete Image Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Delete Projective Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Animation > Delete Selection Handles . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Animation > Delete Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Animation > Delete Static Actions . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Animation > Delete Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Delete Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete > Delete Null Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 19
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. 537
. 538
. 538
. 539
. 539
. 540
. 540
. 540
. 541
. 541
. 541
. 542
. 543
. 544
. 545
. 545
Layouts menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547

Layouts > All Windows > All Windows . . . . . .
Layouts > Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > New Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > Full Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layouts > User Windows > Save Current Layout .
Layouts > User Windows > Retrieve Layout . . . .
Chapter 20
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. 549
. 549
. 549
. 549
. 550
. 551
. 551
. 552
Object Display menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553

ObjectDisplay > Control . . . . . . .
ObjectDisplay > Visible . . . . . . .
ObjectDisplay > Invisible . . . . . .
ObjectDisplay > Hide Unselected . .
ObjectDisplay > Toggle Visibility . .
ObjectDisplay > Template . . . . . .
ObjectDisplay > Bounding Box . . .
ObjectDisplay > Draw Precision . . .
ObjectDisplay > Draw Style . . . . .
ObjectDisplay > Diagnostic Shading .
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. 554
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. 556
. 556
. 558
Contents | xiii
Chapter 21
WindowDisplay menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567

WindowDisplay > Window Title Bar . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Window Sync . . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Hidden Line . . . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Anti-Alias > Wireframe Anti-Alias .
WindowDisplay > Anti-Alias > Shaded Anti-Alias . . .
WindowDisplay > Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Xray Controls . . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Model . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Pivots . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Grid . . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Guidelines . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Locators . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Construction Objects . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Canvas Planes . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Lights . . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Textures . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Cameras . . . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Image Planes . . . . . . .
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Clouds . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 22
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. 585
. 585
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. 586
Layers menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587

Layers > New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Select > Objects on Selected Layers .
Layers > Select > Layers by Picked Objects . .
Layers > Select > All Layers . . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Select > Layer Range . . . . . . . .
Layers > Set State > Pickable . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Set State > Reference . . . . . . . .
Layers > Set State > Inactive . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Delete > Selected Layers . . . . . .
Layers > Delete > Unused Layers . . . . . . .
Layers > Delete > Merge Duplicate Layers . .
Layers > Visibility > Visible . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Visibility > Invisible . . . . . . . .
Layers > Symmetry > On . . . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Symmetry > Off . . . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Symmetry > Set Plane . . . . . . .
Layers > Symmetry > Create Geometry . . .
Layers > Undo Assign . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Toggle Layers . . . . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Toggle Layer Bar . . . . . . . . . .
Layers > Toggle Unused layers . . . . . . . .
xiv | Contents
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. 591
Chapter 23
Canvas menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

Canvas > New Canvas . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Canvas > New Canvas on Construction Plane .
Canvas > New Overlay Canvas . . . . . . . . .
Canvas > Resize Canvas . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Canvas > Crop to Marquee . . . . . . . . . . .
Canvas > Project Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 24
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. 593
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Render menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605

Render > Globals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render > Multi-lister > Multi-list Edit . . . . . .
Render > Editors > Render Stats . . . . . . . . .
Render > Editors > Light links . . . . . . . . . .
Render > Direct Render . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render > Render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render > Render to QuickTimeVR . . . . . . . .
Render > Convert Frames to Movie . . . . . . .
Render > Apply Shaders . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Render > Ambient Occlusion > Compute . . . .
Render > Ambient Occlusion > Delete . . . . . .
Render > Ambient Occlusion > Toggle Display .
Render > Create Lights > Point . . . . . . . . .
Render > Create Lights > Spot . . . . . . . . . .
Render > Create Lights > Directional . . . . . .
Render > Create Lights > Ambient . . . . . . . .
Render > Create Lights > Area . . . . . . . . . .
Render > Create Lights > Volume . . . . . . . .
Render > Create Lights > Linear . . . . . . . . .
Render > Create Lights > Create Defaults . . . .
Render > Create Texture Projections . . . . . . .
Render > Place Projection . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 25
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. 678
. 680
Render > Multi-lister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683

Multi-lister interface . . . . . . . .
Environment parameters . . . . .
Shader parameters . . . . . . . . .
Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Environment texture parameters .
Ball texture . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chrome Texture . . . . . . . . . .
Cube textures . . . . . . . . . . .
Sky textures . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sphere texture . . . . . . . . . . .
Bulge texture parameters . . . . . .
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. 686
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. 769
Contents | xv
Checker texture parameters . .

Cloth texture parameters . . .
File Texture Parameters . . . .
Fractal texture parameters . . .
Grid texture parameters . . . .
Mountain texture parameters .
Noise texture parameters . . . .
Ramp texture parameters . . .
Stencil texture parameters . . .
Water texture parameters . . .
Snow texture . . . . . . . . . .
sCloud texture . . . . . . . . .
sFractal texture . . . . . . . . .
sMarble texture . . . . . . . . .
sRock texture . . . . . . . . . .
Leather texture . . . . . . . . .
Granite texture . . . . . . . . .
sWood texture . . . . . . . . .
Volume texture . . . . . . . . .
Point Light Parameters . . . . .
Spot Light Parameters . . . . .
Area Light Parameters . . . . .
Volume Light Parameters . . .
Linear Light Parameters . . . .
Chapter 26
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. 834
Animation menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 837

Animation > Keyframe > Set Keyframe . . . .
Animation > Keyframe > Auto Keyframe . . .
Animation > Keyframe > Cut Keyframe . . . .
Animation > Keyframe > Copy Keyframe . . .
Animation > Keyframe > Paste Keyframe . . .
Animation > Pick > Joint . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Pick > IK Handle . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Pick > Selection Handle . . . . .
Animation > Pick > Pick Cluster . . . . . . . .
Animation > IK > New Skeleton . . . . . . . .
Animation > IK > Add IK Handle . . . . . . .
Animation > IK > Set Rest Pose . . . . . . . .
Animation > IK > Assume Rest Pose . . . . . .
Animation > IK > Run IK . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > IK > IK Handles On/Off . . . . .
Animation > Create > New Selection Handle .
Animation > Create > New Cluster . . . . . .
Animation > Create > New Set . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Create > New Time Warp . . . .
Animation > Create > New Cycles Warp . . . .
xvi | Contents
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. 837
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. 854
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. 860
. 861
. 861
. 862
. 862
. 864
Animation > Create > New Scale Warp . . . . . . . .

Animation > Edit > Duplicate Animation Channels .
Animation > Edit > Overlay Skeleton . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Edit > Constraints On/Off . . . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Action Window . . . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Playback Options . . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Param Control . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Deformation Control . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Expression Control . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Skeletons . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Clusters . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Set Lister . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Edit Set . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Animation Stats . . . . . . . .
Animation > Editors > Scene Info . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Set Motion . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Set Key Shape . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Pose animation . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Autofly . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Constrain To . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Create Constraint . . . . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Edit UV Constraint . . . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Move Selection Handle . . . . .
Animation > Tools > Bone Style . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Show > View Frame . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Show > Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Show > Toggle Time Slider . . . . . . . .
Animation > Show > Skeletons . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Show > Selection Handles . . . . . . . .
Animation > Show > IK Handles . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Show > Constraints . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Show > FCheck . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation > Turntable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 27
Windows
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menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993
Windows > Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993

Windows > Shelves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993
Windows > Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993
Windows > Information > Information Window . . . . . . . . . . . . 994
Windows > Information > Layer Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995
Windows > Information > Layer Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 996
Windows > Information > Deviation Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 999
Windows > Information > History View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 999
Windows > Editors > Construction Plane Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 1001
Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Contents | xvii
Windows > Editors > Shape Editor . . . . .

Windows > Editors > Stages . . . . . . . .
Windows > Editors > Cameras . . . . . . .
Windows > Editors > Cross Section Editor .
Windows > Object Lister . . . . . . . . . .
Windows > Bookmark Lister . . . . . . . .
Chapter 28
Preferences
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Utilities menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1097

Utilities > Plug-in Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utilities > SBD > Open SBD Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utilities > SBD > Compress SBD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utilities > SBD > Expand SBD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utilities > Command Stepper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utilities > Licensing Information > Borrow License . . . . . . . .
Utilities > Licensing Information > Return License Early . . . . .
Utilities > Licensing Information > Product License Information .
Utilities > System Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utilities > Errlog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 30
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Preferences > Workflows > Default . . . . . . . . . . .

Preferences > Workflows > Paint . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > Workflows > Modeling . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > Workflows > Visualize . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > Menus > Short Menus . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > Menus > Long Menus . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > Interface > Hotkeys/Menu Editor . . . .
Preferences > Interface > Marking Menus . . . . . . .
Preferences > Interface > Toggle Single Hotkeys . . . .
Preferences > Interface > Palette/Shelves Layout . . . .
Preferences > Interface > Shelf Extras . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > Interface > User Colors . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > General Preferences . . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > Selection Options . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > Performance Options . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > Construction Options . . . . . . . . . .
Preferences > User Options > Retrieve Options . . . .
Preferences > User Options > Save Options . . . . . .
Preferences > User Preferences > Load Preference Set .
Preferences > User Preferences > Save Preference Set . .
Chapter 29
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Help menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1105

Help > Alias Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1105
Help > Modifier Keys, Marking Menu Keys, and Hotkeys . . . . . . . 1107
xviii | Contents
Help > Why Alias Design . . . . . . . . .

Help > Learning Movies . . . . . . . . .
Help > Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help > Whats New . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help > Support Center . . . . . . . . . .
Help > Alias Design Community . . . . .
Help > Sample Files . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help > Customer Involvement Program .
Help > Report a Problem . . . . . . . . .
Help > Suggest a Feature . . . . . . . . .
Help > Autodesk DirectConnect Help . .
Help > Autodesk Online Store . . . . . .
Help > Tool Locator . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help > Whats This? . . . . . . . . . . .
Help > About Alias . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Control Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1121

Chapter 31
Modeling control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1123

Control Panel > Move CV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1149
Control Panel > Show deviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1151
Control Panel > Curvature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1152
Chapter 32
Paint control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1155

Control Panel > New Canvas . . . . .
Control Panel > Canvas Layer Editor .
Control Panel > Pan . . . . . . . . .
Control Panel > Zoom . . . . . . . .
Chapter 33
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Visualization control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1173

Control Panel > Hardware Shade . . . . .
Control Panel > Toggle model . . . . . .
Control Panel > MultiLister: List All . . .
Control Panel > Delete Unused Shaders .
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Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1183
Contents | xix
xx
Tool Palettes
Describes the purpose and options of all tools in the palette.
Pick palette
Tools on this palette are used to select different types of objects or parts of objects.
Pick > Nothing

Unpicks all objects.
Click Pick > Nothing to ensure that no objects or parts of objects in the scene
are selected. Pick > Nothing is a momentary tool, so your tool choice will
revert to the tool or menu item used immediately before Pick > Nothing after
the action is complete.
See also:
Pick or unpick all objects
Center the view on specific objects
Pick > Object

Picks or unpicks one or more objects.
Pick Object Options

Pick according to layers If this option is ON (indicated by a check mark),
objects in inactive or reference layers are not picked when they are grouped
below the selected object(s) in the DAG hierarchy.
If any descendants of a node are on an unpickable layer, the system de-selects
the original node(s) and selects all the pickable nodes on the level below. It
continues the process until all pickable descendants of all selected nodes are
found.
By default, Pick according to layers is OFF, and Pick > Object ignores
layer state attributes. This example shows how results can differ depending
on this option.
NOTE Pick according to layers affects only modeling windows. In the SBD
window, components are picked whether a layer is inactive layer or not.
See also:
Pick section data
Pick or unpick objects
Work with camera objects
Pick > Component

Picks or unpicks individual components from a group of objects.
Pick Component Options

All Click the On or Off options to turn all the checkboxes on or off.
Curves/Construction
Objects/Surfaces/Shells/Meshes/Lights/Sections/Others Types of objects
that can be picked.
Construction Objects include Points, Vectors, Construction Planes, and
Canvases.
Others include the camera and solid textures.
Choosing Pick > Component reveals the following section to the left of the
Prompt line:
These icons enable you to set the type of objects (the pick mask) that can be
picked without opening the option box. If the button is white, that type of
object can be picked. If it is the same color as the menu bar, that type of object
4 | Chapter 1 Pick palette
cannot be picked. Change the status of what can be picked by clicking the
icon.
See also:
Pick section data
Pick or unpick objects
Pick special object types
Group and ungroup objects
Pick > Template

Allows you to pick templated objects.
You can use the ObjectDisplay > Template on page 555 command to template
picked objects. When an object is templated, it is visible but cannot be picked
with the normal pick tools or snapped to.
Templating lets you get objects out of the way when you are working on other
objects in the same area.
The Pick > Template on page 5 tool lets you pick templated objects so you
can work on them, or untemplate them.
See also:
Use objects as templates
Pick > Pick Reference

Picks and unpicks individual objects, alternatives, or layers of a reference file, or the
whole reference file, in the view window.
Pick Reference Options

Pick Level Specifies at what level your are picking within the reference file.
Choose between: Component, Layer, File, or Alternative.
Pick > Template | 5
Curves/Surfaces/Shells/Meshes If Pick Level is set to Component, you

can further refine what type of objects can be picked by checking or
unchecking these options.
By default, they are all checked.
See also:
File > Reference Manager on page 507
Pick > Edit Point

Picks and unpicks edit points on curves.
Pick Edit Point Options

Use Lasso Dragging the mouse draws a lasso around the edit points you want
to pick, instead of a box.
See also:
Make curves intersect
Pick or unpick control points
Add to an existing curve
Pick > Point Types > CV

Picks and unpicks CVs.
Pick CV Options
Use Lasso Dragging the mouse draws a lasso around the CVs you want to
pick, instead of a box.
See also:
Create clusters
Edit the timing curve of a motion path
Snap to curves, points, or the grid
Pick section data
Move CVs in world (XYZ) space
Move CVs relative to their curve or surface
Move multiple CVs toward or away from a point
Pick > Point Types > Hull

Allows you to pick an entire line of CVs by clicking the hull connecting them.
When you turn on the display of hulls (using ObjectDisplay > Control on
page 553 or the Display section of the control panel), hull lines are drawn
connecting the CVs on curves, and the rows and columns of CVs on a surface.
To pick the CVs connected by a hull, choose Pick > Point Types > Hull on
page 7 and click the hull.
See also:
Pick > Point Types > Blend Point

Picks a blend curve constraint.
See also:
Blend curves
Edit or reshape a blend curve
Attach or detach blend points
Pick > Point Types > Hull | 7
Pick > Object Types > Curve on Surface

Allows you to pick curves-on-surface.
Curves-on-surface are special curves that exist on surfaces. They are used to
mark out which parts of a surface to trim.
Usually, you create curves-on-surface by intersecting or projecting other
geometry onto a surface. You do not usually need to edit curves-on-surface
by hand.
To pick a curve-on-surface, choose Pick > Object Types > Curve on Surface
and click the curve-on-surface.
See also:
Pick > Object Types > Cloud

Allows you to pick point clouds.
The Pick > Object Types > Cloud tool picks the entire point cloud object
when you click one of its constituent points.
See also:
Edit point clouds
Pick > Object Types > Image Plane

Allows you to pick an image plane.
To pick one or more image planes, import an image plane of a drawing and
use it as a guide for modeling.
See also:
Image planes
Pick or unpick an image plane
Pick > Object Types > All Objects/Lights

Picks all objects in the scene.
To pick all objects in the scene, choose Pick > Object Types > All
Objects/Lights .
See also:
Pick or unpick all objects
Pick > Object Types > Pick by Shader

Selects all surfaces in a scene that have the same shader assigned to them.
See also:
Pick all surfaces using the same shader
Pick > Locator

Selects the locators for curves.
Everything created as a Locator (including annotations, deviations, and
measurements) is pickable as a locator. You can assign the locators to layers.
After you have selected locators, you can delete them by using Delete > Delete
Active on page 537 .
Pick Locator Options

Measurement Picks locators created by the Locators > Measure tools.
Deviation Picks locators created by the Locators > Deviation tools.
Others Picks locators created by the Locators > Measure > Arc Length on page
415 and Locators > Curve Curvature on page 418 tools.
See also:
Pick locators
Pick > Object Types > All Objects/Lights | 9
Pick > Pick Visible

Selects / deselects surfaces and meshes that are visible in a given view, when the model
is hardware shaded.
See also:
Pick or unpick visible objects
Transform palette
Transform > Move

Moves picked items in the scene.
NOTE The type of item that can be moved depends on which Pick tool is selected.
For example, if Pick > Point Types > CV on page 6 is selected, Transform > Move
moves only CVs. You can change the shape of an object by moving its CVs.
Move Options
Global Move objects in the global X, Y, Z coordinate system.
Local Move each picked object along its own local axes (displayed at the objects
pivot point).
Mouse buttons in Local mode

For Local mode:
Drag
To...
left mouse button
Move along local X axis of the object
middle mouse button
Move along local Y axis of the object
right mouse button
Move along local Z axis of the object
11
See also:
Work with the construction plane
Move CVs along an arbitrary vector or plane
Move items
Use local instead of global axes
Scale a canvas plane
Move, scale, or rotate an image layer
2D best practices
Transform > Rotate

Rotates picked items in the scene around a pivot point.
NOTE The default local axes for an object are the same as the global axes. To
change the orientation of an objects local axes, use Transform > Local > Set Local
Axes on page 20 .
TIP To permanently display the local axes of all picked objects, choose
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Pivots on page 582 and turn on Local Axes
Display.
Rotate Options
Global Rotate objects by incrementing their Euler rotation angles.
This means that the rotation is done first to Z, then Y, then X. Consequently,
the X rotational axis depends on the Y and Z rotations already done.
12 | Chapter 2 Transform palette
Rotations done on DAG nodes above the current node also affect the rotational
axis.
Local Rotate each picked object around its local X, Y, and Z axes (displayed
at each objects pivot point).
Universe Rotate objects around the world X, Y, and Z axes.
Mouse buttons in Local and Universe modes

Drag
To...
left mouse button
Rotate around the X axis
middle mouse button
Rotate around the Y axis
right mouse button
Rotate around the Z axis
See also:
Create clusters
Create a constraint on an object
Constrain one object to another object
Add IK handles to your skeleton
Rotate objects
Transform > Scale

Allows you to scale the picked objects uniformly along all axes.
Scaling changes the size of objects by changing their scale proportionally in
all three dimensions. You can also apply scaling to an image planes two
dimensions. You can type a value that applies to all dimensions equally or
use different mouse buttons to apply to different dimensions.
Transform > Scale | 13
TIP To scale in different amounts for different dimensions, use non-proportional

scaling by selecting Transform > Non-p Scale on page 15 .
NOTE You cannot scale curve-on-surface elements, as they are projections onto
a surface.
NOTE If you are transforming an image plane, a manipulator displays. See Move,
scale, or rotate an image layer. For information on scale pivot points, see Change
an objects pivot point.
The effect of a scale operation depends the location of the scale pivot point
of the object and the addressing mode, relative, or absolute.
For information about using absolute and relative addressing, see Absolute
and relative addressing.
By default, all geometry has an initial scale factor of 1, meaning 100% of its
size.
Relative scaling is based on the current original size of the object. For
example, if you scale to 1.5 and then scale again to 2.0, the object is now
three times as big as when you started.
Absolute scaling is based on the original size of the object. For example,
if you scale to 1.5 and then scale again to 2.0, the object is now twice as
big as when you started.
See also:
Scale animation timing with a time warp
Create clusters
Change the form of original object in an animation
Create clusters with properties for deformation
Scale objects proportionally
How to change the size of an image plane
Resize an object on a canvas
Edit a shape
Transform > Non-p Scale

Allows you to scale the picked objects by different amounts along each axis.
Changes the size of objects by scaling non-proportionally. That is, it changes
the dimensions of objects or image planes by different scale factors in different
directions. You can use non-proportional scaling in any dimension.
This tool is like Transform > Scale on page 13 , except that you type a
different scale factor for each scale dimension. If you type in only one
value, it is used for the first dimension.
For information on scale pivot points, see Change an objects pivot point.
The effect of Non-p Scale is based on the location of the scale pivot point
of the object.
By default, all geometry has an initial scale factor of 1 in all three

dimensions, so a value of 1 makes no change.
See Absolute and relative addressing.
For either direction, you can scale to an absolute size or relative to the
current size (scale factor) of the object in any dimension.
NOTE You cannot scale a curve-on-surface element, since it is a projection.
Transform > Modify > Proportional Mod

Moves, rotates, or scales CVs relative to their proximity to a center master CV.
Proportional Mod Control

Operations Choose whether to move, rotate, smooth, or non-proportionally
scale the CVs.
Smooth Interpolates the amount of change based on the Falloff values
for averaging the CVs in the region of effect.
When Smooth is on, you select only the primary CV and the region of effect.
Move Mode Choose XYZ to move CVs in world space.
Choose NUV to move CVs relative to their curve or surface.
Transform > Non-p Scale | 15
NURBS Surface Options

Falloff Specifies the degree of effect in the U and V parametric directions. The
range for these fields is from -5.00 to 5.00.
The current Falloff value and the distance of each CV from its neighbor
determines the amount by which the CVs before and after the selected ones
are affected in relation to the primary CV. A Falloff value of 0 applies the
transformation equally over the affected region.
If the Falloff value is positive, the effect of the transformation is decreased

for CVs that are further away from the primary CV: the greater the value,
the greater this damping effect. The greater the number of CVs between
the primary CV and the boundary of the defined region, the less effect the
transformation has on each CV. The higher the number, the less effect
movement has on the surrounding CVs.
If the Falloff value is negative, the effect of the transformation is increased

for CVs that are further away from the primary CV. The greater the number
of CVs between the primary CV and the boundary of the defined region,
the greater the effect of the transformation on each CV. Surrounding CVs
move farther, because the effect is multiplied, but in the opposite direction.
Preceding # Specifies the number of CVs before the primary CV that you
want to include in the region definition along the U and V parametric
directions.
The CVs that are affected by the operation range from 0 (the default) to N,
where N is the maximum possible number of CVs in that direction for the
object. Hence, to select all CVs in a direction, simply drag the slider all the
way to the right.
Succeeding # Specifies the number of CVs after the primary CV that you want
to include in the region definition along the U and V parametric directions.
The CVs that are affected by the operation range from 0 (the default) to N,
where N is the maximum possible number of CVs in that direction for the
object. Hence, to select all CVs in a direction, simply drag the slider all the
way to the right.
NOTE For a curve, only the U direction is used.
Revert button
Undoes all your modifications since you selected the currently active CVs.
See also:
Transform one CV and have surrounding CVs follow it
Transform > Modify > Move CV Normal

Deforms surfaces or trimmed surfaces by moving their CVs in a normal (perpendicular)
or tangential direction.
To move CV normals
1 In the Tool Palette, select Transform > Modify > Move CV Normal
or click the Move CV Normal icon. The system prompts you to select
surface CVs.
2 Click a CV to select it. To select several CVs, hold down the Shift key as
well. You can also click a hull line to select an entire row of CVs at once.
The system prompts you to use the mouse buttons to move CVs.
3 You can drag the active CVs using the mouse:
left mouse button drags along the normal and back again
middle mouse button drags along a U curve of the surface (the height
of the CV above the surface is maintained)
right mouse button drags along a V curve of the surface (the height
of the CV above the surface is maintained)
Transform > Modify > Move CV Normal | 17
You can type values for CV displacements in the N (normal), U, and V

directions (in ABS or REL mode).
Move CV Normal Options

Mouse sensitivity Controls how far you have to move the mouse to move
the picked CVs. To perform fine detailed work, increase the mouse sensitivity.
To move CVs quickly, decrease the mouse sensitivity.
See also:
Transform > Modify > Rotational Scale

Scales picked objects around a rotational point.
Rotational Scale Options

Scale Stretch the object rotationally.
Number of Divisions Change the number of rotational sections (such as the
spokes on a wheel).
When this option is on, the tool prompts you to specify the number of
divisions that the model has now, and the number that you want it to have.
For example, for a wheel with eight spokes, you can type in a value of 8, then
reduce it to 4.
See also:
Scale objects around a rotational pivot
Transform > Local > Set Pivot

Positions the pivot point of the picked object.
NOTE Pivots cannot be set for CVs or curve-on-surface elements.
Set Pivot Options

Rotation Display the Rotation Pivot as a circle with a dot at the center.
Scaling Display the Scaling pivot as an asterisk.
Move Selection Handle A selection handle moves with the rotation pivot.
Turn off this option to allow the selection handle and pivot to be moved
independently.
Turning off this option can be useful if you plan to use Toggle Shade on an
object. You can put the selection handle outside the object so that you can
still click it, while at the same time you want the object to go on rotating and
scaling about its center of mass.
See also:
Add selection handles
Change an objects pivot point
Create a curve from a library of pre-drawn curves (sweeps)
Transform > Local > Center Pivot

Automatically positions the pivot point at the center of the picked object.
Center Pivot Options

Rotation The Rotation Pivot is displayed as a circle with a dot at the center.
Scaling The Rotation Pivot is displayed as a circle with a dot at the center,
while the Scaling pivot appears as an asterisk.
See also:
Transform > Local > Center Pivot | 19
Transform > Local > Set Local Axes

Allows you to rotate the local axes of the picked object.
Set Local Axes Options

Interactive Drag the mouse buttons to rotate the local axes relative to the
world axes.
Object Sets the local axes of all picked objects to match the local axes of
another object. The tool prompts you to select the example object.
After you use this option, you are returned to Interactive mode.
Reset Resets the local axes of all picked objects to match the orientation of
the World Coordinate System.
After you use this option, you are returned to Interactive mode.
If a grouped object is affected by the rotations of its parents, its local axes will
not match the world axes.
See also:
Transform > Zero Transforms

Resets any scaling, translation (movement), and rotation applied to the picked objects.
Each object and group stores its own transformation information (how much
it is moved, rotated, and scaled from its starting point).
These transformations are applied hierarchically, so the group can be
transformed separately from its parts.
Sometimes it is useful to make an object or group forget its transformation
information so its current position, rotation, and scale become the zero points.
To use the tool, pick the object, or use Utilities > SBD > Open SBD Window
on page 1098 to pick the group, then choose Transform > Zero Transforms
.
NOTE Selecting Transform > Zero Transforms for a light, camera, or 3D
texture placement object causes the object to render incorrectly (for example,
incorrect lighting, view, or texture placement).
NOTE Do not select Transform > Zero Transforms for a light, camera, or 3D
texture placement object. If you do, you must go through the affected portion of
the DAG, and ungroup and retransform the light, camera, or 3D texture placement
object.
Transform > Object Placement > Duplicate Place Toolbox

Duplicates and places copies of a set of target objects along curves or surface locators.
The destination curves can be free curves, curves on surface, isoparms, trim
edges, or patch precision curves, as well as continuous sequences of curves.
Duplicate Place Tools

Choosing the tool opens up the following toolbox:
Duplicate place
This tool is the main (and default) tool which
performs the duplication and positioning of the target object(s).
See Position multiple copies of an object along a curve for a description of the
workflow.
Double-click or Shift-click this icon to open the option window. You can only
open the window after a target has been selected and accepted. Use the settings
in the window to:
Specify how many copies you want
Transform > Object Placement > Duplicate Place Toolbox | 21
Specify the spacing between the copies
Keep the orientation of the target, or orient it according to the surface

normals.
For more information, see Duplicate Place Options on page 23.
Revert
Click this tool to delete the duplicated geometry (output) and
remove the construction history, returning you to your starting point.
Commit
Click this tool to remove the construction history. From this
point on, you cannot modify the duplicated geometry (output) by changing
the options in the option window, or modifying the input geometry.
Show pick mask

This tool helps when selecting targets or destination
curves, because you cannot use the Pick > Components tool while inside
Duplicate Place.
NOTE The edge of a trimmed surface is not a surface isoparm, it is a surface trim
edge.
Click the check boxes to set the entity types that can be selected. Only the
applicable entity types are available at each step of the operation.
Click Mode Default to reset everything to the default pick masks.

Click Clear All to turn off all the pick masks at once.
Turn on Chain Select to select all tangent continuous curves at once.
Duplicate Place Options

This dialog box opens when double-clicking or Shift-clicking the Duplicate
Place tool (after the targets have been selected).
Num duplicates per destination The default is 1 on each destination. This

value is the maximum number of duplicates desired on each destination curve.
Depending on the surface, fewer copies may be placed. The field Max num
duplicates placed successfully shows the maximum number placed on
any one particular curve.
Specify spacing between duplicates When this option is turned on, the tool
attempts to place duplicates along the curve while maintaining the Spacing
between duplicates distance between them.
If the curve is too short for the specified number of duplicates, given the
spacing specified, the extra duplicates are not placed. If the curve is too long,
the number of duplicates is respected, and the extra length of the curve remains
empty, as seen in the following image.
Transform > Object Placement > Duplicate Place Toolbox | 23
When this option is turned off (default), the tool takes each curve and places
the specified number of duplicates equidistant to each other. In this way, the
spacing is different for each curve, as seen in the following image.
Spacing between duplicates This option is only available when Specify

spacing between duplicates is turned on.
The spacing is measured as the arc length along each curve, between the
contact points of two consecutive target copies. The contact point of a target
is defined as the midpoint of the bottom face of its bounding box.
Max num duplicates placed successfully This field is read only , where the
tool reports back on the maximum number of duplicates that fit on any one
of the destination curves.
Keep target orientation If this option is on, the duplicates are not rotated to
fit the surface normal (or free curve tangent). Instead, they retain their original
orientation. In the image below, the top version is the default behavior (option
turned off), where the target cones are rotated to match the surface. The
bottom version is with the option turned on, and the cones retain their original
orientation.
Transform > Object Placement > Place

Positions an object based on input points (or existing construction planes) on both the
source object and the target location.
Place Tool Control
From Origin, From Vector, From Plane X, Y, Z coordinates of the three points
selected on the source object (from points). When these values are edited,
the position of the corresponding point updates in the modeling windows.
Transform > Object Placement > Place | 25
To Origin, To Vector, To Plane X, Y, Z coordinates of the three points selected

on the target location (to points). When these values are edited, the position
of the corresponding point updates in the modeling windows.
NOTE If a point is tied to a curve or surface, and you edit its space coordinates
above, the point becomes free floating and loses its tie to the geometry.
Delete points when finished If this option is turned on (default), the points
are removed when you exit the tool. If it is turned off, the points remain and
can be edited at a later time.
Set Local Axis of From geometry If this option is turned on (default), the
local axis of the object being moved is aligned to match the frame defined by
the "To" location.
If you fully specify three "To" points, the local axis aligns with those points
as follows: The local origin matches the "To Origin". The local X axis aligns
with the "To Vector". The local Z axis points along the normal of the defined
"To" plane.
If the "To" frame is not fully specified (you only specify two of the three points)
then an approximation is made.
You can see the local axes by using the Transform > Local > Set Local Axes on
page 20 tool.
See also:
Position an object based on input points/planes
Paint palette
Paint > Pencil

Applies pencil strokes to the active image layer.
For information on how to paint, see Paint and erase.
Brush Options
NOTE Some of these options are also available in the Paint Panel when this tool
is active.
Reset Resets all Brush Options to their default settings. If brushes have been
saved to the shelf, Reset resets to those settings at the time the brush was saved
to the shelf.
Properties tab
Brush Mode Controls whether the brush will:
apply paint as a brush (Paint) (see Paint and erase)
27
erase paint (Erase) (see Paint and erase)
hide paint (Hide)
show hidden paint (Show)
smear paint (Smear) (see Smear paint)
blur paint (Blur) (see Blur paint)
sharpen paint (Sharpen) (see Sharpen paint)
lighten paint (Dodge)
darken paint (Burn)
See also Set brush mode to paint, erase, hide, or show.

Brush Color The color of the brush paint. See Set brush paint color.
Color Opacity Controls how see-through the paint applied by the brush is.
If Color Opacity is less than 1, and you sketch several times in the same
spot, the paint does not build up and become more opaque. The valid range
is 0 (entirely clear and invisible) to 1 (entirely opaque). See Set brush and paint
opacity.
Preserve Color ON When you save the brush to a shelf, its current color is
saved with it. When you later select the brush from the shelf, its color will be
the same as when you saved it to the shelf. When you save the brush to a
palette, its current color is not saved when exiting .
OFF When you save the brush to a shelf, its current color is not saved with
it. When you later select the brush from the shelf, its color will be the current
color.
See Set brush paint color.
Min Radius The radius of the brush (measured in pixels) when you press the
stylus lightly against the tablet. The valid range is 0 - 255. See Set brush size,
shape, and profile.
Max Radius The radius of the brush (measured in pixels) when you press the
stylus strongly against the tablet. The valid range is 0 - 255. See Set brush size,
shape, and profile.
Min Opacity Controls how see-through the paint applied by the brush is
when you press the stylus lightly against the tablet. If Min Opacity is less
than 1, and you sketch several times in the same spot, the paint builds up and
28 | Chapter 3 Paint palette
becomes more opaque. The valid range is 0 (fully transparent) to 1 (fully

opaque). See Set brush and paint opacity.
Max Opacity Controls how see-through the paint applied by the brush is
when you press the stylus strongly against the tablet. If Max Opacity is less
Aspect Controls how flat or circular the brush stamp is. The valid range is
0.01 (flat and thin) to 1 (circular). See Set brush size, shape, and profile.
Rotation The angle (measured in degrees) of the brush stamp. If Aspect is
less than 1, changing Rotation makes the brush stamp more horizontal (0)
or more vertical (90). The valid range is 0 - 360. See Set brush size, shape, and
profile.
Stamp tab
Texture and Shape
Capture Mode Off No capture takes place.
Shape The next click of the mouse on the image captures the Shape (the
alpha channel) directly beneath the brush as a snapshot to use for a brush
stamp.
Shape and Texture The next click of the mouse on the image captures
both the paint and the Shape directly beneath the brush as a snapshot to use
for a brush stamp. Any transparency on the image layer is captured, as are the
colors.
Use Stamp Off Do not use any stamp. Use the regular brush.
Shape Use the captured shape (alpha channel) for the brush.
Shape and Texture Use the captured shape (alpha channel) and texture
(color) for the brush.
Profile
Brush Profile Controls the softness or hardness of the brush stamp edges. See
Set brush size, shape, and profile. Select one of Regular, Solid, Hard Solid,
or Buzz from the pop-up menu to obtain the following brush profiles.
Paint > Pencil | 29
To use a brush profile you have customized, select the Custom menu item.
To create a custom brush profile, double-click any brush icon in the Sketch#2
shelf to open the brush editor.
Stroke tab
Changing these settings changes the appearance of a sequence of brush profiles
laid down by dragging the stylus or mouse across the image layer.
Spacing Bias Controls the space between stamps in a stroke. Low values
produce smooth strokes with no spaces between stamps. Higher values produce
strokes that appear as a series of dots. The valid range is 0 - 255. See Set brush
stroke properties .
Spacing Noise The amount of random variation in the space between stamps
in a stroke. The valid range is 0 (no random variation) to 25 (high random
variation). See Set brush stroke properties .
Rotate to Stroke ON The brush stamp rotates in the direction of the brush
stroke as you sketch.
OFF The brush stamp always remains in the same direction and does not
rotate in the direction of the brush stroke.
See Set brush stroke properties .
Rotation Jitter The amount of random variation in the brush stamp direction.
The valid range is 0 (no random variation) to 255 (high random variation).
Paint > Marker

Applies marker strokes to the active image layer.
The following markers are available: Marker Ink, Marker Fine, and Marker
Broad.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf, Reset resets to those settings at the time the brush was
saved to the shelf.
Properties tab
color.
shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.
Paint > Marker | 31

profile.
Marker Properties
Wetness The wetness or dryness of the marker. The valid range is 0 ( dry like
an old marker) to 1 (wet like a brand new marker). See Set marker wetness.
Stamp tab
Profile
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Airbrush

Applies airbrushed paint to the active image layer.
The following airbrushes are provided: Airbrush Soft, and Airbrush
Medium.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Paint > Airbrush | 33
Properties tab
hide paint (Hide)
darken paint (Burn)

opacity.
color.
shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.
profile.
Stamp tab
Texture and Shape
stamp.
colors.
Paint > Airbrush | 35
Profile
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Pastel Soft

Applies soft pastel paint to the active image layer.
In terms of appearance, the Soft Pastel brush falls somewhere between the
Soft and Medium Airbrush.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Properties tab
hide paint (Hide)
Paint > Pastel Soft | 37
darken paint (Burn)

opacity.
color.
shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.

profile.
Stamp tab
Texture and Shape
stamp.
colors.
Profile
Paint > Pastel Soft | 39
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Solid Brush

Applies solid strokes of paint to the active image layer.
The following brushes are provided: Brush Felt, and Brush Solid.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Properties tab
hide paint (Hide)
darken paint (Burn)

opacity.
Paint > Solid Brush | 41
color.
shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.
profile.
Stamp tab
Texture and Shape
stamp.
colors.
Profile
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Solid Brush | 43
Paint > Eraser

Erases paint from the active image layer.
The following eraser tools are provided: Eraser Soft, and Eraser Hard.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Properties tab
hide paint (Hide)
darken paint (Burn)

shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.
profile.
Stamp tab
Texture and Shape
stamp.
Paint > Eraser | 45
colors.
Profile
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Eraser > Clear Canvas Layer

Erases the whole content of the image layer at once.
Select the layer, then choose Paint > Eraser > Clear Canvas Layer. All
the paint is removed, but the image layer remains.
This tool is also found in the Edit menu of the Canvas Layer Editor.
See also:
Select an image layer
Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor on page 1006
Paint > Effect Brush > Sharpen Brush

Sharpens paint on the active image layer.
The following sharpening brushes are provided: Small Sharpen Brush,
Medium Sharpen Brush, and Large Sharpen Brush.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Paint > Eraser > Clear Canvas Layer | 47
Properties tab
hide paint (Hide)
darken paint (Burn)

shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.
profile.
Sharpen Properties
Sharpness Controls how much the brush sharpens paint on the active image
layer. The valid range is 0 (no sharpening) to 10 (strong sharpening). See
Sharpen paint.
Sharpen Strength Controls the extent that the brush sharpens paint on the
active image layer. Each pixel in the image layer is sharpened by comparing
it with a certain number of its surrounding pixels based on the Sharpen
Strength value. For example, if Sharpen Strength is set to 4, then each
pixel is sharpened by comparing it with all surrounding pixels within a 4-pixel
radius. The valid range is 0 - 4. See Sharpen paint.
Stamp tab
Profile
Paint > Effect Brush > Sharpen Brush | 49
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Effect Brush > Blur Brush

Blurs paint on the active image layer.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Properties tab
hide paint (Hide)
darken paint (Burn)

shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.
Paint > Effect Brush > Blur Brush | 51
profile.
Blur Properties
Blur Strength Controls how much the brush blurs paint on the active image
layer. The valid range is 0 (no blurring) to 32 (strong blurring). See Blur paint.
Stamp tab
Profile
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Effect Brush > Smear Brush

Smears paint on the active image layer.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Paint > Effect Brush > Smear Brush | 53
Properties tab
hide paint (Hide)
darken paint (Burn)

shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.
profile.
Stamp tab
Profile
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Effect Brush > Smear Brush | 55
Paint > Effect Brush > Clone Brush

Clones an area of paint on the active image layer.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Properties tab
shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.

profile.
Stamp tab
Profile
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Effect Brush > Clone Brush | 57
Paint > Effect Brush > Dodge Brush

Lightens the color of the paint on the active image layer, as if a bright light of the
selected brush color was projected on it.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Properties tab
hide paint (Hide)
darken paint (Burn)

color.
shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.
Paint > Effect Brush > Dodge Brush | 59

profile.
Dodge Properties
Selection
Dodge Strength
Stamp tab
Texture and Shape
stamp.
colors.
Profile
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Effect Brush > Burn Brush

Darkens the color of the paint on the active image layer, as if paint of the selected
brush color was added to it.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Paint > Effect Brush > Burn Brush | 61
Properties tab
hide paint (Hide)
darken paint (Burn)

color.
shape, and profile.
shape, and profile.
profile.
Burn Properties
Selection
Burn Strength
Stamp tab
Texture and Shape
stamp.
Paint > Effect Brush > Burn Brush | 63
colors.
Profile
Stroke tab
stroke properties .
Paint > Flood Fill

Floods or fills a consistently colored area of an image layer with paint.
Brush Options
is active.
saved to the shelf.
Properties tab
NOTE These options are also available in the Paint Panel when this tool is active.
Flood Fill Properties

Brush Color The color of paint that fills the area of the image layer you click.
Color Opacity Controls how see-through the paint that fills the area of the
image layer you click is. Paint with a low Color Opacity is more transparent
than paint with a high Color Opacity. The valid range is 0 - 1.
Tolerance Controls the range of colors that are filled. A low value fills pixels
having a color similar to the color you click. A high value fills pixels having
a broader range of colors. The valid range is 0 - 255.
See also:
Flood an area with paint
Paint > Pick Layer by Color

Lets you select a layer by clicking its paint.
Paint > Flood Fill | 65
To select a layer by clicking its paint

1 Do one of the following:
With any brush active, press and hold the Z key.
Choose Paint > Pick Layer by Color.
2 Click the paint of the layer you want to select.
Pick Layer by Color Options

OpacityThreshold The opacity that a pixel of paint must have in order for
the Pick Layer By Color to select its layer. The valid range is 0 - 1. The
default value is 0.25.
Ignore Shape Layers On You can pick image layers. You cannot pick shape
layers.
Off You can pick image layers or shape layers.
Ignore Text Layers On You can pick image layers. You cannot pick text
layers.
Off You can pick image layers or text layers.
Paint > Select > Magic Wand

Selects a consistently colored area of an image layer.
Magic Wand Options

Magic Wand Selection Mode Allows you to create a selection area (New),
add to the selection area (Add), or subtract from the selection area (Subtract).
Tolerance Controls the range of colors that are selected. A low value selects
pixels having a color similar to the color you click. A high value selects pixels
having a broader range of colors. The valid range is 0 - 255.
See also:
Replace background in an image with a texture
Create a mask by selecting a region
Paint > Select > Marquee

Selects a polygonal, rectangular, or elliptical region of an image layer. Or selects a
random shape region using a lasso.
The following selection tools are provided: Marquee (polyline), Marquee
(lasso), Marquee (rectangle), and Marquee (ellipse).
To create a polygonal marquee, use the Marquee (polyline) tool, clicking
down to create each line segment. Double-click to close the selection.
To create a circular marquee, hold the Shift key while using the Marquee
(ellipse) tool.
Similarly, to create a square marquee, hold the Shift key while using the
Marquee (rectangle) tool.
Marquee Options
Proportional Turn on this option to create circle or square marquees from
the Marquee (ellipse) and Marquee (rectangle) tools respectively.
Marquee Selection Mode Allows you to create a selection area (New), add
to the selection area (Add), or subtract from the selection area (Subtract).
NOTE Use the = key to Add and the - key to Subtract. These hotkeys are
customizable.
Paint > Select > Toggle Marquee

Toggles a marquee on or off.
Toggle Marquee makes the marquee visible or invisible.
Paint > Select > Invert Marquee

Inverts the selection region defined by a marquee.
The masked regions become unmasked, and the unmasked regions become
masked.
Paint > Select > Marquee | 67
Paint > Select > Clear Marquee

Removes the marquee.
The selection area defined by the marquee is cleared.
Paint > Select > Transform Marquee

Moves or scales the selection region defined by a marquee.
Choosing this tool displays a manipulator on the marquee. The manipulator
is initially placed at the geometrical center of the marquee (pivot point).
The transformations are applied to the marquee as you click and drag on the
different handles.
Paint > Shape > Make Image Shape

Creates a shape (fill and/or outline) from a curve or set of curves.
1 Choose Paint > Shape > Make Image Shape
from the palette.
The Shape Editor opens, and you are prompted to

Select a curve
2 Click each curve to include in the shape. (Make sure that you click the
part of the curve that you want to include in the shape boundary.)
NOTE Do not drag a pick box around complex curve structures, or the shape
may not appear as you expect.
The curves are highlighted. You are prompted to

Select another curve. If done, press ACCEPT button.
3 Click the Accept button.

The curves become a shape. Both the shape outline and the shape fill are
visible.
To see only the shape outline, turn off the Shape Fill by clicking its
check box in the Shape Editor. Conversely, to see only the shape fill,
turn off the Shape Outline.
You can modify several parameters of the Shape such as color, or opacity,
through the Shape Editor.
For a description of each option, see Windows > Editors > Shape Editor
on page 1019.
NOTE To create certain shapes, you may need to select the curves that define the
shape in more than one location. Simply select each curve segment that forms a
boundary of the shape region, even if you must select the same curve more than
once. See Create a shape for more details.
Paint > Shape > Make Mask Shape

Creates a mask from curves.
Ensure that you are working on a paint layer. Mask shapes cannot be created
on shape layers.
1 Choose Paint > Shape > Make Mask Shape
from the palette.

Select a curve
Paint > Shape > Make Mask Shape | 69

The curves becomes a mask. By default, the outline is turned off, and the
fill area, which acts as the mask, is outside the curves.
4 Set Fill to Inside in the Shape Editor, if you want the fill area (mask)
to be inside the curves.
The Shape Editor lets you modify several parameters of the Shape such
as color, opacity, and so on.
on page 1019.
See also:
Create a mask shape from text
Paint > Shape > Make Invisibility Mask Shape

Creates an invisibility mask from curves.
Ensure that you are working on a paint layer. Invisibility mask shapes cannot
be created on shape layers.
1 Choose Paint > Shape > Make Invisibility Mask Shape on page 70
from the palette.
Select a curve

The curve becomes an invisibility mask. By default, the outline is turned
off, and the fill area, which acts as the invisibility mask, is outside the
curves.
4 If you want the fill area (invisibility mask) to be inside the curves., set
Fill to Inside in the Shape Editor.
The Shape Editor lets you modify several parameters of the Shape such
as color, opacity, and so on.
on page 1019.
See also:
Project a sketch to quickly add design details
Paint > Text Image

Creates text to annotate images or to develop concepts.
The text tool, Paint > Text Image, uses your installed system fonts. When
you create text, it is created on its own layer of the canvas, giving you greater
freedom to move and manipulate it without destroying work on underlying
layers.
Paint > Text Image | 71
To create a text layer, click in a blank area on a canvas. The text cursor is
shown, ready for you to type some text. Each time you create a text string,
it is placed on its own layer.
To change the color or font, click inside the text boundary to select and
highlight the text. The text cursor locates at the nearest character.
To create a text layer, click in a blank area of the canvas and drag the
mouse. The text cursor follows the mouse.
To move text, drag it using the mouse button.

NOTE The text tool does not support multi-byte languages such as Japanese,
Korean, or Chinese.
Paint > PaintSymmetry > Modify Canvas Brush Symmetry

Automatically mirrors sketched strokes, either bilaterally or radially.
To use bilateral symmetry

1 In the option box, set Symmetry Type to Bilateral
The axis of symmetry appears as a dotted line.
2 Modify the axis in the following ways:
Drag the central red dot to move the axis.
Drag a red double-arrow to change the orientation of the axis. The

axis rotates around the other double-arrow.
Move the double-arrows along the axis to change the rotation pivots.
Click the Reset button at the bottom of the window to reset the axis
to its original position.
3 Select any brush and start sketching.

Everything you sketch on one side of the axis automatically gets drawn
on the other side, as a mirror image.
To use radial symmetry

1 In the option box, set Symmetry type to Radial, and Num Radial
Sections to the number of sections.
A number of axes of symmetry (equal to the value of Num Radial
Sections) appear as dotted lines radially emanating from a center point.
2 Modify the axes in the following ways:
Drag the central red dot to move the center point.
Drag the red double-arrow to change the orientation of the axes (by
rotating them around the center point).
Click the Reset button at the bottom of the window to reset the axes
to their original position.
3 Select any brush and start sketching.

Everything you sketch within one of the sections automatically gets
drawn in all the other sections, creating a kaleidoscopic effect.
Paint > PaintSymmetry > Modify Canvas Brush Symmetry | 73
To stop sketching symmetrically

Do one of the following to toggle off symmetry:
In the option box, turn off Symmetry Active.
Choose Paint > PaintSymmetry > Toggle Canvas Brush Symmetry on page
74.
Symmetry Tool Control
Symmetry Active Check/uncheck this option to turn symmetrical sketching

on or off.
Symmetry Type Bilateral Defines an axis (straight line) on the canvas
which acts as the mirror.
Radial Defines a number of lines emanating radially from a center point.
They divide the canvas into a number of sections, each mirroring everything
drawn in any of the other sections.
Num Radial Sections Specifies the number of sections defined by the radial
lines when Symmetry Type is set to Radial.
Paint > PaintSymmetry > Toggle Canvas Brush Symmetry

Toggles on or off the brush symmetry.
See Paint > PaintSymmetry > Modify Canvas Brush Symmetry on page 73.
Paint > Color Editor

Opens the Color Editor window.
This is another way to open the Color Editor window to change the color
of the paint brushes.
See also:
Set brush paint color
Paint > Color Editor | 75
76
Paint Edit palette
Paint Edit > Modify Layer > Transform Layer

Moves, resizes, and rotates the content of one or more image layers.
Choosing the tool displays a manipulator on the canvas layer. The manipulator
covers the entire layer and lets you apply the transformations as shown in the
following illustration.
NOTE To move only horizontally or vertically, hold the Shift key and move the
mouse in the desired direction. You can also use the arrow keys to move by small
increments.
77
A context-sensitive cursor shows the current transform mode (move, scale,

rotate) as you move the mouse over the manipulator.
The effect of the transformations is shown on the layer as you click and drag
on the different handles. However, you must click the Accept button to apply
the transformations permanently.
To input precise numerical values, use the option box.
For information on transforming image layers, see Move, scale, or rotate an
image layer.
Transfor Image Control Options

Interactive Preview Turn on this option if you want the sketch to update
interactively as you transform the layer with the manipulator.
When transforming several large layers simultaneously, turning this option
off speeds up the interaction.
Transform
Translate (pixel) Enter values for the horizontal and vertical translation
amounts (in pixels).
Rotate (degree) Enter a value for the rotation angle (in degrees). Positive
values rotate counter-clockwise around the rotation pivot.
Scale (%) Enter a value for the scale factor, as a percentage of the original size
(100%).
A negative value mirrors the image.
Buttons
Accept Click this button once you are happy with the new
position/orientation/size of your image and want to bake the transformed
image into your layer.
The transformation can still be undone afterwards by using Edit > Undo on
page 525.
Reset Pivot Click this button to reposition the pivot at the geometrical center
of the layer.
Reset All Click this button to undo all the transformations applied to the
layer either through the manipulator or the option box.
78 | Chapter 4 Paint Edit palette
Reset All does not undo transformations that have already been applied by
clicking the Accept button.
Paint Edit > Modify Layer > Horizontal Flip

Flips the active image layer from right to left.
Paint Edit > Modify Layer > Vertical Flip

Flips the active image layer from top to bottom.
Paint Edit > Deform Layer

Warps and deforms an image by moving the four corners and sides.
Choosing Perspective changes the midpoint of the image as you change the
control points, and changes the image so it looks like it has been tilted away.
Choosing Distort reshapes the image, but does not attempt to force a
perspective view.
Selecting Skew for the constraint type mirrors the change on one side or
corner to the opposite side or corner.
Paint Edit > Modify Layer > Horizontal Flip | 79
Interactive Display gives you the choice of seeing the changes as you distort
the image, or speeding the action by only showing the result of the distortion
when you release the mouse button.
Guidelines are created based on the position of the point when you start to
drag it. Using the guidelines can help you make changes that are controlled
by the borders of the image layer.
Image Deform operations can be undone using the standard Edit > Undo on
page 525 menu item.
When Image Deform is selected, the options are added to the Paint panel.
All Alias snap modes (grid, point, and curve) work with image deformation,
allowing the manipulator handles to be snapped to geometry.
Paint Edit > Make Warp Shape

Modifies an image layer by changing the shape of an area of interest.
Use this tool to modify an image layer quickly to change the appearance of
an object without spending extensive time remodeling a speculative design
change. Using the ability to warp a shape on an image, you can quickly answer
the question, What if it were taller/shorter/rounder/more square?
To manipulate an image layer using Make Warp Shape

1 Make the image layer current.
2 Ensure that you have a curve or curves that you want to serve as the shape
manipulators.
3 Choose Paint Edit > Make Warp Shape. Click the curve or curves
you want to be warp shapes.
4 A check mark appears next to each curve.
5 Click Accept to convert the curves to warp shapes.
6 Now that you have created warp shapes, drag CVs, scale curves, or perform
other actions upon the shape. The image warps interactively, based on
the movement of the curve or CVs on the curve.
A new section appears in the Paint Control panel while you are warping
an image.
Note the grid distortion where the roof line has been moved.
See also:
Modify an object with curve warp shapes
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Manipulation

Combines the functionality of several color correction tools (Color Balance,
Brightness & Contrast, Saturation & Value, Color Replace) in one
easy to use interface.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Manipulation | 81
In addition, it lets you:
Apply successive modifications to the active image layer without having

to exit the tool
Modify only certain colors from the image without the need to use masks
or marquees
Delimit parts of the image to be unaffected by using the current marquee

or linked masks, before entering the tool
Preview the modifications made to the active image layer in conjunction

with the other visible layers
Switch the display between the preview and the original image
Preserve the capability to zoom and pan in the active window while in the
tool
Undo, while within the tool, modifications being previewed
Undo, immediately after exiting the tool, modifications which have been
accepted
The Color Manipulation Editor has three tabs: AllColors, ByColors,

and Replace.
The PreView check box, available in all three tabs, lets you compare the
current state of the image with the original one, by switching between them
in the modeling window.
Color Manipulation Editor

AllColors tab
Sliders in this tab affect the entire image (all colors). You can control the Hue,
Saturation, Luminance, Brightness, and Contrast for all colors simultaneously.
You can adjust the Highlights, Shadows, Light Midtones and Dark Midtones
independently, to be brighter or darker.
NOTE If Hue Adjustment is set to Colorize Hues (or Colorize Hues & Grays),
the Hue Strength slider must be set to a value greater than 0.0 for the Hue slider
to have an effect. The Hue Strength slider acts as a blending factor between the
selected hue and the current colors.
Hue Adjustment Shift Hues Shifts all colors by the same hue value.
Colorize Hues Changes all colors to the selected Hue value. Gray areas
(without hue) remain gray.
Colorize Hues & Grays Changes all colors to the selected Hue value,
including gray areas.
Hue Strength When this slider is set to 1.0, the Hue setting takes precedence
over the current hue. When it is set to 0.0, the Hue setting has no effect.
Intermediate values blend the Hue setting with the current colors.
Hue When Hue Adjustment is set to Shift Hues, this slider adjusts the
magnitude of the shift in hue. Otherwise, it lets you select a specific hue which
is blended with the original colors according to the value of Hue Strength.
Saturation Move the slider to the right to increase the saturation, and to the
left to decrease it. This change affects all colors in the image.
Luminance Move the slider to the right to increase the luminance, and to
the left to decrease it. This change affects all colors in the image
Brightness This slider increases or decreases the brightness of the entire image,
regardless of color.
Contrast This slider increases or decreases the contrast of the entire image,
regardless of color.
Highlights Makes the highlights brighter or darker.
Light Midtones Makes the light midtones brighter or darker.
Dark Midtones Makes the dark midtones brighter or darker.
Shadows Makes the shadows brighter or darker.
ByColors tab
Sliders in this tab affect predefined portion of the image based on colors. It is
useful to change one general color quickly into another.
The full-color spectrum has been divided into eight overlapping colors which
can be simultaneously manipulated. The colors are overlapping so hard breaks
are not created in the resulting image.
You can change the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance individually for
each of the eight colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Turquoise, Blue, Violet,
Magenta.
Replace tab
This tab lets you select the color that you want to replace (Replace From),
as well as the color you want to replace it with (Replace To).
The Replace From color can be specified as a range by adding several colors
using the color picker.
These controls are used to refine the modifications made using the ByColors
tab.
Dropoff Use this slider to increase or decrease the tolerance for the selected
colors.
Replace From Select the color to replace by clicking the color picker
then clicking the color you want to replace in the image. Use the
to add additional colors to the selection. Use the
from the selection.
,
icon
icon to subtract colors
ReplaceTo Select the replacement color by clicking the color picker

,
then clicking the color you want. Or click the color wheel icon and select the
color from the Color Editor.
Buttons
The four buttons at the bottom of the window behave as follows:
Reset Undoes all the modifications since the last Apply.

NOTE To reset individual sliders, drag the mouse to the small black mark in the
center of the slider, and click the white line that appears.
Undo Undoes the last modification. You can click this button multiple times
to revert modifications all the way back to the beginning.
Apply Applies successive modifications without having to exit the tool. It
bakes the resulting image and resets all the sliders to their neutral position.
Clicking on another tab at the top of the window also applies the last
modification.
Accept Applies the modifications as with the Apply button, but it also exits
the tool. The last brush tool used becomes the active tool.
NOTE To undo a modification after clicking the Apply or Accept button, use
Edit > Undo on page 525 or Ctrl +Z (Windows) or Command +Z (Mac).
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Brightness & Contrast

Adjusts the appearance of an image layer.
Use the Brightness and Contrast window to adjust the appearance of an
image layer. Changes happen only on the current layer.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Brightness & Contrast | 87
Choose an Adjustment Type. The Adjustment type determines which range

of color values are modified. You can modify:
All color tones
Only highlight
Only midtones
Only shadows
Adjust the Brightness Factor and Contrast Factor sliders to update the
image on the bottom left, for comparison with the original image at the top.
The slider values can be negative. The defaults are 0.0.
The smaller the values (both positive and negative), the finer the adjustment.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Saturation & Value

Adjusts the saturation and value of an image layer.
Use the Saturation and Value window to adjust the saturation and value of
an image layer. Changes happen only on the current layer.

All color tones
Only highlight
Only midtones
Only shadows
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Saturation & Value | 89
Adjust the Saturation Factor and Value Factor sliders to update the image
on the bottom left, for comparison with the original image at the top. The
slider values can be negative. The defaults are 0.0.
The smaller the values (both positive and negative), the finer the adjustment.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Dodge

Lightens an image layer.
Use the Dodge window to lighten an image layer. Changes happen only to
the current layer.
This tool is based on the traditional photography technique of holding back
light to lighten an area on the film.
Dodge lightens areas of an image (highlights, shadows, midtones, or all tones)
as if a bright light of the selected color was projected on them.

All color tones
Only highlight
Only midtones
Only shadows
Adjust the Dodge Factor and Color sliders to update the image on the
bottom, for comparison with the original image at the top. The smaller the
values, the finer the adjustment.
To change the color of the light, click the color swatch to open the color
editor.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Burn

Darkens an image layer.
Use the Burn window to darken an image layer. Changes happen only to the
current layer.
This tool is based on the traditional photography technique of increasing the
exposure to darken areas on the film.
Burn darkens areas of an image (highlights, shadows, midtones, or all tones)
as if paint of the selected color was added to them.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Burn | 91

All color tones
Only highlight
Only midtones
Only shadows
Adjust the Burn Factor and Color sliders to update the image on the bottom,
for comparison with the original image at the top. The smaller the values, the
finer the adjustment.
To change the color of the paint, click the color swatch to open the color
editor.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Balance

Adjusts the color balance of an image layer.
Use this window to adjust the color balance of an image layer. Changes happen
only to the current layer.
See also:
Protect part of an image from color adjustment changes
Modify an object with curve warp shapes
Adjust colors
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Replace (HSV)

Selects a color or range of colors, and replaces it with another range.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Balance | 93
Choose Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Replace (HSV) to replace
colors in an image with new colors.
Select a range on the original image using either the eyedroppers or by dragging
the sliders on one of the three bars (Hue, Saturation, or Value). The sliders
offer the ability to fine-tune the edges of the selection as well as the ability to
move the whole range without affecting the size of the range.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Replace (HSL)

Selects a color or range of colors, and replaces it with another range.
Choose Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Replace (HSL) to replace
colors in an image with new colors.
Select a range on the original image using either the eyedroppers or by dragging
the sliders on one of the three bars (Hue, Saturation, or Value). The sliders
offer the ability to fine-tune the edges of the selection as well as the ability to
move the whole range without affecting the size of the range.
Paint Edit > Color Correction > Color Replace (HSL) | 95
Paint Edit > Layer Effect > Sharpen Layer

Sharpens paint in all unmasked regions of the active image layer.
Sharpen Layer Options

Sharpness Controls the amount of sharpening. The valid range is 0 (no
sharpening) to 10 (maximum sharpening).
Sharpen Strength Each pixel in the image layer is sharpened by comparing
it with a certain number of its surrounding pixels based on the Sharpen
Strength value. For example, if Sharpen Strength is set to 4, then each
pixel is sharpened by comparing it with all surrounding pixels within a 4-pixel
radius. The valid range is 0 - 4.
See also:
Sharpen paint
Paint Edit > Layer Effect > Blur Layer

Blurs paint in all unmasked regions of the active image layer.
Blur Layer Options

Blur Strength Each pixel in the image layer is blurred with a certain number
of its surrounding pixels based on the Blur Strength value. For example, if
Blur Strength is set to 4, then each pixel is blurred with all surrounding
pixels within a 4-pixel radius. The valid range is 0 (no blur) to 32 (maximum
blur).
See also:
Replace background in an image with a texture
Blur paint
Paint Edit > Layer Operation

This menu contains the following tools, which are also available from the
Canvas Layer Editor:
New Image Layer
New Mask Layer
New Invisibility Mask Layer
New Layer Folder
Duplicate Layer
Merge Below
Merge Visible Layers
Merge All Layers
These tools are made available in the Palette so they can be assigned hotkeys
to speed up your workflow.
For an explanation of how to create hotkeys, see Create and edit hotkeys.
See also:
Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor on page 1006
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > New Image Layer

Creates an image layer containing the image of the current window.
Paint Edit > Layer Operation | 97
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > New Mask Layer

Creates a mask layer. The layer appears in the bottom section of the Canvas Layer
Editor.
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > New Invisibility Mask

Layer
Creates an invisibility mask layer (previously called stencil).
The layer appears in the bottom section of the Canvas Layer Editor.
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > New Layer Folder

Creates a Folder to hold canvas layers, and places a new canvas inside it.
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > Duplicate Layer

Makes a duplicate of the currently selected image layer, shape layer, or mask layer.
The new layer is placed above the original layer. Duplicate layers are named
by adding -1, -2, -3, and so on, to the layer name.
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > Merge Below

Merges the current paint layer and the paint layer directly beneath it, and uses the
name of the lower layer name.
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > Merge Visible Layers

Merges all paint layers that are visible. To retain some layers, turn off their visibility
by clicking the eye icon before performing a merge.
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > Merge All Layers

Merges all paint layers on the selected canvas or overlay plane and discards layer
masks.
Paint Edit > Layer Operation > Merge All Layers | 99
100
Curves palette
Curves > Primitives > Circle

Creates a NURBS curve in the form of a planar circle.
Circle Options
Periodic Circle When this option is turned on (check mark) the circles are
closed curves, with the first and last span overlapping. (The result corresponds
to the circle primitives created in previous versions of the software.)
When this option is turned off (no check mark), the circles are open curves,
with only the first and last CV touching. They can be opened by moving those
CVs apart. They also use an algorithm that produces better quality circles and
the ability to specify a range of degrees (see the following options).
The following options only appear when Periodic is turned on.
Object Degree The degree of the NURBS curve, either 1 (polygonal) or 3 (cubic).
Sections The number of subdivisions (spans) on the curve.
The default is 8. A workable primitive shape usually has at least 4 subdivisions.
It is not usually necessary to use more than 20 subdivisions.
The following options only appear when Periodic is turned off.
Sweep Angle The degrees of rotation around the center of the circle.
For example, if you enter 180 degrees, Alias creates a half circle.
Degree Specifies the degree of the circle. The values range from 2 to 7. The
default is 5.
101
Spans Specifies the number of spans in the circle. The values range from 1 to
14. The default is 1.
NOTE The sum of the degree and number of spans cannot exceed 16. When
creating rational geometry, as set in Preferences > Construction Options on page
1088 , the Arc Spans option is not available.
See also:
Create a 3D geometric primitive
Curves > Primitives > Sweeps

Lets you add and modify curves to the scene from a standard library of common curves
(sweeps).
SweepsControl menus
File menu
Import Sweeps Imports the contents of a saved sweeps file into your
user-defined sweeps library.
Save Sweeps Saves your user-defined library of sweeps to a file. Other users
can then import the file into their own library.
Edit menu
Add Sweeps Adds any picked curves to your user-defined library as individual
sweeps.
Delete Selected Sweep Deletes the selected sweep from your user-defined
library.
View menu
Show Sweep Names Shows the name of the sweep (the name of the sweep
is the name of the original object that was added to the library).
See also:
Create a curve from a library of pre-drawn curves (sweeps)
102 | Chapter 5 Curves palette
Manage your sweeps library
Curves > New Curves > New CV Curve

Creates new NURBS curves in the scene by placing CVs.
New CV Curve Options

Knot Spacing A knot is the parameter value at an edit point.
Chord The chord length parameterizes the new curve edit points in current
units. The chord length is the cumulative straight line distance between
consecutive edit points. The starting point of the curve has the parameter 0.0,
and the ending point has the parameter equal to the total chord length of the
curve.
Uniform The new curve edit points have integral parameters: the first edit
point is parameter 0.0, the second is 1.0, and so on.
Curve Degree The mathematical degree of the curve created, which control
the number of CVs per span: 1 (linear), 2 (quadratic), 3 (cubic), 5 or 7. The
default is 3.
Progressive Degree Turn on this option to see the curve immediately after
two CVs have been placed, regardless of the value of Curve Degree.
The degree of the curve is gradually increased as CVs are placed down, up to
the final degree of the curve. After two CVs, the curve will have degree 1, after
three CVs, the curve will have degree 2, and so on.
Create Guidelines Create vertical and horizontal guidelines at each point you
create.
See also:
Animate objects along a motion path
Draw a curve by placing CVs or edit points
Curves > New Curves > New Edit Point Curve

Creates new NURBS curves in the scene by placing edit points.
Curves > New Curves > New CV Curve | 103
New Edit Point Curve Options

Knot Spacing A knot is the parameter value at an edit point.
curve.
default is 3.
Create Guidelines Create vertical and horizontal guidelines at each point you
create.
See also:
Create a curve connecting objects
Curves > New Curves > New Sketch Curve

Creates a smooth curve by drawing its shape, rather than working with edit points or
CVs.
New Sketch Curve Options

Curve Degree Choose from 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7.
Tolerance Determines how closely the curve tries to mimic the cursor
movement.
Maximum Spans Together with the curve degree, determines the number of
points that are laid down for the curve.
Curves > Blend Curve Toolbox

Shows or hides an extra palette window containing tools for creating and editing blend
curves.
Blend curves are special free curves that you draw by placing constraints upon
their shape (such as points the curve must pass through, surfaces the curve
must be continuous with, and directions the curve must travel).
Choose to show an extra floating palette containing the BlendCrv Tools
tab.
See also:
Blend curves
Continuity
Operations allowed on meshes
Flatten a blend curve to a plane
Change the tangent direction at a blend point
Draw a blend curve
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Create

Lets you create new blend curves in the scene by placing location constraints. You can
also use this tool to edit existing blend curves.
Use the Blend Curve Create tool to create the initial shape of the curve.
Then you can add, edit, or delete the initial constraints using the constraint
tools.
Blend Curve Options

Knot Spacing Knot is another term for edit point.
Curves > Blend Curve Toolbox | 105
curve.
point is parameter 0.0, the second is 1.0, and so on. This is the default.
default is 5.
Auto Align at Surface Corners When this option is checked on (default), a
blend curve that is snapped to the corner of a surface (or trim surface) is
automatically aligned with tangent continuity to one of the edges (or trim
edges).
Auto Align at Surface Corner OFF (left) and ON

(right).
Curve to Curve Continuity When this option is set to G2 (default) blend

curves align with G2 continuity when they snap to other curves. When set to
G0, only positional continuity is guaranteed when snapping to curves.
See also:
Draw a blend curve
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Add Points

Adds control points (constraints) to an existing blend curve.
If an end point of a blend curve is active, using this tool extends the blend
curve.
To add a point interior to a blend curve, choose Pick > Nothing on page 3
and then click and drag on the blend curve to place a new point.
See also:
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Edit

Lets you edit the direction and continuity of a blend point.
The Blend Curve Edit tool has a manipulator function allowing you to
move individual Blend Points in your curve. This manipulator has a move
handle, at the center of the point, which can be dragged into a new position.
To move a blend point

1 Select the Blend Point.
2 Release the mouse button and click the handle to move the point.
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Edit | 107
TIP The BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Interpolation Direction tool

allows you to move blend points. This tool can be invoked during curve
creation. In this instance, the point added last is highlighted and can be
moved while a curve is being created.
See also:
Change the tangent direction at a blend point
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Planarize

Locks or unlocks a blend curve to a reference plane.
Pick a blend curve and a reference plane, then choose this tool to lock the
blend curve to the reference plane.
Pick the blend curve and choose the tool again to unlock the curve from the
plane.
Notes
If you do not pick a reference plane, the tool creates one.
If the blend curve is attached at its ends, the plane is created from those
two points and the view direction.
If you pick blend points (constraints) instead of the entire blend curve,
the plane is created from the locations of the blend points.
See also:
Flatten a blend curve to a plane
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Constraint Dissociate

Frees the picked blend curve constraint from the geometry it is locked on to.
See Attach or detach blend points.
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Pt Make Master

Changes the relationship between the picked blend curve constraint and any constraints
that it depends on. May reshape the curves.
See Attach or detach blend points.
BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Interpolation Direction

Changes the way the picked blend curve constraint controls the direction of the curve
as it passes through.
The following tools are available on the Constraint Interpolation Direction
pull-out: Blend constraint interpolate location, Blend constraint interpolation
direction, and Blend constraint interpolate geometry.
Blend constraint interp location Constrains the curve to pass through the
location of this blend point.
Blend constraint interp direction Constrains the curve to pass through this
blend point in a certain direction relative to world space. Set the direction
with BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Edit on page 107 .
Blend constraint interp geometry Constrains the curve to pass through this
blend point in a certain direction relative to the object to which it is attached.
Set the direction with BlendCrv Tools > Blend Curve Edit on page 107 .
TIP The BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Interpolation Direction tools enable
you to move blend points. They can be invoked during curve creation. For example,
the point added last is highlighted and can be moved while a curve is being
created.
BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Direction Type

Changes how the direction of the picked blend curve constraint is set.
Two tools are available on the Constraint Direction Type pull-out: Blend
constraint directed, and Blend constraint parallel.
Blend constraint directed Constrains the curve to pass through the blend
point in a certain direction. Set the direction with BlendCrv Tools > Blend
Curve Edit on page 107 .
BlendCrv Tools > Blend Pt Make Master | 109
Blend constraint parallel Constrains the curve to pass through the blend
point along a certain line (in either direction). Set the line with BlendCrv
Tools > Blend Curve Edit on page 107 .
BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Continuity

Changes the continuity required at the picked blend curve constraint.
Five tools are available on the Constraint Continuity pull-out, which support
G0 through G4 continuity.
G0 is positional continuity. G1 is tangent continuity. G2 is curvature
continuity. G3 and G4 are higher levels of continuity that ensure even
smoother transitions between objects.
See New Concepts for more information on continuity.
BlendCrv Tools > Constraint Curvature Type

Changes how curvature is calculated at the picked blend curve constraint.
Two tools are available on the Constraint Curvature Type pull-out: Blend
constraint geometric curvature, and Blend constraint parametric curvature.
Parametric curvature
Align the curvature to an isoparametric direction of the surface.
This type of curvature is especially useful to achieve curvature continuity
with the edge of a surface.
Geometric curvature
Construct a plane from the surface normal and the constraint direction
(or the normal and the tangent of the curve at the attach point for
location constraints).
Create a section curve by intersecting this plane with the surface.
Align the curvature to this section curve.
BlendCrv Tools > Curve Degree

Changes the degree of the picked blend curve(s).
Five tools are available on the Curve Degree pull-out: choose from degree 1,
2, 3, 5, or 7.
Pick the blend curve or curves you want to edit, then choose the tool
corresponding to the degree you want for the underlying curve.
BlendCrv Tools > Curve Knot Spacing

Changes the parameterization of the picked blend curve(s).
Two tools are available on the Curve Knot Spacing pull-out: Blend curve chord,
and Blend curve uniform.
Pick the blend curve or curves you want to edit, then choose the tool
corresponding to the parameterization you want for the underlying curve.
BlendCrv Tools > Curve Degree | 111
Curves > Keypoint Curve Toolbox

Shows or hides an extra floating palette containing tools for creating and editing
keypoint curves.
Keypoint curves consist of lines and arcs that remember relationships and
constraints, and apply them when you edit the lines. You can also edit these
special attributes in the Information Window. For example, a keypoint arc
has edit points and CVs just like a normal curve, but it also has a radius, sweep
angle, and center point, all of which can be edited. During editing, the arc
stays an arc: it does not lose its shape from keypoint editing.
When you combine keypoint curves into composite curves (for example, with
the Line- arc or Join Curves tools), relationships between the individual
lines and arcs are still maintained.
Keypoint curve tools create guidelines, which are useful for aligning curves
with each other as you draw.
Keypoint curves are especially useful for CAD and drafting applications.
However, any part of your model requiring geometric accuracy or ease of
editing can benefit from keypoint curves.
Tips and notes
Key arcs are exported as IGES entity 100 (circular arc).
Key lines are exported as entity 110 (line).
Composite curves are exported as entity 102 (composite curve).
NOTE Most tools that work on normal curves also work on keypoint curves.
See also:
Draw keypoint lines and arcs
Keypoint Curve Tools > Circular Arc

This tool enables you to specify a circle by first placing its center point, and then clicking
to indicate a point that lies on the curve.
To draw a circular arc
1 Click the Arcs > Circular Arc

icon, or choose Arcs > Circular
Arc from the Keypoint Curve Toolbox.
2 Click the center point of the arc, or type a 3D coordinate to place the
point exactly.
3 Click a point to lie on the arc, or type a 3D coordinate to place the point
exactly.
As you drag the circumference, the Circular Arc tool displays the radius
of the circle in current linear units.
Circle Options
Degree Specifies the degree of the curve. The values range from 2 to 7. The
default is 6.
Spans Specifies the number of spans in the curve. The values range from 1 to
1088 , the Spans option is not available.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Ellipse

Lets you create a keypoint ellipse by drawing the two major axis points, or by drawing
a center point and a major axis point.
New Ellipse Options

Ellipse definition Axis endpoints Draw the ellipse by specifying both
endpoints of the major axis.
Center and end point Draw the ellipse by specifying the center and one
endpoint of the major axis.
Axis length ratio The ratio of the length of the minor axis to the major axis.
For example, a value of 0.5 produces an ellipse half as tall as it is wide. A value
of 1.0 produces a circle.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Ellipse | 113
Sweep The number of degrees of the ellipse that is drawn.

For example, a value of 180 degrees produces half of a full ellipse. A value of
90 degrees produces a quarter ellipse.
To draw a keypoint ellipse from the center
1 Double-click the Ellipse icon

Keypoint Curve Toolbox.
, or choose Ellipse from the
2 Set Ellipse Definition to Center and end point. Click Go.
3 Click the center of the ellipse, or type a 3D coordinate to place the point
exactly.
4 Click the end of the ellipse, or type a 3D coordinate to place the point
exactly.
As you drag the end point, the Ellipse tool displays the length of the
two radii in current linear units.
To draw a keypoint ellipse end-to-end
1 Double-click the Ellipse icon

, or choose Ellipse from the
2 Set Ellipse Definition to Axis endpoints. Click Go.
3 Click the first end of the ellipse, or type a 3D coordinate to place the
point exactly.
4 Click the opposite end of the ellipse, or type a 3D coordinate to place the
point exactly.
As you drag the end point, the Ellipse tool displays the length of the
two axes in current linear units.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Rectangle

Creates degree 1 rectangular curves.
To create a rectangle, click in a modeling window on points to be opposing
corners.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Arc (Three Point)

Allows you to create a keypoint arc by putting down three points the arc must
interpolate.
To draw a three-point arc
1 Click the Arcs > Arc (Three Point) icon

, or choose Arcs >
Arc (Three Point) from the Keypoint Curve Toolbox.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Rectangle | 115
2 Click the start point of the arc, or type a 3D coordinate to place the point
exactly.
If you click the endpoint of an existing keypoint curve, the new arc
attaches itself to the end of that curve. Dragging the common endpoint
moves both curves.
3 Click a second point to lie on the arc, or type a 3D coordinate to place
the point exactly.
Click the left mouse button to add the point freely.
Click the middle mouse button to align the point horizontally to the
first point.
Click the right mouse button to align the point vertically to the first
point.
4 Click the end point of the arc, or type a 3D coordinate to place the point
exactly.
first point.
point.
As you drag the end point, the Arc (Three Point) tool displays the
radius of the arc in current linear units.
Arc (3 Point) Options

default is 6.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Arc (Two Point)

Allows you to create a keypoint arc by putting down the two end points and specifying
either the center or radius of the arc.
To draw a two-point arc
1 Click the Arcs > Arc (Two Point)

icon, or choose Arcs >
Arc (Two Point) from the Keypoint Curve Toolbox.
exactly.
If you click the endpoint of an existing keypoint curve, the new arc
attaches itself to the end of that curve. Dragging the common endpoint
moves both curves.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Arc (Two Point) | 117
exactly.
first point.
point.
4 Click the center point of the arc, or type the radius of the arc.
As you drag the center point, the Arc (Two Point) tool displays the
radius of the arc in current linear units.
Line (2 Point) Options

default is 6.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Arc Tangent to Curve

Allows you to create a keypoint arc tangent to a curve.
To draw an arc tangent to a curve
1 Click the Arcs > Arc Tangent to Curve

icon, or choose Arcs
> Arc Tangent to Curve from the Keypoint Curve Toolbox.
2 Click the start point of the new arc on the curve it will be tangent to.
exactly.
Click the left mouse button button to add the point freely.
first point.
point.
As you drag the end point, the Arc Tangent to Curve tool displays
the radius of the arc in current linear units.
Arc Tangent To Curve Options

default is 6.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Arc Tangent to Curve | 119
Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Concentric Arc

Allows you to create a keypoint arc concentric to another keypoint arc.
To draw an arc concentric to another arc
1 Click the Arcs > Concentric Arc

icon, or choose Arcs >
Concentric Arc from the Keypoint Curve Toolbox.
2 Click the arc from which the new arc will be offset.
exactly.
As you drag the start point, the Concentric Arc tool displays the distance
between the two radii.
exactly.
Tips and notes
Concentric arcs are always drawn in the direction that creates the smallest
sweep angle. If you want an arc of more than 180 degrees, open the
Information Window and click the Complement button under the

Attributes section.
To create a concentric circle, set the Angle/Sweep attribute to 360 degrees

in the Information Window.
Concentric Arc Options

default is 6.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Line

Allows you to create a single keypoint line.
To draw a single key line
1 Click the Line

Curve Toolbox.
icon, or choose Lines > Line from the Keypoint
2 Click to place the starting point for the line, or type a 3D coordinate to
place the point exactly.
If you click the endpoint of an existing keypoint curve, the new line
attaches itself to the end of the existing curve. Dragging the common
endpoint moves both curves.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Line | 121
3 Click to place the end point for the line, or type a 3D coordinate to place
the point exactly.
first point.
point.
As you drag the end point, the Line tool displays the length of the line
in current linear units.
Line (2 Point) Options

default is 1.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Polyline

Allows you to create a keypoint line composed of several segments.
To draw a series of connected lines (polyline)
1 Click the Polyline

icon, or choose Lines > Polyline from the
2 Click to place the starting point for the polyline, or type a 3D coordinate
to place the point exactly.
attaches itself to the end of the existing curve to create a composite curve.
3 Click to place the next point in the polyline, or type a 3D coordinate to
first point.
point.
As you drag the end point, the Polyline tool displays the length of the
line in current linear units.
4 You can now:
Repeat step 3 to add another line segment.
Click the Polyline tool to start another polyline.
Click any other tool to finish the polyline.
Tips and notes
You can use guidelines and curve snapping curve to draw parallel lines,
tangent lines, perpendicular lines, and right angles quickly.
You can use Edit > Undo on page 525 to undo points in a polyline all the
way back to the start point.
Line Poly Options

default is 1.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Parallel Line

Allows you to create a keypoint line parallel to another line or curve.
To draw a line parallel to a curve
1 Click the Parallel Line

icon, or choose Lines > Parallel Line
from the Keypoint Curve Toolbox.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Parallel Line | 123
2 Click the curve to which the new line will be parallel.
Guidelines are added for the curve, allowing you to line up the start
and/or end points of the new line.
If you click a curved line, the new line is parallel to the tangent where
you click.
3 Click the start point of the parallel line, or type a 3D coordinate to place
the point exactly.
As you drag the start point, the Parallel Line tool displays the distance
between the lines in current linear units.
4 Click the end point of the parallel line, or type a 3D coordinate to place
the point exactly.
As you drag the end point, the Parallel Line tool displays the length
of the line in current linear units.
Line Parallel Options

default is 1.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Line at Angle

Allows you to create a keypoint line at an angle to another line or curve.
To draw a line at an angle to a curve
1 Click the Line at Angle

icon, or choose Lines > Line at Angle
from the Keypoint Curve Toolbox.
2 Click the start point of the new line on the curve from which it will angle
off.
If you click a curved line, the new line is drawn at an angle to the line
that passes through the end point of the curve.
3 If you want to project the line at an exact angle, type the value of the
angle and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac). The Line at Angle tool
adds a new guideline at that angle.
4 Click the end point of the new line.

As you drag the end point, the Line at Angle tool displays the angle in
current angular units (degrees by default).
Tips and notes
You can continue to change the offset distance (for parallel lines) or angle
in the Information window. (See the Interface section of the Basic
Tools book.)
These special relationship attributes remain with the lines until you
manually modify one of the lines.
The relationship attribute for lines created with the Line at Angle tool
is called Rel Angle (Relative angle). All lines have an attribute called
Keypoint Curve Tools > Lines > Line at Angle | 125
Angle/Sweep, which is the angle to the horizontal axis of the orthographic

window, as well as a Length attribute.
Line Angle Options

default is 1.
Tangent to Curve
Allows you to draw a keypoint line tangent to an existing curve.
To draw a line tangent to a curve

1 Click the Line Tangent to Curve icon, or choose Line Tangent &
Perp > Line Tangent to Curve from the Keypoint Curve Toolbox.
2 Click the start point of the tangent line.
3 Click the curve you want the line to be tangent to.
The Line Tangent to Curve tool calculates the end point for the line
to be tangent to that curve.
If it cannot find a tangent, it prints a message in the prompt line.
If it finds more than one tangent, it uses the tangent closest to where
you clicked.
Tangent from/to Curve
Allows you to draw a keypoint line tangent to two curves.
To draw a tangent line between two curves

1 Click the Line Tangent from/to Curve icon, or choose Line Tangent
& Perp > Line Tangent from/to Curve from the Keypoint Curve
Toolbox.
2 Click the first curve the tangent line will touch.

3 Click the second curve the tangent line will touch.
The Line Tangent from/to Curve tool calculates the line tangent to
both curves.
If it cannot find a tangent, it prints a message in the prompt line.
If it finds more than one tangent, it uses the tangent closest to where
you clicked.
Perpendicular
Allows you to draw a keypoint line perpendicular from, or to, an existing curve or
surface curve (curves on surface, surface edges, isoparms).
The surface curves are treated like normal curves, so that the line is
perpendicular to the surface curve, but not normal to the surface. A line
perpendicular to a 3D curve at a given point can lie anywhere in a plane
normal to the tangent of the curve at that point. The second point selected
determines the specific direction of the line, as well as the choice of the True
or Projected option.
Line Perpendicular Options

The option box settings determine the initial values of the buttons that appear
at the bottom of the window after choosing the tool.
You can create different instances of the tool on the shelf for each type of
Line Perpendicular you plan to create.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Line Tangent & Perp > Line Perpendicular | 127
Degree The degree of the Line Perpendicular. Values range from 1 (default)
to 7.
Type True The line is perpendicular to the curve in 3D space (as seen in
the Perspective window) although it may not appear perpendicular in all
orthographic views.
Projected The line appears perpendicular to the given curve in the active
orthographic view. For a Perspective window, turn off Perspective in the
Viewing Panel to get an orthographic view.
Select From Curve The line extends from the selected point on the curve,
perpendicular to the curve, and ends as close to the second point as possible.
If the second point is selected on a curve, the line ends on that curve.
To Curve The line extends from the selected point to the selected curve
and is perpendicular to the curve.
See also:
Draw a line perpendicular from a curve
Draw a line perpendicular to a curve
Keypoint Curve Tools > Line-arc

Allows you to create a series of alternating keypoint lines and arcs.
To draw alternating lines and arcs
1 Click the Line-arc

Curve Toolbox.
icon, or choose Line-arc from the Keypoint
2 Click the first point of the composite curve, or type a 3D coordinate to

attaches itself to the end of the existing curve. Dragging the common
endpoint moves both curves.
3 Click the endpoint of the first line segment, or type a 3D coordinate to

previous point.
Click the right mouse button to align the point vertically to the previous
point.
As you drag the end point, the Line-arc tool displays the length of the
line in current linear units.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Line-arc | 129
4 Click the endpoint of the arc segment, or type a 3D coordinate to place

the point exactly.
previous point.
Click the right mouse button to align the point vertically to the previous
point.
As you drag the end point, the Line-arc tool displays the radius of the
arc in current linear units.
5 You can now:
Repeat steps 3-4 to add more segments.
Click the Line-arc tool to start another composite curve.
Click any other tool to finish the curve.
Tips and notes
Arcs segments are always convex (the arc always projects forward from
the previous line). You cannot create concave arcs with the Line-arc tool.
To get concave arcs, you must go back and edit the curve after creating it.
See Edit keypoint curves.
Click the endpoint of a segment twice to make the next segment the same
type.
For example, click the endpoint of a line segment twice to make the next
segment a line. Click the endpoint of an arc segment twice to make the
next segment an arc.
See also:
Keypoint Curve Tools > Break & Join > Break Curve at
Keypoint
Detaches a keypoint curve when you click a keypoint.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Break & Join > Join Curves
Attaches two curves together to form a single curve. This tool works on regular curves
as well as keypoint curves.
To join two curves at their endpoints, make sure that their endpoints overlap
(are coincident), then choose the tool and click the overlapping keypoint or
edit point.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Drag Keypoints

Allows you to move keypoints on keypoint curves.
This tool lets you select and move the keypoints that control the endpoints
and midpoints of keypoint curves.
Keypoint Curve Tools > Break & Join > Break Curve at Keypoint | 131
See also:
Draw a keypoint rectangle
Edit keypoint curves
Curves > New Curve-on-surface

Lets you create a curve-on-surface by drawing it manually.
To create a curve on surface
1 Click the New Curve-on-surface

icon, or choose Curves > New
Curve-on-surface from the tool palette.
2 Click the surface on which you will draw the new curve-on-surface.
3 Click to place the points of the new curve. You can move the new point
while the mouse button is down. When you release the mouse button,
the new point is added to the curve.
Click the left mouse button to place a point.
Click the middle mouse button to place a point with the same U
coordinate as the previous one.
Click the right mouse button to place a point with the same V coordinate
as the previous one.
Type a UV coordinate to place a point exactly.
Use grid snapping to snap to the nearest isoparametric curve

intersection.
Use magnet snapping to snap to the nearest edit point of a curve on

surface on that surface.
Use curve snapping to snap to another curve-on-surface, or to an

isoparametric curve.
If Curve Snap Intersections is turned on in Preferences > General

Preferences on page 1076 (Modeling section), curve snapping will
automatically snap a new curve-on-surface (CoS) to CoS-CoS
intersections on the same surface.
4 Use Ctrl + Z or Edit > Undo on page 525 to remove the last point. Use Edit
> Redo on page 526 to put it back.
NOTE As with any other operation, the maximum number of undos is set
to 11 but can be modified in the Miscellaneous section of Preferences >
General Preferences on page 1076.
New Curve on Surface Options

the number of CVs per span: 1 (linear) or 3 (cubic). The default is 3.
Knot Spacing A knot is the parameter value of an edit point.
units.
See also:
Curves-on-surface
Trimming
Split (divide) a surface into trimmed surfaces along curves-on-surface
Trim a surface
Curves > Text

The text tool uses your system fonts.
Text curves are represented in the scene block diagram (SBD) window as a
compressed hierarchy:
Use Utilities > SBD > Expand SBD on page 1100 to see the full hierarchy for text.
Double-clicking the tool opens the option window. A string of text is created
as a single object; however, characters can be made into individual objects by
choosing Edit > Ungroup on page 532 . Each text character can be made of
Curves > Text | 133
more than one curve. Initially, these curves are grouped together, but they
can be separated by choosing Edit > Ungroup on page 532 .
To create a surface from text curves, choose Surfaces > Planar Surfaces > Set
Planar on page 245 and create a trimmed surface. Choose all the curves necessary
to make a region, or all the curves for a character. Curves can form separate
groupings of surfaces, but each set of curves must form a closed loop (a region)
to create a surface.
NOTE The text tool does not support multi-byte languages such as Japanese,
Korean, or Chinese.
Curve Edit palette
Curve Edit > Create > Duplicate Curve

Duplicates any curves that are picked when you click the tool, and any curves you click
while the tool is active.
See Create a free curve from existing geometry.
Duplicate Curve Options

Duplicate Type No Rebuild Do not rebuild the curve after duplicating it.
Curvature, Reduce Spans, Del Multi Knots, Uniform Knots, Match
Knots Rebuild the curve after duplicating it.
See the discussion of the Rebuild Type option of the Rebuild curve tool for
information on the rebuild types and their options.
Control Options
Smoothing After duplicating, automatically switch to the Smooth tool to allow
you to smooth the resulting curve.
Interactive Allows you to specify an arbitrary surface isoparametric curve to
duplicate, rather than a visible one.
MixMax Display Automatically create a Min-Max deviation comb between the
original and duplicated/rebuilt curves.
Auto Recalc. Automatically update the new curve when the values in the
Duplicate Curve window change.
135
Buttons
Recalc When Auto Recalc. is turned off, use this button to update the
duplicated curve with the current values.
Undo Undo all the changes made by the Duplicate Curve tool and return
to the original curve.
Next Finish duplicating the current curve and prompt for a new curve to
duplicate.
Curve Edit > Create > Combine Curves

Creates a 3D curve from two planar curves representing orthogonal projections.
Use this tool to create 3D curves from traditional plan and elevation type
drawings.
To create a 3D curve from two planar orthogonal curves

1 Make sure that the curves are planar. You can use the Curve Planarize
tool to flatten the curves.
2 Click the Combine Curves icon

, or choose Curve Edit >
Create > Combine Curves from the Palette.
3 Click the first profile curve.
4 Click the second profile curve.
5 If Automatic Direction is off, or if Combine Curves cannot figure
out the projection directions, it prompts you to enter
the projection axis of the first curve (x, y or z), and
the projection axis of the second curve (x, y, or z).
6 Combine Curves creates the curve by projecting the two planar curves
into a 3D curve.
In some cases, more than one solution may be possible. In these cases,
Combine Curves creates all the possible curves. When it is finished,
delete the curves you do not want.
136 | Chapter 6 Curve Edit palette
Tips and notes
If the Create History option is on, you can edit the profile curves and
the 3D curve automatically updates.
Use the Rebuild curve tool in most cases to reduce the complexity of
the resulting curve.
Combine Curves Options

Automatic Direction Try to figure out the projection axes for the two curves
automatically. Leave this option on unless Combine curve guesses wrong
and you must set the axes manually.
In some cases, the Combine curve tool cannot automatically figure out the
projection directions (for example, if the two curves are in the same plane).
In these cases, type the projection axes for the first and second profile curves.
Create History Save the Combine curve history for later editing. If you turn
on Create History, you can edit the profile curves and the combined curve
automatically updates.
Curve Edit > Create > Fillet Curves

Creates a fillet curve between two existing curves.
To create a fillet with a specific radius

1 Double-click the Fillet Curves icon, or choose Curve Edit > Create
> Fillet Curves from the Palette.
2 Set Construction to Circular, then click Go.
Curve Edit > Create > Fillet Curves | 137
3 Click the first curve approximately where you want the fillet to touch
the curve.
If the two curves intersect, click the segment of the first curve that you
want to create a fillet for. If Trim Curves is on, click the segment of the
first curve that you want to keep.
4 Click the second curve approximately where you want the fillet to touch
the curve.
If the two curves intersect, click the segment of the second curve that
you want to create a fillet for. If Trim Curves is on, click the segment
of the second curve that you want to keep.
Alias displays a preview of the fillet.
5 If you want a different radius from the default (displayed in the prompt
line), type the new radius, or drag the mouse to change the radius
interactively. Dragging the mouse left or down decreases the radius.
Dragging the mouse right or up increases the radius.
If the current radius is too small or too large to build a fillet near the
point you clicked, the Fillet Curves tool reports an error. Type a new
radius and try again.
If you do not want to create the fillet, select Pick > Nothing on page 3
.
6 Click Accept.
Alias builds the fillet.
When the fillet is built, the original curves are trimmed to both ends of
the fillet. To keep the curves intact, turn off the Trim Curves option.
To create a fillet between two specific points on the curves

1 Double-click the Fillet curves icon, or choose Curve Edit > Create >
Fillet Curves from the Palette.
2 Set Construction to Freeform, then click Go.
3 Click the first curve at the point you want the fillet to begin.
4 Click the second curve at the point you want the fillet to end.
5 Curve locators appear on the two curves where you clicked.
Drag the locators to move the contact points of the fillet on the curves.
Click Go to create the fillet.
6 If Blend Control is on, after the fillet is created you can click the
Tangent and Blend buttons in the bottom right corner of the view
window to see the different types of fillet. Click Go again to finish the
fillet.
Tips and notes
If Create History is on in the options, you can edit the curves and the
fillet automatically updates.
Curve Fillet Options

Construction Circular Create a circular fillet with a true radius.
Freeform Create a fillet between two contact points.
Circular + Lead Create a circular fillet by specifying the radius where the
fillet blends with the original curves (Lead Radius) and the radius at the
knee of the fillet (Radius).
Freeform Type Tangent Project the tangents at the two contact points,
and create the fillet in the direction of the tangent intersection.
Blend Average the positions of the two contact points to create the fillet.
Blend fillets sometimes have an inflection and tend to be shallower than
Tangent fillets.
Radius The default radius of circular fillets. You can enter a new value at the
prompt line when you use the tool.
Calculate Lead Radius When you set the Radius value, Alias automatically
updates the Lead Radius value.
Knee Ratio When you set the Radius value, Alias automatically updates
the Knee Ratio value.
Lead Radius The radius of the fillet where the fillet blends with the original
curves.
Knee Ratio Specify a radius at the center (or knee) of the fillet as a ratio (or
multiple) of the original radius.
The resulting fillet is not truly circular, but its endpoints correspond to the
endpoints of a circular fillet with the original radius.
Blend Control Allows you to change the fillet type (Tangent or Blend) after
it is created.
Trim Curves Automatically trim the original curves back to the endpoints of
the fillet.
Create History Save the Fillet curves history for later editing. If you turn
on Create History, you can edit the original curves and the fillet
automatically updates.
Curve Edit > Modify > Add Points

Lets you add control points to the end of an existing curve, as if you are still drawing
it using the new curve tools.
See also:
Extend the ends/edges of a curve or surface
Curve Edit > Modify > Transform Curve

Provides a direct way of positioning a curve so that it intersects two rail curves.
Positioning and intersecting a curve can be done in two ways:
By moving the curve so that it intersects the first rail, then rocking
(rotating) it so that it intersects the second rail.
By dilating (scaling) the curve, while preserving its shape characteristics,

so that it intersects both rails.
Method 1: Tanslating and Rotating a curve (rocking)
1 Choose Curve Edit > Modify > Transform Curve
2 Select the curve.

Two control handles (circles) appear at the start and end points of the
selected curve.
NOTE You can move the control handles along the curve by clicking them
and dragging the small purple arrow along the curve.
3 Click the Translate button in the window.
4 Select the control handle closest to the first rail.
The selected handle turns white.
5 Turn on Curve Snap mode by holding down the Ctrl and Alt (Windows)
or Control and Command (Mac) keys (or Magnet mode by holding down
Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac) only).
6 Click the first rail curve. Drag to change the position of the intersection.
The input curve is translated so that the first control handle intersects
the first rail.
7 Click the Rotate button in the window.
The second control handle turns white. A manipulator appears at the
location of the first control handle. Use the manipulator to specify the
plane of rotation: XY, YZ, XZ. By default, the curve rotates in its own
plane.
or Control and Command (Mac) keys.
9 Click the second rail curve.
Curve Edit > Modify > Transform Curve | 143
The input curve rotates in the specified plane of rotation, using the first
intersection as its rotation pivot, so that it now intersects the second rail.
The shape of the curve does not change.
Method 2: Rotating and Scaling a curve (dilating)

1 Choose Curve Edit > Modify > Transform Curve.
2 Select the curve.
Two control handles (circles) appear at the start and end points of the
selected curve.
NOTE You can move the control handles along the curve by clicking them
and dragging the small purple arrow along the curve.
3 Click the Rotate & Scale button in the window.

4 Click one control handle.
The selected handle turns white.
or Control and Command (Mac) keys (or Magnet mode by holding down
Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac) only).
6 Click the rail curve you want to snap the selected handle to.
7 Repeat steps 4 - 6 with the other control handle.
The input curve is scaled so that both control handles make contact with
the target points on the rail curves.
The curve is modified, but the general shape characteristics are
maintained, as can be verified by using a curvature comb on the curve
(Locators > Curve Curvature on page 418 ).
The distance between the control handles on the input curve and the target
points on the rail curves is within the Maximum Gap Distance (in
Construction Options).
Curve Edit > Modify > Transform Curve | 145
How do I use the rotation manipulator?

The rotation manipulator appears when you are in Rotate mode (Rotate
button depressed). It has three axes (X, Y and Z), and a circle along which the
selected handle on the curve rotates. By default, this circle is drawn in the
plane of the curve.
Click one of the three axes to change the plane of rotation to the plane
perpendicular to that axis.
The circle is redrawn in that plane.
NOTE Currently, the only way to go back to using the plane of the curve as
plane of rotation is to re-enter the tool, click the curve and then click the Rotate
button again.
Curve Transform Options

Transform type Determines what mode the tool starts in. Choices are
Translate, Rotate, Rotate & Scale. The default is Translate.
Curve Edit > Modify > Stretch

Lets you stretch or reshape a curve by moving handles attached to the curve.
To stretch or modify the shape of a curve

1 Choose Curve Edit > Modify > Stretch .
2 Select the curve to stretch.
Two control handles appear at the ends of the curve.
3 Click the + Handles or - Handles buttons in the modeling window, to

increase or decrease the number of control handles.
NOTE The minimum number of handles is 2, and the maximum number is
equal to the curve degree+1.
4 Click a handle, and use the small triangle manipulator to move it along
the curve.
5 Click the Tangent On button to bring up the manipulator on the active

handle.
6 Use the manipulator to modify the position or tangent of the curve at
that point.
Curve Edit > Modify > Stretch | 147
Stretch Curve Options

Parameter Floating The handles can slide along the curve as you drag
them. This option minimizes the changes to the curve from using Stretch.
Locked The handles stay at the same parameter on the curve as they move
(default).
NOTE The first and last handles always stay locked to their parameters while
dragging, even when the Parameter option is set to Floating.
See also:
Curve Edit > Cut > Break Curve at Inflections

Automatically splits a curve into multiple curves at inflection points (where the curvature
changes direction).
See Split a curve into separate curves at its inflection points.
Curve Edit > Rebuild Curve

Recreates a curve with the same shape but different mathematical properties.
Rebuild Curve Options

Rebuild Type Curvature Increase curve definition by inserting edit points
in segments with high curvature.
Reduce Spans Simplify the curve by removing extraneous edit points.
Del Multi Knots Remove multi-knots from the curve.
Uniform Knots Convert the curve to uniform parameterization.
Match Knots Convert the curve to match the parameterization and degree
of another curve.
Curvature options
These options appear when Rebuild Type is Curvature.
Tolerance The amount of deviation from the original curve permitted during
the rebuild (in current linear units).
A low number matches the original more exactly, and inserts more points. A
high number does not match the original as well, and inserts fewer points.
Max Spans Type Absolute The maximum number of spans in the new
curve is equal to Max Spans.
Relative The maximum number of spans in the new curve is equal to the
current number of spans times the Max Spans Factor.
Max Spans This option appears when Max Spans Type is Absolute.
Specify the maximum number of spans allowed in the new curve, when Max
Spans Type is Absolute.
Max Spans Factor This option appears when Max Spans Type is Relative.
Specify a multiplicative factor. When Max Spans Type is Relative, the
maximum number of spans allowed in the new curve is the current number
of spans times this factor.
Change Degree On Change the degree of the curve as it is rebuilt. A slider
appears allowing you to set the degree of the rebuilt curve. Curves on surface,
trim curves, and isoparametric curves can only be rebuilt as degree 1 or 3.
Off Do not change the curve degree.
Reduce Spans options

This setting appears when Rebuild Type is Reduce Spans.
Tolerance The amount of deviation from the original curve permitted during
Curve Edit > Rebuild Curve | 149
A low number matches the original more exactly, but does not simplify the
curve as much. A high number does not match the original as well, but
simplifies more.
Uniform Knots options

These settings appear when Rebuild Type is Uniform Knots.
Change Number of CVs On Change the number of CVs (and hence of
spans) in the rebuilt curve. A slider appears allowing you to set the number
of spans.
Off The number of CVs in the rebuilt curve is equal to the number of CVs
in the original.
Change Degree On Change the degree of the curve as it is rebuilt. A slider
appears allowing you to set the degree of the rebuilt curve. Curves on surface,
trim curves, and isoparametric curves can only be rebuilt as degree 1 or 3.
Off Do not change the curve degree.
Control Options
Smoothing After rebuilding, automatically switch to the Smooth tool to
allow you to smooth the resulting curve.
Interactive Specify an arbitrary surface isoparametric curve to rebuild, rather
than a visible one.
MixMax Display Automatically create a Min-Max deviation comb between
the original and rebuilt curves.
Rebuild Curve window change.
Keep Originals Keep the original curve after creating the rebuilt curve.
Buttons
Recalc When Auto Recalc. is turned off, use this button to update the rebuilt
curve with the current values.
Undo All Undo all the changes made by the Rebuild curve tool and return
Next Finish rebuilding the current curve and prompt for a new curve to rebuild.
See also:
Simplify objects
Edit objects
Automatically add spans to a curve with high curvature
Convert a curve to uniform parameterization
Create a free curve from existing geometry
Match the edit point locations of a set of curves
Curve Edit > Project Tangent

Allows for the modification of a curve or surface edge to achieve tangency or curvature
continuity with a surface, or tangency with a curve intersection.
Project tangent allows align construction history on the same curve if the two
are modifying a different end of the curve.
It does not, however, allow other types of history to be modifying the same
curve. For example, if blend curve or symmetry plane align history exist on
the curve you want to modify, a confirmation box displays asking whether
history can be deleted.
See Make a curve tangent or curvature continuous with a surface.
Project Tangent Adjustment Options

Tangent Adjustment
Scale This scale factor adjusts the length of the tangent vector, without
modifying its direction.
Rotation The degree of rotation in the tangent plane. A rotation of 0 gives
the default projection heading. Use positive and negative numbers to rotate
in different directions.
The following option is available only when Transform Control is set to
Tangent.
Tangent Angle The degree of rotation out of the tangent plane. An angle of
0 gives the default projection pitch (that is tangent continuity). Use positive
Curve Edit > Project Tangent | 151
and negative numbers to rotate in different directions. Changing this value

removes tangent continuity.
The following option is only available when Transform Control is set to
Curvature.
Curvature The magnitude of the curvature modification. Modify the shape
of the curve without changing the curvature at the join with the surface.
Xform Control menu

Tangent Create tangent continuity between the surface/intersection and the
curve.
This option is not available when you project from a curve intersection, or
when Tangent Align is set to Normal.
Curvature Create curvature continuity between the surface and the curve.
Region Control menu

This menu has no functionality. It contains only one item, indicating the
number of CVs that the tool modifies (equal to the curve degree plus one).
If the curve is modified at its endpoint, only two CVs are affected for tangent
continuity and only three for curvature (and this menu value is ignored).
Tangent Align menu

U/V Project the tangent onto the U or V direction of the surface.
This option disables Curvature in the Transform Control menu.
Normal Project the tangent onto the surfaces normal at the edge, making
the curve perpendicular to the surface, instead of tangent. It is equivalent to
a Tangent Angle of 90.0 degrees.
Reverse Reverse the direction of the current tangent vector.
NOTE The U, V, and Normal commands set the type of alignment. The Reverse
command reverses the current tangent direction, but does not change the type
of alignment.
Control Tools menu

Undo Reverses all changes to the curve by the Project Tangent tool.
This option is the same as using Edit > Undo on page 525 .
Next Crv Keep changes to the current curve and pick another curve to modify.
Done Keep changes to the current curve and close the Adjustment control
window.
Curve Edit > Curve Planarize

Modifies a curve or surface edge so all its points lie on the same plane.
Often used to prepare curves for use as profile curves, or for the Set Planar
tool.
Curve Planarize Options

Default Projection Plane Best Calculate the plane that best fits the existing
curve (the plane that forces the least modification to the curve).
Axis Flatten the curve onto an axis plane (XY, YZ, or XZ).
User Defined Plane Flatten the curve onto an existing construction plane.
The following option appears when the Default Projection Plane is Best.
Lock Ends Do not move the endpoints while flattening. Locking ends allows
you to maintain existing intersections.
The following options appear when the Default Projection Plane is Axis.
Principal Plane Choose a plane (XY, YZ, or XZ) to flatten the curve onto.
Keep Originals Keep the old curve(s) after flattening.
See also:
Flatten a basic curve onto a plane
Curve Edit > Curve Section

Cuts, trims, or creates new geometry along a number of curves based on some criterion.
With this tool, you can:
Define points on a group of curves at:
Intersections with a free curve, surface, reference plane, or construction

plane.
Curve Edit > Curve Planarize | 153
Specific parameters.
Specific distances from their endpoints.
Then use these points to do any of the following:
Trim the curves.
Detach the curves.
Insert edit points.
Create a curve that passes through the intersections.
Curve Section Options

Sectioning Mode Trim Trim back curves by deleting the part of the curve
beyond the intersection point. The part of the curve you clicked is retained.
Segment Detach the curves at the intersections.
Slice Has different effect depending on the Slice Creation Mode.
Sectioning Criterion Geometry Perform sectioning operation at the
intersections with a free curve, surface, or construction plane.
Parameter Perform sectioning operation at a specified parameter on each
curve.
Distance Perform sectioning operation at a specified distance from the start
point of each curve.
The following option is available when Sectioning Mode is Slice.
Slice Creation Mode Create Curve Create a curve that passes through the
intersections.
Insert Edit Points Insert new edit points at the intersections.
Insert Points Insert reference points at the intersections.
See also:
Slice (section) a group of curves
Curve Edit > Fit Curve

Creates quality curves by fitting to cross-section line data, curves-on-surface, trim
edges, isoparms (including surface edges and patch precision lines), and other free
curves.
Fit Curve options

The default settings are as follows:
When you change these values, they are preserved for subsequent uses of the
tool during the current session. You can save different combinations of options
to a shelf.
Curve Name Enter a name for the new curve.
Curvature Turn on this option to show a curvature comb locator on the new
curve.
You can change the comb scale and other settings through the Curvature
tool in the Control Panel.
Deviation Show a maximum deviation locator between the new and original
curves.
Degree Set the degree of the new curve. Increasing the degree allows a better
fit, however not all CAD systems support curve degrees higher than 3.
Spans Set the number of spans in the new curve. Increasing the number of
spans gives a better fit, but also increases the complexity of the model.
Modify target This option is only available when fitting a single curve to a
curve-on-surface.
Curve Edit > Fit Curve | 155
If it is checked on, a warning appears, saying that the target curve-on-surface

might be modified, and its construction history deleted.
If you choose to proceed, the fitted-curve is projected onto the surface to create
a new curve-on-surface. The fitting operation is repeated with the new
curve-on-surface as the target. This process continues until a solution (within
tolerance - see below) is found.
Max. CoS deviation This slider controls the maximum lateral distance that
the curve-on-surface (the target) is allowed to move when Modify target is
turned on.
Buttons
Reset Clicking this button removes all the fit curve segments on the current
target curve. It also restores the original curve-on-surface if it was previously
modified by Modify target, but does not restore its construction history.
See also:
Fit a curve to a section line
Create free NURBS curves by fitting
Curve Edit > Sort Sections

Sorts section lines into layers based on their axis orientation.
To sort section lines

1 Pick the section data.
2 Choose Curve Edit > Sort Sections
If they do not exist, the tool creates X_sections, Y_sections, Z_sections,

and Other_sections layers.
NOTE Section lines are a type of degree 1 NURBS produced from scan data
in some CAD packages. They can also be created by using the crvToSection
plug-in.
Curve Edit > Reverse Curve

Reverses the parametric (U) direction of a curve, causing the start of the curve to
become the end, and vice-versa.
This tool also lets you examine the tangent direction on the curve.
To reverse the direction of a curve

1 Choose Curve Edit > Reverse Curve .
2 Click the first curve you want to reverse.
The tangent of the curve is shown at the point where you clicked.
3 Do any of the following:
Click the left mouse button and drag along the curve to examine the
tangent direction.
Click the middle mouse button or the Reverse Active button in the
window to reverse the curve you clicked.
Click the right mouse button or the Reverse All button in the window
to reverse all selected curves.
4 Click another curve to add to the selection and repeat step 3.

NOTE You can also select all the curves you want to reverse before entering
the tool.
Curve Edit > Reverse Curve | 157
158
Object Edit palette
Object Edit > Attach > Attach

Joins curves by connecting their endpoints, joins surfaces by connecting the edges, or
closes a surface by connecting its opposite edges.
Attach Options
Type Blend Modify both objects by blending their endpoints/edges to attach

them. You can control the weighting of how much each object is modified with
the Blend Bias on page 160 option.
Connect Create a single, straight span between the objects to attach them.
If the endpoints of both objects already coincide, they are joined together with
a multi-knot.This option does not modify the shapes of the original objects.
The new span is connected to the original objects with multi-knots. Attempts
to edit the resulting object at the attachment points can result in cusps. The
Knot Insertion option has no effect with the Connect type.
159
Position Percentage distance (0 - 1), along the last span of the objects being
attached, where new edit points are inserted when Knot Insertion is on.
The default is 0.1000.
Blend Bias (Only the Blend type uses this option.).
The percentage preference (weighting), from 0 (first object only) to 1 (second
object only), between the two original objects when blending.
A value of 0 moves the end of the first object to the end of the second
object.
A value of 0.5 modifies both objects equally so their ends meet halfway.
A value of 1 moves the end of the second object to the end of the first
object.
Insert Spans Insert additional edit points near the ends of the curves to create
smoother attachments (decrease the probability of Attach having to modify
the shape of the original objects).
Keep Originals On Keep the original objects in addition to the new,
combined object.
160 | Chapter 7 Object Edit palette
Off Delete the original objects after the Attach operation is complete.
See also:
Make an object open or closed
Join (attach) two curves or surfaces together
Cracks appear between surfaces
Object Edit > Attach > Detach

Separates a curve or surface into two or more objects at any point.
Detach Options
Keep Originals On Keep the original object in addition to the new, detached
objects.
Off Delete the original object after the Detach operation is complete.
See also:
Split (detach) an object into separate objects
Object Edit > Insert

Adds an edit point to a curve, or an isoparametric curve to a surface.
The Insert tool shows the new hull shape in green, enabling users to insert
CVs with greater visual control over the shape of the curve.
Ensure that display of CVs and hulls are turned on to benefit from this feature.
Object Edit > Attach > Detach | 161
See also:
Insert additional edit points/isoparametric curves into a curve or surface
Align, combine, or split objects
Object Edit > Extend

Extends a curve or surface beyond its current endpoint or edge by adding new geometry.
Tips and notes
The two types of extension can produce very different results.
The Merge option creates a multi-knot at the connection point for Linear
extensions. Curves with multi-knots may not be usable as construction
curves, and CAD packages cannot import them.
Extend Object Options

Extend Type Linear Extend the curve or surface in a straight line.
Because this extension is linear and has no curvature, there is usually a
curvature discontinuity at the point or edge where the geometry was extended.
Extrapolate Extend the curve or surface with the same rate of change in
curvature as at the endpoint or edge.
This option produces the smoothest and most seamless extension without
adding any edit points to the original surface.
TIP To fix rough rendering that may result, increase the subdivisions in Render >
Editors > Render Stats on page 622 .
Merge Merge the extended part with the original surface to form one object.
It is turned on by default.
Chain Select If this option is checked, you can select a series of tangent
continuous surface edges by clicking any one of them.
Distance Default length of the extension when it is first created.
Distance is expressed in the current linear units, and is originally set to 0.0.
See also:
Extend the ends/edges of a curve or surface
Object Edit > Extend | 163
Object Edit > Symmetric Modeling

Makes the selected geometry symmetric, and lets you modify the controls (CVs, edit
points, blend points) on one side, while the corresponding controls on the symmetric
half update automatically to maintain the symmetry.
The symmetry plane is defined by the default symmetry plane for the layer
the curve or surface belongs to (Y=0 by default). This plane can be modified
by using Layers > Symmetry > Set Plane on page 590.
Moving the bottom CV automatically moves its symmetric twin (blue circle)
in the opposite direction to maintain the symmetry.
After the curve or surface has been made symmetric, any transformation tool
can be applied to the controls.
Inputs and selection
Any type of curve or surface can be selected. The modified controls can be
CVs, edit points, and blend points. If moving keypoints, the curve loses
its keypoint attributes.
For blend curves, only the position of the blend points is supported by
symmetric modeling (and not other constraints such as tangent scaling).
Blend curves where any blend point is connected to geometry are not
supported.
Several curves and surfaces can be selected at once, either before or after
entering the tool.
Symmetry constraints are applied to each curve or surface individually.
Modification
If the input curve or surface is not symmetric, the tool modifies the controls
of the model to ensure that it is symmetric. It applies the position of the
controls from the beginning of the curve or surface to the symmetric
partners at the end of the curve or surface. Click the Flip Master Side
button to have it work the other way around.
NOTE If the curve or surface was already symmetric, the Flip Master Side
button does not appear.
If a control (CV, edit point, or blend point) is selected prior to entering

the Symmetric Modeling tool, the side of the object containing the
picked control becomes the master side and is not modified when the
object is made symmetric.
Any transformation tool can be applied to the controls including Move,

Rotate, Scale, Non Proportional Scale, Move CV (XYZ, Slide, NUV,
Project) or Proportional Modification.
Once the Symmetric Modeling tool has been applied to a curve or

surface, the controls respond to any transformation by also modifying
their symmetric partner across the plane of symmetry.
Symmetry plane
The initial symmetry plane location and axis direction is defined by the
layer symmetry plane. By default this plane is defined as Y=0 (XZ plane).
A symmetry plane is assigned and displayed for each object selected.
The symmetry plane for a layer can be modified through Layers > Symmetry
> Set Plane on page 590. This does not affect the symmetry plane assigned
to any curve or surface through the Symmetric Modeling tool.
Once defined, the symmetry plane is unique to each curve or surface.

When a curve or surface is transformed, its symmetry plane becomes
decoupled from the layer symmetry plane, and follows the object. If the
plane doesnt match the layer symmetry plane anymore, it is drawn in a
different color. A confirm box also appears in this case.
Object Edit > Symmetric Modeling | 165
Undo
If a curve or surface is modified while establishing symmetric constraint,

you can use Edit > Undo (Ctrl + Z) to return it to its original state.
Similarly, Undo works with any symmetric modification to the controls,
up to the limit specified inPreferences > General Preferences on page 1076.
You can return a curve or surface to its normal state (without symmetric
constraint), while maintaining the modifications to the controls, by
removing the construction history with Delete > Delete Construction
History on page 537, or by using the History View window.
See also:
Transform controls symmetrically
Object Edit > Align > Align

Aligns a curve or surface edge to another curve, or surface edge. Also aligns an edge
to the interior of a surface.
NOTE This Align tool was introduced in AliasStudio 2009 and is intended to replace
the older version of the tool now called Align 2008.
See Workflows for the new Align tool.
Align Options
Object Edit > Align > Align | 167
Continuity Continuity level between the aligned geometry: Position,

Tangent, or Curvature.
Alignment Type Edge This option is the default and provides alignments
for all surfaces when a vector constraint is not used. This includes the alignment
of a surface to a surface edge, isoparm, or curve-on-surface (CoS).
Project This option aligns an edge to a surface by using a projection vector

(along the current view by default). It is not necessary to have a
curve-on-surface already on the surface to align to it. The curve-on-surface is
created automatically.
NOTE If Project is selected, a Vector Options section appears to let you define
a vector. The default vector direction is based on the current view. (See Vector
Options on page 175)
U/V This option only appears when aligning a curve to a surface.
The curve is aligned to either the U or V direction of the surface.
Vector This option only appears when aligning a curve to a surface.

The tangent and curvature alignment is defined by the tangent plane to the
surface at the point of contact, and the direction of the vector specified through
Vector Options on page 175. That is, the tangent and curvature CVs on the
curve are only allowed to move in the direction of the vector. This is the
equivalent to creating a curve-on-surface on the surface, and aligning the free
curve to it.
If the vector is set to View, the shape of the curve in the given view remains
the same through the alignment, while maintaining the desired level of
continuity with the surface.
Vector This checkbox is only available when aligning a surface to another

surface with Alignment Type set to Edge and Continuity set to Tangent
or Curvature.
When Vector is checked on, positional continuity is achieved first, then the
tangent and curvature CV rows are constrained to move along the selected
vector. (See Vector Options on page 175.)
Tangent Balance This option only appears when Continuity is set to

Tangent or Curvature and the following conditions apply:
Both the Input and Master are surfaces
You are aligning to a natural boundary (not a trim edge or curve-on-surface)
Outer edges are both set to Edge Align
When checked on, the CVs of the tangent row are adjusted so that the ratio
of the start and end tangent lengths on the Input surface matches that of the
Master. The same applies to the curvature row CVs if Curvature is on. The
inside CVs are also adjusted so that the Inputs hull (for the tangent and
curvature rows) mimics the shape of the Masters.
Tangent Balance is off.
Tangent Balance is on. The hull shape of the Input

reflect that of the Master.
The tangent and curvature lengths can be scaled in a proportional way so as

not to change the shape of the Input surface, by using the Tangent Scale
and Curvature Scale sliders (or corresponding manipulators). These sliders
are only available when Tangent Balance is on, but retain their values if
Tangent Balance is toggled off then on again.
Blending This option applies to both Input curves and surfaces. It moves the
inner rows of CVs to even out the modification in the Input. You can adjust
the number of Extra CV Rows that get modified and the Blend factor to
get the desired effect. The rows of CVs needed to maintain continuity are not
touched.
Partial The Partial checkbox is always off by default when a surface is aligned.
Initially, the input surfaces edges are aligned to the full extent of the masters
edge. If Partial is turned on, the closest points on the master surfaces edge
(or curve) are used.
The Partial Join manipulators are always displayed. Use the manipulators (or
the Partials sliders) to control the extent. The Partial option applies when
a surface edge is aligned to another surface edge, isoparm, curve-on-surface,
or free curve
Partial is turned off automatically if the manipulators are dragged to the
ends of the masters edge. It is turned on automatically when the manipulators
are dragged away from the ends.
Turning on Partial always resets the manipulators to the closest points on
the masters edge. Conversely, turning off Partial sets the manipulators to
the ends of the master's edge.
Explicit Control Checking on this option gives you access to the Explicit
Control Settings where you can adjust the degree and number of spans for
the Input. These settings only appear once both the Input and Master
geometries have been selected. The degree and span settings initially
correspond to those of the Input curve or surface.
Increasing the degree or adding spans can provide greater flexibility for the
curve or surface to align to continuity, or create a more subtle blend. Explicit
Control is checked on by default.
If Explicit Control is not checked, the alignment will first raise the degree
of the Input to match that of the Master, before attempting to insert spans to
achieve continuity.
Position Influence This slider only appears when Alignment Type is set
to Edge and Vector is off.
When Position influence is set to 0.0 (default), the alignment process
attempts to maintain the parameterization of the Input surface. This alignment
causes minimal CV movement.
When Position influence is set to 1.0, the alignment attempts to match
the parameterization of the Input surface to the parameterization of the Master
as closely as possible. This alignment has more freedom to produce a closer
fit (better continuity), but can cause the lateral spacing of position, tangent,
and curvature CVs on the Input to change. However, tangent and curvature
lengths are not affected by Position Influence.
NOTE This sometimes results in the CV structure of the Input conforming itself
to the Masters, typically when both edges have the same degree and number of
spans.
The slider provides for incremental interpolation between maintaining
parameterization on the Input and providing continuity with the Master.
Position Influence = 0. Positional continuity

not achieved.
Position Influence = 1.0. Positional

continuity achieved.
Blending Options
Extra CV Rows Number of CV rows affected by the blending. These rows are
located beyond the rows of CVs needed to maintain continuity, which are
not touched.
Blend factor The degree to which the influence of the alignment decreases
or increases as it moves out to the extra CV rows. (This option is only available
if Extra CV Rows is greater than zero.)
A positive value indicates that the influence decreases exponentially. The
higher the value, the more rapidly the influence drops.
A zero value indicates no drop in influence; the change is constant row by
row.
A negative value indicates that the influence increases exponentially. The
higher the absolute value, the more rapidly the influence increases.
Vector Options
X,Y, Z Select one of these options to specify a vector along that axis.
View Select this option to specify a vector normal to the current view. The
vector is not drawn in the view windows.
If the current view is changed, click Refresh View Vector to update the
vector.
Picked Selecting this option lets you specify the name of an existing vector
in the Picked Vector field, or pick the vector in the view.
Normal This option is only available when Alignment Type is set to

Project. The projection is done along the surface normals instead of using a
single vector direction.
Refresh View Vector This button only appears if View is selected. Click it to
update the vector if the view has been modified.
Retain Vector Click this button to create a vector construction object in the
view windows. If you do not click this button, the tool uses the vector direction
you specified, but you are not able to see and re-use the vector.
Explicit Control Settings

U Degree Degree of the Input surface in the U direction.
V Degree Degree of the Input surface in the V direction.
Degree Degree of the Input curve.
U Spans Number of spans on the Input surface in the U direction.
V Spans Number of spans on the Input surface in the V direction.
Spans Number of spans on the Input curve.
Outer Edge
The following section only appears when Alignment Type is Edge, and
Continuity is set to Tangent or Curvature.
These options control the direction of the tangent (within the tangent plane)
along the outer edges of the Input surface.
Align Start/End Together When this box is checked, the setting for Start
Align and End Align is kept the same.
Start Align/End Align Edge Align The edge is aligned to either the natural
boundary or to a trimmed edge.
Skew The edge is rotated by the specified Skew Angle while remaining in
the tangent plane.
Click the label in the view window to toggle between Edge Align and Skew.
Start Skew Angle/End Skew Angle The angle of rotation (in degrees) of the
start or end outer edge.
These values can also be adjusted by using the small circle manipulators in
the view windows.
The following section only appears when Continuity is set to Tangent or

Curvature.
These options control the length of the tangent or curvature. You can also
use the tangent and/or curvature manipulators to adjust those values.
Tangent and Curvature CV Adjustment
Starting Tangent Scale/Ending Tangent Scale These slider values let you
adjust the true lengths of the tangents (in centimeters) along both edges of
the Input surface.
Tangent Scale This slider value lets you adjust the true length of the tangent
(in centimeters) at the aligned end of the Input curve.
When aligning surfaces, if Tangent Balance is on, this slider lets you scale
the tangent lengths in a proportional way, so as not to change the shape of
the surface. It retains its value if Tangent Balance is toggled off then on
again.
Scale Curvature from Tangent Adjusts the curvature automatically while
you scale the tangent. It attempts to maintain the same relative arm-lengths,
that is, position-row to tangent-row versus tangent-row to curvature-row, as
in the unaligned surface.
Starting Curvature Scale/Ending Curvature Scale These slider values let you
adjust the true curvature lengths along both edges of the Input surface.
Curvature Scale This slider value lets you adjust the true curvature length at
the aligned end of the Input curve.
When aligning surfaces, if Tangent Balance is on, this slider lets you scale
the curvature lengths in a proportional way, so as not to change the shape of
the surface. It retains its value if Tangent Balance is toggled off then on
again.
Partials
Start Partial/End Partial These sliders values range from 0.0 to 1.0 and specify
the percentage of the way that the start or end of the Input surface extends
from the end of the Master surface (in parameter space).
These values can also be adjusted by using the Partial slider manipulators
along the boundary. The manipulators indicate they have been positioned at
the full extent of the edge of the Master by displaying only the internal arrow.
Double arrows indicate that the Input edge is not positioned at the full extent
of the edge of the Master.
The Partial slider manipulators also snap to the options set in the Snap
Options window (except for Snap to Center and Pivot).
See Curve Snap Options.
Attach Point
This section applies to curve alignment only.
Attach Point Point on the Master curve that the Input curve is aligned to.
The slider value ranges from 0.0 to 1.0 and specifies the percentage of the way
from the start of the Master curve.
Control Options
Create History Saves the construction history of the alignment so you can
edit the aligned objects or the tool options and the alignment automatically
updates.
NOTE When a curve or surface is aligned to two masters, it only has a single
history item.You can still edit both Align operations separately by using Object
Edit > Query Edit on page 238 and clicking near the appropriate end/edge of the
aligned geometry.
Auto Recalc Automatically recalculates the alignment as you change the

controls in the window.
Continuity Check Adds a surface continuity locator to the aligned edge,
giving a pass/fail indication on continuity and showing any discontinuities.
See Check the deviation and continuity on surface edges.
Specify Continuity Check/Continuity Check Type Turn Specify
Continuity Check on to show the Continuity Check Type option, which
allows you to check for a specific level of continuity.
When Specify Continuity Check is off, the tool checks for the continuity
you specified for the alignment (with the Continuity option).
These options appear when Continuity Check is on.
Buttons
Revert Click this button to cancel all changes to the Input and return it to its
original shape, as if the tool was never invoked. All history is deleted.
NOTE When a curve or surface is aligned to two masters, Revert first reverts the
active side. The history then applies only to the remaining side. Clicking Revert
again deletes the history and returns the input geometry to its original shape.
Accept/Restore Each time the Accept button is clicked, a configuration of
the tool and the current Input geometry is saved.
The Restore button is only available when the Accept button has been
clicked at least once. Each time the Accept button is used, the state is stored,
and can be retrieved by using the Restore button. This way, it is possible to
append a series of alignment operations.
NOTE Edit > Undo (Ctrl +Z (Windows) or Command +Z (Mac) ) can be used
multiple times to restore modifications to the scaling of tangency, curvature, or
partial edge location. Undo lets you explore modifications and still return to a
preferred alignment. Undo cannot be used immediately after clicking Accept or
Restore.
Using the manipulators

The manipulators appear as small arrows or double arrows, except for Skew
which is an arc with a small circle. Once the manipulator is engaged by clicking
the arrow or circle, mouse contact is not required to make further
modifications.
The following values can be adjusted directly through manipulators:
Position of Attach Point on curves
Tangent length and curvature length along the outer edges, when Tangent
Balance is off. A center manipulator lets you keep the existing length
ratio between both ends (akin to sliding the hull). You can also click
and drag the hull line.
Skew angles on the outer edges.
Tangent and curvature scale for surface alignment when Tangent Balance
is on, so that all tangent and curvature lengths on the input surface are
scaled proportionally, to maintain the surface shape.
Partial join manipulators. These change from double to single arrows when
snapping to the edge of the Master surface.
Surface alignment manipulators
Curve alignment manipulators
Object Edit > Align > Align 2008

Aligns the endpoints/edges of curves and/or surfaces, or interior isoparametric curves.
Modify Which objects the tool reshapes to achieve continuity: First (the first
object you clicked), Second, or Both.
Continuity Position Align the objects so they touch (occupy the same
position in space).
Tangent Align the objects so they are tangent continuous.
Curvature Align the objects so they are curvature continuous.
How is tangent continuity calculated?

For curves, the tangent vector goes from the common endpoint to the next
CV on the second curve. The Align tool moves the next CV of the first curve
onto the tangent vector where the end tangent magnitude of the first curve
is preserved.
For surfaces, the Align tool uses the same procedure as for curves, for each
corresponding column of CVs across the common edge. The Alignment
Type option controls how the tool modifies the CVs.
Object Edit > Align > Align 2008 | 181
If the first curve selected has one end point touching another curve (or surface
isoparm), then the Align tool aligns the curve at the location of the
intersection, rather than at the end point.
NOTE The Max. Gap Distance tolerance is used to determine whether the curves
intersect.
Intersection This option is only available when Continuity is Tangent or
Curvature and Modify is set to Both.
Fixed Keeps the endpoints fixed and moves the tangent CVs to achieve
continuity.
Free Keeps the tangent CVs fixed and moves the endpoints to achieve
continuity.
Alignment Type DEFAULT Moves the CVs of the surface so they have the
same proportional layout as the CVs of the target object.
Default is the standard alignment, and gives the most mathematically
correct geometric alignment.
Default may show the effect of the alignment more than other alignment
types.
ALIGN BY PROJECT Projects the tangents of the modified surface onto
the tangent ribbon of the target surface along the common edge.
COLINEAR Aligns the hulls of the modified object with the hulls of the
target object.
This alignment allows you to impose the CV/hull layout of one object on
another, by forcing the hulls of the aligned object to be parallel.
DIRECTIONAL Only allows the CVs to move along one direction. The
Align tool attempts the best alignment given this constraint.
Directional is useful for creating the proper visual alignment in one view,
saving the alignment with the Accept button, and then aligning again in
another view.
When Alignment Type is Directional, you can use the Vector Options on
page 183 to specify a vector that defines the direction along which CVs can
move.
NOTE When aligning two curves, or when Continuity is Position, all alignment
types are the same except Directional.
TIP Remember that this alignment type only allows the CVs to move along a single
direction. Some of the controls in the Align window (such as skew) may behave
counter-intuitively because the CVs are so constrained.
PERPENDICULAR TO EDGE Align the hulls of the modified object at 90

degrees to the edge of the target object.
This alignment allows you to maintain smooth hull placement in the common
case of aligning a radial surface to a curved trim edge.
Lock Position CV Row Locks the position of the aligned edge CVs to prevent
them from moving as you change options.
Lock Tangent CV Row Locks the position of the tangent CVs (the next CV
row back from the aligned surface edge, or the next CV back from the aligned
curve end) to prevent them from moving as you change options.
This option is only available when Continuity is Curvature. When this
option is on, the tool attempts to achieve continuity by moving the curvature
CV row.
Explicit Control Gives you options (in the Explicit Control Options
section) for the degree and number of spans in the first object.
Explicit Control Options

These options allow you to control the degree and spans of the first surface
when Explicit Control is turned on. These options are only available when
the first object is a surface.
These options always affect the first surface, regardless of the Modify setting.
U degree, V degree Rebuild the first surface to have this degree in U and V.
U spans, V spans Rebuild the first surface to have this many spans in U and
V.
Vector Options
These options only appear when Alignment Type is set to DIRECTIONAL.
X,Y, Z Select one of these options to specify a vector along that axis.
View Select this option to specify a vector normal to the current view. The
vector is not drawn in the view windows.
vector.
in the Picked Vector field, or pick the vector in the view.
view windows. If you do not click this button, the tool uses the vector direction
you specified, but you are not able to see and to re-use the vector.
Partial Align Options

Partial joins Off Aligns the entire edge of the first surface to the entire edge
of the second surface.
T-Join Aligns the entire edge of one surface to part of the edge of the other
surface.
General Aligns part of one surface to part of the other surface.
When Partial Joins is set to T-Join or General, small manipulators appear
on the common edge. You can drag them to control what portion of the edge
is aligned, or you can manually set the Partial Start and Partial End
options.
This option is only available when the align is modifying a surface.
Modify Interior Allowed Modify interior allowed means to reshape the surface
to connect the original position of an outside edge and the interior join point.
If an outside edge does not have modify interior allowed, the entire edge is
reshaped to meet the interior join.
This option controls which outside edges have modify interior allowed: both
the start and end, only at the start, or only at the end.
This option is only available when Partial Joins is General.
Attach hardness Soft Reshapes the aligned surface outside the aligned
portion to meet the partial join.
Hard Inserts multi-knots to create a much more abrupt join. This limits the
effect of the alignment to the aligned portion and preserves the shape of the
non-aligned portion.
This option is only available when Partial Joins is General.
Partial Start, Partial End The start and end parameters of the alignment.
These values reflect the positions of the start and end manipulators on the
surface.
This option is only available when Partial Joins is T-Join or General.
Directional Alignment Options

Directional Align Vector Name The name of the vector reference object that
defines how the CVs can move when the Alignment Type is Directional.
Click a vector reference object to use it. You can also manually type the name
of a vector object.
Directional Align Vector A manual vector value that defines how the CVs
can move when the Alignment Type is Directional.
Blending (Curve/Surface 1, Curve/Surface 2)

Extra CV Rows Allows the Align tool to take control of this many extra rows
of CVs to achieve a smoother transition to tangency in the interior of the
surface.
Other tools cannot affect the CVs controlled by the Align tool and its
construction history.
Decay degree The degree to which the influence of the alignment falls off as
it moves out to the extra CV rows. Higher numbers gives less influence on the
extra CV rows.
The decay degree is on an exponential scale, so the influence drops quickly
as you increase this value by small amounts.
This option is only available if Extra CV Rows is greater than zero.
Tangent Scale, Curvature Scale Controls the distance of the tangent/curvature
CV rows from the aligned edge.
Start skew, End skew Rotates the tangent at the start/end of the aligned edge.
This option is only available when Continuity is Tangent or Curvature,
and Alignment Type is Align by Project, Directional or Perpendicular
to Edge.
Blend Interior From Ends Moves the interior CVs of the aligned surface to
form a smooth transition between CVs of the outer edges when Continuity
is set to Tangent or Curvature.
Show Manipulators Displays manipulators for tangent/curvature scale and
skew on the aligned edge.
Manipulators are only available when you are aligning two surfaces, and
Continuity is Tangent or Curvature.
Manipulators The number of manipulators displayed along the aligned edge.
The manipulators allow you to control tangent/curvature scale and skew on
the aligned edge manually.
Slide Surface Edge On Reference

Surface 1/2 Join parameter The parameter on the target surface at which the
aligned surface will contact.
Insert At Param. Create an edit point or isoparametric curve at the point on
the target object where the align makes contact.
This option is useful in combination with the Join Parameter option to insert
an edit point or edit point isoparametric curve at the interior alignment point
for use with Object Edit > Attach > Detach on page 161 .
Control Options
Create history Saves the construction history of the alignment so you can
edit the objects aligned or the tool options and the alignment automatically
updates.
Auto recalc. Automatically recalculates the alignment as you change controls
in the window.
Continuity check Adds a surface continuity locator to the aligned edge, giving
a pass/fail indication on continuity and showing any discontinuities.
Specify continuity check, Continuity check type Turn Specify Contin.
Check on to show the Continuity Check Type option, which allows you
to check for a specific level of continuity.
When Specify Contin. Check is off, the tool checks for the continuity you
specified for the alignment (with the Continuity option).
These options appear when Continuity check is on.
Buttons
Recalc. Updates the surface to match the current options when Auto recalc.
is off.
Revert Reverts to the last time you saved the alignment by clicking Accept.
If you have not clicked Accept, this button reverts to the unaligned state or
to the state at which the file was opened.
Accept Saves the current state of the alignment, locking in the current shapes
of the objects. Further editing takes place on top of this state, and clicking
Revert returns to this state.
See also:
Align, combine, or split objects
Pull surfaces from curves of an existing surface
Object Edit > Align > Symmetry Plane Align

Aligns an object with its mirrored half across the symmetry plane.
Symmetry Plane Align Options

Project For Position When this option is checked on (default), the tool
modifies the object to be position continuous with its mirror hlaf across the
symmetry plane, as well as tangent continuous.
When checked off, if the object does not touch its mirror half across the
symmetry plane, the tool modifies only the objects tangent, but does not
attempt to make it touch the plane.
See also:
Align curves or surfaces across the symmetry plane
Object Edit > Offset

Creates an object offset a specific distance from an original.
Offset Settings
Curve Break Connection Controls how the offset curve connects breaks
caused by corners in the original curve. This option does not apply to surface
offsets.
Off Do not connect the break. This option can create two or more separate
new curves.
Linear Connect the break with tangential lines.
Circular Connect the break with an arc.
Object Edit > Align > Symmetry Plane Align | 187
NOTE Curve break connection is not used for curves created with the Keypoint
Curve Tools > Lines > Polyline on page 122 tool or degree 1 curves. In both of these
cases, the result is like linear.
Curve Offset Plane Active View The copy is offset in the plane of the
active view. For example, in Z-up environment, the Top view would offset in
the XY plane.
Geometry Average The copy is offset in the average plane of the curve.
Planar curves are offset in the plane of the curve plane, 3D curves are offset
in 3D.
Distance The distance between the original and the offset copy.
Curve Cutting Radius Set this value greater than 0 to create a smooth arc
with the given radius where the Offset tool cuts loops, instead of a corner.
Curve Loop Cutting Remove loops caused by concave angles in the original
curve.
Curve Loop Cutting creates multi-knots, which can cause problems for
some surface creation tools such as Rail Surface.
TIP When Curve Loop Cutting is on, you can drag the middle mouse button to
change the curve cutting radius while using the tool.
Copy Curves on Surface Create curves-on-surface on the offset surface to
match any curves on surface on the original.
When Create History is on, the curves-on-surface on the offset surface are
linked to the curves-on-surface on the original.
Explicit control Gives you control over the number of extra spans the tool
inserts in the offset surface.
Max Spans Factor The maximum number of times the offset geometry is
subdivided for more accurate approximation of the original. The default is 5
(each span of the original can be represented by up to 5 spans on the offset
copy).
If you do not mind extra edit points (a more complex curve), you can increase
this number for a more accurate offset copy of complex geometry.
Object Edit > Offset | 189
This option is only available when Explicit control is on.
Control Options
Create History Link the offset object to the original through construction
history, so changes to the original affect the offset object.
Auto Recalc Automatically updates the object as you change options in the
window.
See also:
Create an offset copy
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Transformer

Rig
The Transformer Rig sets up construction history; the actual modification of the model
happens outside of the shape modeling tool, and is performed by moving and
modifying CVs of the modifiers.
The modifiers are specific to each model, and must be created specifically for
the model. You are free to do anything you want to the modifier to express
the shape change you want. Slide CV, scale, add spans, or change degree of
the geometry. The only limitation is that you must not detach or merge
geometries.
For background information, see Dynamic shape modeling.
Transformer Rig general workflow

1 Open the Transformer Rig toolbox by clicking the Transformer Rig
tool in the Object Edit palette.
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Transformer Rig | 191
2 Select the target geometry, then click Accept Targets.

3 Choose either the Add Free Modifiers or Add Predefined Modifiers
tool. Select the modifier geometry, then click Accept Modifiers.
For further information about adding modifiers, see the individual tool
descriptions.
Optionally
4 Select constraints
5 Select clampers if the clamp visualization still shows problems. For more
information, see Add Clampers on page 196.
6 Click Go in the lower right corner of the screen. Leave the tool by
choosing a continuous tool.
Now you can modify the targets using common Alias tools like transform
or move CV on the modifier geometry.
7 When you have finished modifying the geometry, Commit to the
modification, or Revert to start over. For more information, see Commit
and Revert.
NOTE Diagnostic shading is lost for deformed objects with the transformer
rig. When using the transformer rig tools (Object Edit > Dynamic Shape
Modeling > Transformer Rig), any objects you request to be deformed
lose their diagnostic shading. The software creates new surfaces for these
objects. Whenever a tool creates new surfaces, these surfaces do not display
diagnostic shading. Click diagnostic shading in the Control Panel to reapply
it to the objects.
The geometry tagged as targets in the rig now shows up in dark green, which
shows it has construction history. To modify the rig (such as adding or
removing modifier geometry, targets, and constraints), query edit any target
geometry to re-enter the tool.
If the transformer rig setup has any problems, the output geometry is shown
with dashed lines to indicate that it has errors that must be corrected. For tips
on how to correct problems, see Troubleshooting.
Understanding a chain of curves

In several tools in Alias, a series of curves can be treated and considered as a
single curve, if they are positionally continuous (one curve ends, and the next
one starts at the same point). In the Transformer Rig, you can select a chain
of curves to serve as a single modifier. This chain of curves can serve as a

constraint, predefined modifier, or free modifier.
Transformer Rig toolbox

The Transformer Rig toolbox contains tools to build and modify a rig to be
used for Dynamic Shape Modeling.
Transformer Rig
This tool is the first tool to choose when adding a rig to a model. It enables
you to choose what to modify. See Transformer Rig general workflow for
information about how to create a rig.
Double-click or Shift-click this icon to open the option window. You can only
open the window after a target has been chosen. Use the settings in the window
to:
Change the visibility of the original and target geometry
Choose the fitting method for global NURBS shaping
For more information, see Transformer Rig Options window.

Add Flexible Targets
Flexible targets are surfaces, curves, or meshes that can have their shapes
changed by applying transformations to the rig.
To add flexible targets, click this icon and select the geometry to assign as
targets, then click Accept Targets. To remove targets, choose the Remove
from Rig tool in the toolbox.
Add Rigid Targets
Rigid targets are surfaces, meshes, or curves. They transform (translate and/or
rotate) along with the modification, but keep their shape; that is, the targets
do not scale or shear.
To add rigid targets, click the icon and select the geometry, then click Accept
Targets. To remove targets, choose the Remove from Rig tool in the
toolbox.
Use the right mouse button on a target to open a pop-up menu that enables you
to lock the movement direction for the rigid targets.
If Rigid is selected, the target is free to rotate and translate in all directions.
Rigid Translate only allows translation to occur: the target is not rotated.
Further restrictions can be used with the X, Y, and Z constraints, which allow
translation to occur in only one specific world-space axis direction (note: this
does not respect construction planes). You can also change the type of target
from Rigid to Flexible, or vice-versa.
Add Free Modifiers
A free modifier is a surface or curve used for shaping all the selected targets
at one time. Use this tool to designate geometry as free modifiers, and then
manipulate this geometry using regular Alias functionality to effect changes
to the target geometry.
Add Predefined Modifiers
A predefined modifier is a pair of similarly parameterized geometries.
The modifier selected first is the current status of the targets;
The modifier selected second indicates the shape the targets should have
after the modification.
To use predefined modifiers,
First select the geometry that is the origin, and click Accept Origin.
Then click the geometry that represents the final shape, and click
Accept Destination.
If there are several pairs of predefined modifiers, perform the sequence

of defining the original geometry and the destination geometry for a
pair, and choose the Add Predefined Modifiers tool again to add
a subsequent predefined modifier. You cannot select several different
origin curves (or several chains of curves) followed by several destination
curves (or chains of curves).
Add Constraints
Constraints define a region of the model that should not be modified, and
also delimit the range of modification. The continuity along the constraint
can be fixed as positional or tangential. Using the right mouse button to click
a constraint opens a pop-up menu to change the continuity quality of the
constraints. The default is for the constraints to be tangentially continuous.
Add Clampers
Clampers can help the software recognize regions of the model that should
not be modified. These regions are usually defined by the constraints, but in
some cases, the help of a clamper or clampers is needed. These regions can be
identified with the help of the green and red dots that appear when setting
constraints. These dots appear when Clamp Visualization is checked in
the option box.
The region with green points is the region that is free to be modified. The
region with red points is fixed, and will not change. To improve the
visualization temporarily, pick a dot with the middle mouse button to make
the colors more vivid.
Remove from Rig
Choose this tool to remove targets, modifiers, constraints, or clampers from

the rig. You can pick constraints, modifiers, or targets, and clampers. The
geometry picked for removal is highlighted in yellow. To confirm the removal,
click the Remove Selected button in the lower right corner of the view. To
cancel the operation, click Cancel.
Revert
When targets are added to the rig, they are duplicated. The shape modifications
are performed with this duplicated geometry. To restore the original geometry
and to delete the modified geometry and history, click Revert. Notice that
the manipulated modifiers do not return to their status before the dynamic
modeling.
Commit
Click Commit to confirm the dynamic shape modification and delete the
original geometry and the history.
Show Pick Mask
This tool helps when selecting items for use in the rig, because you cannot
use the Pick > Components tool inside the Transformer Rig. Notice that
the edge of a trimmed surface is not a surface isoparm, it is a surface trim edge.
Click the check boxes to set an entity type.
Transformer Rig Options window

NOTE To see the Options window while in the tool (you must have some geometry
already accepted as a target), hold the Shift key and click the Transformer Rig
tool icon in the toolbox, or double-click the tool icon.
NOTE To see the Options window while outside the tool, first re-enter the tool
by selecting Object Edit > Query Edit on page 238 then select an object that has
dynamic shape modeling history. Hold the Shift key and click the Transformer
Rig tool icon in the toolbox.
Show Original Geometry If checked, this box enables the display of geometry
as it was before the Transformer Rig tool was applied. If unchecked, the current
version of modified geometry is displayed. Use this feature to flip and compare
before and after geometry.
Show All Geometry If checked, this box enables the display of both the
original and deformed geometry.
NURBS Control
The fields in this section control the way the Transformer Rig tool modifies
NURBS target surfaces. Settings in this window have no effect on meshes that
were selected as targets. If all targets are meshes, or if Mesh Output is set,
this section of the control window is hidden.
Fitting Objective The available methods are:

Hull Shape (Explicit) Optimizes fitting for hull shape. This option allows
for explicit control of minimum degree and spans. If the boundary field is
checked, the fitting is optimized for patch boundaries.
Accurate (Adaptive) Optimizes fitting for accuracy. This determines the

minimum number of spans necessary for an accurate representation of the
modified shape.
The Fitting Effort option has been reorganized to a pull-down menu with
Low, Medium, High, and Custom values. If Custom is selected, a slider
can be used to set the value precisely.
Minimum Degree (u,v) Specifies the minimum degree of resulting patches.
If a patch target has degree less than the specified degree, its degree is raised
to the specified degree. This has the result of making the math heavier, but
in general the results of the shape modification are more accurate.
Minimum Spans (u,v) Specifies the minimum number of spans in the U and
V directions. If necessary, existing spans are subdivided. This has the result of
making the math heavier, but in general the results of the shape deformation
are more accurate.
Fitting Effort While it is not possible to give a true tolerance for gap
continuity, the fitting effort is a number that points to the gap quality. The
larger the number, the tighter the gap is between surfaces, and the longer a
modification takes to execute. To influence the final maximum gap distance
after the modification, increase or decrease the fitting effort. The Transformer
Rig inserts more spans to achieve tighter gaps between surfaces, up to the
maximum set in Max Surf Spans on page 1091 in Construction options.
The Fitting Effort option has a pull-down menu with Low, Medium,
High, and Custom values. If Custom is selected, a slider can be used to set
the value precisely.
Warp Control
The controls in this section can be used to adjust how the modifier and the
constraints influence the target geometry.
Scale Tangent Scales the length of the tangency at constraints. A value of

zero gives tangent continuity, and as you increase this number, the length
of the tangency increases. This value can be adjusted to non-integer values as
well.
Sampling and Diagnostics

The overall intent of the controls in this section is to help control the quality
and performance of Transformer Rig modifications.
Some error conditions stop the deformation from proceeding. When a
deformation cannot be applied, the outlines of target geometry are drawn
with dotted lines.
Stress Exceeds Threshold: This error condition is triggered if there is too
much stress in the shape modification, typically due to conflicting modifiers

and constraints simultaneously forcing the surface to move and stay put. Red
arrows point to the samples with too much stress. You can correct the
condition by rearranging modifiers and constraints so that they do not conflict.
Too many samples. This error condition is triggered when the Sampling Density
creates too many sample points. Sample points can be viewed by turning on
the Draw Modifier Sampling check box. To correct the error, either increase
the Maximum Number of Samples field, or reduce the number of samples
by decreasing the Sampling Density field or eliminating unnecessary
modifiers and constraints.
Draw Modifier Sampling If this box is checked, this value enables you to
visualize the sampling of the modifiers and constraints.
NOTE Eight tangent constraint points also appear at the corners of a box twice
the size of the bounding box for the rig. These widely spaced tangent constraints
help prevent exaggerated deformations for cases where there are few or no
constraints.
Draw Clamp Visualization If this box is checked, the Transformer Rig tool
draws a visualization to improve understanding of the clamp regions.
Sampling Density Determines the number of samples on the modifier and
constraint geometry. These sample points guide the shape modeling process.
As the number of sample points increases, so does the accuracy of the warp
the time it takes to perform the modification also increases.
Number of Samples Shows the number of samples used to compute a shape
modification.
Maximum Number of Samples Allows control of the maximum number of
samples used to compute a shape modification. You can increase this number
if you must, but remember that shape modifications could take longer.
Status Indicates the status of shape modification, including failure modes.
Control Options
Auto Recalc If checked, any changes in any field in the control box lead to
an automatic update of the model display. If Auto Recalc is not checked,
click the Go button in the active window to update the display after any
changes. Normally, if you have a very large model that takes a long time to
update, leave the Auto Recalc box unchecked.
Go button
If Auto Recalc. is on, the Go button is not shown. Any changes to the rig
(parameters or constructors) cause the history to re-evaluate automatically
and immediately.
If Auto Recalc. is off, the Go button is displayed. Any changes to the rig
cause the Go button to be enabled, and when you click Go, the re-evaluation
occurs. History itself exists the moment you enter the tool not clicking the
Go button does not change this, and you do not lose history by prematurely
leaving the tool.
While a recalculation is occurring, a progress bar is shown on screen. If you
feel the evaluation is taking longer than you care to wait, you can cancel it
by pressing the Esc key.
Mesh Output If checked, NURBS targets are tessellated and output as mesh
surfaces.
Apply Trim-Shrink to Output When checked, the associated output surfaces

are trim-shrunk before any shape change. This option changes only the output
surfaces, not the inputs. You may find a performance improvement and better
results using this option.
See also:
Set up a Transformer Rig
Use Transformer Rigs
Change Transformer Rigs
Add a clamp to surfaces in Transformer Rigs
Use predefined modifiers with Transformer Rigs
Use rigid targets with Transformer Rigs
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Lattice Rig

Alias provides a box-shaped manipulator called a lattice to enable global
modifications to the model.
The lattice box always starts in disengaged mode, and is initialized as a
bounding box enclosing the selected geometry.
The lattice can be modified and refined from its initial box shape without
affecting the underlying targets (surfaces or meshes) as long as the lattice is
disengaged. After developing a lattice that provides the shape and detail
required, engage the lattice. Subsequent changes to the lattice will modify the
targets.
The lattice can be repeatedly engaged and disengaged for cumulative shaping
modifications.
The points on the lattice are not CVs they are manipulator handles. They
can be moved by using only the functions offered by the lattice rig tool.
If there is an active construction plane, a new lattice respects the construction
plane and aligns to it. Also, the manipulators of the lattice points
independently respect the construction plane. That means that, no matter
where or how the lattice is created, the manipulators respect the current active
construction plane.
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Lattice Rig | 203
The geometry being modified is represented by a proxy. A proxy is a

lightweight wireframe representation of the targets being deformed by an
engaged lattice. The proxy interactively updates while you modify the engaged
lattice to show what the targets look like after deformation (see the following
image). Meanwhile, the targets remain unchanged until you release the mouse
button (when auto-recalc option is ON) or when you click GO (when
auto-recalc is OFF).
For background information, see Dynamic shape modeling.
How to use the Lattice Rig

1 Open the Lattice Rig toolbox.
2 Select the target geometry, then click Accept Targets.

3 A basic lattice box appears around the geometry in disengaged mode.
4 Adjust the lattice box to the shape of your targets by splitting the box
(which adds more points) and transforming lattice points using their
handles.
5 When the lattice has the right shape, click the Toggle Lattice Engage
State tool. The lattice box changes to solid lines in this mode.
All modifications made to the engaged lattice influence the shape of the
targets enclosed by the lattice.
All the geometry not enclosed by the lattice are constrained. To show
that these areas have been constrained, the lattice points and edges that
intersect the geometry are shown in red.
6 Modify the lattice using the scale and translate manipulators.
NOTE Diagnostic shading is lost for deformed objects with the lattice rig.
When using the lattice rig tools (Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling
> Lattice Rig), any objects you request to be deformed lose their diagnostic
shading.
NOTE The software creates new surfaces for these objects. Whenever a tool
creates new surfaces, these surfaces do not display diagnostic shading. Click
diagnostic shading in the Control Panel to reapply it to the objects.
Picking lattice points

To do this...
Use this mouse button
Toggle pick
left mouse button
Exclusive pick
middle mouse button
Remove pick
right mouse button
To unpick all lattice points, use
the middle mouse button and draw a pick box outside the lattice.
the Clear Selection tool
rather than using Pick > Nothing from the tool palette, which causes
you to leave the Lattice Rig tool.
Lattice Rig toolbox
Lattice Rig option window
To open the option window, double-click or Shift-click the icon. For

descriptions of the options, see Lattice Rig Options window on page 211.
Toggle lattice engage state
When the lattice is in disengaged mode, its lines are drawn as dashed lines,
and changing the lattice does not change the target geometry. To engage the
lattice, click the tool; to disengage, click the tool again. The tool works as a
toggle between the two modes.
Split lattice edge
The split tool adds new lattice segments like a belt wrapped around the lattice
box. The split tool is only accessible while in disengaged mode. To split an
edge of the lattice, click this tool, and then click the edge that you want to
split. The split is perpendicular to the edge you have selected.
To split the lattice right in the middle between two lattice points, press Ctrl
(Windows) or Control (Mac) while dragging the new split along the lattice. To
confirm the location of the split, click Accept Split. When you have finished
splitting the box, click the DONE button.
Delete lattice edge
This tool deletes the belts from the lattice box that were inserted.
Center lattice pivot
This tool allows you to center the lattice pivot. This pivot is the point about
which the lattice points are scaled.
Lattice clear selection
This tool clears the selection for the lattice points.

Revert
are performed with these duplicated geometry. To restore the original geometry
modeling.
Commit
Show Pick Mask
This tool helps when selecting targets for use in the rig. It is only usable when
you first enter the Lattice Rig.
Lattice Rig Options window
as it was before the Lattice Rig tool was applied. If unchecked, the current
original and modified geometry.
NURBS Control
The fields in this section control the way the Lattice Rig tool modifies the
NURBS target surfaces. Settings in this window have no effect on meshes that
were selected as targets. If all targets are meshes, or if Mesh Output is set,
this section of the option window is hidden.
Fitting Objective The available methods are:
Hull Shape (Explicit) Optimizes fitting for hull shape. This option allows
for explicit control of minimum degree and spans. If the Boundary field is
checked, the fitting is optimized for patch boundaries.
Accurate (Adaptive) Optimizes fitting for accuracy. This determines the

minimum number of spans necessary for an accurate representation of the
modified shape.
The Fitting Effort option has been reorganized to a pull-down menu with
Low, Medium, High, and Custom values. If Custom is selected, a slider
can be used to set the value precisely.
are more accurate.
Warp Control
The controls in this section can be used to adjust how the modifier and the
constraints influence the target geometry.
Scale Tangent Scales the length of the tangency at regions where the targets
cross from outside to inside the lattice. A value of zero gives tangent continuity,
and as you increase this number, the length of the tangency increases. This
value can be adjusted to non-integer values as well.
Auto Recalc If checked, any changes in any field in the control box lead to
an automatic update of the model display. If Auto Recalc is not checked,
click the Go button in the active window to update the display after any
changes. Normally, if you have a very large model that takes a long time to
update, you should leave the Auto Recalc box unchecked. Auto Recalc is
checked on by default.
Go button
If Auto Recalc. is ON, the Go button is not shown. Any changes to the rig
(options or constructors) causes the history to re-evaluate.
If Auto Recalc. is OFF, the Go button is displayed. Any changes to the rig
cause the Go button to be enabled, and when you click Go the re-evaluation
leaving the tool.
Mesh Output If checked, NURBS are tessellated and output as mesh surfaces.
Apply Trim-Shrink to Output Turn on this option for trimmed surfaces if
you want the associated output surfaces to be trim-shrunk before any shape
change. This option changes only the output surfaces, not the inputs. You
may find a performance improvement and better results using this option.
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Twist Rig

Use the twist rig to twist a surface or collection of surfaces about a single axis
curve.
To twist a collection of surfaces

1 Select the geometry to be twisted. These are Targets and can be NURBS
surfaces, meshes, and/or curves.
2 Choose Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Twist Rig from
the tool palette.
The target geometry is accepted and highlighted in pale green.
3 Select a single curve as the twist axis. This is the curve about which the
targets will be twisted. Click Accept Axis Curve.
The twist axis curve can be a free curve, a surface boundary or
isoparametric curve (isoparm), a trim curve, a curve-on-surface, or a part
of a trim-mesh (isoparms that have been truncated by trimming). You
can even use curves that are created by increasing patch precision. The
tool prevents you from using a curve that is related to any target surfaces.
If you have a curve on a target surface that you would like to use as a
twist axis, you must duplicate the curve first.
How to use the Twist Rig:

After you have applied the Twist Rig, you will see something like the following
screen shot (In this example the target is an elongated cube):
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Twist Rig | 213
Initially, the Twist Rig inserts four Twist Handles along various points of the
axis.
Also, notice that the Twist Rig has highlighted the axis curve in bright green.
Twist handles are visual representations of the Twist Profile, a set of value
pairs showing the position and angle of twist, called the Twist Angle. A twist
profile can have one or more twist angles. If there is a single twist angle, the
twist is equivalent to a rotation about the twist axis.
Select one or more twist angles by clicking the twist handle. Click any
selected twist handle to deselect it.
When a twist handle is selected, it turns white. The angle and position
represented by the handle are displayed numerically, as shown in the
next image. T90.000 is the angle of rotation for the twist handle, and
0.90 within the red box is the relative position of the handle along the
axis curve, which is parameterized from 0 through 1.
For selected twist angles, you can:
change the angle of twist by click-dragging the left mouse button

horizontally, or type the twist angle in the prompt.
Following Alias convention, you can type in a for absolute angle, or

r for relative angle change. If you have multiple twist handles selected,
absolute angle input assigns the input angle to all selected twist angles;
otherwise in relative mode the input angle is added to the current
value of each twist angle. The Twist Rig respects the current angular
units.
change the position of twist handles by click-dragging the middle

mouse button vertically.
NOTE If you select multiple twist handles, all modifications are applied
to all selected handles.
Twist Rig Toolbox

Twist
Choose the object to be twisted. After a target object has been chosen,
double-clicking (or Shift-clicking) this tool opens the option box.
Add Twist Handles
Add more twist handles by using the add twist angle tool. All selected twist
handles are deselected in favor of the new handle. The new handle is
positioned between the pair of existing twist handles with the largest
separation.
Remove Twist Handles
To remove twist handles, select one or more twist handles to be deleted, then
click the Remove Twist Angle tool to remove them. The twist tool prevents
you from removing the last handle, because the rig must have at least one
handle.
Revert
modeling.
Commit
Show Pick Mask
This tool helps when selecting targets for use in the rig. It is only available
when you are selecting either targets or the twist axis.
Twist Rig Options
as it was before the Twist Rig tool was applied. If unchecked, the current
original and modified geometry.
NURBS Control
The fields in this section control the way the Twist Rig tool modifies NURBS
target surfaces. Settings in this window have no effect on meshes that were
selected as targets. If all targets are meshes, or if Mesh Output is set, this
section of the option window is hidden.
are more accurate.
Control Options
The controls in this section can be used to adjust the output geometry.
Auto Recalc If checked, any changes in any field in the control box or to the
twist profile lead to an automatic update of the model display. If Auto Recalc
is not checked, click the Go button in the active window to update the display
after any changes. Normally, if you have a very large model that takes a long
time to update, you should leave the Auto Recalc box unchecked. Auto
Recalc is checked on by default.
Go button
leaving the tool.
What you can do outside the tool afterwards

If you are outside the tool after the twist rig history is set up, you can modify
the twist axis curve in any way you normally would in Alias, and the twisted
targets will update because of history. For example, you can translate the axis
curve and create an off-centered twist. You can also modify the input target
geometry, and the twisted targets update as well.
NOTE If you move the axis curve far away from the targets, the twisted target
will seem to have been sheared when it is twisting. This is the expected behavior:
you cannot create a coil with the twist tool alone.
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Bend Rig

Use this tool to bend selected geometry to conform to a user-created curve;
or a continuous sequence of curves.
To bend an object or group of objects

1 Select the geometry you want to bend. These are Targets and can be
NURBS surfaces, meshes, and curves.
2 Choose Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Bend Rig from
the tool palette. The target geometry is accepted and highlighted in pale
green.
3 Select a single curve or a continuous sequence of curves as the bend axis.
This is the curve onto which the targets are mapped. Click Accept Axis
Curve.
The types of curves that can define a bend axis curve are:
free curves,
surface boundaries or isoparametric curves (isoparms)
trim curves-on-surface, or
parts of a trim-mesh (isoparms that have been truncated as part of a

trim).
You can even use curves that are created by increasing patch precision.
Furthermore, you can use a sequence of curves that are continuous to
define a single bend axis. The only requirement is that the curves form
a sequence: each curve in the sequence should be positionally continuous
to the previous one and the next one in the sequence. The curves need
not be of the same type. As an example, the following image shows the
combination of curves-on-surface and a free curve together to form a
valid bend axis.
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Bend Rig | 219
After the targets have been selected, the tool examines the bounding box
of the targets to see which (X, Y, or Z) axis will be used to map to the
bend axis. Typically, the longest axis of the bounding box is used. Also,
we refer to the midpoint of the bottom face of the bounding box as the
contact point. The contact point is the point-of-reference when you
change the placement of the bent target with respect to the bend axis.
How to use the Bend Rig

In the Bend Rig, you see something like the following screen shot. (In this
example the target is a cube elongated along the z-axis direction, shown inside
the tool with a pale green highlight, and the bend axis is a free curve with a
cyan highlight):
Notice that by default, the Bend rig preserves the size and length of your
targets. In this example, the bend axis is longer than the length of the target,
so the bent cube only takes up part of the bend axis in the middle.
Inside the Bend Rig tool, you can adjust how the targets are mapped to the
bend axis.
Using the GO buttons at the bottom of the modeling window, you can choose
to be in translate, rotate, or scale mode.
In Translate mode, you can translate the bent targets along the bend axis. The
translation is defined at the contact point, which can be positioned at any
point along the curve. In the Bend rig, the contact point is defined as the
midpoint of the target.
If there are parts of the target that extend beyond one or both ends of the
bend axis, the tool extrapolates tangentially with respect to the bend axis.
To translate, click the Translate button and click-drag along the bend axis
the target follows. While dragging, a bright green outline can be seen (the
proxy, which is a lightweight approximation of your target). The proxy allows
for real-time interactive update. The targets update for real when you release
the mouse button. You can also type in the translation in the current linear
working units in either REL (relative) or ABS (absolute) mode. This is the
absolute position of the contact point of the target on the curve.
In rotate mode, rotate the target about the bend axis. Click-drag any mouse
button to the left or right to adjust the angle. You can also type in the angle
in relative (REL) or absolute (ABS) forms.
In scale mode, you can adjust the size of the targets relative to the bend axis.
Again, if you managed to scale your target such that it extends beyond the
bend axis, the tool extrapolates tangentially. If you use the left mouse button
to scale (click-drag left or right), you scale the targets proportionally. If you
use the middle mouse you scale only along the curve direction (making the
target longer or shorter) and with the right mouse you can scale how fat
the targets are.
Related to the scale mode is the option to Scale target to full axis length. If
this option is on, the target is non-proportionally scaled so that its length
matches that of the axis, while its girth is untouched.
You can also change which initial axis along the middle of the bounding box
of targets are used for the mapping. Using the Axis Line tool you can choose
the X, Y, or Z axis through the middle of the bounding box of the input targets.
If you used as a bend curve a curve related to a surface, the Respect surface
normal option may be of interest. When this option is On, in addition to
the target following the shape of the curve after the tool is executed, the target
also is twisted so that it follows the surface normals that are found along the
specified bend axis. This option is not applicable if the bend axis is a free curve
an arbitrary orientation frame is chosen to minimize twisting of the target
along the bend axis. If the option is off when using a surface-related curve as
a bend axis, the tool treats the surface curve the same as a free curve.
If the bend axis is a mixed-type, continuous sequence of curves, turning on

the Respect surface normal option causes the targets to twist such that it
interpolates the different surface normals in the sequence of curves in the

axis, as shown here:
On the left, you can see that original set-up for the bend axis two surface
boundaries with a blend curve between. The two surfaces have very different
normal directions. On the right, you see that an elongated cube bent onto
this axis twists to accommodate the surface normal direction when the
Respect surface normal option is turned on.
Bend Rig Toolbox

Bend
Use this tool to select the target objects to be bent.

Axis Line
Choose the X, Y, or Z axis through the middle of the bounding box of the
input targets.
Revert
modeling.
Commit
Show Pick Mask
This tool helps when selecting targets for use in the rig. It is only available
when you are picking the targets or the bend axis.
Bend Rig Options
NURBS Control
The fields in this section control the way the Bend Rig tool modifies NURBS
target surfaces. Settings in this window have no effect on meshes that were
selected as targets. If all targets are meshes, or if Mesh Output is set, this
section of the option window is hidden.
are more accurate.
Bend Control Options

Axis respects surface normals If the curve chosen for the axis is on a surface
instead of a free curve, choosing this option may introduce a twist to the bend,
as the surface normals associated with the axis are applied to the target object.
Scale target to full axis length Generally, an appropriate length of the axis
is chosen to reflect the length of the target; this option stretches or compresses
the length of the target to be the same length as the axis.
Control Options
Auto Recalc If checked, any changes in any field in the control box or any
modifiable parameters (translate, rotate, or scale) lead to an automatic update
of the model display. If Auto Recalc is not checked, click the Go button in
the active window to update the display after any changes. Normally, if you
have a very large model that takes a long time to update, you should leave
the Auto Recalc box unchecked. Auto Recalc is checked on by default.
Go button
leaving the tool.
What you can do outside the tool afterwards:

If you are outside the tool after bend rig history is set up, you can modify the
bend axis in any way, and the bent targets will update because of history. You
can also modify the input target geometry and the bent targets update as well.
Commit and Revert tools work the same as they do in the Transformer Rig
and Lattice Rig.
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Conform Rig

This rig enables you to perform modeling operations that are similar to
badging, or deforming an otherwise flat feature onto a curved surface so
that the output conforms to the shape of the curved surface.
This tool is a 3D texture mapping tool, where the idea of texture mapping is
used to map a texture with thickness.
To place an object on another object

1 Select the geometry to be modified, or conformed. These are Targets and
can be NURBS surfaces, meshes, and curves.
2 Choose Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Conform Rig
The target geometry is accepted and given a pale green highlight.
3 Select one or more surfaces, or a single mesh, or a single curve on any
surface (isoparms, trim boundaries, curves-on-surface, trim mesh, patch
precision lines), or a locator point on a surface as the Destination. This
is the geometry onto which the targets are to be mapped. Click Accept
Conform Destination to finalize. If the destination is a surface curve
Object Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Conform Rig | 227
or a surface point, the target is still mapped onto the surface to which
these entities belong. The curve or point merely acts as a constraint on
the placement of the target.
The Conform operation takes the target geometry and, as if it was a thick
stamp, applies it onto the destination surface. Initially, the targets are assumed
to lie on the X-Y plane. This can be changed later after the rig has been set
up.
How to use the Conform Rig:

After you have finished setting up the Conform Rig, you will see something
like the following screen shot (in this example, the target is the round feature
on the right; the destination is the half-cylinder surface on the left). The
conformed target is shown applied on the destination, and had been deformed
to fit the shape of the destination.
A gray plane is drawn immediately below the original input target, which
represents the reference plane. In the center of the reference plane an X marks
the contact point with respect to the reference plane. On the destination
surface, a green point represents the location of the same contact point after
the conform has been applied. A gray curve shows how the contact point from
the reference plane is placed onto the destination.
By default, the Conform Rig preserves the size and length of your targets,
and also the shape of your targets. The Conform Rig is designed to retain the
shape of the footprint. You can see in the previous screen shot that the top
of the target has been stretched. Later we will discuss the option to change
that.
Inside the Conform Rig tool, you can adjust how the targets are mapped to
the destination.
Using the GO buttons at the bottom of the modeling window, you can choose
to be in translate, rotate, scale, or elevate mode.
Use the Translate mode to choose the position of the target with respect to
the destination. Each set of targets defines a point called the contact point.
When the rig is first set up, the contact point is positioned at the midpoint
of the base of the bounding box of the targets. The translation is based on the
contact point of your target. When the destination is an entire surface or a
mesh or a set of stitchable surfaces, this contact point can be positioned at
any point on the destination. Otherwise, if the destination is a surface curve,
the contact point is constrained to move along the curve. If the destination
is a single surface point, the target cannot be moved at all; however, if you
move the surface point itself, the target follows.
Furthermore, if the destination is a surface curve, regular snapping (using one
of the three tools) is available. You can snap the contact point to the associated
curve division, curve intersection, and so on. Using the surface curve as the
conform destination allows for precise placement of the target on the
destination.
If there are parts of the target that extend beyond the ends of the destination,
the tool extrapolates tangentially with respect to the destination:
To translate, click Translate button and click-drag along the destination surface
the target follows. While dragging, a bright green outline can be seen (the
proxy, which is a lightweight approximation of your target). The proxy allows
for real-time interactive update. The targets update for real when you release
the mouse button. The green display for the contact point on the destination
and the gray curve updates when you click-drag.
Use the Rotate mode to rotate the target about the contact point on the
destination. Click-drag any mouse button to the left or right to adjust the
angle. You can also type in the angle in relative (REL) or absolute (ABS) forms.
Use the Scale mode to adjust the size of the targets relative to the destination,
using the contact point as the scale pivot. Again, if the target is scaled to
extend beyond the destination, the tool extrapolates tangentially. Use the left
mouse button to scale (click-drag to the left or right) the targets proportionally.
Use the middle mouse to scale along the destination surface (making the target
bigger but not thicker); use the right mouse button to scale how thick the
target becomes.
The surface on the right shows a tall version of the target, and also shows how
conform works: by default, it uses the local surface normal to determine how
to map the higher parts of the target, and for destinations that are very curved,
this introduces distortions by stretching the top of the target because the
normal directions diverge.
The Conform Control option window has a Parallel normal mode slider.
If the value is 0.0 (as in the left objects of the next screenshot), you use 100%
of the local normal of the destination. A value of 1.0 (on the right of the
screenshot) means the normal of the destination found at the center of the
target is used universally. The result is that the sides of the target appear parallel
hence the name. The default for this slider is 1.0. You can also use the slider
to blend between the two effects (the middle objects in the screenshot use
0.5):
Use Elevate mode to choose to lift the targets up and away from the
destination, or lower and sink the target into the surface. You can do so by
click-dragging up and down in Elevate mode. You can also type in the elevation
value in either absolute mode or relative mode, using the current linear unit.
The Conform tool respects the orientation of the destination surface. Initially,
the target is conformed to the outward facing side of the surface (the side that
shows as blue in the Orient Normals tool). If the target must be on the
reverse side of the surface, click the Flip button, or click Revert and reverse
the orientation of the surface before reapplying the Conform tool. Conform
history does not react to changes in orientation made with the Orient Normals
tool after the conform operation has been applied.
Moving the contact point

As mentioned before, the contact point serves as the pivot for the scale and
rotate operations. It also defines the placement of the targets after conform.
By default, the Conform tool puts the contact point at the center of the bottom
of the targets.
You can move the contact point. In the Conform Rig tool box, choose the
Change Contact Point tool. After choosing this tool, you see something
like the following:
Using the manipulator, you can move the contact point relative to the targets
in their original position. As soon as you change the position of the contact
point, the conformed targets update to show the effects of the change. You
can also use the manipulator to snap the contact point to a particular point
of the original target click the light blue point at the center of the
manipulator. After it turns white, you can use normal curve-snapping
techniques to snap the contact point onto any part of the original targets, as
shown here:
After you have moved the contact point, further rotation or scale operations
within the Conform Rig tool will use the new position of the contact point
as the pivot for the targets.
You can also change the orientation of the reference plane. The reference
plane is initialized parallel to the XY plane. If your targets have a different
orientation, the results of the conform operation may not make sense. Using
the rotational handle of the manipulator allows you to rotate the reference
plane to make a better fit with the original surface.
In the following screenshot, the target has been rotated so that the bottom
no longer lies on the XY plane. If the rotated target is used in the Conform
Rig tool as-is, the result of the conform operation is not what is expected.
Using the Change Contact Point tool to rotate the reference plane fixes the
problem without having to change the original target.
Conform toolbox
Conform
Use this tool to select the target objects to be applied to another object.
Contact
the contact point serves as the pivot for the scale and rotate operations. It also
defines the placement of the targets after conform. By default, the Conform
tool puts the contact point at the center of the bottom of the targets.
Revert
modeling.
Commit
Show Pick Mask
This tool helps when selecting targets for use in the rig. It is only usable when
you pick targets or select Conform destinations.
Conform Rig Options
NURBS Control
The fields in this section control the way the Conform Rig tool modifies
the NURBS target surfaces. Settings in this window have no effect on meshes
that were selected as targets. If all targets are meshes, or if Mesh Output is
set, this section of the option window is hidden.
are more accurate.
Conform Control Options

Parallel normals mode Choosing this mode enables you to determine how
the edges of the target maps to the destination. If the value is 0.0, 100% of
the local normal of the destination is used. A value of 1.0 means the normal
of the destination found at the center of the target is used universally. The
result is that the sides of the target appear parallel hence the name. The
default for this slider is 1.0. You can also use the slider to blend between the
two effects.
Control Options
Auto Recalc If checked, any changes in any field in the control box or any
tool operations lead to an automatic update of the model display. If Auto
Recalc is not checked, click the Go button in the active window to update
the display after any changes. Normally, if you have a very large model that
takes a long time to update, you should leave the Auto Recalc box unchecked.
Auto Recalc is checked on by default.
Go button
leaving the tool.
What you can do outside the tool afterwards:

If you are outside the tool after Conform Rig history is set up, you can modify
the destination surface in any way, and the conformed targets update because
of construction history. You can also modify the input target geometry and
the conformed targets update accordingly.
Commit and Revert tools work the same as in the Transformer Rig and Lattice
Rig.
Object Edit > Object Editor

Allows you to reshape curves and surfaces by dragging handles attached to the object.
Object Editor Options

Initial boundary constraints Controls whether the ends/edges of the object
are locked in their current position and shape.
Free The endpoints/edges are free to move.
Position The endpoints/edges are locked in their current position.
Position and tangent The endpoints/edges as well as the first (tangent)
row of CVs are locked in their current position.
Create history Saves construction history for later editing.
See also:
Reshape a curve or surface using the object editor
Object Edit > Close

Converts an open curve or surface to closed, or a closed curve or surface to open.
Close Options
Preserve Shape On Add or delete edit points to preserve the shape of the
object.
Off Close without adding edit points.
See also:
Object Edit > Object Editor | 237
Object Edit > Edit Comment

Allows you to edit text associated with an object.
To change the program used to edit the text, choose Preferences > General
Preferences on page 1076 and in the General section, provide the path and
name to the text editor of your choice.
See also:
Create or edit text comments on an object
Object Edit > Patch Precision

Increases or decreases the number of descriptive isoparametric curves drawn on the
picked surface.
To change the number of descriptive isoparametric curves Alias draws on the
picked object, choose Object Edit > Patch Precision , then drag left to
decrease or right to increase the number.
See also:
IGES export options on page 502
Workflows for the new Align tool
Increase the number of descriptive isoparametric curves
Simplify the display of objects
Object Edit > Query Edit

Click an object to open the options for its construction history, or press the
right mouse button on an object to show information about its geometry and
highlight construction history dependencies.
This tool has two uses:
Press the left mouse button to edit the construction history of an object.
For example, click a surface created with the Rail Surface tool to open
the options window for that surface.
Press the right mouse button to show statistics on an object in a floating

window and highlight construction history dependencies:
The object you clicked is drawn in yellow.
Curves and surfaces used to construct the object are drawn in green.
Curves and surfaces built from the object are drawn in blue.
Multi-knots are highlighted with a red arrow.
Open edges in shells are marked by a red arrow.
See also:
Shells
Check for gaps before exporting to a solid model
View and edit the construction history of an object
View or change the properties of objects and locators
Use boolean operations on shells
Sweep generation curves along rail curves (Rail)
Create a surface inside four boundary curves or corners (Square)
Specify continuity on a Square or Rail surface
Create a fillet flange finish
Object Edit > Query Edit | 239
240
Surfaces palette
Surfaces > Primitives > Sphere

Creates a NURBS sphere.
Sphere Options
Sphere Type Surface Create sphere from a single NURBS surface.
Shell Tennis Ball Create a sphere from two interlocking surfaces stitched
into a shell like a tennis ball.
Shell No-Pole Create a sphere from eight surfaces stitched into a shell.
Object Degree The degree of the curves or surfaces used to create the object.
Choose 1 (linear) or 3 (cubic).
Sweep The degrees of rotation around the center of radial primitives.
For example, if you enter 180 degrees in the sphere tool, Alias creates a
hemisphere.
Sections The number of subdivisions (spans) on the surface.
The default is 8. At least 4 subdivisions are usually needed to create a workable
primitive shape. It is not usually necessary to use more than 20 subdivisions.
See also:
241
Surfaces > Primitives > Torus

Creates a NURBS torus (donut shape).
Torus Options
hemisphere.
Size Size can be either Absolute or Relative, and determines which of the
following parameters can be set.
Major radius The distance between the center of the ring and the center of
the tube. This option is only available if Size is set to Absolute.
Minor radius The radius of the tube. This option is only available if Size is
set to Absolute.
Ring Thickness The diameter of the ring relative to the diameter of the entire
torus. This option is only available if Size is set to Relative.
As the ring thickness approaches 0.5, the hole gets smaller. At 0.5 the torus
has no hole. See the following figure.
242 | Chapter 8 Surfaces palette
See also:
Surfaces > Primitives > Cylinder

Creates a NURBS cylinder (tube), with an option for capping the ends with extra
trimmed surfaces.
Cylinder Options
hemisphere.
Caps Creates trimmed surfaces to close the ends of the cylinder. Choose 0 (no
caps), 1 (a cap at one end), or 2 (caps at both ends).
See also:
Surfaces > Primitives > Cone

Creates a NURBS cone, with an option for capping the end with an extra trimmed
surface.
Cone Options
Surfaces > Primitives > Cylinder | 243
hemisphere.
Caps Creates a trimmed surface to close the open end of the cone.
See also:
Surfaces > Primitives > Cube

Creates a cube composed of six grouped NURBS planes.
Cube Options
See also:
Surfaces > Primitives > Plane

Creates a square, planar NURBS surface.
Plane Options
See also:
Surfaces > Planar Surfaces > Set Planar

Creates a trimmed NURBS surface from a set of planar boundary curves.
To create a planar surface

1 Pick individual curves, or draw a pick box around all curves to be made
into planar surfaces.
2 Choose Surfaces > Planar Surfaces > Set Planar.
3 Check that all curves are picked, and click Go.
The curves are turned into flat trimmed surfaces.
Planar Surface Options

Create History Save the history of the new planar surface for later editing. If
you turn Create History on, you can modify the curves that were used to
create the surface, and the surface updates.
See also:
Create a flat surface inside a curve
Surfaces > Planar surfaces > Bevel

Creates an extruded surface with a beveled edge based on a curve of any degree.
Bevel Options
Sides Single Only bevel one side of the extrusion.
Double Bevel both sides of the extrusion.
Corner Type Arc Circular rounded bevel.
Line Straight line bevel.
Front Cap, Back Cap Create a face to cap the front/back side of the extrusion.
Bevel Width, Bevel Depth, Bevel Extrusion Depth Enter initial values for
the bevel parameters. You can change them when you use the Bevel tool.
Keep Originals Do not delete the original curves used to create the surface.
Surfaces > Planar Surfaces > Set Planar | 245
See also:
Add a beveled edge to a curve or surface
Surfaces > Revolve

Creates a surface by sweeping a curve around an axis, creating an effect similar to
that of a lathe.
Revolve Options
Revolution Axis The initial axis around which to revolve the surface (X, Y,
or Z). After creating the surface, you can move and rotate this axis using the
manipulator handles.
Axes Local Revolve around the objects (or groups) pivot point and local
axes.
Global Revolve around the global (world) or the origin and axes of the
current construction.
Surface Degree The degree of the V direction of the new surface: 1 (linear),
or 3 (cubic, the default).
Sweep Angle The angle of revolution (in the current angular units). After
creating the surface, you can change this angle by using the manipulator
handles.
Sections The number of spans in the revolved surface.
For sweeps of 360 degrees, 6 - 8 sections is usually sufficient. Using more than
12 section is not recommended and generally does not improve the surface.
Create History Save the history of the new surface for later editing. If you
turn Create History on, when you modify the curve that was revolved to
create a surface, the surface updates. You can also bring back the manipulator
handles for further editing.
See also:
Revolve a curve around an axis
Surfaces > Skin

Lets you create a surface by skinning a NURBS surface across cross-section curves.
Skinning Options
Skinning Mode This option controls the V parameterization of the new
surface.
Interpolate Place V isoparametric curves at the locations of the original
curves. This is the default setting.
Cubic Fit This option cannot be used when creating a degree 1 surface.
Place V isoparametric curves according to a fitting algorithm. In some cases,
this option can eliminate unwanted variations in the skinned surface.
Topology Open Leave the resulting surface open.
Closed Connect the first curve to the last curve to create a closed (periodic)
surface.
U Knot Spacing The U direction of the surface runs along the original
construction curves. This option controls how the U parameters relate to the
actual surface.
Uniform The isoparametric curves corresponding to edit points on the
original construction curves have integral parameters: the first edit point is
parameter 0.0, the second is 1.0, and so on.
Arc Length The new edit points for the curve are parameterized by the
average length along the original construction curves at those points.
The starting edge of the surface has the parameter 0.0, and the opposite edge
has the parameter equal to the average total length of the original construction
curves.
V Knot Spacing The V direction of the surface runs between the original
construction curves. This option controls how the V parameters relate to the
actual surface.
Uniform The isoparametric curves corresponding to the original
construction curves have integral parameters: the first edit point is parameter
0.0, the second is 1.0, and so on. This option only applies to Interpolate
skinning mode.
Chord Length The edit points of the new curve are parameterized by the
length of the surface.
The starting edge of the surface has the parameter 0.0, and the opposite edge
has the parameter equal to the length of the surface.
Surfaces > Skin | 247
Surface Degree The degree of the V direction of the new surface: 1 (linear),
or 3 (cubic, the default).
This option is only available when Skinning Mode is Interpolate.
Number of Spans This option controls the number of spans between the
original isoparametric curves of the skin surface (as determined by the
Skinning Mode).
A value of 1 creates no additional isoparametric curves, besides the original

ones.
A value of 2 creates two spans between the original isoparametric curves,

so one additional isoparametric curve is created between each pair of
original isoparametric curves.
A value of 3 creates three spans, and two additional isoparametric curves

between each pair of original isoparametric curves, and so on.
Rebuild Before building the surface, rebuild the other construction curves to
match the parameterization of the first curve.
When using this option, make sure that the first curve you click has the
parameterization you want for the new surface.
NOTE If Rebuild is on, the U knot spacing is affected.
Auto Recalc Automatically update the surface as curves are added.
This option changes the procedure for using the tool. When Auto Recalc is
on, you must hold down Shift when you click more curves to add to the surface.
turn Create History on, when you modify the curves that were used to create
the surface, the surface updates.
See also:
Create a surface connecting profile curves
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Rail Surface

Creates a surface by sweeping one or more profile curves along one or two rail curves.
To sweep a curve along one or two paths

Create a surface by sweeping or blending one or more generation curves along
one or two path curves (rails).
The Rail Surface tool takes its name from its use of one or two rail curves.
The generation curves maintain contact with the rails at the same points
through the sweep, like a train traveling on a track.
The Rail Surface tool is similar to the Extrude tool, but has many more
options and much more power.
The appearance of the Rail Surface icon depends on the Generation
Curves and Rail Curves settings in the Rail Surface Options window.
Icon
Generation Curves
2/2+
2+
Rail Curves
To sweep one generation curve along one rail curve

The procedure for using the Rail Surface tool has several optional steps,
depending on the settings in the Rail Surface Control window.
1 Double-click the Rail Surface icon, or choose Surfaces > Swept
Surfaces > Rail Surface from the tool palette.
The Rail Surface Control window appears.
2 Make sure Create History is checked.
You almost always want construction history on. This allows you to
change the settings after you sweep the curves.
This example uses the following Advanced Tab settings.
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Rail Surface | 249
When you are satisfied with the new surface, you can delete the history
information with Delete > Delete Construction History on page 537 .
3 Click the generation curve. This is the curve that is swept along the rail
curve to create the surface.
The generation curve can be a free curve, isopam curve, curve on surface,
or trim edge.
4 If Curve Segments is on, use the locators to place the start and end edit
points of the generation curve.
5 If Sweep Pivot is On Curve or Off Curve, use the locator to set the
pivot point of the generation curve.
Click the locator and drag to move the locator along the curve (On
Curve) or in space (Off Curve).
Type a parameter (On Curve) or 3D coordinate (Off Curve) to set

the pivot exactly.
Click Go to continue.
6 Click the rail curve. This is the path along which the generation curve
travels.
The rail curve can be a free curve, isoparametric curve, curve on surface,
or trim edge.
7 If Curve Segments is on, use the locators to set the start and end edit
points of the rail curve.
8 If Sweep Pivot is On Curve or Off Curve, use the locator to set the
pivot point on the rail curve.
Click the locator and drag to move the locator along the curve.
Type a parameter to set the pivot exactly
Click Go to continue.
9 If the Sweep Mode is Spine, click the spine curve. This curve controls
the orientation of the generation curve as it travels along the rail curve.
To sweep one or more generation curves along two rail curves
1 Double-click the Rail Surface

icon, or choose Surfaces >
Swept Surfaces > Rail Surface from the tool palette.
2 Make sure Create History is checked.
You almost always want construction history on. This allows you to
change the settings after you sweep the curves.
When you are satisfied with the new surface, you can delete the history
information with Delete > Delete Construction History on page 537 .
3 In the Rail Surface Control window, set Rail Curves to 2.
Set Generation Curves to the number of generation curves to use:
Choose 1 to sweep one curve along the rails.
Choose 2 to blend from one generation curve to another along the

rails.
Choose 2+ to blend a series of generation curves along the rails.
4 Click the first-generation curve.

The generation curve(s) can be a free curve, isoparametric curve, curve
on surface, or trim edge.
5 If Generation Curves is 2, choose the second-generation curve.
If Generation Curves is 2+, pick all the generation curves in order,
then click Go.
6 Click the first rail curve, then click the second rail curve.
The generation curve(s) must intersect both rail curves.
The rail curves can be free curves, isoparametric curves, curves on surface,
or trim edges.
To create a helical shape

1 Create a generation curve and a rail curve. The distance between the
generation curve and rail curve is the radius of the helix.
2 Double-click the Rail Surface

3 In the Rail Surface Control window:
Set Generation Curves to 1.
Set Rail Curves to 1.
Set Sweep Mode to View.
Set the Sweep Projection to the plane to which the generation

curve is parallel.
Set the Sweep Pivot to Off Curve.
Turn on Auto. Recalc.
4 Click the generation curve.

5 A 3D locator appears and you are prompted for the generation curve
pivot. Use magnet snapping to move it to the starting point of the rail
curve. Then click Go.
6 Click the rail curve.
7 A curve locator appears for the rail curve pivot. Move the locator to the
starting point of the rail curve, then click Go.
The generation curves pivot point moves along the rail curve. Since the
pivot is offset from the actual generation curve, the generation curve
sweeps the new surface at an offset from the rail curve.
8 In the Rotate Transform field, enter the degrees of rotation you want
as the generation curve travels around the rail curve.
For example, if you enter 360, the generation curve makes one full
revolution as it travels the length of the rail curve.
helix curves helix curves active
To create a funnel shape

1 Create a generation curve and a rail curve.
2 Double-click the Rail Surface icon, or choose Surfaces >
3 In the Rail Surface Control window:
Set Generation Curves to 1.
Set Rail Curves to 1.
Set the Sweep Pivot to Off Curve.
Turn on Auto. Recalc.
4 Click the generation curve.
5 A 3D locator appears and you are prompted for the generation curve
pivot. Use magnet snapping to move it to the center of the generation
curve. Then click Go.
6 Click the rail curve.
7 A curve locator appears for the rail curve pivot. Move the locator to the
starting point of the rail curve. Then click Go.
8 In the Scale Transform field, enter the factor by which you want the
generation curve to grow as it travels along the rail curve.
For example, if you enter 2, the generation curve grows twice as large as
it travels the length of the rail curve. If you enter 0.5, it shrinks by half.
To edit the construction history of a Rail surface

1 Pick the surface you want to edit.
2 Click the Rail Surface

3 Use the curve modification tools (in the Transform, Curve Edit, and
Object Edit palettes) to reshape the curves used to create the surface,
and use the Rail Surface Control window to change the surface
creation options.
Tips and notes
The Spine sweep mode can be very tricky. If you have trouble with it, try
the following:
Create a copy of the rail curve to use as the spine curve.
Turn on Create History and Auto Recalc in the Rail Surface

Control window.
Reshape the spine curve in small steps and observe the effect on the
surface.
After you start a surface in Natural, Parallel, or View mode, you cannot
convert it to Spine mode.
You cannot create a rail surface along a rail curve with multi-knots or
weighted CVs.
Turn on the Rebuild option for all rail curves to remove multi-knots and
set the weight of all CVs to 1 before creating the surface.
It is the generation curve pivot that travels along the rail curve. If the pivot
is not on the generation curve, the new surface will be offset.
Changing the settings after you have clicked the generation curve does
not affect the rest of the procedure for using the Rail Surface tool.
For example, if you turn on the Curve Segments option after you have
already picked the generation curve, you will not be asked to define curve
segments. However, after the surface is built, text boxes will appear in the
Rail Surface Control window where you can change the start and end
parameters for the curve segments. You can also click the Next button
and start again.
The Rail Surface tool does not support rail curves with sharp corners
(cusps).
Use curve snapping to make sure the generation curves intersect the rail
curves.
The Rail Surface tool tests whether the curves intersect using the Curve
Fit Distance value in Construction Options. The default tolerance
depends on your Alias product. If the curves are within the default tolerance
of each other, they are seen as intersecting.
To change the Curve Fit Distance option, choose Construction
Options from the Preferences menu.
When using two or more generation curves, after you pick the first
generation curve you can unpick it by clicking it. You can then pick a
different first generation curve.
The Rail Surface tool can produce poor surfaces with long generation
curves.
In these cases, try reversing the choice of generation and rail curves, and
choose the shorter, simpler curves for the generation curves and long,
winding curves as the rails.
Rail Control window
Generation Curves 1 Sweep one generation curve along the rail curves.
2 Blend between a start and end generation curve along the rail curves. Use
the Gen. Blend Value slider to control the midpoint of the blend.
2+ Blend between a series of generation curves along the rail curves.
Rail Curves The number of paths to sweep the generation curve(s) along:
either 1 or 2. The default setting is 2.
Setting Rail Curves to 1 is similar to using the original Swept tool (in
Alias 9.5). Setting Rail Curves to 2 is similar to using the original Birail
tool.
Continuity table
The Continuity Table displays one row for each boundary curve involved
in the rail operation.
Use the pop-up menu next to each curve to set the level of continuity you
want across that curve.
Use the Continuity pop-up menu above the table to set the continuity
you want for all of the curves at once.
Click the checkboxes at the end of each row to rebuild the curves to reduce
data and improve parameterization.
Use the Rebuild pop-up menu to set rebuild on or off for all the curves
at once.
For example, before creating the surface, rebuild the first rail curve, second
rail curve, first generation curve, and/or last generation curve. (To rebuild
interior generation curves, use the Rebuild Interior Gen. Curves option
below.)
This can improve the parameterization and reduce the complexity of the
new surface when the curves are complex.
Rebuilding curves can also remove multi-knots and reset the weight of all
CVs in the rail curve(s) to 1. This is necessary for rail curves with
multi-knots or CV weights.
Continuity Position Only keep positional continuity. This is the default.

Implied Tangent Try to keep tangency with an implied surface that shares
this edge. The implied surface is the surface that would be created by mirroring
the new surface.
Implied Curvature Try to keep curvature continuity with an implied

surface that shares this edge. The implied surface is the surface that would be
created by mirroring the new surface.
Implied Tangent and Implied Curvature are powerful features. They let
you model one half of a symmetrical surface (such as a car body), and maintain
continuity at the seam. When you duplicate the surface to create the other
half, the seam will already be continuous.
NOTE For this to work across a symmetry plane, you must make sure the ends of
the curves are tangent or curvature continuous across the symmetry plane. (For
tangency, this means the tangents are perpendicular to the symmetry plane).
Tangent Angle Try to keep tangency at an angle with a surface that shares
this edge.
The Rail Surface tool calculates the tangent angle at both ends of the
common edge. If the two angles are different, Rail Surface blends between
them to determine the angle to keep at every point along the edge.
A tangent angle of 0.0 (or 180, -180, 360) is equivalent to Tangent continuity.
Tangent Try to keep tangency with a surface that shares this edge.
Curvature Try to keep curvature continuity with a surface that shares this
edge.
Rebuild Interior Gen. Curves Rebuilds all interior generation curves. This
option is only available when Generation Curves is 2+.
This option is only available either when Rail Curves is 1 or when Rail
Curves is 2 and at least one rail curve is being rebuilt.
Sweep Mode Proportional Rebuild the rail curves to create a surface with
proportionally spaced spans and smooth parameterization based on the first
rail curve.
This option is only available when Rail Curves is 2 and at least one rail curve
is being rebuilt.
Natural As the generation curve sweeps along the rail, it pivots to maintain
the same angle relative to the rail curve.
This option is only available when Rail Curves is 1. It has the same effect as
the Tube option in the Extrude tool..
Parallel As the generation curve sweeps along the rail, it maintains its
original orientation.
This option is only available when Rail Curves is 1. It has the same effect as
the Flat option in the Extrude tool.
View As the generation curve sweeps along the rail, it only rotates in one
plane (choose the plane with the Sweep Projection pop-up menu). This
maintains the visual angle between the generation and rail curves.
Spine Use a spine curve to control the orientation of the generation curve
as it sweeps along the rail.
Sweep Projection This option controls the plane in which the generation
curve is allowed to rotate when the Sweep Mode is View.
This option appears when Sweep Mode is View.
Active Take the rotation plane from the current view window.
XY XZ YZ Use a global plane (XY, XZ, or YZ) as the rotation plane.

User Type a 3D vector in the View Plane text boxes to define a plane.
Sweep Pivot This option is only available when Rail Curves is 1.

Sweeping involves two pivot points:
The point on or off the generation curve (the Generation Pivot) that stays
on the rail curve as the generation curve sweeps. The generation curve
rotates around and scales from this point.
The point on the rail curve (the rail pivot) that corresponds to the
generation curve before it is swept. In other words, the part of the surface
corresponding to this point on the rail curve will have the exact cross
section of the generation curve.
You can have Rail Surface set the pivot points automatically (as in Extrude),
or set them manually for the generation and rail curves.
Closest Set the pivots to the closest points on the two curves.
This option is the default. It works best when the generation curve is close to
the start or end points of the rail curve.
On Curve Set the pivots to specific parameters on the two curves.
Use the Gen. Pivot Parameter and Rail Pivot Parameter sliders to
set the parameters for each curve.
Off Curve Set the pivots to a specific parameter on the rail curve and a 3D
point in space for the generation curve.
Use the Rail Pivot Parameter slider to set the parameter for the rail
curve.
Use the Gen. Space Pivot text boxes to set the 3D pivot point for the
generation curve.
Transform Control This option controls how the Rail Surface tool modifies
the generation curves to stay on the rail curves during the sweep. It is only
available when Rail Curves is 2.
Scale Scale the generation curve proportionally, to the size necessary for
the curve to stay on both rails.
Non-Prop Scale Scale the generation curve non-proportionally, along the
vector connecting the rail curves.
Rotate & Trim Rotate the generation curve around the intersection with
the first rail curve, so that the generation curve stays on both rails. Trim away
any part of the new surface that goes beyond either rail curve. The generation
curve is not scaled.
This option only applies when Generation Curves is 1.
Rotate No Trim Rotate the generation curve around the intersection with
the first rail curve, so that the generation curve stays on both rails. The
generation curve is not scaled.
This option only applies when Generation Curves is 1.
Blend Control Enable the Gen. Blend Value slider to control the
midpoint of the blend between the two generation curves.
This option appears when Generation Curves is 2.
Gen. Blend Value The percentage of the distance (from 0 to 1) along the
rails where the influence of both generation curves is equal.
For example, a value of 0.5 (the default) blends the two curves equally, so that
the halfway point of the blend occurs at the midpoint of the rails.
A value of 0.25 places the halfway point of the blend 25% of the distance
along the rail curves, hence giving more influence to the second generation
curve. Conversely, a value of 0.75 would give more influence to the first
generation curve.
The values 0.0 and 1.0 still blend the two curves a minimum amount.
Fixed Curve This option determines which of the curves will be moved in
order to make the two pivot points coincide before the sweep. This in turn
controls where the new surface will be created.
This option is only available when Rail Curves and Generation Curves
are both 1.
GEN. Keep the generation curve fixed and move the rail. The new surface
is built beginning at the generation curve.
RAIL Keep the rail fixed and move the generation curve. The new surface
is built along the rail curve.
Rotate Xform Available only when Rail Curves and Generation Curves
are both 1.
The degree of rotation as the generation curve sweeps along the rail curve.
For example, if Rotate Transform is 45, the generation curve will rotate 45
degrees as it sweeps along the length of the rail curve. Use negative numbers
to rotate in the opposite direction.
Scale Xform Available only when Rail Curves and Generation Curves
are both 1.
The scale factor as the generation curve sweeps along the rail curve.
For example, if Scale Transform is 2, the generation curve will double in
size as it sweeps along the length of the rail curve. If Scale Transform is
0.5, the generation curve will shrink by half as it sweeps.
Curve Segments This option only applies when Generation Curves is 1.
Specify sections of the generation and rail curves to use in the sweep.
When this option is on, you will be prompted during the sweep procedure to
click start and end edit points on the first rail curve and possibly (depending
on the other settings) on the second rail and/or the generation curve.
After the surface is built:
Use the locators (in each corner of the surface) to change the start and end
parameters of the generation and rail curves.
or
Use the Gen. 1 Segment and/or Gen 2. Segment text boxes to change
the start and end parameters of the generation curve(s). Use the Rail 1
Segment and Rail 2 Segment text boxes to change the start and end
parameters of the rail curves.
Explicit Control Turn on this option to open the Explicit Control Options
section that allows you to explicitly specify the degree and number of spans
of the rail surface in both the U and V direction.

These options are available only when Explicit Control is on.
Rail Degree (U) Degree of the rail surface in the U direction (along the rail
curves).
Gen. Degree (V) Degree of the rail surface in the V direction (along the
generation curves).
Rail Spans (U) Number of spans of the rail surface in the U direction.
Gen. Spans (V) Number of spans of the rail surface in the V direction.
Continuity Options
Max. New Spans Specify the maximum number of spans that can be added
to the surface (in both the U and V direction) when attempting to maintain
the requested levels of continuity.
If this number is too small, continuity may fail along some of the edges.
Max. New Spans is not available when Explicit Control is turned on.
Insert at Midpoint On Insert extra edit points at the midpoint of the span
with the largest continuity deviation. This is the default, and results in a better
distribution of the isoparametric curves.
Off Insert extra edit points at the location of the largest continuity deviation.
Insert at Midpoint is not available when Explicit Control is turned on.
Colinear Options
Gen.1/Gen.2/Rail 1/Rail 2 Check the boundaries across which you want the
isoparametric curves of the new surface to line up with adjacent surfaces.
This is similar to turning off Skews in the Align tool.
Control Options
turn Create History on, you can modify the curves that were used to create
the surface, and the surface will update.
Auto Recalc Update the new surface automatically as you change the values
in the Rail Surface Control window.
Boundary Labels Label the generation, rail, and spine curves in the view
windows. The labels also show
the kind of continuity wanted,
whether the continuity failed, and
which tangents are implied.
Continuity Check Display the surface continuity locator at the boundaries

between the rail surface and adjacent surfaces. The locator is persistent and
will remain after you exit from the Rail Surface tool. To remove it, use Pick
> Locator on page 9 to pick the locator, then select Delete > Delete Active
on page 537 , or toggle the checkmark off when entering Rail Surface tool
again.
Buttons
Recalc Recalculate the surface with the current values in the Rail Surface
Control window.
Next Finish the current surface and prompt for new curves.
See also:
Set up the Rail surface tool
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Extrude

Creates a new surface by extruding a generation curve along a path curve. Normally
used to make tubular objects with symmetrical cross sections.
Extruding a curve
Create a new surface by extruding a generation curve along a path curve.
Normally used to make tubular objects with symmetrical cross sections.
To extrude a profile curve along a path curve
1 Create the curves you will use for the profile and path.
2 Click the Extrude

icon, or choose Surfaces > Swept Surfaces
> Extrude from the tool palette.
3 Pick the curve or curves you want to extrude.

You can select free curves, curves on surface, isoparametric curves, trim
edges or even faces.
4 Click Go.
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Extrude | 269
5 Pick the path curve to extrude along.

You can select a free curve, a curve on surface, an isoparametric curve,
or a trim edge.
The Extrude tool creates the new surface starting at the position of the
generation curve and following the shape of the path curve.
Tips and notes
The generation curve does not have to be near or intersect the path curve.
However, placing it as near as possible will help you visualize the result.
If you need more control over how the surface is created, use the Rail
Surface tool.
This tool works best for closed and/or symmetrical profile curves. If you
need to control the twist of the profile, use the Rail Surface tool.
To extrude a face made of multiple curves (for example, Text) as a single

object, select it before choosing the Extrude tool.
In most cases, you will want the profile curve to be perpendicular to the
starting point of the path.
To accomplish this, use the Plane tool to create a construction plane at
the start of the path curve, perpendicular to the tangent. Then create the
profile curve on the new construction plane.
If the path curve has severe bends or corners, the extruded surface may
have unwanted twists.
To correct this problem, use the Insert tool to increase the number of edit
points/CVs on the path curve in the problem areas, so that transitions
between CVs are more gradual.
Extrude Options
NOTE If you have an extrude history command built from a face (created prior
to Alias 13) the caps will be lost if you update the history.
Style Tube As the profile curve sweeps along the path, it pivots to maintain
the same angle to the path curve.
Flat As the profile curve sweeps along the path, it maintains its original
orientation.
Create caps Caps can be created at the ends of the surfaces if the extruded
objects are closed planar curves.
Off Do not create caps at the ends of the extruded surface.
Cap Start Create a trimmed surface to cap the first end of the extruded
surface.
Cap Both Create trimmed surfaces to cap both ends of the extruded surface.
Extrude Pivot This option controls which pivot point to use when you are
extruding more than one profile curve.
This option appears when Style is Tube.
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Extrude | 271
Closest Pivot the profile curves around the endpoint of the path curve
closest to the bounding box of all the profile curves.
This option is the default. It works best when you have a profile curve near
the start or end points of the path curve.
Component Pivot each curve around its own individual pivot point.
This option works best when you want to extrude text.
See also:
Sweep a profile curve along a path curve
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Anim Sweep

Creates a surface by sweeping out the movements of an animated curve through time,
as if the animated curve was leaving a surface or construction curve trail as it moved.
Animate Sweep Options

Sweep Snapshots Create new curves from the snapshots of the animated
curve. You can use these curves as construction curves for tools such as Skin,
Extrude, and Rail Surface.
Connect Snapshots Create a new skinned surface from the snapshots of
the animated curve.
Snapshots This option is has no effect when Sweep is set to Connect
Snapshots.
Individual Do not group the resulting snapshot curves.
Grouped Group the resulting snapshot curves, as if you had picked them
and chosen Group from the Edit menu.
Parameters
TIP Set global and local animation parameters using Param Control in the
Animation menu.
All Animate all parameters of the animated curve.
Global Animate only the global parameters of the animated curve.
Local Animate only the local parameters of the animated curve.
Hierarchy None This option controls whether extra objects are animated
in addition to the curve.
Only animate the picked curve.

Below When Sweep mode is Snapshots, animate the picked curve and
any geometry below it in the DAG.
When Sweep mode is Connect Snapshots, animate the picked curve and
associated CVs.
Above Animate the picked curve and any geometry above it in the DAG.
Both Animate the picked curve, associated CVs, and any geometry above
and/or below it in the DAG.
Frame Range All Animate the picked curve over the entire range of available
frames of animation.
Use the By Frame slider to set the interval between snapshots.
Prompt Prompt for the start frame, end frame, and frame interval every
time you use the tool.
Option Window Set the start frame, end frame, and frame interval once
in the option window, for every subsequent use of the Anim Sweep tool.
Start/End Frame These options appears when Frame Range is Option
Window.
The start and end frames of the curves animation to create snapshots from.
By Frame This option appears when Frame Range is All or Option
Window.
The number of frames in each step between snapshots.
For example, a value of 1 takes every frame, 2 takes every other frame, 3 takes
every third frame, and so on.
Sweeping an animated curve

Create a surface by sweeping out the movements of an animated curve through
time, as if the animated curve was leaving a trail of construction curves as
it moved.
If you are proficient using the animation tools, you can use Anim Sweep to
easily accomplish complex or unusual effects that are difficult or impossible
using Extrude or Swept. Instead of using options to change the sweep, you
have total control over the cross-section of the new surface at every point.
The Anim Sweep tool can sweep curves animated by:
Set keyframe.
Set motion.
Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Anim Sweep | 273
Set key shape.
You can animate the whole curve, and/or the CVs of the curve.
To sweep an animated curve

1 Animate the curve. (See the Animating book for more information on
using the animation tools.)
2 Pick the animated curve.
3 Click the Anim sweep

Swept Surfaces > Anim Sweep from the tool palette.
4 If the Frame Range option is set to Prompt, type the start frame, end
frame, and frame increment, separated by spaces, on the prompt line.
The frame increment is the number of frames to step through between
each snapshot. For example, an increment of 1 takes every frame, 2 takes
every other frame, 3 takes every third frame, and so on.
5 The Anim Sweep tool takes a snapshot of the curve at each step of the
animation, creating a series of construction curves.
If the Sweep option is set to Snapshots, the Anim Sweep tool asks
you whether you want to keep the curves. If the snapshot curves look
wrong and you want to change the animation and try again, click
No.
If the Sweep option is set to Connect Snapshots, the Anim Sweep

tool automatically skins a new surface along the snapshots of the
animated curve.
Tips and notes
When the Sweep option is set to Connect Snapshots and you pick the
curve in the SBD window, you must pick the node directly above the curve.
To use CV animation, set the Hierarchy option to Below or Both.
Limitations
In Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Anim Sweep on page 272 , the ABOVE option
does not work.
If an object is animated hierarchically, a non-root node is selected, and
Anim sweep is invoked with hierarchy set to ABOVE, animations above
the picked node are ignored. Similarly, if the option is BOTH and there
is animation above, it will not be recognized.
Copy the geometry, delete the other branches, and anim sweep from
around the root node with hierarchy set to BELOW.
Surfaces > Boundary Surfaces > Square

To build from four boundary curves with continuity
Create surfaces by blending four boundary curves (or curve segments), while
maintaining continuity with adjacent surfaces.
To create a new surface by blending four boundary curves (or curve

segments)
1 Double click the Square

Boundary Surfaces > Square from the tool palette.
The Square Control window appears.
2 Click the first boundary curve
or
Surfaces > Boundary Surfaces > Square | 275
Click a point on the curve (to use as a corner) by holding down either
the Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac) key or the Ctrl and Alt (Windows) or
Control and Option (Mac) keys.
You can use free curves, curves on surface, isoparametric curves, and/or
trim edges.
To maintain continuity with another surface, you must pick an

isoparametric curve or trim edge on that surface, not a construction
curve used to create that surface.
You can use a segment of a longer curve. The Square tool will use
the section of the curve bounded by the other curves you click.
or
Click a grid point (to use as a corner) by holding down the Alt (Windows)
or Option (Mac) key.
3 Click the remaining curves and/or points (corners) in clockwise or
counter-clockwise order.
You can select either four curves, four corners, one corner and two
curves, or two corners and one curve.
If you select both curves and corners, you must select the curves first.
You can only use a snapping mode to select the first corner.
If two adjacent boundary curves do not intersect, the Square tool

displays an error in the prompt line. Otherwise, the surface is built.
4 Move the corner locators (if any) by clicking them and dragging to change
the position of the corners.
5 Use the options in the Square Control window to set the continuity
you want at each edge (see below).
To use the tangent angle manipulator
This manipulator appears when you set an edge to Tangent Angle in the
Square Control window (see below).
Click an axis line to set the tangent angle to 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees.
Click an arc, then drag the mouse left and right to change the angle value,
or type a number to set the value exactly.
When you are finished, click the Go button.
To edit the construction history of a Square surface

2 Click the Square

Boundary Surfaces > Square from the tool palette.
The Square Control window appears.
and use the Square Control window to change the surface creation
options.
Tips and notes
To make sure the boundary curves intersect, use:
Curve snapping
Use the Project Tangent tool to make sure the curves are already
continuous before creating the surface. This will ensure the Square tool
can achieve continuity and decrease calculation time.
The first curve you click defines the U direction of the new surface. The
second curve defines the V direction.
You can select several boundary curves at a time by dragging a pick box
around them, but you cannot control in what order they will be picked.
Curve segments can be ambiguous. In the example at left, it is not clear

which part of the U-shaped boundary curve should be used as the left edge
of the new surface.
In these cases, the Square tool will guess which segment to use. If it guesses
incorrectly, detach the ambiguous curve to create two separate,
non-ambiguous curves.
If you know the boundary curves already have matching parameterization

and minimum spans, you should turn the Rebuild checkboxes off.
Rebuilding can sometimes inhibit continuity.
For the continuity options to work for some edges, the adjacent edges (for
example, edges 2 and 4 are adjacent to edge 1) must usually be free.
If you have continuity constraints on all edges, the constraints may
sometimes conflict and fail.
If your surface has a bulge or dent, try reducing the Influence slider for
the edges whose continuity is Fixed or Free.
The Influence sliders are found in the Square Control window when
Blend Type is Cubic.
When you specify the four corners of a Square surface, you must specify
the first corner using a snap mode (that is, holding down either the Alt
(Windows) or Command (Mac) key, the Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac)
key, or the Ctrl and Alt (Windows) or Control and Command (Mac) keys).
However, you can specify the remaining corners with or without using a
snap mode.
There are several techniques to try when Square does not produce the
intended results:
Turn Rebld on for all boundaries with trimmed surfaces or curves on

surface, and have the system recalculate the surface.
Adjust the influence sliders to adjust the shape of the resulting surface.
Set the Blend Type to Linear instead of Cubic.
If trying to maintain continuity with trim edges or curves on surface,

it may be necessary to decrease the curve fit tolerance in the Preferences
> Construction Options on page 1088 settings.
Verify that the square surface doesnt have a corner where the U and
V edges are colinear.
Square Control
Continuity table
The Continuity Table displays one row for each boundary curve involved
in the Square operation.
Use the pop-up menu next to each curve to set the level of continuity you
want across that curve.
Use the Continuity pop-up menu above the table to set the continuity
you want for all of the curves at once.
at once.
Continuity Free Boundary This edge is free to move if required by another

edges continuity or by the Influence sliders (see below). This is the default.
Fixed Boundary Keep this edge exactly like the boundary curve that created
it. In other words, do not let the edge move as with the Free option. This is
equivalent to positional continuity.
Implied Tangent Try to keep tangency with an implied surface that shares
this edge. The implied surface is the surface that would be created by mirroring
the new surface. (The way the Square tool tries to keep tangency with an
implied surface is by blending the slopes of the boundary curves.)
This is a powerful feature. It lets you model one half of a symmetrical surface
(such as a car body), and maintain continuity at the seam. When you duplicate
the surface to create the other half, the seam will already be continuous. For
this to work across a symmetry plane, you must make sure the ends of the
curves are tangent across the symmetry plane (that is, the tangents are
perpendicular to the symmetry plane).
Tangent Angle Try to keep tangency at an angle with a surface that shares
this edge.
When you set this continuity type for an edge, a manipulator appears on
the edge. Use the manipulator to set the tangent angle.
The two adjacent edges of the new surface should be Free to allow the
Tangent Angle edge to move.
Setting the Tangent Angle manipulator to 0 or 180 degrees is the same

as using Tangent continuity.
This continuity type can be very slow to calculate.
edge.
Blend Type Linear Create the new surface by blending the free CVs (CVs
not controlled by the continuity options) of the four boundary curves.
Cubic Create the new surface by interpolating the boundaries (as in Linear),
plus the tangent and curvature ribbons. The interpolation is cubic (if only
tangent continuity is needed) or quintic (if curvature continuity is needed).
Depending on how much the tangent and curvature ribbons change, Cubic
blends can be much wavier than Linear blends.
1-3/2-4 Boundary Blend These sliders control the point of equal influence
of opposite boundaries (in other words, the midpoint of the blend between
opposite boundaries): that is, between 1 and 3, and between 2 and 4. Values
can effectively range from 0.17 to 0.83.
Changing the surface using the Boundary Blend sliders is slow, because
continuity must be recalculated. For very complex surfaces, or when using
Curvature or Tangent Angle continuity, you may want to turn off the
Auto Recalc option.
1-3/2-4 Influence These sliders control how much each set of boundary curves
influences the new surface.
They only appear when Blend Type is Cubic.
For example, if you set the 2-4 Influence slider to 0.0, the new surface will
mostly blend between edges 1 and 3, and will have little of the shape of edges
2 and 4.
Changing the surface using the Influence sliders is much faster than with
the Boundary Blend sliders, because continuity is not affected.
of the surface in both the U and V direction.

These controls are displayed only when Explicit Control is turned on.
U Degree / V Degree Degree of the square surface in the U and V direction

respectively.
U Spans / V Spans Number of spans on the square surface in the U and V
direction respectively.
Continuity Options
The following two options only appear if Explicit Control is turned off.
Max. New Spans Maximum number of spans the Square tool can insert on
each edge of the new surface as it tries to achieve continuity.
If the Square tool cannot achieve tangency without inserting more than the
allowed number of spans, it displays an error in the prompt line.
Max. New Spans is not available when Explicit Control is turned on.
Insert at Midpoint On Insert extra edit points at the midpoint of the span
with the largest continuity deviation. This is the default, and results in a better
distribution of the isoparametric curves.
Off Insert extra edit points at the location of the largest continuity deviation.
Insert at Midpoint is not available when Explicit Control is turned on.
Colinear Options
Boundary 1,2,3,4 Check the boundaries across which you want the
isoparametric curves of the new surface to line up with adjacent surfaces.
This is similar to turning off Skews in the Align tool.
Control Options
in the Square Control window.
Boundary Labels Label the boundary curves in the view windows. The labels
also show
the kind of continuity wanted,
whether the continuity failed,
which tangents are implied or averaged, and
the angle on edges with Tangent Angle continuity.
Continuity Check Display the surface continuity locator at the boundaries

between the square surface and adjacent surfaces. The locator is persistent and
will remain after you exit the Square tool. To remove it, use Pick > Locator
on page 9 to pick the locator, then select Delete > Delete Active on page 537
, or toggle the checkmark off when entering Square again.
Buttons
Recalc Recalculate the surface with the current values in the Square Control
window.
See also:
Surfaces > Boundary Surfaces > N-sided

Creates a new surface from up to 8 boundary curves.
The N-sided tool does the following:
1 Creates a normal (four-sided) NURBS surface that simulates a blend
between the boundary curves.
2 Trims the surface using the boundary curves to create the appearance of
a surface with up to 8 sides.
Unlike the Boundary tool, triangular surfaces created by N-sided are not
degenerate (that is, they do not have a zero-length side). The surface is only
trimmed to appear triangular.
To create a surface with up to 8 sides
1 Double-click the N-sided

Boundary Surfaces > N-sided from the tool palette.
The N-sided Control window appears.
2 Click the first boundary curve.
You can use free curves, isoparametric curves, curves on surface and/or
trim edges.
To maintain continuity with another surface, you must pick an

isoparametric curve or trim edge on that surface, not a construction
curve used to create that surface.
3 Click each remaining curve (up to a total of 8) in clockwise or

counter-clockwise order.
If two adjacent boundary curves do not intersect, the N-sided tool

averages their endpoints.
If a curve intersects the first curve, N-sided creates the surface.

Otherwise it displays the Go button and allows you to continue
selecting curves.
If you have selected all the boundary curves, click Go.
4 Use the options in the N-sided Control window to set the continuity
you want at each edge (see below).
To edit the construction history of an N-sided surface

Surfaces > Boundary Surfaces > N-sided | 285
2 Click the N-sided

Boundary Surfaces > N-sided from the tool palette.
The N-sided Control window appears.
and use the N-sided Control window to change the surface creation
options.
Tips and notes
For best results, use the snapping tools to make sure the curves intersect
at their endpoints. This is not required, but it makes the resulting surface
more predictable.
If you want to see only the effects of the Center Adjust options, set all
the edges to Free continuity, since free edges have the fastest interaction.
The N-sided tool does not use labels to show whether the desired continuity
was achieved. Instead you must look in the Surface Continuity
Feedback section of the N-sided Control window.
Click an edge named in the N-sided Control window to view the
continuity feedback for that edge.
Lines of text indicate whether continuity was achieved. If it was not
achieved, text boxes show how far out of tolerance the current edge is for
each type of continuity.
N-sided Control options

Continuity table
The Continuity Table displays one row for each boundary curve involved in
the N-sided operation.
Use the pop-up menu next to each curve to set the level of continuity
across that boundary.
Use the Continuity pop-up menu above the table to set the level of
continuity across all curves at once.
Continuity Free This edge is free to move if required by another edges

continuity.
Position Only keep positional continuity. This is the default.
edge.
If the number of sides is not four, all boundary curves are automatically rebuilt
to create N-sided trimmed surfaces. In this case, the Rebuild checkboxes are
disabled.
The Rebuild controls can only be used on four-sided (that is non-trimmed)
surfaces:
at once.
Curve on Surf. Type This option controls the degree of the curve on surface
used to trim the new surface.
Linear The trim edges will be linear curves (degree 1).
Cubic The trim edges will be cubic curves (degree 3).
Note that Linear is much faster than Cubic.
Surface Degree This slider controls the degree of the new surface (from 1 to
7). The default is 3.
Center Adjust Options

These options let you push or pull the surface toward or away from a center
point. Center Height and Center Weight only appear when Center
Adjust is on.
Center Adjust Display the center adjustment sliders and a distance locator
on the model.
Center Height Increase or decrease the distance of the locator along the surface
normal. This has the effect of pulling on or pushing in the center of the surface.
Surfaces > Boundary Surfaces > N-sided | 287
Center Weight Increase or decrease the influence of the locator on the surface.
Decreasing this value increases the distance between the center point you
specify and the actual center point on the surface. The locator displays this
distance.
Surface Continuity Feedback

Max. New Spans Maximum number of spans the N-sided tool can insert in
both U and V (on the initial untrimmed surface), as it tries to achieve
continuity.
If the N-sided tool cannot achieve tangency without inserting more than the
allowed number of spans, it displays an error in the prompt line.
Smoothing Weight Use this slider to adjust the amount of smoothing to
correct bumps and bulges. A higher weight smooths more.
Continuity Feedback Text Click an edge name in the N-sided Control

window to view the continuity feedback for that edge.
Lines of text indicate whether continuity was achieved. If continuity was not
achieved, text boxes show how far out of tolerance the current edge is for each
type of continuity.
For example, if an edge is 1 degree from tangency, and the tangency tolerance
is 0.1 degrees, the tangent continuity feedback line shows 0.9 degrees.
Control Options
in the N-sided Control window.
Buttons
Recalc Recalculate the surface with the current values in the N-sided Control
window.
Surfaces > Surface Fillet

Creates a transition surface between two surfaces or sets of surfaces.
The Surface Fillet tool offers two tabs of options: Simple and Advanced.
The Simple tab restricts the options displayed to Construction Type
(Radius only) Section Type (Circular or Curvature), Variable Fillets,
and Radius (Default Profile Radius) or Tangent Offset (Default
Tangent Offset). The control options are reduced to Auto Recalc. and
Continuity Check. All options are available under the Advanced tab.
Surface Fillet Control

Construction Type This pop-up menu controls the type of fillet.
Radius Produces a rolling-ball fillet, where you control the radius value(s),
but not the width of the fillet, or the position of the tangent lines.
Chord Lets you control the distance between the two edges of the fillet,
instead of the radius. Use the Chordal Distance (or Tangent Length)
option to set the distance to maintain.
Section Type This pop-up menu controls the shape of the fillets cross-section.
Bias Creates a fillet with a center radius and tangent offset, the center of
which is biased toward (closer to) one set of surfaces.
G2 Curvature Maintains curvature continuity (G2) with both sets of
surfaces. G2 continuity means that the curvature (which is the inverse of the
radius of curvature) is the same on both sides across the fillets boundaries.
G3 Curvature Maintains G3 continuity with both sets of surfaces. G3
continuity means that the curvatures rate of change is the same on both sides
across the fillets boundaries.
When calculating the fillet, the V degree is adjusted so that the surface has
enough CVs to provide the required continuity on both sides. Degree 5 is
needed for G2 Curvature and degree 7 is needed for G3 Curvature.
If G2 Curvature or G3 Curvature is selected, the Use Peak Curvature
options can be set:
The peak radius parameter is only visible if Construction Type is Radius.
If it is visible, you can specify either a radius or a ratio.
Surfaces > Surface Fillet | 289
The ratio is the ratio of the peak radius to the tangent offset, that is
Peak Radius Ratio = Peak Radius / Tangent Offset
It can be used for a Construction Type setting of Radius or Chord, with
Variable Fillets on or off..
The following illustration shows the difference peak curvature can make to a
fillet.
Lead Creates a fillet with a center radius and tangent offset that define the
point of contact with the input surfaces. This type maintains tangent
continuity with the surfaces on either side.
Circular Creates a fillet with circular cross-section, tangent to both sets of
surfaces. This type maintains tangent continuity with the surfaces on either
side.
Surface Type Single surface A single fillet surface is built.
Multiple surfaces Multiple surfaces, corresponding to the boundaries
between the original surfaces, are created. (Extra spans are added if necessary,
and subject to Max. Spans, to meet tangent or curvature requirements.) This
gives you much lighter fillet surfaces and better continuity with the original
surfaces.
If curves-on-surface are created at the edges of the fillets (see Trim Type
option below) they are segmented to correspond to the multiple fillet surfaces.
Variable Fillets If this option is checked, you can set the radius or chordal
distance/tangent length at different points along the length of the fillet.
Curvature This option is only available when the Section Type option is
set to Bias or Curvature.
None Do not maintain curvature continuity.
Side 1, Side 2 Make the fillet surface curvature continuous with the first
or second set of surfaces.
Both: Make the fillet surface curvature continuous with both sets of surfaces.
Radius, distance, and surface controls

Radius/Default Profile Radius/Center Radius/Peak Radius When
Construction Type is Radius, and Variable Fillets is checked on, this is
the radius of a constant radius fillet surface that Alias uses as a basis for you
to specify the various radii for the final fillet. You will set the final fillets radii
at different points along the surface.
When Section Type is Circular, this is the radius of the fillet.
When Section Type is Lead, this is the radius around the centerline of the
fillet.
When Section Type is Curvature, this is the radius the tool will attempt
to achieve while maintaining curvature continuity.
The Peak Radius slider appears only when Section Type is Bias or
Curvature, and Specify is set to Peak Radius. The peak radius is the
minimum radius that the fillet is allowed to have at the top.
Bias Factor Moves the center rail of the fillet surface closer to one side. A value
of 0 is centered. Negative values bias toward the first set of surfaces. Positive
values bias toward the second set of surfaces.
Tangent Offset/Default Tangent Offset The distance between the intersection
line of the two sets of surfaces and the contact lines (the lines along which
the new fillet surface touches the surfaces on either side).
This option is only available when Construction Type is Radius.
Specify Chooses whether you want to specify the Peak Radius (or Tangent
Offset) or the Knee Ratio (or Peak Ratio). Since those numbers offer
different ways of measuring the lead distance, it does not matter which way
you prefer to specify it.
The lead distance expresses how much a fillet extends into the adjacent slab
surfaces. A longer lead distance provides a smoother transition and better
continuity.
Knee Ratio The ratio between the center radius and the tangent offset distance.
NOTE knee ratio = center radius divided by tangent offset.
Use Peak Radius When Section Type is Curvature, turn on this option to
give you access to the Peak Radius or Peak Radius Ratio.
Peak Radius Ratio This is the ratio between Peak Radius and Tangent
Offset. It is only available when Section Type is Curvature.
Chordal Type Chordal length a chordal length is specified in the field
below.
Tangent length a tangent length is specified in the field below.
This option is only available when Construction Type is Chord.
Chordal Distance/Tangent Length The distance to maintain between the

two sides of the fillet (Chordal Distance), or the length of the tangent segment
(see picture above).
This option is only available when Construction Type is Chord.
Controls for the U direction of the fillet

Short Edge Tolerance In the case of cross-knot insertion, the system will not
allow spans of a linear distance less than the Short Edge Tolerance.
Bzier Surfaces This option only appears if Surface Type is set to Multiple
surfaces. If it is checked on, each surface will be a Bzier patch.
Bzier patches have a single span, and their maximum degree in the U direction
is set through the Explicit Control section. The default is degree 5.
Explicit Control Gives you controls of the surface degree and maximum
number of spans in the new fillet surface.

These options are only available when Explicit Control is turned on.
U Degree The degree of the new fillet surface in the U direction (that is, along
the surface edges). Enter a whole number from 2 to 9.
V Degree The degree of the new fillet surface in the V direction (that is, from
one rail to the other). Enter a whole number from 3 to 6.
This option is only available when Section Type is set to Circular.
Max. Spans If Surface Type is set to Multiple surfaces, this value specifies
the maximum number of spans for each fillet surface. If Surface Type is set
to Single surface, it specifies the maximum number of spans inside each
pair of boundaries between the original surfaces.
This option is only available when Explicit Control is checked, and Bzier
Surfaces is not checked.
Flow Control
Start/Interior/End Controls how the fillet surface(s) edges (in the V direction)
meet up with the edges of the boundary surfaces.
Edge align The tool tries to colinearly align the fillet surfaces edges or
isoparms (for single surface) to the edges of the boundary surfaces in the V
direction.
Extend The fillet is extended so that it reaches to the end of the longest
boundary surface, at its start and/or end.
Default or Free The edges (in the V direction) of the fillet meet the
boundaries at a 90 degree angle.
Control Options
Trim Type Off Does not trim the original surfaces.
Curves-on-surface Creates curves on surface along the contact lines,
allowing you to trim manually.
Automatic Automatically trims the original surfaces back to the contact
line.
Curvature Comb Displays a curvature comb plot across the resulting surface.
Continuity Check Displays a manipulator indicating continuity achieved
with the existing surfaces along the fillet edges.
This option is only available when Trim Type is Curves-on-surface or
Automatic.
Auto-Recalc Automatically updates the fillet surface as you change options.
If your surface is very complex and takes a long time to update, turn this
option off and click the Recalc button when you want to update the surface.
TIP The Esc key can be used to interrupt lengthy surface fillet computations.
Buttons
Recalc Updates the surface with the current settings when Auto Recalc is
off.
Undo All Reverses any effects of the tool.
Next Resets the tool to begin a new surface.
See also:
Create a fillet surface
Choose the type of a fillet surface
Control the radius along the length of a variable fillet surface
Manipulate fillet surface cross section and continuity
Create a blend surface by specifying profiles
Create rounded edges and corners
Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Freeform Blend

Previously called Freeform fillet, Freeform Blend enables you to create a transitional
surface based on two input contact lines.
The Freeform Blend tool offers two tabs of options: Simple and Advanced.
The Simple tab restricts the options displayed to Continuity and Shape, as
well as the Control Options. All options are available under the Advanced
tab.
Freeform Blend Control
Side 1 Continuity/Side 2 Continuity Choose Position, Tangent, G2

curvature or G3 curvature to determine the type of continuity that will
be used between the blend surfaces and primary surfaces. The continuity
settings can be specified independently along both sets of boundaries.
G2 curvature continuity means that the curvature (which is the inverse of the
radius of curvature) is the same on both sides across the blend surfacess
boundaries.The V degree of the blend surface is adjusted so that the surface
has enough CVs to provide the required continuity on both sides. Degree 4
is needed for G2 continuity on one side, and degree 5 is needed for G2
continuity on both sides
G3 curvature continuity means that the curvatures rate of change is the same
on both sides across the blend surfacess boundaries. The V degree of the blend
surface is adjusted so that the surface has enough CVs to provide the required
continuity on both sides. Degree 6 is needed for G3 continuity on one side,
and degree 7 is needed for G3 continuity on both sides.
Surface Type If you choose Single surface, a single blend surface is built.
If you choose Multiple surfaces, multiple surfaces, corresponding to the
boundaries between the original surfaces, are created. (Extra spans are added,
if necessary, to meet tangent or curvature requirements.) This gives you much
lighter blend surfaces and better continuity with the original surfaces.
Lock Shape Controls When this option is checked on, the values of Side 1
Shape and Side 2 Shape are kept the same.
Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Freeform Blend | 297
Side 1 Shape Provides control over the looseness or tightness of the blend
surface toward the first boundary. If the value is greater than 1.0, the result is
a blend that fits tighter to the corner of the input surfaces; if the value is less
than 1.0, the result is a rounder blend that fits closer to the edge of the first
surface.
Side 2 Shape Provides control over the looseness or tightness of the blend
surface toward the second boundary. If the value is greater than 1.0, the result
is a blend that fits tighter to the corner of the input surfaces; if the value is
less than 1.0, the result is a rounder blend that fits closer to the edge of the
second surface.
number of spans in the new blend surface.

These options are only available when Explicit Control is checked.
U Degree The degree of the new blend surface. Enter a whole number from
2 to 9.
the maximum number of spans for each blend surface. If Surface Type is
set to Single surface, it specifies the maximum number of spans inside each
Flow Control
Start/Interior/End Controls how the blend surface(s) edges (in the V direction)
meet up with the edges of the boundary surfaces.
Edge align The tool tries to colinearly align the blend surfaces edges or
isoparms (for single surface) to the edges of the boundary surfaces in the V
direction.
Connect ends The edges of the blend surfaces meet the start and/or end
points of the boundaries exactly.
Default or Free The edges of the blend surface(s) (in the V direction) meet
the boundaries at a 90 degree angle.
Control Options
Chain Select If this box is checked, selecting a boundary input curve also
selects all other boundary curves that are tangent continuous with it.
Continuity Check Displays a manipulator indicating continuity achieved
with the existing surfaces along the blend surface edges.
Auto Recalc. Automatically updates the blend surface as you change options.
If the surface to be built is very complex and takes a long time to update, turn
this option off and click the Recalc button when you want to update the
surface.
See also:
Create a fillet surface
Choose the type of a fillet surface
Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Freeform Blend | 299
Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Profile Blend

Lets you create one or many transitional surface(s) between multiple continuous surface
boundaries, by specifying any number of cross-sections (profile curves) between the
primary surfaces.
The primary surfaces edges may be trimmed, untrimmed, curves on surface,
or isoparms.
You can place any number of profile curves (cross-sections) at any point
between the primary surfaces boundaries. Profiles can be any type of curves,
including blend curves and surface boundaries.
Profile Blend Control
Side 1 Continuity/Side 2 Continuity Choose Position, Tangent, G2

Curvature or G3 Curvature to determine the level of continuity between
the blend surfaces and primary surfaces. The continuity settings can be
specified independently along both sets of boundaries.
G2 curvature continuity means that the curvature (which is the inverse of the
radius of curvature) is the same on both sides across the blend surfacess
boundaries.The V degree of the blend surface is adjusted so that the surface
has enough CVs to provide the required continuity on both sides. Degree 4
is needed for G2 continuity on one side, and degree 5 is needed for G2
continuity on both sides
G3 curvature continuity means that the curvatures rate of change is the same
on both sides across the blend surfacess boundaries. The V degree of the blend
surface is adjusted so that the surface has enough CVs to provide the required
continuity on both sides. Degree 6 is needed for G3 continuity on one side,
and degree 7 is needed for G3 continuity on both sides.
NOTE If more than one blend surface is created, we do not guaranteed curvature
continuity between them, even if the primary surfaces are curvature continuous.
We guarantee (at most) tangent continuity.
Surface Type If you choose Single surface, a single blend surface is built,
with isoparms that line up with the boundaries of the primary surfaces, on
both sides.
If you choose Multiple surfaces, multiple surfaces are created, breaking at
the boundaries between the primary surfaces, as long as their edge in the U
direction is longer than the Short Edge Tolerance. Extra spans are added,
if necessary, to meet tangent or curvature requirements.
Short Edge Tolerance This tolerance controls the minimum length of a blend
surface (in the U direction), or the minimum distance between isoparms for
a single surface.
Blend surfaces will only break at boundaries if their U-length is larger than
this tolerance. The distance between the isoparms of a single blend surface
will be larger than this tolerance.
Interior Edge Align If this box is checked, the tool tries to colinearly align
the blend surfaces edges or isoparms (for single surface) to the edges of the
boundary surfaces in the V direction. The level of continuity (position, tangent
or curvature), depends on the Continuity setting.
If the box is unchecked, the interior edges (in the V direction) meet the
boundaries at a 90 degree angle.
Explicit Control If this box is checked, you can specify the degree and
maximum number of spans for the blend surfaces in the U direction.
Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Profile Blend | 301

U Degree Controls the degree of the blend surfaces in the U direction. This
option only appears if Explicit Control is turned on.
Max. Span If Surface Type is set to Multiple surfaces, this value specifies
the maximum number of spans for each blend surface. If Surface Type is
set to Single surface, it specifies the maximum number of spans inside each
Control Options
Chain Select If this box is checked, selecting a boundary input curve also
selects all other boundary curves that are tangent continuous with it.
Continuity Check If this box is checked, continuity locators appear along
the boundaries between primary surfaces and blend surfaces indicating the
level of continuity.
Auto Recalc. If this box is checked, blend surfaces are recalculated
automatically when an option is changed, or when input curves are modified,
added, or removed.
See also:
Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Fillet Flange

Creates a fillet and a flange to refine the edges of a surface model.
The Fillet Flange tool provides you with automatic functionality that creates
a finish on the edges of a surface model. By using one or more of the following:
edge, curve-on-surface, boundary edge, or iso-parametric line, the tool creates
a temporary, imagined wall used for construction only on the selected
geometry. This wall can be based on a pull direction vector or on the surface
normal at the selected geometry. Using this wall and the input geometry, the
tool creates a surface fillet. Additionally, the Fillet-flange tool creates a linear
extension called a Flange on the fillet. This extension can be defined by a
sweep angle or a vector plus a draft angle.
Fillet Flange Control
Wall
Type Set to either Draft or Normal. In Draft mode, the wall is defined by
a pull direction vector plus a draft angle. Wall (for both Draft and Normal)
defines the configuration of the fillet tangent. For Draft, a pull direction vector
must be picked. The vector is highlighted in light blue (the same color is used
for showing the wall). Normal builds a normal-based wall.
Angle/Draft Angle The angle to the input surface normal at each point of
the input curves, or the Draft Angle if Draft has been selected as the Type
Flip Enables you to put the wall on top of or underneath the surfaces.
Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Fillet Flange | 303
Draft Vector Options

These options only apply when Wall Type is set to Draft.
X,Y, Z Select one of these to specify a pull direction along that axis.
View Select this option to specify a pull direction normal to the current view.
The vector is not drawn in the view windows.
vector.
in the Picked Vector field, or pick the vector in the view. This vector defines
the pull direction.
view windows. Unless you do this, the vector direction you specified is used
by the tool, but you will not see and be able to re-use the vector.
Fillet
Continuity Choose either Tangent or Curvature continuous to the base
surfaces.
If Curvature is selected, Use Peak Curvature options can be set (see below).
Radius Defines the radius of the fillet. You can create a variable radius
interactively by adding more radius manipulators along the curve.
Surface Type Single surface A single fillet surface is built.
Multiple surfaces The fillet is split at curve boundaries, which also include
surface boundaries, since a curve cannot span more than one surface.
Curves-on-surface created at the edges of the fillets (visible when Auto Trim
is off) are segmented to correspond to the multiple fillet surfaces.
Flip Enables you to flip the fillet on the other side of the wall. This option is
grayed out if at least one of the input curves is an edge, and thus, its possible
to build a fillet only on one side of the wall.
number of spans in the fillet surface.
U Degree The degree of the fillet surface in the U direction (that is along the
edge). Enter a whole number from 2 to 9. This option is only available when
Explicit Control is checked.
V Degree The degree of the fillet surface in the V direction. Enter a whole
number from 3 to 6. This option is only available when Explicit Control is
checked.
the maximum number of spans for each fillet surface. If Surface Type is set
to Single surface, it specifies the maximum number of spans for each piece
of the original surfaces.
Use Peak Curvature If Continuity is set to Curvature, check on Use
Peak Curvature to set its options.
The Specify parameter is only visible if a single radius manipulator is used.
If it is visible, you can specify either a Peak Radius or a Peak Ratio. If the
fillet has more than one radius, you can only specify the Peak Ratio.
The Peak Ratio is the ratio of the Peak Radius to the Radius, and can be
used for either variable or fixed radius fillet.
fillet.
Flange
Type Set to either Sweep Angle or Parting Line. Sweep Angle defines
where along the fillet the flange will be tangent to the fillet. Parting Line
uses a vector and draft angle that determines the direction of the flange.
If you select Parting Line, you must pick a vector or specify it through the
Parting Line Vector Options, unless Wall Type is set to Draft, in which
case the draft vector (shown in blue) will be used as the parting line pull
direction by default. To specify a different vector for the parting line, Shift-pick
it, or use the Parting Line Vector Options.
Sweep Angle or Draft Angle Provides a slider to control the angle. The default
is 90 degrees for Sweep, and 0 for Draft angle. Either angle can be variable.
Create Flange Determines whether or not a flange will be built off the edge
of the fillet. Note that the fillet will be trimmed according to the Sweep Angle
or Parting Line settings, even if Create Flange is off.
Length Determines the length of the flange that will be built, if Create
Flange is on. Length can be variable.
number of spans in the flange surface.
U Degree The degree of the flange surface. Enter a whole number from 2 to
9. This option is only available when Explicit Control is checked.
Max. Spans The maximum number of spans in the entire flange surface if
Surface Type is set to Single surface, or per surface if Surface Type is
set to Multiple surfaces. This option is only available when Explicit
Control is checked.
Parting Line Vector Options

These options only apply when Flange Type is set to Parting Line.
vector.
the pull direction.
Control Options
Note that only one of the three parameters can be variable. For example, it is
not possible to create a variable radius fillet with a variable length flange.
Variable Gives you the ability to interactively modify the Flange Length,
Flange Angle, or Radius.
Auto Trim Choose whether to have the surfaces automatically trimmed, or
just to place the curves-on-surface.
Continuity Check Choose whether to get visual feedback about continuity
(set in the Fillet section). Green indicates success; yellow indicates that the
continuity condition has not been met.
Chain Select If this box is checked, selecting a surface curve also selects all
other surface curves that are tangent continuous with it.
Show Wall Displays the imaginary wall that is used in the calculation of the
fillet.
Auto Recalc Choose between updating changes by selecting the Recalc
button, or automatically updating changes.
TIP If Auto Recalc is set off, use the spacebar to press the Recalc button.
To extend a Fillet flange

You can specify whether a fillet surface needs to be extended along the rail to
reach the boundary of the input surface at each end of the rail. To toggle an
extension at a rail end, click the green arrow appearing at that end. The arrow
is shown in light green when extension is on. If the rail is closed, that is, its
endpoints coincide, extension is not useful, and, therefore, the arrows are not
shown.
To control the variable parameter in Fillet flange

The variable parameter (radius, flange angle, or flange length as specified
by Variable in the control window) is controlled using a set of manipulators
in the modeling window. Only one of the parameters can be varied: the other
two are held constant.
Each manipulator consists of two handles the rail slider and the value
handle only one of which can be active at a given time. The active handle
is shown in light blue. The rail slider, a "ball" sliding along the rail, indicates
the position on the rail where the value applies. The value handle, an
approximate cross section of the future surface, controls the value of the
parameter at this point.
The value of the active handle is shown on the prompt line.
For all of the following operations, use the left mouse button, unless stated
otherwise.
To activate a handle, click it.
To de-activate the currently active handle and switch back to the picking
mode, click anywhere on the screen (without dragging the mouse).
To add a new manipulator, click the desired point on the rail.
To move a manipulator, drag the slider using the left mouse button. Alternatively,
activate the slider and type in the position (in the range from 0 to 1) along
the rail.
To adjust the parameter value, click and drag the value handle. Once the
handle is active, the mouse can be dragged anywhere on the screen.
Alternatively, activate the handle and type in the value in current units.
To delete a manipulator, Shift-right click it.
If a single manipulator is used, the parameter is constant, and its value can
also be adjusted in the control box. As soon as another manipulator is added,
the value in the control box is grayed out.
See also:
Building primary and transition surfaces using the fillet flange and tube
flange tool
Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tube Flange

The Tube Flange tool provides you with an automatic functionality to create
a finish on the edges of a surface model. By using one or more of the following:
edge, curve-on-surface, boundary edge, or iso-parametric line, the tool creates
a tube that touches the selected geometry. The tool also creates a linear
extension a flange on the tube. This extension can be defined by a sweep
angle or a vector plus a draft angle.
Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tube Flange | 309
Tube Flange Control
Tube
Continuity Choose either Tangent or Curvature continuous to the base
surfaces.
If Curvature is selected, Use Peak Curvature options can be set:
The peak radius parameter is only visible if the fillet/tube radius/tangent offset
is not variable. If is visible you can specify either a radius or a ratio.
The ratio is the ratio of the radius/tangent offset to the peak radius, and can
be used for either variable or fixed radius fillet.
fillet.
Radius Defines the radius of the tube. This option is grayed out if Variable
is set to Radius and more than one manipulator is used. You must define the
radius interactively on the model by dragging the manipulator in that case.
Surface Type If you choose Single surface, a single tube surface is built. If
you choose Multiple surfaces, the tube is split at curve boundaries, which
also include surface boundaries, since a curve cannot span more than one
surface.
Flip Enables you to put the tube on top of or underneath the surfaces.
number of spans in the tube surface.
U Degree The degree of the tube surface. Enter a whole number from 2 to 9.
This option is only available when Explicit Control is checked.
the maximum number of spans for each tube surface. If Surface Type is set
Explicit control applies to Tube only: a separate control is provided for
Flange.
Flange
Type Set to either Sweep angle or Parting line. Sweep angle defines
where along the tube the flange will be tangent to the tube. Parting line
uses a vector and draft angle that determines the direction of the flange. If
you select Parting line, you must pick a vector, or specify it through the
Parting Line Vector Options.
Sweep Angle or Draft Angle Provides a slider to control the angle. The default
is 90 degrees for Sweep, and 0 for Draft angle. Either angle can be variable.
Flip Enables you to flip the direction of the flange. This option is grayed out
if at least one of the input curves is an edge, and thus, theres only one valid
orientation of the flange.
Create Flange Determines whether or not a flange will be built off the edge
of the tube. To create a full tube, use a Sweep Angle of 360 degrees. Note
that the tube will be trimmed according to the Sweep Angle or Parting
Line settings, even if Create Flange is off.
Length Determines the length of the flange that will be built, if Create
Flange is on. Length can be variable.
number of spans in the flange surface.
This controls the flange only.
U Degree The degree of the flange surface. Enter a whole number from 2 to
9. This option is only available when Explicit Control is checked.
Max. Spans The maximum number of spans in the entire flange surface if
Surface Type is set to Single surface, or per surface if Surface Type is
set to Multiple surfaces. This option is only available when Explicit
Control is checked.
Parting Line Vector Options

These options only apply when Flange Type is set to Parting line.
vector.
the pull direction.
Control Options
Note that only one of the three parameters can be variable. For example, it is
not possible to create a variable radius tube with a variable length flange.
Variable Gives you the ability to interactively modify the Flange Length,
Flange Angle, or Radius.
Continuity Check Choose whether to get visual feedback about continuity
(set in the Tube section). Green indicates success; yellow indicates that the
continuity condition has not been met.
Auto Recalc Choose between updating changes by selecting the Recalc
button, or automatically updating changes.
TIP If Auto Recalc is set off, use the spacebar to press the Recalc button.
Variable controls for this tool are provided in the modeling window.
Controlling the variable parameter in Tube Flange

The variable parameter (radius, flange angle, or flange length as specified
by Variable in the control window) is controlled using a set of manipulators
in the modeling window. Only one of the parameters can be varied: the other
two are held constant.
Each manipulator consists of two handles the rail slider and the value
the position on the rail where the value applies. The value handle, an
approximate cross section of the future surface, controls the value of the
parameter at this point.
otherwise.
To move a manipulator, drag the slider using the left mouse button. Alternatively,
activate the slider and type in the position (in the range from 0 to 1) along
the rail.
also be adjusted in the control box. As soon as another manipulator is added,
the value in the control box is grayed out.
See also:
flange tool
Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tubular Offset

Create a tube and intersect the tube with input surfaces to generate offset curves.
Use this tool to create a tube that may traverse many tangent-continuous
surfaces, and optionally intersect the tube with the input surfaces to generate
offset curves. For input, use a curve or series of tangent continuous curves: it
may be curves-on-surface, isoparametric curves, or boundary edges.
Tubular Offset Control
Surface With the Tube option, the resulting geometry can be a full tube.
Using the Groove option results in the part of the tube on either side of the
surfaces which the tube intersects. Choose None to create no geometry.
Radius Defines the radius of the tube. Create a variable radius interactively
by adding more radius manipulators along the curve. Adjust the radius of the
tube interactively by dragging its manipulator.
Surface Type If you choose Single surface, a single tube surface is built. If
you choose Multiple surfaces, the tube is split at curve boundaries, which
also include surface boundaries, since a curve cannot span more than one
surface.
Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tubular Offset | 317
If curves-on-surface are created at the edges of the tube surfaces (see Trim
Type option below) they are segmented to correspond to the multiple tube
surfaces.
Flip The Flip option (only available if you have chosen the Groove option)
enables you to flip the groove onto the other side of the input surfaces to
create a bump. On-screen manipulators indicate which side the tube will be
built on.
This image shows a surface created by using the Tubular Offset tool with
Groove option. Notice the top surface can be trimmed to reveal the groove.
This option is useful for representing parting or cut lines.
Tangent Offset, Normal Offset The tube can be offset from the original input
data along the tangent from the input data, or normal to the surface from the
input data. On-screen manipulators update interactively to show the position
of the tube.
Trim Type The options in Trim Type enable you to select between the
creation of curves-on-surface where the tube surface intersects the base surfaces,
or to automatically trim away the area of the input surfaces that is contained
within the tube. If the Trim Type is set to Off, the input surfaces are left
untouched.
Controlling manipulators in Tubular Offset

Each manipulator consists of two handles the rail slider and the radius
the position on the rail where the radius applies. The radius handle, an
approximate cross section of the future surface, controls the radius at this
point.
The value of the active handle is shown on the status line.
otherwise.
To move a manipulator, drag the slider using the left mouse button.
Alternatively, activate the slider and type in the position (in the range
from 0 to 1) along the rail.
To adjust the radius value, click and drag the radius handle. Once the
Alternatively, activate the handle and type in the radius in current units.
If a single manipulator is used, the radius is constant, and its value can
also be adjusted in the control box. As soon as another manipulator is
added, the value in the control box is grayed out.
See also:
Create curves-on-surface offset from a curve
Surfaces > Round

Creates rounded surfaces along edges and at corners, where existing surfaces meet.
Surfaces > Round | 319
About the tool

This new version of the Round tool replaces both Round and 9.0 Round
from version 13.0. Like its predecessors, the tool creates rounded surfaces
along edges (fillets) and at corners, where existing surfaces meet. Its
functionality has also been expanded to:
provide a choice of different geometries at corners (single surface, three

surfaces, triangular surface, and six surfaces with setbacks).
handle mitred corners (when one of the edges has a filleting radius of
0.0)
provide improved UI and manipulators
Workflows exist to create fillets only, along multiple surface edges, as well as
fillets and rounded corner surfaces (regular or mitred). The fillets can have a
variable radius.
See Create rounded edges and corners.
Like other surface tools, the new Round tool also maintains construction
history on the new surfaces.
Round Control
Trim Type Automatic Trims the surfaces to the edges of the fillets
Curves on Surface Creates curves-on-surfaces at the edges of the fillets
but does not trim the surfaces.
Off Does not produce curves-on-surface
Default Corner Types

Equal Radius Corner Specifies the initial type of geometry to be built at a
corner when the radii specified along all three edges are the same.
Three surfaces Three regular surfaces.
Triangular surface A single surface with one side of zero length.
With setbacks Six surfaces, with their edges extending into neighboring
fillets.
Unequal Radius Corner Specifies the initial type of geometry to be built at

a corner when the radii specified along all three edges are different.
Single Surface One regular surface.
With Setbacks Six surfaces, with their edges extending into neighboring
fillets.
Mitred Corner Specifies how the outer edges of the two surfaces (away from
the zero-radius edge) meet at a mitred corner (see picture below).
Blended The edges meet in a smooth blended fashion
Sharp The edges form a sharp corner
Four Sided Specifies the initial type of geometry to be built at a corner where
four edges meet.
Surfaces > Round | 321
Single Surface One regular surface.

With Setbacks Eight surfaces, with their edges extending into neighboring
fillets.
Buttons
Build Press this button to build the fillets and corner surfaces after all your
edges and radii have been specified. You can still add or modifiy the radii
afterwards, and press Build again to modify the surfaces.
Revert Press this button to remove the newly built surfaces. The radius
manipulators are still present and can be modified. You can also add new
edges, or delete edges by holding the Shift key.
Surfaces > Draft Surfaces > Multi-Surface Draft

Creates a single ruled surface from a group of tangent-continuous surface curves by
pulling a surface at an angle to the normal of the original surface(s), or at an angle
to a pull vector.
See Pull surfaces from curves of an existing surface.
About the tool

The Multi-Surface Draft tool uses surface edges, curves on surface or
isoparametric curves, to create a ruled surface that extends away at an angle
to the original surface(s).
NOTE A ruled surface is flat at every point in a given direction.
You can build a single surface across all of the input surface curves, provided
that they are tangent continuous.
NOTE Other related tools are Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Fillet Flange on page 302
and Surfaces > Draft Surfaces > Draft/Flange on page 327 .
Multi-Surface Draft Control
Type Normal Creates a surface that extends away at a given angle from the
normal of the underlying surface(s). By default, the new surface is normal to
the underlying surface(s).
Draft Creates a surface that extends away at a given angle from a specified
pull direction vector. By default, the surface is parallel to the pull vector.
TIP Use Construction > Vector on page 405 to create a vector object.
Angle/Draft Angle The initial angle between the new surface and the normal
of the original surface (Normal type), or pull vector (Draft type). The default
is 0.0. You can also change this value using the angle/height manipulator
when you use the tool. (See Variable option below).
Height The initial height of the surface from the original curves. You can also
change this value using the angle/height manipulator when you use the tool.
(See Variable option below).
Surfaces > Draft Surfaces > Multi-Surface Draft | 323
Surface Type If you choose Single surface, a single surface is built. If you
choose Multiple surfaces, a separate surface is created for each of the input
curves you selected, and the surfaces are grouped.
NOTE Creating a single surface might add additional spans.
Flip Reverses the direction of the new surface(s).
Explicit Control Turn on this option if you want to specify the exact degree
and maximum number of spans in the new surface.

U Degree Degree of the new surface in the U direction. (The surface is always
of degree 1 in the V direction.) Enter a whole number from 2 to 9. This option
only appears if Explicit Control is checked.
the maximum number of spans for each draft surface. If Surface Type is set
This option only appears if Explicit Control is checked, and Bzier
Draft Vector Options

These options only apply when Type is set to Draft.
vector.
the pull direction.
Control Options
Variable Gives you the ability to interactively modify the angle or height of
the new surface by clicking and dragging the manipulators.
Angle Allows you to adjust the angle of the surface. You can create any
number of manipulators by clicking along the input curves, and then adjust
the angle individually at those points.
Height Allows you to adjust the height of the surface. You can create any
number of manipulators by clicking along the input curves, and then adjust
the height individually at those points.
NOTE Note that only one of the two parameters can be variable (Angle or
Height). For example, it is not possible to create a variable angle draft surface
with a variable height.
Auto Recalc. Turn on this option to have the new surface automatically
re-calculated and displayed as you modify the option values or make
adjustments to the manipulators.
If it is off, you must press the Recalc button in the lower right corner of the
window to update the surface(s).
TIP If Auto Recalc is turned off, you can also use the spacebar to press the Recalc
button.
Surfaces > Draft Surfaces > Multi-Surface Draft | 325
Continuity Check Turn on this option to see the level of continuity between
the newly created surface(s) and the original surface(s):
P Positional continuity
T Tangent continuity
C Curvature continuity
Using the manipulators to control angle and height

The variable parameter (Angle or Height as specified by Variable in the
option window) is controlled using a set of manipulators in the modeling
window. Only one of the parameters can be varied: the other one is held
constant.
Each manipulator consists of two handles the curve slider and the value
is shown in light blue. The curve slider, a "ball" sliding along the input curve,
indicates the position on the curve where the value applies. The value handle,
a straight spike, controls the value of the parameter(angle or height) at this
point.
otherwise.
To add a new manipulator, click the desired point on the curve.
To move a manipulator, drag the curve slider ball using the left mouse
button. Alternatively, activate the slider ball and type in the position (in
the range from 0 to 1) along the curve.
also be adjusted in the option box. As soon as another manipulator is added,
the value in the option box is grayed out.
Surfaces > Draft Surfaces > Draft/Flange

Creates ruled surfaces (surfaces that are flat in some direction at every point) by pulling
a surface from a curve or surface curve in a given direction, or by pulling a surface
curve at an angle to the surface normal.
About the tool

The Draft/Flange tool has two distinct uses and effects based on the Mode
setting:
Draft surfaces start from a set of curves and extend away from the curves
at an angle to a pull direction.
Use Draft when you want to make sure a surface can be extracted from
an injection mold.
Flange surfaces start from a set of isoparametric curves, surface edges or

curves on surface, and extend away at an angle to the original surface.
For example, you can use Flange mode to build a skirt surface around
the edge of another surface.
Draft/Flange Surface Options

Construction Type Set the type of surface created by the tool: Draft or
Flange. See the overview above for descriptions of the different modes.
Angle The initial angle of the surface from the pull direction/normal. You
can change this value using the draft angle/surface depth manipulator when
you use the tool.
Surface Depth The initial depth of the surface from the original curves. You
can change this value using the draft angle/surface distance manipulator when
you use the tool.
Surfaces > Draft Surfaces > Draft/Flange | 327
Double Sided Turn this option on to build draft surfaces on both sides of a
curve simultaneously.
Single Surface This option only appears if Double Sided is on. Turn it on to
build only one surface, extending on both sides of the curve.
Explicit Control Turn this option on if you want to specify the exact degree
and number of spans of the Draft or Flange surface.
Degree The Degree and Spans options only appear if Explicit Control is
turned on.
Degree of the draft or flange surface in the U direction. (The surface is always
of degree 1 in the V direction.)
Spans Number of spans of the draft or flange surface in the U direction. (The
surface always has a single span in the V direction.)
Pull Direction This option appears only when Construction Type is Draft.
User Defined You will explicitly set the initial pull direction vector.
Automatic The Draft tool will automatically figure out the best initial pull
direction each time you use the tool.
The following Vector Options appear only when Pull Direction is User
Defined.
Vector options
These options appear only when Construction Type is Draft.
vector.
the pull direction.
Manip This option is selected automatically when you update the pull
direction by manually modifying the manipulator in the view.
Control options
Create History Save the Draft history for later editing. If you turn on Create
History, you can edit the original curves and the draft/flange surface will
automatically update.
Surfaces > Curve Networks

Curve networks let you build surfaces very quickly from a network of intersecting curves.
Curve Network Options

Default Continuity The default level of continuity between the different
surfaces in the curve network. The curves in a new network, and any curves
you add later will initially maintain this level of continuity.
See also:
Constructing quality curves
Blend curves
Understand curve networks
Work with curve networks
Create a curve network
Add or subtract curves in a curve network
Change the continuity along network curves
Edit network curves while maintaining intersections
Lock curve network edges
Add or remove a sculpt curve in a curve network
Change the influence of sculpt curves
Surfaces > Curve Networks | 329
Analyze problems with a curve network
CrvNet Tools > Pick Network

Lets you pick a curve network.
See Work with curve networks.
CrvNet Tools > New Network

Creates a new curve network.
See Create a curve network.
CrvNet Tools > Continuity

Sets the type of continuity in a curve network.
The following two tools are available on the Continuity pull-out: Positional
continuity and Tangent continuity.
CrvNet Tools > Add/Subtract Curves > Add Curve to

Network
Adds curves to a curve network.
CrvNet Tools > Add/Subtract Curves > Remove Curve

from Network
Removes curves from a curve network.
CrvNet Tools > Analyze Network

Shows statistics and diagnostics about a curve network.
See also:
Create a curve network
Analyze problems with a curve network
CrvNet Tools > Reset Sculpt Curves Mapping

Resets the relationship between sculpt curves and the curve network to the beginning
state.
See Change the influence of sculpt curves.
CrvNet Tools > Add/Delete Sculpt > Add Sculpt Curve

Adds a sculpt curve to a curve network. A sculpt curve pulls the curves of the curve
network as you reshape it.
See Add or remove a sculpt curve in a curve network.
CrvNet Tools > Add/Delete Sculpt > Delete Sculpt Curve

Removes a sculpt curve from a curve network. A sculpt curve pulls the curves of the
curve network as you reshape it.
See Add or remove a sculpt curve in a curve network.
CrvNet Tools > Pin Edge

Locks the position of an edge in a curve network.
See Lock curve network edges.
CrvNet Tools > Influence Weights > Multi Weight

Different amounts of influence (weights) affect the length of the curve.
CrvNet Tools > Reset Sculpt Curves Mapping | 331
CrvNet Tools > Influence Weights > Unit Weight

The entire sculpt curve exerts the same amount of influence on the surface.
CrvNet Tools > Lock Intersection

Locks the position of an intersection between curves in a curve network.
See Edit network curves while maintaining intersections.
CrvNet Tools > Region of Influence

Sets how far-reaching the influence of a sculpt curve is on the surrounding curve
network.
You can choose from: Large region, Medium region, or Small region.
Surfaces > Combine Surfaces

Creates a single new surface from several separate surfaces.
Overview
Often it is easier to model a complex shape with several surfaces, rather than
one large surface.
However, these kinds of composite surfaces cannot be used in some
circumstances. You may want to use a tool that only works on single surfaces,
or your manufacturing system may require a single surface.
The Combine Surfaces tool allows you to combine several surfaces into one
surface. It has the following limitations:
The combined outer boundary of all the surfaces must have exactly four
sides.
Combine surfaces does not work on trimmed surfaces.
To combine several surfaces into one new surface
1 Click the Combine Surfaces

Combine Surfaces from the tool palette.
2 Pick the surfaces you want to combine.
As you add surfaces, the surface boundaries change color. Green means
the current group of surfaces has a four-sided boundary and can be
combined. Yellow means they cannot be combined.
When the surfaces can be combined, an arrow appears showing the

normal of the new surface. Click the arrow to reverse the normal of
the new surface.
3 When you have picked all the surfaces you want to combine and the
boundary is green, click Go.
4 The system prompts you to click the edges that must be continuous with
adjacent surfaces.
Click a green boundary line to mark it for tangency with adjacent

surfaces. A label appears on the boundary.
Click the label to change the continuity type. Each click cycles through
positional (pos), tangent (tan), and curvature (cur).
5 Click Go.
How the function works

1 Combine Surfaces fits four curves to each of the four outer boundaries
of the set of surfaces you selected.
2 Then, it places a simple surface, of the degree you selected in the option
box, within those four curves.
3 The function samples the interior of all the selected surfaces and modifies
the surface to match those samples.
4 If the surface doesnt match well enough, Combine Surfaces inserts
knot isoparametric curves into the simple surface to allow for finer
adjustments to the shape.
Surfaces > Combine Surfaces | 333
5 If you selected continuity with boundary surfaces, Combine Surfaces

samples those surfaces as well, and increases the samples along the outer
boundaries of the original surfaces.
Tips and notes
Using very tight tolerances does not guarantee that the resulting surface
will match the original surfaces with higher accuracy.
Combine Surfaces tries to achieve tighter tolerances by:
increasing sampling, and
inserting more knot isoparametric curves for finer control.
The result is often a surface with more complexity than you need.
This tool can often achieve good fits with relatively loose tolerances. If
you relax the tolerances, it also reduces the time it takes to create the new
surface.
Try using loose tolerances to begin with, and increase them if you are not
achieving the accuracy you need.
Combine Surfaces Control

Tolerance Controls the fit distance of the combined surface to the original
surfaces.
Angle Tolerance Controls the fit angle of the surface normals at sample points.
Iterate to Tolerance Increases samples and insert more isoparametric curves
until the tolerances are reached.

U Degree/ V Degree Specifies the degree of the resulting surface in U and V
directions.
U Max Spans/ V Max Spans These sliders only appear when Iterate to
Tolerance is off.
Does not create a combined surface with more than the given number of spans
in the U and V direction, even if the tolerances are not reached.
Surfaces > Ball Corner

Creates a ball corner surface between three fillets and a primary surface.
See Create ball corner surfaces for detailed workflow.
Ball Corner Control
Pivot Curve Length Ratio Specifies the ratio between the chord length of the
pivot curve (top of the ball corner) and the chord length of the opposite edge
on the ball corner. A ratio of 1.0 means both chord lengths are equal.
Both end points of the pivot curve are moved the same distance from the apex
(intersection point between the two top fillets). Use this control to make the
pivot curve symmetric.
Start Length Ratio Modifies the length of the first half of the pivot curve
only, in the manner described for Pivot Curve Length Ratio.
End Length Ratio Modifies the length of the last half of the pivot curve only,
in the manner described for Pivot Curve Length Ratio.
Surfaces > Ball Corner | 335
Build Surface If checked, any changes in any field in the option window leads
to an automatic update of the ball corner surface. This is the default.
If this is not checked, the ball corner surface, if any, is deleted, and only the
hole is constructed.
Build Surface Options

Continuity Controls the level of continuity between the ball corner and four
input surfaces. The possible choices are Position, Tangent, and Curvature.
The default is Position. .
Center Adjust If this option is checked, you can use the Center Height
slider to adjust the center (peak) of the ball corner.
Center Height Moves the center point of the ball corner (in parametric
uv-space) along the surface normal by the specified distance (in current linear
units).
This slider is designed for minute adjustments to the center point.
of the ball corner in both the U and V direction.
Max. New Spans Maximum number of spans that can be added to the ball
corner in any direction while attempting to achieve the requested level of
continuity (tangent or curvature).
This option is only available if Explicit Control is turned off, and
Continuity is set to Tangent or Curvature.

Side Degree (U) Specifies the degree of the ball corner in the U direction. The
default is 3.
Pivot Degree (V) Specifies the degree of the ball corner in the V direction.
The default is 3.
Side Spans (U) Specifies the number of spans for the ball corner in the U
direction. The default is 1.
Pivot Spans (V) Specifies the number of spans for the ball corner in the V
direction. The default is 1.
Control Options
Show Helper Curves If this option is checked, special helper curves used to
build the ball corner are displayed.
Continuity Check If this box is checked, continuity locators appear along
the boundaries between the ball corner surface and input surfaces, indicating
the level of continuity.
P Positional continuity
T Tangent continuity
C Curvature continuity
Green means achieved; yellow means not achieved.
Trim Primary if checked, the primary surface is trimmed to the intersection
with the transitional surfaces (that is, to the pivot curve of the ball corner).
Surfaces > Tube Surface

Creates a tube surface using free curves as a path.The tube surface can have a variable
radius.
Tube Surface Control

Radius Determines the initial radius value of the manipulators. If there is only
one manipulator, its radius can also be adjusted through this slider.
Bezier Surfaces If checked, the tube surface is built as multiple Bezier (single
span) patches. If unchecked (default), a single multi-span surface is created.
Chain Select If this box is checked, selecting a curve also selects all other
curves that are tangent continuous with it.
See also:
Build a tube surface from free curves
Surfaces > Tube Surface | 337
338
Surface Edit palette
Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface > Project

Creates curves-on-surface from existing curves and surfaces by projecting the curves onto
the surfaces.
Project Options
Create Curves-on-surface The projection results in curves-on-surface.
Curves The projection results in free curves.
Curve fit This option is only available if Create is set to Curves.
If this option is checked, a fitting algorithm is used to fit a free curve to the
projected curve-on-surface. You have explicit control on the degree and number
of spans through the Degree and Spans sliders.
Match original This option is only available if Create is set to Curves.
If this option is checked, the edit points from the original curves are projected
on the surface(s), and the projected curves interpolate them, resulting in a
similar number of spans.

These options are only available after the Curve fit option has been used to
create a free curve.
Degree Lets you control the degree of the projected curve in Curve fit mode.
Spans Lets you control the number of spans of the projected curve in Curve
fit mode.
339
Vector Options
X, Y, Z Specifies a projection vector along that axis.
View Specifies a vector normal to the current view. The vector is not drawn
in the view windows.
vector.
Picked Lets you specify the name of an existing vector in the Picked Vector
field, or pick the vector in the view.
Normal The projection is done along the surface normals instead of using a
update the vector if the view has been modified
view windows.Otherwise, the tool uses the vector direction you specified, but
you are not able to see and re-use the vector.
Control Options
Create History Save the history of the projection for later editing. If you turn
Create History on, you can modify the curves and surfaces that were used
to create the projected curves, and the projected curves will update. See
Troubleshooting trimmed surfaces.
See also:
Create curves-on-surface by projecting curves onto surfaces
Project a sketch for fast design label mapping
Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface > Intersect

Creates curves-on-surface at the intersections between existing surfaces.
Intersect Options
Create Curves on Surface On First Surface Create curves-on-surface on
the target surfaces, but not on the intersecting surface(s) you selected.
340 | Chapter 9 Surface Edit palette
On Both Surfaces Create curves-on-surface on the target and the

intersecting surfaces.
Create History on, you can modify the surfaces that were used to create the
projected curves, and the projected curves will update.
See also:
Create curves-on-surface where a surface intersects other surfaces or a plane
Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface > Geometry

Mapping
Maps world-space curves onto the target surface, similar to mapping a texture onto
a surface during rendering.
Geometry Mapping Options

Surface U/V Set the world space axes (X, Y, or Z) that correspond to the U
and V directions of the surface.
Mapping Type Parameter Base Proportionally map the defined area of
world space to the parameter space of the surface. If the surface has irregular
placement of edit points, as in the following example, the mapped geometry
is distorted.
Arc Length Base Proportionally map the defined area of world space to
the arc length of the surface.
Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface > Geometry Mapping | 341
Map Min/Max U/V Axis These values define the area of world space that
corresponds to the U and V parameter space of the surface.
For example:
You are mapping a curve in the XY plane, and you want the curve to fill
the mapped surface.
You are mapping world X to surface U, and world Y to surface V.
The curves bounding box is (-4, -2) to (5, 3).
Enter -4 and 5 as the minimum and maximum U axis values.
Enter -2 and 3 as the minimum and maximum V axis values.
Create History on, you can modify the curves that were used to create the
projected curves, and the projected curves will update.
Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Surface

Trims or splits surfaces using curves-on-surface.
Trim Control
3D Trimming If this box is checked, you can select curves to project onto the
surface while within the tool. By default it is unchecked.
Vector Options
These options are only available if 3D Trimming is turned on.
vector.
NOTE You can project different curves along different views vectors. However, if
you click Refresh View Vector, or select a different vector option, all
curves-on-surface are updated to match the current projection vector.
Normal The curve is projected onto each point on the surface along the
normal at that point, instead of along a single vector direction.
Picked Vector This text field only appears when Picked is selected. It displays
the name of the selected vector object. Alternatively, you can type in the name
of a vector object.
Display Options
Show Intersections If this box is checked, green locators indicate the
intersections between the trim curves, and between the trim curves and trim
surfaces. Yellow locators indicate trim curve endpoints that do not intersect
any other curve-on-surface or trim surface edge.
Region Selector U Size/V Size The relative size of the trim region selectors
in the U and V parametric directions on the surface. Adjust these sliders if the
selectors (crosses) appear too small or too large on your model. The values
range from 0.01 to 2.0.
Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Surface | 343
NOTE The Shrink Surface option has been replaced by a plug-in called
shrinkToTrim which can be loaded through Utilities > Plug-in Manager on page
1097 . shrinkToTrim shrinks the UV parameters of the underlying surface to cover
only the visible (non-trimmed) parts of the surface. This functionality is useful
when applying label-style textures to the surface.
Control Options
Chain Select If this box is checked, selecting a curve to project also selects all
other curves that are tangent continuous with it.
Create History If this box is checked, the projected curves have construction
history. Editing or transforming the curves and surfaces causes the projection
and trim operations to be re-executed.
This option is only available if 3D Trimming is turned on.
See also:
Trim a surface
Troubleshooting trimmed surfaces
Surface Edit > Trim > Untrim

Easily recovers the trimmed part of a surface.
Untrim Options
Untrim Stages Last Undo the last trim operation on the surface.
All Undo all trims on the surface.
See also:
Reverse the sequence of trims performed on a surface
Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Convert

Trims a surface and converts a four-sided trimmed surface into an untrimmed (natural)
surface.
Trim Convert Settings

3D Trimming If this box is checked, you can select curves to project onto the
surface while within the tool. By default it is unchecked.
Vector Options
These options are only available if 3D Trimming is turned on.
vector.
NOTE You can project different curves along different views vectors. However, if
you click Refresh View Vector, or select a different vector option, all
curves-on-surface are updated to match the current projection vector.
Normal The projection is done along the surface normals instead of using a
Picked Vector This text field only appears when Picked is selected. It displays
the name of the selected vector object. Alternatively, you can type in the name
of a vector object.
Control Options
U Degree, V Degree The degree of the new untrimmed surface in the U and
V directions.
U Spans, V Spans The number of spans of the new untrimmed surface in the
U and V directions.
Switch U/V Turn on this option to change the orientation of the U and V
axes on the new trim converted surface.
Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Convert | 345
Show Surface Deviation Displays the maximum deviation between the

original trimmed surface and the new untrimmed surface.
Show Edge Deviations Displays the maximum deviation between each edge
of the original trimmed surface and the new untrimmed surface.
Keep Originals Keep the original trimmed surface after creating the new
untrimmed surface.
Auto Recalc Automatically updates the surface when you adjust the Trim
Convert Settings.
Display Options
Show Intersections If this box is checked, green locators indicate the
intersections between the trim curves, and between the trim curves and trim
surfaces. Red locators indicate trim curve endpoints that do not intersect any
other curve-on-surface or trim surface edge.
Region Selector U Size/V Size The relative size of the trim region selectors
in the U and V parametric directions on the surface. Adjust these sliders if the
selectors (crosses) appear too small or too large on your model. The values
range from 0.01 to 2.0.
NOTE The Shrink Surface option has been replaced by a plug-in called
shrinkToTrim which can be loaded through Utilities > Plug-in Manager on page
1097 . shrinkToTrim shrinks the UV parameters of the underlying surface to cover
only the visible (non-trimmed) parts of the surface. This functionality is useful
when applying label-style textures to the surface.
See also:
Convert a trimmed surface into an untrimmed surface with the same shape
Trim a regular surface then convert a four-sided trim region into an

untrimmed surface
Surface Edit > Stitch > Shell Stitch

Creates a special object called a shell from a group of surfaces, in preparation for
Boolean operations or export to a CAD package.
Stitch Control
Use construction options Turn on this option to use the Maximum Gap
Distance from the Preferences > Construction Options on page 1088 as the
stitching tolerance. Turn it off to set the tolerance using the Tolerance slider.
Tolerance This slider only appears when Use construction options is
turned off. If the gap between two edges is within this tolerance, the edges
are joined. The range is 0.0001 to 1.0000
Detach periodic surfaces Detach the seam of periodic surfaces (that is, closed
surfaces such as cylinders and surfaces created with the Revolve tool) before
stitching them into a shell.
This option is sometimes necessary when the stitch function does not notice
that a surface edge is attached to another edge on the same surface. This is a
common problem in CAD systems.
Detach single curve boundaries Detach trim edges made from single curves
on surface (such as a round hole in the middle of a plane).
Some CAD systems have problems with these kinds of trims. Turn this option
on to allow export to those systems.
Keep originals Keep the original surfaces after the shell is created.
Depending on how you set the options, a shell may not match the original
surfaces exactly. In this case, unstitching does not produce surfaces that match
Surface Edit > Stitch > Shell Stitch | 347
the originals exactly either; it is a good idea to keep originals. The default is
to keep the original surfaces.
See also:
Check objects for modeling problems
Export STEP/IGES/PTC Granite to Pro/ENGINEER
Convert surfaces to and from shells (stitch/unstitch)
Surface Edit > Stitch > Shell Unstitch

Converts a shell object back to normal surfaces.
Shell Un-Stitch Options

Keep originals Keep the original shell after it is unstitched into surfaces.
See also:
Surface Edit > Shells > Shell Subtract

Subtracts the volume of one shell from another.
Shell Subtract Options

Keep originals On Template the original shells after the Boolean operation.
Off Delete the original shells.
See also:
Surface Edit > Shells > Shell Intersect

Keeps the intersecting volume of two shells and discard the rest.
Shell Interesect Options

Keep originals On Template the original shells after the Boolean operation.
See also:
Surface Edit > Shells > Shell Union

Combines the volumes of two shells into one new shell.
Shell Union Options

Keep Originals On Template the original shells after the Boolean operation.
See also:
Surface Edit > Planarize Hull

Planarizes surface hulls.
Hull Planarize
Type Single Affects a single CV row.
All U Affects all CV rows in U direction (except possibly the first and last).
All V Affects all CV rows in V direction (except possibly the first and last).
U and V Affects all CV rows in both U and V directions (except possibly
the first and last).
For the last three settings, the first and last rows of CVs are only planarized if
Include Edges is turned on.
Plane View based The plane is calculated from the view vector
(perpendicular to the active window) and the vector joining the end CVs of
the row.
Surface Edit > Shells > Shell Union | 349
Best fit The plane is chosen as the one that best fits the set of CVs (similar
to a least-square fitting) while going through both end CVs.
Iterations This option appears only when Type is set to U and V. It controls
the number of times the position of the CVs is recalculated in both the U and
V direction.
NOTE Because the positions of the CVs already planarized in U are affected when
planarizing in V, increasing the number of iterations normally makes those positions
converge toward some optimal values.
Include Edges If this option is checked, the first and last row of CVs (in U
and/or V) are also planarized. The corresponding surface edges appear as
straight lines on the planes of projection.
This option is not available when Type is set to Single.
Project Vector This option determines the direction of projection for each
CV.
Adaptive The direction of projection is along the hull line that is closest
to the perpendicular of the plane.
Closest point The direction of projection is perpendicular to the plane.
Closest boundary The direction of projection is along the hull line toward
the closest surface boundary.
Check Deviation If this option is checked, the maximum deviation between

any original position of a CV and its new position is displayed on the prompt
line.
See also:
Flatten hull lines onto planes
Surface Edit > Rebuild Surface

Recreates a surface with the same shape but different mathematical properties (for
the purpose of simplifying it, or making it non-rational for export to a CAD package,
for example).
Surface Edit > Rebuild Surface | 351
Rebuild Surface Options

Rebuild Type Rebuild Change the degree (from 1 to 9) and the number
of spans of the surface (along U or V independently) while maintaining the
original distribution of spans and parameterization.
Non-rational Rebuild a rational surface as a non-rational surface (all CVs
with equal weights).
Reduce spans Simplify the surface by removing extraneous edit points.
Del multi-knots Remove multi-knots from the surface.
Uniform rebuild Convert the surface to uniform parameterization.
Match knots Convert the surface to match the parameterization and degree
of another surface.
Rebuild options
These options appear when Rebuild Type is Rebuild.
Rebuild Direction U and V Rebuild the surface in both directions.
V Only Rebuild the surface in the V direction only. (Edges in the U direction
are not affected.)
U Only Rebuild the surface in the U direction only (Edges in the V direction
are not affected.)
spans) in the rebuilt surface. Either a slider or two number fields appear(s)
allowing you to set the number of spans in the U and/or V direction(s).
Off The number of CVs in the rebuilt surface is equal to the number of CVs
in the original.
Change Surf. Degree On Change the degree of the surface as it is rebuilt.
Either a slider or two number fields appear(s) allowing you to set the degree
of the rebuilt surface in the U and/or V direction(s).
Off Do not change the surface degree.
Non-rational options
This setting appears when Rebuild Type is Non-rational.
Tolerance The maximum amount of deviation from the original surface
permitted during the rebuild (in current linear units).
surface as much. A high number does not match the original as well, but
simplifies more.
Continuity Angle The maximum angle allowed between the normals of the
original and rebuilt surfaces. A smaller value matches the original more exactly,
but usually requires the tool to add more spans to the surface.
Reduce spans options

This setting appears when Rebuild Type is Reduce spans.
Tolerance The amount of deviation from the original surface permitted during
surface as much. A high number does not match the original as well, but
simplifies more.
are not affected.)
are not affected.)
Del multi-knots options

This setting appears when Rebuild Type is Del multi-knots.
are not affected.)
are not affected.)
Uniform rebuild options

These settings appear when Rebuild Type is Uniform rebuild.
are not affected.)
are not affected.)
spans) in the rebuilt surface. Either a slider or two number fields appear(s)
allowing you to set the number of spans in the U and/or V direction(s).
Surface Edit > Rebuild Surface | 353
Off The number of CVs in the rebuilt surface is equal to the number of CVs
in the original.
Change Surf. Degree On Change the degree of the surface as it is rebuilt.
Either a slider or two number fields appear(s) allowing you to set the degree
of the rebuilt surface in the U and/or V direction(s).
Off Do not change the surface degree.
Control Options
Keep Originals Keep the original curve after creating the rebuilt curve.
Rebuild Curve window change.
MixMax Display Automatically create and display min, mean and max
locators between the original and rebuilt surfaces.
Max Deviation Show the maximum deviation between the original and rebuilt
surfaces on the prompt line, as well as the (U,V) location where it occurs.
Buttons
Recalc When Auto Recalc. is turned off, use this button to update the rebuilt
curve with the current values.
Undo All Undo all the changes made by the Rebuild curve tool and return
Next Finish rebuilding the current curve and prompt for a new curve to rebuild.
See also:
Curve Edit > Rebuild Curve on page 148
Simplify objects
Use surface textures
Edit objects
Surface Edit > Claymate

Lets you integrate digitized clay model data with modeled surfaces, or offset a group
of surface while maintaining continuity between them.
ClayMate Options
Claymate Offset Change the function of the tool to create offset copies of
the surfaces you pick, and maintain the continuity between them.
When you turn this option on and click Go, the parameters available in the
Claymate Control window change.
Keep Originals Turn this option on to keep the original surfaces in addition
to the new surfaces created by the Claymate tool.
Turn this option off to delete the original surfaces after the Claymate tool
creates the surfaces.
ClayMate Control
When Claymate Offset if off, the following control window appears.
Auto Recalculate Turn on this option to update the surfaces automatically

whenever you change an option in the Claymate Control window.
Surface Edit > Claymate | 355
Surface Evaluation Off Do not perform any surface evaluation on the

surface.
Cross Section Calculate and display cross-section lines on the new surface.
For more information, see Create or view cross sections.
Subdivision Density The maximum number of edit points the Claymate
tool is allowed to add to each span of the modified surface.
For example, if you set Subdivision Density to 3, the new surface can have
up to three times as many edit points as the original surface.
Enter a value from 0 to 1000. The default is 0 (do not insert any new edit
points).
Sampling On Surfaces To Modify

Number of Samples The number of samples per span or per surface (depending
on the setting of the Sampling Type option) to take on the surfaces to be
modified.
The time required increases with the square of the number of samples on the
surfaces to be modified.
Sampling Type Per Span The number of samples is taken for every span.
Per Obj The number of samples is taken for every surface.
Curve Modifier Sampling

Number of Samples The number of samples per span or per object (depending
on the setting of the Sampling Type option) to take on the modifier curves
or surfaces.
The time required increases linearly with the number of samples on the
modifier objects.
Sampling Type Per Span The number of samples is taken for every span.
Per Obj The number of samples is taken for every object.
Modification Parameters
Region Cutoff A number of CVs affect every point on a surface. For example,
on a bicubic surface (a surface which is degree 3 in both U and V directions),
up to 16 CVs control each point.
Each of those CVs exerts a certain amount of influence over the point on the
surface, measured from 0 through 1. The CVs closest to the selected point on
the surface have the greatest effect on that point. For example, if the influence
of a CV on a point is 0.5, then moving that CV 5 units moves the surface
point 2.5 units. If the influence is 1.0, then moving the CV 5 units moves the
surface point 5 units.
This value controls which CVs the Claymate tool moves. For each sampled
point on the surface, the Claymate tool only moves CVs whose influence is
greater than this value.
Enter a value from 0.000 to 1.000. The default is 0.000. You can set the value
to less than 0.001, but it is not recommended.
If the value you enter cuts off all CVs affecting a point, a value of 0.001 is used
instead.
Min. Mod. Dist., Max. Mod. Dist. The minimum and maximum distance
between a point on the surfaces to be modified and the corresponding point
on the modifier curves.
If the distance is less than the minimum or greater than the maximum at a
point, the modifier is ignored at that point.
Enter values greater or equal to 0 for the Min, greater than 0 for the Max.
Modification Control
Boundary Mod Type Default Modify surface boundaries and internals.
Do not modify tangents. This is the recommended option for closed (periodic)
surfaces.
Exclusive Modify surface boundaries only. Do not modify internals or
tangents.
Fix Position Keep position of surface boundaries locked.
Fix Tangent Keep position and tangents of surface boundaries locked.
The Fix Position and Fix Tangent options only work on actual surface
boundaries, and do not affect trim edges. We do not recommend using Fix
Position or Fix Tangent when you have more than one surface to modify.
Modif. Resistance The amount of resistance to modification, from 0.0 to 1.0.
At 0.0, the surfaces are free to change shape to fit the modifier curves. At 1.0,
the shape of the original surfaces is maintained.
Use this option to dampen the modification of the original surfaces if the
changes caused by the modifier curves are too radical.
Modification Direction
Use Spec. Direction Turn this option on to use the Specified Direction
vector.
Surface Edit > Claymate | 357
If turned off, the direction reverts to the previous Specified Direction

settings.
Specified Direction Enter a vector for the direction in which to apply the
changes.
Buttons
Recalculate Update the surfaces after changing options.
If the Auto Recalculate option at the top of the window is on, the surfaces
are updated automatically whenever you change an option.
Undo Undo the most recent changes made by the Claymate tool.
Next Finish with the current surfaces and prompt for new surfaces.
When Claymate Offset is on, the following control window appears.
Auto Recalculate Turn on this option to update the surfaces automatically

whenever you change an option in the Claymate Control window.
Subdivision Density The maximum number of edit points the Claymate
tool is allowed to add to each span of the modified surface.
For example, if you set Subdivision Density to 3, the new surface can have
up to three times as many edit points as the original surface.
Enter a value from 0 to 1000. The default is 0 (do not insert any new edit
points).
Claymate Offset Parameters

Offset Distance Modify the surfaces using a set of points at this distance from
the surface along the surface normals.
Number of Samples The number of samples per span or per surface (depending
on the setting of the Sampling Type option) to take on the surfaces to be
offset.
The time required increases with the square of the number of samples on the
surfaces to be offset.
Sampling Type Per Span the number of samples is taken for every span.
Per Obj the number of samples is taken for every surface.
See also:
Integrate digitized clay model data with modeled surfaces
Offset multiple surfaces while maintaining continuity
Surface Edit > Fit Scan

Creates a surface based on sections or polygons.
Fit Scan Settings

U Degree, V Degree The degree of the new surface in the U and V directions.
U Spans, V Spans The number of spans of the new surface in the U and V
directions.
Projection Direction Z Axis, Y Axis, X Axis Sets the axis along which
you want to fit your surface to scan or polygonal data.
Surface Normal Fits the surface to scan or polygonal data along the normal
of the surface.
Window Normal Fits the surface to scan or polygonal data along the
normal of your current window.
Show Deviations Displays the maximum deviation between the new surface
and the original section/polygonal data.
Keep Originals Keep the original surface after creating the new fitted surface.
Auto Recalc Automatically updates the surface when you adjust the Fit Scan
Settings.
See also:
Fit a surface to scan data
Surface Edit > Fit Scan | 359
Surface Edit > Orientation > Set Surface Orientation

Orients surfaces toward or away from the camera.
This tool lets you do the bulk of your orientation work by automatically
changing the orientation of any number of surfaces at once, and shading the
results (blue or yellow) for immediate feedback.
To change the orientation of surfaces

1 Select Surface Edit > Orientation > Set Surface Orientation on page 360 .
All surfaces in the scene are shaded in blue and yellow.
Surfaces facing toward the camera are shaded in blue; surfaces facing
away from the camera are shaded in yellow.
2 To change the orientation of a surface:
click the surface with the left mouse button to orient it toward the
camera.
click the surface with the middle mouse button (or Shift + left mouse
button) to orient it away from the camera.
NOTE You can click anywhere on the surface (not only the wireframe).
The color of the surface changes immediately.
3 If there are several surfaces to change, draw a pick-box around them

(using the appropriate mouse button).
After orienting all the surfaces to face toward the camera, all the surfaces
in the scene should be blue.
See also:
Normals and surface orientation
Prepare a model for import into CAD systems
Surface Edit > Orientation > Unify Surface Orientation

Forces sets of adjacent surfaces to have consistent orientations (all facing the same
way).
Modifies a collection of patches so that sets of adjacent surfaces face in the
same direction (either outward or inward). This helps to ensure that lighting
is correct in renderings, and is also useful when modeling, and offsetting
surfaces.
This tool modifies the orientation of surfaces based on topology. It is useful
to fix surface orientation on smaller parts (for example, a door handle) where
it might be difficult to move the camera around in order to see all the surfaces
at the same time.
Surface Edit > Orientation > Unify Surface Orientation | 361
Construction history is preserved during this operation.
To unify the orientation of a number of surfaces

1 Choose Surface Edit > Orientation > Unify Surface Orientation on page
361 .
You are prompted to:
Select input surfaces. When finished, click Classify.
2 Pick all the surfaces to be unified, and then click the Classify button in
the lower right corner of the active window.
Based on the Topology Distance tolerance value (set in Preferences >
Construction Options on page 1088 , under the Tolerances: Topology
subtab), the surfaces are grouped into sets of adjacent patches. Each set
consists of those surface patches that are within the Topology Distance
tolerance. The sets are drawn in different colors to help differentiate them.
An arrow shows the direction of the unified surface orientation on each
set. To change the orientation of the set, click the arrow.
3 When all surface normals are oriented correctly, click the Unify button.
You can continue changing surface orientations, then clicking Unify
again, until you select another tool.
Unify Surface Orientation is a continuous function. To finish using this
tool, select another tool.
See also:
Surface Edit > Orientation > Reverse Surface Orientation

Reverses the orientation of a surface without affecting the U or V parametric directions.
Construction history is also preserved.
This tool lets you manually reverse the orientation of a single surface at a
time, without any shading of your model. It is useful for fine alterations.
To reverse the orientation of a single surface

1 Choose Surface Edit > Orientation > Reverse Surface Orientation on page
363.
2 Click a surface for which you want to reverse the orientation.
An arrow appears to show which way the surface is facing.
A light blue arrow means that the surface is facing you.
A yellow arrow means that the surface is facing away from you.
3 Do any of the following:
Click Reverse Active to reverse the orientation of the last surface

you clicked.
Click Reverse All to reverse the orientation of all selected surfaces.
The direction of the U and V parameters is not affected. Construction

history is preserved.
Reverse Surface Orientation Options

Display normal(s) All intersecting Display the orientation of all surfaces
under the cursor.
Closest to eye Display the orientation of the nearest surface under the
cursor.
Surface Edit > Orientation > Reverse Surface Orientation | 363
See also:
Surface Edit > Reverse Surface UV

Reverses the parametric direction of a surface (U or V), or swaps the U and V parameters
of a surface.
Reversing the U or V parameterization, or swapping the U and V parameters
for a surface does not affect the direction of the normal.
Reverse Surface UV Options

Display direction(s) All intersecting Display the U and/or V direction of
all surfaces under the cursor.
Closest to eye Display the U and/or V direction of the nearest surface under
the cursor.
Surface Reversal Mode Reverse U direction Reverse the direction of the
U isoparametric curves.
Reverse V direction Reverse the direction of the V isoparametric curves.
Swap U and V direction Swap the isoparametric curves so that the U
direction becomes the V direction and vice versa.
See also:
Map a texture
Mesh palette
10
Mesh > Mesh Tessellation > Nurbs to Mesh

Converts NURBS surfaces to mesh objects.
Nurbs To Mesh Options

Use existing tessellation If this option is ON and the surface has already been
tessellated through WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade on page 567 or the
Diagnostic Shading panel, that tessellation is used, and does not need to be
recalculated. Otherwise the tessellation parameters from the Control Panel are
used.
If this option is OFF, the tessellation is recalculated based on the values of the
following options.
Tessellator Fast Tessellates more quickly and less accurately.
Accurate Tessellates more accurately and more slowly.
The same option is used in the option window of WindowDisplay > Hardware
Shade on page 567 .
Tolerance Controls how accurately surfaces are tessellated. The slider range is
0.0001 to 1.0. The default value is 0.1.
The same tolerance value is found in the option window of WindowDisplay >
Hardware Shade on page 567 .
Limit edge length This option only appears if Tessellator is set to Accurate.
If checked, a Max edge length slider appears, to control how large the triangles
can get. If unchecked, there is no limit on the size of the triangles.
365
Max edge length Specifies the maximum length of any triangle edge (in
current linear units).
Tessellate shells When checked, this option ensures that shells are converted
to meshes that contain no gaps or T-edges, hence producing better results for
visualization and conversion to STL format.
Merge Type This option is only available when Tessellate shells is turned
on.
Modeling Coincident vertices are merged and normals are averaged at the
merged vertices. This is the recommended option for modeling purposes. It
also reduces file size.
Visualize Normals are preserved. Hence, coincident vertices are only merged
if they also have coincident normals. This is the default, as it is the
recommended option to use on shells that have been converted to meshes
for visualization purposes.
See also:
Create meshes from NURBS surfaces or shells
Merge meshes
Mesh > Mesh Tessellation > Cloud to Mesh

Converts cloud data to a mesh for processing and editing with Alias mesh tools.
Cloud To Mesh Options

Vertex Tolerance Controls how closely the mesh must match the original
cloud data. Lower values give a more accurate but denser mesh. A value of 0
means every point becomes the vertex of a polygon.
Grouping Tolerance Controls how far apart points can be and still be
considered part of the same cloud. Lower this value if you find the mesh is
trying to merge two distinct clouds.
Estimate Tolerances When you click this box, the program looks at the
distances between the points in the cloud and estimates values for the Vertex
Tolerance and Grouping Tolerance.
366 | Chapter 10 Mesh palette
Use this selection to find a starting point for the tolerance values. If you find
problems with the mesh, adjust the tolerances and recalculate the mesh again.
NOTE A check mark does not appear when you click the box.
Unify Normals Check this box if you want the mesh to have consistent
normals.
Limit edge length Check this box to prevent creation of large triangles, then
enter the maximum side length in the Max edge length box.
Max edge length Enter the maximum allowable edge length for the mesh
you want to create.
Max hole edges If holes in the mesh have no more boundary edges than the
value in this field, they are automatically filled.
See also:
Create meshes from clouds
Mesh > Mesh Tessellation > Displacement Map to Mesh

Converts a displacement map on a NURBS surface into mesh geometry.
A displacement map, when placed on a surface and rendered, gives the object
the appearance of highly-modeled geometry, as the surface modulates based
on the gray values of the displacement map.
By converting the displacement map to mesh geometry, you create real
geometry that can be modified, rendered, or used in prototyping.
Displacement Map To Mesh Options

Use values from Render Globals If this option is checked, the tessellation
values set in Render > Globals on page 605 are used. If it is not checked (default),
you can enter your own values for the Mesh Tolerance and Displacement
Detail.
NOTE The V9 tessellator option in Render > Globals is not supported in the
Displacement Map to mesh tool.
Mesh Tolerance (cm) The maximum allowable distance (measured in
centimeters) between a NURBS surface and its tessellated version, before the
Mesh > Mesh Tessellation > Displacement Map to Mesh | 367
displacement map is applied. The Mesh Tolerance value controls how

smoothly surfaces are tessellated for rendering.
A smoother tessellated surface results in a smoother final mesh. However,
rendering time could increase.
The slider range is 0.001 cm to 0.10 cm. The default value is 0.05 cm for
medium quality.
Displacement Detail Controls how finely surface areas with displacement
maps are tessellated. The higher the Displacement Detail value, the finer
the appearance of surface displacements. However, rendering times could also
increase. The slider range is 10 - 512. The default value is 40.
See also:
Create meshes from displacement maps
Displacement on page 737
Mesh > Mesh Partitioning > Mesh Subset

Selects portions of meshes and split them off as separate pieces
Subsetting a mesh allows you to delete or toggle invisible part of the mesh,
or to shade the pieces independently, thereby increasing processing speed.
Mesh Subset Options

Make subsets invisible When this is checked, the new DAG nodes containing
the subset mesh become invisible.
Choose ObjectDisplay > Visible on page 554 to make them visible again.
Triangle selection When putting down points to select a region, this option
specifies which triangles are selected when more than one side of the mesh
lies under the selection polygon.
Visible Only Only the front-facing triangles are selected. This is the default.
Include hidden Both the front and back-facing triangles are selected.
See also:
Cut meshes
Divide up meshes
Mesh > Mesh Partitioning > Mesh Merge

Combines smaller meshes into one large mesh.
See also:
Cut meshes
Merge meshes
Mesh > Mesh Partitioning > Mesh Cut

Splits a mesh into components
Mesh Cut Options

Keep intersection history If this option is checked, construction history is
retained when a mesh is intersected (with either a surface or another mesh),
cut and subset. Moving any of the constructor objects updates the intersection.
See also:
Cut meshes
Divide up meshes
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Project Curve

Projects a curve, isoparm, or surface edge onto one or several meshes.
See also:
Project curves on meshes
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Project Normal

Projects a curve normal (perpendicular) to one or more meshes.
Mesh > Mesh Partitioning > Mesh Merge | 369
See also:
Project curves normal to meshes
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Intersect

Creates curves at the intersections between two sets of meshes, or between a set of
meshes and a set of surfaces.
You select two sets of meshes, or one set of meshes and one set of NURBS
surfaces, and the tool creates curves at the intersections between them. You
can later use the curves-on-mesh to cut the meshes, and the curves-on-surface
to trim the surfaces.
See also:
Create curves at mesh intersections
Cut meshes
Trim a surface
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Extract Theoretical

Intersection
Creates theoretical intersection curves on a mesh that can later be used for surface
development.
Can also create feature curves approximations.
Mesh Extract Theoretical Intersection Control

Theoretical Intersection Curve Turn on this option to calculate the theoretical
intersection curve.
If using the curve method, this option must be on, as this is the only curve
calculated.
See To extract a theoretical curve from a mesh (curve method).
Feature Curve Approximation Turn on this option to create the
approximation feature curve. It is visible as a degree 1 curve when you exit
the tool.
This only applies when using the points method.

See To extract a theoretical curve and feature curve approximation from a
mesh (point method).
Show Curvature Evaluation Turn on this option (default) to shade the mesh
with Curvature Diagnostic Shading when it is selected.
Tangent line distance Radius of the tube that defines the region where the
curve(s) are built.
Tangent lines are displayed at the intersection of the tube with the mesh after
the theoretical intersection curve is first calculated.
Sampling factor over tangent line This value multiplies the Tangent line
distance to specify the maximum distance from the outside of the tube that
is included in the calculations.
Ensure that this distance covers mostly flat regions, and does not include other
sharp features.
Control Options
Auto Recalc. When this option is turned on, the curves are recalculated
automatically when a value is changed in the option window, without the
need to click the Recalc button.
See also:
Create theoretical intersection curve along feature
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Boundaries

Creates degree 1 NURBS curves from selected mesh boundaries.
See also:
Create degree 1 curves from mesh boundaries
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Smooth

Lets you smooth out regions of a mesh.
Mesh > Mesh Curves > Mesh Boundaries | 371
Mesh Smooth Control

Preserve Features When this option is checked (default), the tool attempts
to smooth the mesh while preserving the local features within the selected
region. If the box is unchecked, the smoothing effect tends toward an overall
flattening of the region.
Radius Defines a radius value around each vertex. All vertices located within
that radius and connected to the center vertex affect the movement of the
center vertex.
We recommend that you use a small radius for better results. If the results are
not satisfactory, you can use Edit > Undo and change the radius later.
Fix Boundaries If this option is checked, the edges of the mesh remain fixed
while the mesh is smoothed.
This option is turned on by default.
Number of Iterations This slider has a range of 1 to 10 and specifies how
many smoothing iterations occur every time you click the Smooth button.
The default is 4.
Show Deviation Map If this option is checked, a color deviation map displays
the deviation between the original mesh (prior to entering the tool) and the
smoothed mesh. A deviation scale (ramp) also appears. This shows you what
areas of the mesh have been affected, and by how much.
Deviation Map Settings

These options only appear if Show Deviation Map is checked on.
Auto Ramp If this option is checked (default), the color scale updates
automatically based on a range between zero and the maximum deviation
from the last operation.
NOTE If Auto Ramp is on, and the maximum deviation is less than the
Acceptable Distance, the Acceptable Distance is set to 10% of the maximum
deviation, to avoid a completely green color map.
Ramp Distance Maximum distance between original and modified mesh
shown on the color ramp. Areas on the mesh where the deviation is larger
than this value are displayed in a solid color (red or purple). The default is
10.0 mm.
Acceptable Distance Upper limit for the acceptable deviation between original
and modified mesh. Regions of the mesh where the deviation is smaller than
this value are colored in green. The default is 1.0 mm.
Where the value of the deviation is between the Acceptable Distance and
the Ramp Distance, the mesh displays intermediate colors as shown on the
ramp.
NOTE The Ramp Distance must be kept larger than the Acceptable Distance.
Absolute Value Ramp Turn on this option if you are not concerned with the
direction of the deviation and simply want to view absolute deviation values.
Use Bands Turn on this option if you want the ramp to display solid bands
of color instead of slowly varying colors.
Vertex Movement
Greatest Non-editable field displaying the maximum vertex deviation.
Restrict If this option is checked, the smoothing process stops when the
maximum vertex deviation between the original mesh and the smoothed
mesh reaches the value of Maximum Permitted.
Maximum Permitted Maximum vertex deviation allowed between the original
and smoothed mesh.
This option only appears when Restrict is turned on.
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Smooth | 373
See also:
Smooth a mesh
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Reduce

Reduces the number of triangles in a mesh while attempting to preserve its shape.
Sometimes, a mesh contains more triangles than are necessary to represent
its shape accurately. The Mesh Reduce tool lets you reduce the number of
triangles in a mesh (while attempting to preserve its shape) according to two
different methods:
Based on chordal deviation, given a maximum deviation value.
Down to a given percentage (fraction) of the original number.
Mesh Reduce Options

Num Triangles/Num Vertices/Deviation Non-editable fields displaying the
number of triangles, number of vertices and deviation from the original mesh
(in linear units) after each reduction step.
Mode CHORDAL DEVIATION The number of triangles is reduced so that
chordal deviation from the original mesh does not exceed a given maximum
deviation value.
FRACTION The number of triangles is reduced down to a given percentage
(fraction) of the original number.
Max Deviation Specifies the maximum chordal deviation distance allowed
during the retessellation.
This option is only available if Mode is CHORDAL DEVIATION.
Reduction % Specifies the percentage of the original number of triangles to
keep in the mesh.
This option is only available if Mode is FRACTION.
Show Deviation Map If this option is checked, a color deviation map displays
the deviation between the original mesh (prior to entering the tool) and the
reduced mesh. A deviation scale (ramp) also appears. This shows you what
areas of the mesh have been affected, and by how much.

NOTE If Auto Ramp is on, and the maximum deviation is less than the
Acceptable Distance, the Acceptable Distance is set to 10% of the maximum
deviation, to avoid a completely green color map.
Ramp Distance Maximum distance between original and modified mesh
10.0 mm.
Acceptable Distance Upper limit for the acceptable deviation between original
and modified mesh. Regions of the mesh where the deviation is smaller than
this value are colored in green. The default is 1.0 mm.
ramp.
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Reduce | 375
See also:
Reduce the complexity of meshes
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Hole Fill

Lets you fill up holes in a mesh.
Mesh Hole Fill Options

Quality Taut The size of the triangles used to fill the hole matches the size
of the neighboring triangles.
Faired As Taut, but we attempt to maintain curvature properties across all
of the triangles that fill the hole. This is the default.
Maximum Hole Size Maximum number of edges a hole can have in order
for it to be filled. The default is 150.
Buttons
Fill All Attempts to fill all the holes that have a number of edges smaller than
Maximum Hole Size.
See also:
Fill holes in a mesh
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Bridge

Lets you build small bridges across gaps within a mesh.
After building two or more bridges across a gap, the remaining holes can then
be patched using Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Hole Fill on page 376 .
See also:
Bridge gaps in a mesh
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Weld Vertices

Merges all coincident vertices in a mesh.
Coincident vertices are merged and normals are averaged at the merged
vertices.
This tool is only needed in rare cases. For example, a file imported from a
different system, in a format other than STL, could have all its shared vertices
stored twice. This could be detected within the Mesh Repair tool by the
presence of a red boundary surrounding each triangle. In that case, the vertices
must be merged with Mesh Weld Vertices before using any other Mesh
tool.
See also:
Merges vertices in a mesh
Mesh > Mesh Repair

Lets you identify meshes that are degenerate, non-manifold, non-oriented,
self-intersecting, or that contain folded edges, and repair these problems by deleting
triangles.
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Bridge | 377
The tests are executed sequentially, and feedback is provided through the
option window and prompt line after each repair step. Meshes are repaired
by removing the troublesome triangles.
NOTE Mesh tools such as Mesh Cut, Mesh Offset and Mesh Collar can
automatically repair a mesh before proceeding, without you having to exit and
use Mesh Repair.
A few definitions
degenerate: contains duplicate triangles (that is, the same three vertices
describe two triangles) , or triangles with two or three overlapping vertices.
manifold: no vertex is adjacent to more than two boundary edges, and no
edge is shared by more than two triangles.
oriented: the winding of the vertices around the triangles is such that all
normals have the same orientation.
self-intersecting: the mesh intersects itself.
folded edges: the angle between any pair of adjacent triangles is less than a
given angle.
Mesh Repair Control

Mesh Information
Number of triangles/Number of vertices/Number of boundaries/Number
of components Non-editable fields that display information about the selected
mesh.
NOTE A mesh with one component and zero boundaries represents a single closed
volume, as required for export to STL format.
Mesh Topology Checks

Theses checks must pass in order for other mesh tools to operate on the model.
Non-degenerate triangles/Manifold/Consistent triangle
orientation Non-editable fields that display the result of the sequential tests
as pass or fail.
Non-degenerate triangles Test passes if there are no duplicate or
degenerate triangles. Also tests presence of duplicate and overlapping triangles.
This happens when the same three vertices describe two triangles. This
condition can be identified during test by an arrow pointing to the center of
the triangles.
Manifold Test passes if there are no non-manifold vertices.
Consistent triangle orientation Test passes if the normals of all the
triangles have the same orientation.
Stereolithography Validation Checks

Theses checks are only required to create a dataset that can be used in
stereolithography processing.
No self-intersecting triangles Test passes if the mesh does not intersect itself.
No folded edges Test passes if the angle between any pair of triangles is more
than the Minimum edge angle value.
Check self-intersecting triangles If this option is checked, the self-intersecting
triangles test is executed.
Check folded edges If this option is checked, the folded edges test is executed.
Minimum edge angle Specifies the minimum angle allowed between the
planes of two triangles sharing an edge. If the angle is smaller than this value,
the triangle is considered as having folded over. The default is 15.0 degrees.
This option is only available when Check folded edges is turned on.
Display
Display problem locations with arrows If this option is checked, arrows
point to the troublesome triangles in the mesh.
Show boundaries with arrows If this option is checked, it displays an arrow
next to each boundary at the end of the repair process. This helps to identify
small and hard to detect boundaries.
Mesh > Mesh Repair | 379
See also:
Repair defects in meshes
Mesh > Mesh Collar

Lets you create a collar NURBS surface along any boundary of a mesh, or curve on
mesh.
Mesh Collar Control

Width Specifies the width (in current linear units) of the collar surface.
Spans Per Segment Specifies the number of spans for each segment you
defined by clicking extra points on the boundary. The number of segments
is equal to the number of points minus 1.
Periodic If checked, the tool builds a periodic (closed) collar surface.
Control Options
Show Surface Deviation If checked, min and max locators appear at the
points of smallest and largest deviation between the collar and the mesh.
Show Deviation Map If checked, a color deviation map displays the deviation
between the collar and the mesh. A deviation scale (ramp) also appears. This
shows you what areas of the mesh have been affected, and by how much.

Ramp Distance Maximum distance between the mesh and the collar surface
10.0.
Acceptable Distance Upper limit for the acceptable deviation between the
mesh and the collar surface. Regions of the mesh where the deviation is smaller
than this value are colored in green. The default is 1.0.
ramp.
History
Create History Turn this option on to save the collars construction history
for later editing.
You can use Object Edit > Query Edit on page 238 or the History View window
and select the collar to re-enter the tool and modify the option values and
input points. However, changing the geometry of the mesh boundary or
curve-on-mesh used to build the collar will destroy the collar history.
See also:
Create collar surfaces from meshes
Mesh > Mesh Collar | 381
Mesh > Mesh Offset

Offsets meshes to produce either regular meshes offset by a given distance, or STL-ready
mesh objects.
To create a watertight STL mesh, the tool first duplicates the original mesh,
then creates a mesh offset, removes any problem vertices, and finally joins
the mesh offset to the original meshs duplicate.
Mesh Offset Control

Distance Specifies the distance between the original mesh and the offset copy.
Output Solid The mesh is offset and joined to the original to produce a
watertight STL-ready mesh. This is the default.
Offset A simple offset mesh is produced.
See also:
Offset meshes
Mesh > Mesh Stitch

Seals gaps between the boundaries of components in a mesh.
This tool works best to eliminate narrow gaps between boundaries. To fill
larger openings, use Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Hole Fill on page 376 .
Mesh Stitch Control

Tolerance This tolerance is used to determine which boundaries should be
stitched together. If two boundaries are further apart than this value at some
point, they are not stitched together at that point.
See also:
Stitch seams between mesh components
Mesh > Reverse Mesh Orientation

Reverses the direction of the normals on mesh components, or on the whole mesh.
Some tools such as Mesh > Mesh Offset on page 382 , require that all
components of a mesh have their normals pointing in the same direction.
See also:
Reverse the normals on a mesh or mesh component
Mesh > Mesh Positioning

Aligns a scanned source mesh (from some area of an object) to a destination mesh
(or surface) by specifying regions where the data matches on both.
This is useful for updating a digital model based on scan data, after the physical
objects have been modified in some areas, and rescanned.
Mesh Positioning Control

Deviation statistics
Deviation Average/Standard Deviation/Deviation Maximum Display fields
showing deviation values between the source mesh and target objects after
alignment.
Positioning Controls
Transform Mode Translate and Rotate The source mesh can be both
translated and rotated during alignment.
Translate Only The source mesh can be translated only.
Rotate Only The source mesh can be rotated only.
Translate Direction The source mesh is translated along the selected axes:
X, Y and/or Z.
Rotational Axis The source mesh is rotated along the selected axis (X, Y or
Z), or along all three axes (Free).
Show Deviation Map Turn on this option to show the color-coded deviation
map.
Calculate map over selected region The color-coded deviation map is only
calculated over the selected region(s) on the mesh. The rest of the mesh is
shaded in a uniform color.
Mesh > Mesh Positioning | 383
Ramp Distance Maximum distance between source mesh and targets shown
on the color ramp. Areas on the source mesh where the deviation is larger
than this value are displayed in a solid color (red or purple).
Acceptable Distance Upper limit for the acceptable deviation between source
mesh and target(s). Regions of the source mesh where the deviation is smaller
than this value are colored in green.
the Ramp Distance, the surfaces display intermediate colors as shown on
the ramp.
The Acceptable Distance also affects the stopping criteria when matching
the source mesh to the destination.
Advanced Controls
Sample density Choose how many sample points are used from the selected
regions of the source mesh.
Automatic Uses an internal number of samples.
By percentage Uses the Percentage of vertices value to calculate the
number of samples.
Percentage of vertices Percentage of the vertices from the selected regions of
the source mesh that are used in the calculation.
A smaller value makes the calculations faster.
This option only appears if Sample density is set to By percentage.
Increase overlap by sliding mesh Choose High, Medium, or Low to specify
the degree to which overhangs (that is, regions of the source mesh that extend
past the destination) are included in the calculations.
If you select Do not change, only the overlapping surface regions are
sampled; overhangs are excluded.
In summary, High includes the most overhangs, while Do not change
includes the least.
Consider local features(+/-) Choose High, Medium, or Low to specify the
degree to which local features (for example dips, or bumps) are taken into
account in the calculations when positioning the source mesh.
A value of Low helps discard regions where the source mesh or destination
presents some dips or bumps that do not have an equivalent on the other.
See also:
Align a source mesh to a destination mesh
Mesh > Mesh Edge Reconstruct

Creates clean sharp edges over areas of high curvature in a mesh, or reconstructs the
edge where two meshes meet, or the edge where a mesh meet one or more surfaces.
The edges on the mesh(es) are rebuilt as NURBS skin surfaces.
Mesh Edge Reconstruct Control

Surface edge distance Radius of the tube that defines the region where the
surfaces are built.
Mesh > Mesh Edge Reconstruct | 385
Sampling factor This value multiplies the Sample edge distance to specify
the maximum distance from the outside of the tube that are included in the
calculations.
Ensure that this distance covers mostly flat regions, and does not include other
sharp features.
Create Fillet Turn on this option to build a fillet between the NURBS surfaces
that meet along the reconstructed edge.
Fillet Type Constant Radius Builds a circular fillet of constant radius.
Chordal Builds a fillet with a constant distance between the two edges of
the fillet.
Fillet Radius This option appears when Fillet Type is set to Constant
Radius and lets you set the radius of the fillet. This value must be smaller
than the Surface Edge Distance value.
Fillet Chordal Distance This option appears when Fillet Type is set to
Chordal and lets you set the distance.
See also:
Reconstruct edges on meshes
Mesh > Mesh Patch

Fills holes in meshes while recognizing the curvature characteristics of the surrounding
area.
As with the Mesh Hole Fill tool, the boundary must be a closed region.
Mesh Patch Control

current linear units)
Stitch tolerance This tolerance is used to determine which boundaries should
be stitched together. If two boundaries are further apart than this value at
some point, they are not stitched together at that point.
See also:
Fill holes that cut across features or abruptly changing curvature
View palette
11
View > World Move Camera > Tumble

Revolves the view.
In general, it is more convenient to use the Autodesk ViewCube or View
Panel (Shift + Alt (Windows); Shift + Option or Shift + Command (Mac)). However
this tool lets you set certain options more precisely.
NOTE Tumble can be used only in a Perspective window. It does not apply to
orthographic views.
Viewing Options
Tumble Center These options rotate the camera about the viewpoint of the
perspective camera or about any given world point.
View Center To rotate the perspective camera about its viewpoint.
World Point Causes the view to rotate around the point in world space
specified by the World Point sliders (for example, 0, 0, 0).
Eye/View/Up These sliders let you define a view by positioning the camera.
The Eye position, View point position, and Up vector end point determine
the view. The nine fields that define these positions contain decimal numbers.
They represent, from left to right, the X, Y, and Z Coordinates for each of the
three camera parameters. To see the camera as you modify it, use WindowDisplay
> Toggles > Cameras on page 585 .
387
NOTE For orthographic windows, two of the three Eye and View values must be
the same, and two of the three Eye and Up values must be the same. If they are
all different or all the same, the results are unpredictable. This is because viewing
operations on orthographic windows are done on the window rather than the
camera.
Zoom The Zoom slider also takes a decimal number which defines the extent
of the field of view of the camera. Values must be positive in the range of 0.2
to 179.
World Point These sliders specify the position of the tumble center in world
space.
See also:
Use the ViewCube tool and NavBar
Use the view panel
Tumble, track, dolly, and tilt the view
View > World Move Camera > Track/Dolly/Tumble on page 390
View > World Move Camera > Track

Slides the view horizontally or vertically.
Viewing Options
Eye/View/Up These sliders let you define a view by positioning the camera.
the view. The nine fields for these options contain decimal numbers. They
represent, from left to right, the X, Y, and Z Coordinates for each of the three
camera parameters. To see the camera as you modify it, use WindowDisplay
> Toggles > Cameras on page 585 .
to 179.
388 | Chapter 11 View palette
For orthographic windows, two of the three Eye and View values must be
the same, and two of the three Eye and Up values must be the same. If they
are all different or all the same, the results are unpredictable. This is because
viewing operations on orthographic windows are done on the window rather
than the camera of the window.
See also:
Use the view panel
View > World Move Camera > Dolly

Moves the view forward or backward.
NOTE The viewing parameters that are displayed are for the active (most recently
used) window.
Viewing Options
Eye/View/Up These sliders let you define a view by moving the camera. The
Eye position, View point position, and Up vector end point determine the
view. The nine fields that define these positions contain decimal numbers.
three camera parameters. To see the camera as you modify it, use
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Cameras on page 585 .
Zoom The Zoom slider takes a decimal number that defines the extent of the
field of view of the camera. Values must be positive in the range of 0.2 to 179.
View > World Move Camera > Dolly | 389
NOTE For orthographic window, two of the three Eye and View values must be
operations on orthographic windows are done on the window rather than the
camera of the window.
Auto Dolly If this option is checked (default), holding down a mouse button
without dragging in an orthographic window dollies smoothly in (left mouse
button), or out (middle or right mouse buttons).
If this option is unchecked, or if you drag the mouse immediately, a dolly box
is drawn and the view dollies in (if you drag right) or out (if you drag left) in
discreet increments.
See also:
Use the view panel
View > World Move Camera > Track/Dolly/Tumble

Lets you track, dolly, and tumble using different mouse buttons.
We recommend that you use the Autodesk ViewCube or View Panel (Shift
+ Alt (Windows); Shift + Option or Shift + Command (Mac)) instead of this tool.
Tracking, dollying, and tumbling

The Track/Dolly/Tumble function combines all the World move camera
functions into one tool.
To use the Track/Dolly/Tumble tool, select it from the View > World
Move Camera cascading menu in the Tool Palette or click its icon.
NOTE Avoid clicking any objects or you will change the point of interest of the
camera. If you do not want to do so, it might be easier to select a point of interest
instead.
After selecting the tool, you can use modifier keys with the mouse. The
following list shows the modifier keys and related actions.
Modifier key
Action
none
Track
Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac)
Tumble
Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac)
Dolly
Shift
Pick
Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Control+Option (Mac)
Look at
Ctrl+Shift+Alt (Windows) or Control+Shift+Option (Mac)
Reset view
When you are working on a large model, screen updates are faster if you
decrease Motion Precision in the Preferences > Performance Options on
page 1086 window.
See also:
Use the view panel
View > Local Move Camera > Twist

Turns the perspective view in the viewing plane as if you are watching the scene while
tilting your head to the side.
NOTE Twist can be used only in a Perspective window. It is always relative to
the current position.
View > Local Move Camera > Twist | 391
Twist Options
Eye/View/Up These sliders let you define a view by moving the camera.
three camera parameters.
To see the camera as you modify it, use WindowDisplay > Toggles > Cameras
on page 585 .
in orthographic windows is done on the window rather than on a camera.
Zoom The Zoom slider also takes a decimal number that defines the extent
of the field of view of the camera in degrees. Values must be positive in the
range of 0.2 to 179.
See also:
NavBar Tools
View > Local Move Camera > Azimuth/Elevation

Revolves the camera about the center of interest in the perspective view.
NOTE Azimuth/Elevation can be used only in a Perspective window.
To revolve the view around a center of interest

Revolves the camera about the center of interest in the perspective view.
Azimuth refers to a horizontal angle from a reference point, while elevation
refers to a vertical angle. The reference point for this tool is the current aim
of the camera.
NOTE Azimuth/Elevation can be used only in a Perspective window.
1 Place the cursor in the perspective window and click a mouse button to
make the window active.
2 In the Tool Palette, select Azimuth/Elevation from the View > Local
Move Camera cascading menu or click its icon.
As the cursor moves, the view rotates about the center of interest (initially
the origin).
Use the mouse
To rotate horizontally, click and drag the middle mouse button.
To rotate vertically, click and drag the right mouse button.
To rotate the view both horizontally and vertically, click and drag the left
mouse button.
Release the mouse button when the desired angle is reached.

The view rotates about the center of interest, which is the viewpoint of the
perspective camera. To set the cameras viewpoint select WindowDisplay >
Toggles > Cameras on page 585 to display the perspective window camera.
When you can see the camera, the viewpoint can be picked using Pick >
Component on page 4 , and then positioned by selecting Transform > Move
on page 11 .
To identify a particular point as the center of interest, move the cameras view
icon so that the target end is at that point of interest. Subsequent manipulation
of the camera with Azimuth/Elevation now keeps that point in the center
of the view.
NOTE With a large model, screen updates caused by moving the camera are faster
if you decrease Motion Precision in the Preferences > Performance Options on
page 1086 window.
Use cursor keys

You can use the four cursor keys (arrows pointing up, down, left, and right
on the keyboard) to rotate incrementally. The amount moved depends on the
Arrow key step size set in the Input section of the General Preferences
option box (Preferences > General Preferences on page 1076 ).
Pressing an arrow key once moves the cursor one pixel in the corresponding
direction, by default.
To rotate the view horizontally about the up point of the camera (azimuth),
press either the left or right arrows.
View > Local Move Camera > Azimuth/Elevation | 393
To rotate the view vertically (elevation), press either the up or down arrow.
Use the keyboard

You can type the azimuth and elevation angles from the keyboard when the
system prompts:
Enter azimuth and elevation angles (REL):
Type the angle and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac).
A positive azimuth moves the camera around to the left.
A positive elevation moves the camera up under the scene.
Azimuth/Elevation Options
on page 585 .
Zoom The Zoom slider takes a decimal number that defines the extent of the
field of view of the camera. Values must be positive in the range of 0.2 to 179
degrees.
See also:
NavBar Tools
View > Local Move Camera > Yaw/Pitch

Changes yaw (horizontal rotation) and pitch (vertical rotation) of the camera.
NOTE Yaw/Pitch can be used only in a Perspective window. It does not apply
to orthographic windows. Yaw/Pitch is always relative to the current position.
Change the viewpoint of the camera

Changes the viewpoint of the camera (that is, what the camera is looking at)
in a perspective view. To yaw is to rotate horizontally, that is to the left or
right. To pitch is to rotate vertically, that is to plunge or rise.
NOTE Yaw/Pitch can be used only in a Perspective window. It does not apply
to orthographic windows. Yaw/Pitch is always relative to the current position.
1 Place the cursor in the perspective window and click a mouse button to
make the window active.
2 In the Tool Palette, select Yaw/Pitch from the View > Local Move
Camera cascading menu or click its icon.
3 Click the left mouse button and drag. As the cursor is moved, the cameras
view changes, that is the view and up points change, while the eyepoint
remains fixed.
Use the mouse

To rotate the view...
Click and drag this mouse button...
horizontally
middle
vertically
right
horizontally and vertically
left
NOTE With a large model, screen updates caused by moving the camera are faster
if you decrease Motion Precision in the Preferences > Performance Options on
page 1086 window.
Use cursor keys

You can use the four arrow cursor keys (arrows pointing up, down, left, and
right on the keyboard ) to rotate the viewpoint incrementally. The amount
View > Local Move Camera > Yaw/Pitch | 395
moved depends on the Arrow key step size set in the Input section of
Preferences > General Preferences on page 1076 . The default is one pixel.
To rotate the viewpoint left or right (yaw), press the left or right arrow key.
To rotate the view and up points (pitch), press the up or down arrow key.
Be careful to keep the cursor in the window when using the cursor keys.
Use the keyboard

You can type the yaw and pitch angles from the keyboard when the system
prompts:
Enter yaw and pitch angles (REL):
Type the angles separated by a space or comma, and press Enter (Windows) or
Return (Mac).
Yaw/Pitch Options
on page 585 .
to 179 degrees.
View > Zoom

Zooms in or out in the perspective view by changing the camera field of view.
Zoom operates like changing the lens on a camera. A value smaller than the
default is like using a telephoto lens, whereas a value larger than the default
provides a wide angle lens effect.
NOTE Zoom does not apply to an orthographic view.
Zoom Options
Eye/View/Up You can use these sliders to define a view by positioning the
camera. The eye position, view point position, and up vector end point
determine the view. These nine fields contain decimal numbers. They represent,
from left to right, the X, Y, and Z Coordinates for each of the three camera
parameters. To see the camera as you modify it, use WindowDisplay > Toggles
> Cameras on page 585 .
Zoom The Zoom slider also takes a decimal number which defines the angle
to 179.
NOTE For windows other than the Perspective window (orthographic), two of
the three Eye and View values must be the same, and two of the three Eye and
Up values must be the same. If they are all different, or are all the same, the results
are unpredictable. This is because viewing operations on orthographic windows
affect the window rather than the windows camera.
See also:
Zoom the view
View > Look At

Automatically centers the view on the picked objects, including construction planes.
Look At Options
Fit to View If Fit to View is turned on, using Look at also dollies in on the
object as it is centered in the window. By default, Fit to View is on.
When Fit to View is turned on, using Look at in the Perspective

window moves the perspective camera.
When Fit to View is off, using Look at changes the view point but not
the eye point.
View > Look At | 397
Exclude Lights If you use Look at when nothing is picked, the camera
includes all objects in the view. If Exclude Lights is turned on, lights are
excluded.
Exclude Textures If you use Look at when nothing is picked, the camera
includes all objects in the view. If Exclude Textures is turned on, texture
placement objects are excluded.
NOTE Texture objects are created when using environment or solid textures, and
appear as green boxes with arrows in the view.
Include Symmetric Objects If this option is turned on (default), Look at
takes into account the symmetric instances of objects (on layers with symmetry
planes) when determining a new camera position.
Orient to Ground Plane If this option is turned on, Look at re-orients the
view to place the ground plane at the bottom of the screen. This option is off
by default.
When a construction plane is selected in the Perspective window, the Look
at tool orients the view flush to the plane (that is, the view vector becomes
perpendicular to the plane).
See also:
Center the view on specific objects
View > Set Non Proportional View

Scales the view independently along the horizontal and vertical axes, in orthographic
windows.
This results in the model appearing squished or stretched, which may help
reveal curvature problems.
See also:
Scale a view non-proportionally
Toggle between proportional and non-proportional views
View > Toggle Non Proportional View

Toggles the view of the current window between proportional and non-proportional
scaling.
This only has an effect if you have first non-proportionally scaled the view.
No other aspects of the camera view are changed when using this tool.
NOTE A Non Proportional View icon

is displayed in the lower left hand
corner of the window when the view is non proportional.
See also:
Non-proportionally scale the view interactively
Toggle between proportional and non-proportional views
View > Previous View

Changes to the previous camera position (undoes the last camera move).
Click this tool again to return to the current view.
See also:
Change your view of a canvas plane
View > Reset View

Resets a window to its default view.
View > Toggle Non Proportional View | 399
In Alias for Windows, you can specify the resolution of the display as well;
this is useful for sketching.
See also:
Reset a view to the default
To reset the view of a canvas plane to its default view
View > Toggle Stereo

Enables stereo viewing in Alias.
When used in conjunction with a graphics card that supports stereo viewing
and Stereo View set ON in the Digital Properties section of the Camera
Editor, Toggle Stereo turns the stereo display on and off.
NOTE To make this tool available, stereo viewing capability must be turned on
through the graphics card.
View > New Camera

Creates a new camera in the scene.
A new copy of the camera is made, which can be modified independently of
the original camera.
See also:
Open the Camera Editor
View > Adjust Clipping Plane

Lets you change how close and how far away objects are drawn.
To improve performance and visibility as you work, Alias does not draw objects
that are very far away or very close in the view windows. This tool lets you
adjust these distances.
Do any of the following:
Drag the left mouse button to adjust the near clipping plane.
In a perspective window, you can drag the middle mouse button to adjust
the focal plane.
Drag the right mouse button to adjust the far clipping plane.
Type two (in orthographic windows) or three (in a perspective window)

numbers to set the distances exactly.
Sets the positions of the clipping planes and adjusts the focal plane for the
camera associated with a modeling window.
Clipping planes are used to cut off display of the scene at a certain distance
from the camera. Objects are not visible outside the volume defined by the
near plane and the far plane.
The focal plane is the plane where objects are in focus when the scene is
rendered. The focal plane can be adjusted only for a perspective camera.
NOTE Clipping planes are not used in RayTracing.
To set the clipping planes for a camera

From the Tool Palette, select View > Adjust Clipping Plane on page 400 or click
its icon.
To set the clipping planes for a camera, the cameras window must be active
(indicated by a white border).
One of these prompts is displayed, depending on which window is active:
Enter TOP window clipping plane positions (near [LEFT BUTTON], far
[RIGHT BUTTON]): (99.8, -100.0)
Enter [FRONT|SIDE] window clipping plane positions (near [LEFT
BUTTON], far [RIGHT BUTTON]): (-99.8, 100.0)
Enter [RIGHT|BACK] window clipping plane positions (near [LEFT
BUTTON], far [RIGHT BUTTON]): (99.8, -100.0)
Enter PERSP plane positions (near [LEFT], focus [MIDDLE], far
[RIGHT]): (0.2, 18.4, 200.0)
View > Adjust Clipping Plane | 401
For an orthographic window

When setting planes for an orthographic window, specify where you want
the near and far planes by clicking in a different orthographic window:
1 Click one of the mouse buttons and move to the new position that you
selected for the plane.
A line indicates the position of the clipping plane. When you click and
drag the mouse button, the line is labeled either NEAR or FAR. The line
for the NEAR plane is solid and the line for the FAR plane is dashed.
2 To turn off the display of clipping planes, select another menu item.
For the perspective window

You can set the perspective clipping planes by typing the values for the NEAR,
FAR, or FOCAL positions. (FOCAL is the focal length of the camera in the
perspective window.) Alternatively, you can set the clipping and focal planes
by clicking the appropriate button in any window and dragging.
To see how this looks:
1 From the menus, select WindowDisplay > Toggles > Cameras on page 585
.
2 Set the Frustum Display option to Full.
3 Dolly in or out in any orthographic window to see the near, focal, and
far frustum planes of the perspective camera.
View > View 1:1 > Calibrate 1:1

Lets you set an orthographic view so that your model shows up at true scale (1:1).
True scale (or 1:1 scale) means that a 10 centimeter long object appears as 10
centimeters long when measured on the screen with a measuring tape.
Options
Reference Length The world space length (in current linear units) of the
distance measurement as it first appears on your screen. Choose between 1,
10, 100, or User defined, to adjust this value.
User Defined Length If Reference Length is set to User defined, this field
allows you to enter any value for the length of the initial distance
measurement.
Displayed Length True length of the distance measurement as measured on
the screen with a measuring tape or ruler.
See also:
View > View 1:1 > Toggle 1:1 on page 403
View models at a 1:1 scale
View > View 1:1 > Toggle 1:1

Lets you view your model at true scale (1:1) in an orthographic window, after calibrating
the view.
See also:
View > View 1:1 > Calibrate 1:1 on page 402
View models at a 1:1 scale
View > View 1:1 > Toggle 1:1 | 403
404
Construction palette
12
Construction > Point

Lets you create reference points for convenient snapping to 3D points, or for use as input
to tools that require a point.
Reference points mark a 3D point in the scene. They are useful as placeholders
for coordinates you want to remember or snap to, and as input to tools that
require a 3D point.
Construction Point Options

Show Name Show the name of the point next to it in the view window. This
option is off by default.
Construction > Vector

Lets you create reference vectors for use as input to tools that require a point or vector.
Reference vectors mark a starting point and direction. They are useful as input
to tools that require a direction (such as the pull direction in tools measuring
draft angles).
Construction Vector Options

Show Name Show the name of the vector next to it in the view window. This
405
See also:
Workflows for the new Align tool
Create or edit a reference vector
Shade a surface with its draft angles
Construction > Plane

Creates a reference plane.
You can set the construction planes from reference planes, or use them as
input to tools that require a plane.
Reference planes and construction planes

The following tools are used to create a general-purpose plane which can be
used as a reference plane or a construction plane:
Construction > Plane on page 406
Construction > Set Construction Plane on page 409
Construction > Toggle Construction Plane on page 409
A reference plane can be used with certain tools, including the Curve Edit >
Curve Planarize on page 153 tool, Curve Edit > Curve Section on page 153 tool,
and the Cross Section Control section of the Control Panel.
A construction plane allows you to temporarily use a separate coordinate
system that can be arbitrarily oriented with respect to the world space
coordinate system.
You can easily convert a reference plane to a construction plane and vice
versa.
Overview of construction planes

Tools in Alias place objects in an XYZ coordinate system. Normally this is the
world space coordinate system, the absolute frame of reference for the universe
of your scene.
406 | Chapter 12 Construction palette
However, there will be times when you need to align objects in a specific
context, where the orientation, position and rotation are different from those
of the world space axes and origin.
In these cases, construction planes let you create and work in an alternative
coordinate system that can be displaced and rotated from the world space
coordinate system.
You can create construction planes that you position and rotate in relation
to the world space coordinate system. Construction planes are useful when
you are modeling objects that must have an absolute orientation that is not
aligned with a major axis.
You can also create construction planes that you position and rotate in relation
to a curve or surface. These tools are very powerful, and are useful in a wide
variety of modeling contexts.
There can only be one construction plane in a scene (that is, the current
construction plane). All other planes are referred to as reference planes. You
can convert a reference plane to a construction plane (and vice versa) at any
time. You can also use reference planes with certain tools (Curve Planarize
tool, Curve Section tool, and the Cross-Sections button in the Control
Panel).
Example
For example, consider the following curve. We want to create a surface
perpendicular to the curve at its end.
In world space this would be difficult: we would have to draw construction

curves for the new surface, then try to rotate the construction curves to be
perpendicular to the tangent at the end of the curve.
With construction planes, the task is much easier. With curve snapping curve
on, we snap the new construction plane to the curve and slide it to the end.
Construction > Plane | 407
Now we can draw the curves for the new surface much more easily. The grid
is perpendicular to the end of the original curve, and the origin of the new
coordinate system is the endpoint of the original curve.
Finally we use the Toggle Construction Plane tool to return to the world
space coordinate system. The new construction curve is exactly perpendicular
to the endpoint of the original curve. Now we can use Set planar or other
surface building tool.
Construction planes and the Perspective window

When a construction plane is active, placement in the perspective window is
constrained to the construction plane. This includes:
Drawing curves.
Creating primitive objects.
Moving objects.
Mouse buttons in construction planes

You can choose between the following mouse behaviors when using Transform
> Move on page 11 in a perspective window with an active construction plane:
Three dimensional (default):
left mouse button moves along the X axis of the plane
middle mouse button button moves along the Y axis of the plane
right mouse button moves along the Z axis of the plane
or
Planar:
left mouse button button moves freely across the X and Y axis of the
plane
middle mouse button moves along the X axis of the plane
right mouse button moves along the Y axis of the plane
To change between the two control schemes, choose Preferences > General
Preferences on page 1076 , go to the Input section, and set the Mouse
mapping for perspective move: On construction plane option.
Construction Plane Options

Show Name Show the name of the plane next to it in the view window. This
See also:
Create or edit a reference plane
Construction > Set Construction Plane

Makes the picked reference plane the construction plane.
See also:
Construction > Toggle Construction Plane

Switches between the construction plane and the world axes.
See also:
Construction > Set Construction Plane | 409
Construction > Grid Preset

Controls the preset (startup) grid size and options.
Preset Grid Options

Windows Choose whether the grid spacing changes in All windows or only
the Current window.
Grid Spacing The distance, in the current linear units, between grid lines.
Subdivisions The number of subdivisions between grid lines. The subdivision

lines are lighter than the normal grid lines, but you can still snap to them
using grid snapping.
For example, if you set the grid spacing to 1.0, and the number of subdivisions
to 4, Alias shows grid subdivisions at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.25, and so on.
Perspective Grid Extent The size of the grid in the perspective window, in
current linear units. Type a value from 1 to 1000000.
Corner Perspective Gnomon Show the gnomon in the corner of the

perspective window. The gnomon is the small indicator which floats in the
corner of view windows. It has colored arrows to show the orientation of the
axes and a grey arrow pointing to the origin.
Labels Label the grid and subdivision lines with their unit values.
The labels only appear in the orthographic windows.
Label Font Properties This option only appears if Labels is on. The Default
setting gives you a font size of 10. Custom lets you select a Label Font Size
between 8 and 72.
See also:
Show, hide, or change the grid
Show or hide the grid in display windows
Construction > Grid Preset | 411
412
Locators palette
13
Locators > Move Locator

Lets you pick and edit locators (label and measurement objects).
See also:
Create a label
Create linear or angular measurements
Create radial measurements
Edit a label or measurement object
Locators > Annotate

Adds a label with a leader to a point.
See also:
Create a label
413
Locators > Measure > Distance

Adds a locator that show the distance between two points.
Distance Options
Length True The true measurement in 3D world space (such as seen in the
Perspective window).
Projected The measurement reports the distance/angle as it appears in the
window in which the measurement was created.
See also:
Locators > Measure > Angle

Adds a locator that show the angle between three points.
Angle Options
Angle True The true measurement in 3D world space (such as seen in the
Projected The measurement reports the distance/angle as it appears in the
See also:
Locators > Measure > Radius

Adds a radius or diameter measurement to a curve.
See also:
414 | Chapter 13 Locators palette
Locators > Measure > Diameter

Adds a radius or diameter measurement to a curve.
See also:
Locators > Measure > Arc Length

Measures the true length of a curve.
See also:
Measure the length of a curve
Locators > Deviation > Closest Point

Adds a locator showing the true distance between the locator and the closest point on
a curve, surface, or mesh.
Closest Point Deviation Options

Length True The locator indicates the true distance from the locator to the
closest point on a 3D curve, surface, or mesh in all windows.
Projected The locator indicates the true distance from the locator to the
closest point on a 3D curve, surface, or mesh in perspective windows and the
distance from the locator to the closest point on the planar version of the
curve, surface, or mesh in each orthographic window.
See also:
Locators > Measure > Diameter | 415
Locators > Deviation > Deviation

Adds a measurement showing the deviation between two curves.
See also:
Measure the exact deviation between two curves at a single location
Locators > Deviation > Curve to Curve

Adds a measurement showing the minimum and maximum deviation between two
curves.
This tool creates a locator showing the deviation between the two objects,
labeling the minimum, maximum, mean, and displaying a deviation comb
indicating the deviation across the length of the objects.
Objects in reference layers can be selected from within this tool.
Curve to Curve Deviation Options

Length True The true measurement in 3D world space (such as seen in the
Projected The measurement reports the deviation as it appears in the
Show Min / Show Max / Show Mean / Show Comb Check/uncheck the
boxes to turn the different labels and comb on or off.
The labels can also be toggled on/off from the Information Window.
See also:
Measure the deviation between two objects
Locators > Deviation > Surface to Surface

Adds a measurement showing the minimum and maximum deviation between two
surfaces.
Surface to Surface Deviation Options

See also:
Locators > Deviation > Curve to Surface

Adds a measurement showing the minimum and maximum deviation between a curve
and a surface.
Curve to Surface Deviation Options

See also:
Locators > Deviation > Mesh to Surface

Adds a measurement showing the minimum and maximum deviation between two a
mesh and a surface.
Locators > Deviation > Curve to Surface | 417
labeling the minimum and maximum.
Mesh to Surface Deviation Options

Show Min / Show Max Check/uncheck the boxes to turn the labels on or
off.
See also:
Locators > Deviation > Cloud to Surface

Adds a measurement showing the minimum and maximum deviation between a point
cloud and a surface.
NOTE The Cloud to Surface deviation tool is especially useful since you can
check the fit between raw cloud data and surfaces created to fit the data.
See also:
Locators > Curve Curvature

Adds a locator that shows the curvature or radius comb of a curve.
Curve Curvature Options

Plot Value Curvature The quill lengths indicate the curvature at that point
on the curve (default).
Radius The quill lengths indicate the radius at that point on the curve.
Unit Normal The quill length is constant, so the quills only indicate the
direction of the normal at that point on the curve.
Surf Relative Display the curvature quills, for surface curves, in the direction
of the surface normals.
This option has no effect on free curves.
Auto Scale If this option is checked, the scale of the curvature comb is
automatically calculated to be proportional to the size of the object.
When this option is unchecked, a Scale Value slider appears, allowing you
to set the scale of the comb at the time of creation.
Scale Value The scale applied to the comb quills.
NOTE The Scale Value option uses a logarithmic scale.
Samples The initial sampling density per curve. Change this value after
creating the comb by dragging the middle mouse button.
Display Comb Show the comb quills only.
Outline Show the comb outline (the line connecting the endpoints of the
comb quills) only.
Comb + Outline Shows both the comb quills and the comb outline.
The comb and outline are drawn in different colors.
Torsion Show torsion quills on the curve
Inflection Points Show the inflection points on the curve with small red
arrows.
To speed up display, the arrows are only close approximations. To see the true
inflection point, look for the point where the comb outline crosses the curve.
Show Radius Limit Display regions of the curvature locator using different
colors based on the radius value and the Min. Radius Limit and Max.
Radius Limit values.
Min Max Radius Indicates the points of maximum and minimum radius of
curvature.
Min. Radius Limit, Max. Radius Limit Regions of the curvature locator
between the Min. Radius Limit and the Max. Radius Limit are drawn in
with green quills. Regions of the curvature locator less than the Min. Radius
Limit or greater than the Max. Radius Limit are drawn in with rose quills.
These options are only available when Show Radius Limit is on.
Locators > Curve Curvature | 419
Enable Comb Cutoff Limits the length of quills by the Cutoff Value.
Cutoff Value Limit quills to this length.
This option is necessary because some plot values, such as the radius of a
straight line, are infinite, or very large.
These options are also found in the Information Window when a Curve
Curvature locator is selected. The Information Window has the following
additional controls:
Window Choose whether the annotation appears in all windows or only the
current window.
Font Properties Choose whether the text in the annotation uses a Default
or Custom font.
Font Size Adjust the size of the text when Font Properties is set to Custom.
See also:
Curvature
Show curve curvature
Evaluate palette
14
Evaluate > Continuity > Surface Continuity

Checks the positional, tangent plane, and curvature continuity between and inside
surfaces.
Surface Continuity Options

Find Positional Continuity Only check for gaps between surfaces (labeled
with P symbols).
Tangent Continuity Check for gaps and tangent discontinuities (labeled
with T symbols).
Curvature Continuity Check for gaps, tangent, and curvature discontinuities
(labeled with C symbols)
Check Spacing By Arc Length Check the continuity at equally spaced points
along the surface, determined by the Distance Between Checks option.
# Per Span Check the continuity at a number of points in each span equal
to the value of the Fitting > Curve Fit Checkpoints option of the Preferences
> Construction Options on page 1088 window.
Distance Between Checks The arc-length distance between continuity checks
when using the Arc Length option.
This option only appears when Check Spacing By is Arc Length.
Display Options
Locator Persistence If this option is toggled on, the surface continuity indicators
have the ability to become a persistent locator which updates with changes to
the geometry.
421
NOTE Locator Persistence only takes effect if boundaries are explicitly selected
by clicking them (not by selecting surfaces with a pick box or before selecting the
tool).
Check Interior If this option is toggled on, continuity is checked and displayed
along multiple-knot iso-parametric curves in the interior of the surface.
Show Max Labels If this option is toggled on, points of maximum positional,
tangency angle and curvature deviation are shown. Note however that these
labels only appear if part of the boundary has discontinuities (gaps, tangent
or curvature breaks) that are out of tolerance.
Show Edge Labels If this option is toggled on, indicators showing areas of
discontinuities (O, C and T labels) are initially displayed along the
boundaries. Red symbols indicate areas of maximum discontinuity. Blue
symbols indicate areas of minimum discontinuity.
Show Comb This option only appears if Show Edge Labels is on. Toggle it
on to see the comb lines for gaps, tangency breaks, and curvature breaks.
Auto Scale This option only appears if Show Combs is on. When Auto
Scale is checked (default), the scale of the deviation combs is automatically
calculated to be proportional to the size of the object.
When this option is unchecked, three Scale number fields appear (for
Positional, Tangent, and Curvature deviation), allowing you to set the scales
of the comb at the time of creation.
Scale Three values (for Positional, Tangent, and Curvature deviation
respectively) that allow you to adjust the scale of the combs at the time of
creation. These values are only available if Auto Scale is turned on.
See also:
Check the deviation and continuity on surface edges
Evaluate > Continuity > Curve Continuity

Checks the position, tangent, and curvature continuity between curves.
422 | Chapter 14 Evaluate palette
Messages
The Curve curvature tool prints messages in the prompt line about the
continuity at the intersection you clicked:
Curves are curvature continuous within tolerance - curvature

deviation is (1/cm) <deviation>
The curves are not exactly curvature continuous, but are still within the
tolerance set in Preferences > Construction Options on page 1088 .
<deviation> is the difference in curvatures at the intersection.
Curvature deviation between curves is (1/cm) <deviation>
The curves are not curvature continuous. <deviation> is the difference in

curvatures at the intersection.
Curves are tangent vector continuous within tolerance - angle is

(degrees) <angle>.
The curves are not exactly tangent continuous, but are still within the
tolerance set in Preferences > Construction Options on page 1088 . <angle>
is the angle between the curves tangents at the intersection.
Angle between the curves at their intersection is (deg) <angle>.
The curves are not tangent continuous. <angle> is the angle between the
curves tangents at the intersection.
Select curve intersection.
You did not click a point where two curves (and only two curves) intersect.
Curve Continuity Options

Tangency Scale The initial scale of the lines which show the tangents of the
two curves. The actual length of the lines is proportional to the angle times
this scaling value.
You can change this value when you use the tool by holding Shift and dragging
the left mouse button.
Curvature Scale The initial scale of the lines which show the curvature of the
two curves. The actual length of the lines is proportional to the angle times
this scaling value.
You can change this value when you use the tool by holding Shift and dragging
the middle mouse button.
Locator Persistence Creates a persistent locator that displays the continuity
between curves (that is, the locator remains even after the Curve Continuity
Evaluate > Continuity > Curve Continuity | 423
tool is no longer active). This allows you to monitor curve continuity as you
edit curves.
Simple Display The locator appears only as a green circle (the curves are
continuous) or a red circle (the curves are not continuous).
Display The locator indicates whether the position, tangents, or curvature of
the curve are continuous.
See also:
Check continuity between curves
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Highlights

Creates curves-on-surface corresponding to highlight lines produced by light sources.
Highlights Control
Light Origin The 3D coordinates of the origin of the first light (center point).
You can set the origin with the highlight manipulator when you use the tool.
Direction Type Select either Rotation or Vector.
Light Direction The direction in which the light sources point.
You can set this vector with the highlight manipulator when you use the tool.
Number of Lights The number of lights from which to create curves-on-surface
highlights.
If you use more than one light, the multiple lights are always parallel to each
other.
Light Width The width of the single light source. This option is only available
if Number of Lights is 1.
Set the width to 0 to create a single curve-on-surface. Set the width greater
than 0 to create two curves-on-surface corresponding to the edges of a wide
highlight.
This option has no effect if Visual is turned on.
Light Spacing The spacing between multiple light sources. This option appears
when Number of Lights is greater than 1.
Subdivision The quality of the curve-on-surface projection, from 1 to 6. The
higher the value, the more precise the result. Use low values for draft quality,
use higher values for final results.
Visual Draw fast polylines instead of curves-on-surface.
These lines are mainly for display purposes. Although you can pick them (to
delete them, for example), you cannot use them to create geometry.
Vector/Plane/Point Enter the name of a point/vector/plane to position/align
the Surface Evaluate manipulator with it. (You can also click a
point/vector/plane to align the Surface Evaluate manipulator with it. Or you
can select the point/vector/plane and the surface before selecting the tool.)
Control Options
Create History Save the history of the new curves-on-surface for later editing.
If you turn Create History on, you can modify the surfaces and the
curves-on-surface update.
Auto Recalc. Update the curves-on-surface as you change the values in the
window.
Buttons
Recalc When Auto Recalc. is off, use this button to update the curves on
surface to correspond to the current options.
Undo All Undo all the changes made by the tool and return to the original
surface.
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Highlights | 425
Next Finish creating curves-on-surface on the current surface and prompt for
a new surface to evaluate.
See also:
Create curves on surface from highlight data
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Curvature

Creates curves-on-surface along lines of constant curvature.
Curvature Control
Curvature Type Choose the method of calculating curvature on the surface:
Mean Average the two principal curvatures at each point on the surface.
Gaussian Multiply the two principal curvatures at each point on the surface.
Principal Min/Principal Max Use the minimum or maximum curvature
values (that is, the curvature of the steepest or flattest curves that pass through
each point).
Mean or Gaussian curvature is most useful for detecting surface irregularities.
Principal Min or Max curvature is most useful for detecting inflection
points.
Curvature Value Enter the curvature value for the iso-curvature lines you
want to create.
The Curvature tool creates curves-on-surface along these lines of constant

curvature.
Control Options
Curvature window.
Buttons
surface.
See also:
Create curves on surface from curvature data
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Contour

Creates curves-on-surface from a single-plane cross-section.
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Contour | 427
Contour Control
Plane Origin The 3D coordinates of the origin of the plane which intersects
the surfaces to create curves-on-surface.
You can set this origin with the contour manipulator when you use the tool.
Plane Normal The vector perpendicular to the plane.
You can set this vector with the contour manipulator when you use the tool.
Vector/Plane/Point Enter the name of a point/vector/plane to position/align
the Contour manipulator with it. (You can also click a point/vector/plane
to align the Contour manipulator with it. Or you can select the
point/vector/plane and the surface before selecting the tool.)
Control Options
Surface Evaluate window.
Buttons
surface.
See also:
Create curves on surface from contour data
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Horizon

Produces curves-on-surface from horizon lines as seen from a point in space or from
a direction.
Horizon Control
Horizon Type Choose how to project the horizon line onto the surfaces.
Perspective Use the horizon as seen from a certain point in space.
Orthogonal View the horizon from a certain direction. With this technique,
the sightlines are parallel and the viewpoint is infinity.
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate > Horizon | 429
NOTE If the horizon does not cross the surfaces when viewed from this point or
direction, the Surface evaluate tool does not create any curves on surface.
View Point The point in space from which to look at the picked surfaces and
the horizon.
You can set this point with the viewpoint locator when you use the tool.
This option appears when Horizon Type is Perspective.
Point Enter the name of a point to position/align the Horizon manipulator
with it. (You can also click a point to align the manipulator with it. Or you
can select the point and the surface before selecting the tool.)
This option appears when Horizon Type is Perspective.
View Direction The view direction from which to look at the picked surfaces
and the horizon.
This option appears when Horizon Type is Orthogonal.
Vector Enter the name of a vector to position/align the Horizon manipulator
with it. (You can also click a vector to align the manipulator with it. Or you
can select the vector and the surface before selecting the tool.)
This option appears when Horizon Type is Orthogonal.
Control Options
Horizon window.
Buttons
surface.
See also:
Create curves on surface from horizon data
Evaluate > Dynamic Section

Lets you view a cross section of surfaces or meshes by dragging a plane through the
model.
This tool produces cross-sections in an arbitrary orientation by using a series
of parallel planes with a distance between them specified by Step Size.
Unlike the Planar cross sections available from Windows > Editors > Cross
Section Editor on page 1051, dynamic sections update interactively on the
geometry as you transform the reference plane.
Dynamic Sections Control

Sections
Number of Planes The number of cross-section lines to create.
Step Size The distance between cross-section lines (when Mode is Parallel
and Number of Planes is greater than 1).
Curvature Scale Controls the size of the curvature combs on the cross-section
lines.
Persistent sections This flag determines whether the sections will remain
after exiting the tool.
Visual Clip
These options let you visually clip the wireframe and shaded model, leaving
the sections visible.
Visual Clip Check this option to display only the part of the model with the
sections (on one side of the sectioning plane).
Flip Check this option to display only the part of the model that does not
have sections. The sections on the invisible part are still displayed.
Evaluate > Dynamic Section | 431
Clip Offset This option is only available if Visual Clip is turned on.
When checked on, a second clipping plane appears, and the display of
surfaces/meshes is clipped to the location and direction of that second plane
as well, leaving only the part of the model between the two planes visible.
The Clip Offset slider specifies the offset distance of the second clipping
plane from the first.
Section Origin
Translate These fields specify the position (X,Y,Z) of the sectioning planes
origin. They let you cut a section at a precise location along one of the main
world axes (for example x = 100).
Rotate These fields specify the rotation angle of the sectioning plane around
the world X,Y,Z axes.
Click the Rotation Reset button in the view window to reset all rotations
to 0.
See also:
Drag dynamic cross sections through surfaces
Create or view cross sections
Evaluate > IsoAngle

Displays iso-angle lines on surfaces. This lets you visually evaluate continuity across
surface boundaries. You can also use this tool to create iso-angle curves-on-surface.
Iso Angle Control

Type of Bands Controls whether iso-angle lines are white (Single) or colored
(Multiple).
Shaded surface Controls whether iso-angle lines are displayed as shaded lines
(ON) or not (OFF).
Visual Curves Controls whether iso-angle lines are displayed as
curves-on-surface (ON) or not (OFF).
Width of Single Band The width of white band iso-angle lines. This option
is only available if Type of Bands is Single.
Repeat Multiple Bands The number of times colored band iso-angle lines are
repeated on each surface. This option is only available if Type of Bands is
Multiple.
Blur The blurriness of iso-angle line edges. This option is only available if
Shaded surface is on.
Vector The position of the vector represented by the arrow icon (light source).
Transparency The transparency of surfaces with iso-angle lines.
See also:
Show iso-angle lines on a surface
Evaluate > Parting Line

Creates curves-on-surface at the boundaries of out-of-draft areas.
Some manufacturing processes, such as injection molding, impose restrictions
on the shape of an object. To avoid problems, understand the following
concepts:
Evaluate > IsoAngle | 433
The mold parts are pulled away from the object in a straight line, the pull
vector.
If the sides of the mold are too steep, the object cannot leave the mold.
As well, the object cannot leave the mold if the mold undercuts itself.
The minimum allowable angle between the sides of the mold and the pull
vector is the draft angle.
If part of a surface has an angle less than the draft angle, it is said to be
out-of-draft.
Parting Line Control

Pull Direction Enter 3D coordinates to define a direction in which the object
would be removed from its mold.
For example, if you want the pull vector to run along the Z axis, enter 0, 0, 1.
Draft Angle Enter the draft angle.

If the angle between a surface point and the pull vector is less than this value,
the surface point is out-of-draft, and is colored pink.
If the angle between a surface point and the pull vector is more than this
value, the surface point is in-draft, and is colored green.
Vector/Plane Enter the name of a vector/plane to position/align the
manipulator with it. (You can also click a vector/plane to align the manipulator
with it. Or you can select the vector/plane and the surface before selecting
the tool.)
Visual Draw fast polylines instead of curves-on-surface.
These lines are mainly for display purposes. Although you can pick them (to
delete them, for example), you cannot use them to create geometry.
Control Options
window.
Buttons
surface.
See also:
Create curves on surface from parting line data
Evaluate > Parting Line | 435
Evaluate > Min/Max Curvature

Displays the points with minimum and maximum curvature on a surface or a set of
surfaces.
Min/Max Curvature Options

Mode Choose whether to compute the curvatures on only Active (picked)
objects, or All objects. All is the default.
Curvature Type Choose how to calculate the curvature values:
Mean Use the average of the two principal curvatures to approximate the
average curvature through each point.
Gaussian Use the product of the two principal curvatures.
Principle Minimum/Principle Maximum Use the minimum or
maximum curvature values (that is, the curvature of the steepest or flattest
curves that pass through each point).
The Mean and Gaussian options are most useful for detecting surface
irregularities. The Princ Min/Max options are most useful for finding
inflection points.
See also:
Show the minimum and maximum curvature on a surface
Evaluate > Mass Properties

Displays the mass properties (volume, surface area, centroid) of the model.
Mass Properties Options

Volume, Surface Area, Centroid Check the values that you want to display
in the Mass Properties window.
Type Describe the way the selected surfaces or faces define the solid.
Solid The surfaces you pick represent the boundaries of a closed, solid object.
Shell Interior The surfaces you pick represent the exterior of a thin shell
enclosing a hollow space (for example, modeling a bottle with a single surface
of revolution). The Thickness on page 437 option specifies the thickness of that
shell.
Tolerance The precision of the tessellation used to determine the mass

properties.
Thickness The uniform thickness of the shell when using the Shell Interior
option (see Type on page 436). In this case, the Volume corresponds to the
volume of the shell, rather than the volume of the enclosed space. The Surface
Area corresponds to the sum of the interior and exterior surface areas.
This option appears only when Shell Interior is turned on.
Mass Properties Editor

Extract To File Click this button to save the mass properties data to a text
file.
See also:
Measure the mass properties of a model
Evaluate > Check Model

Checks all, visible, or picked objects for common problems that could prevent data
transfer.
Check Model Options

Check Check only surfaces, only curves, or both. The default is Surfaces.
Objects Check all objects, all visible objects, or picked (active) objects. The
default is Visible.
Report Errors Only show objects that failed one of the checks.
All Show all objects even if they pass the checks.
The default is Errors.
Use Construction Preset Choose one of the construction presets from the
drop down list. The list contains all the default and site based Construction
Presets available from Preferences > Construction Options on page 1088. The
checks will be done using the tolerances from the preset you choose, rather
than what is currently selected in the Construction Options window.
To use whatever set of tolerances is already selected in the Construction
Options window (indicated by an arrow), choose Use Current Tolerances.
Evaluate > Check Model | 437
Check Model Parameters

Rationals Check for rational geometry.
Periodics Check for periodic (closed) objects.
Multiple Trim Regions Use this check to find instances where trims have
made a single surface look like separate surfaces, which can confuse some CAD
software packages.
Multiple Knots Check for multi-knots (multiple edit points at the same point
in space that may create a sharp corner in a curve or surface).
Internal Tangent Discontinuity Report objects with internal tangent
discontinuities due to multi-knots.
Non-Planar Curves Check for curves that are not planar. This option only
appears when Check is set to Curves or Both.
Product Data Quality Recommended Checks

Duplicate Geometry Off No check is done for duplicate or embedded
geometry.
Copies Checks for curves or surfaces that are exact duplicates of each other.
Copies have the same CVs, same knots, and same degree. If Report is set to
All, the original object is marked Original in the Copies column of the
report window.
Duplicates Within Tolerance Checks for curves and surfaces that are
duplicates of, or embedded into other curves and surfaces, within the tolerance
given in the Duplicate Tolerance field.
Duplicate Tolerance This field appears when Duplicate Geometry is set
to Duplicates Within Tolerance. Curves or surfaces that lie within that
distance of each other are reported.
Short edges Check for edges (including trimmed edges) shorter than the
distance specified in the text field.
Tiny Spans Check for curves and surfaces whose interior span/isoparm
configuration results in the length of a span (or the length of both opposing
patch segments for surfaces) being smaller than the distance tolerance specified
in the text field.
Indistinct Knots Check for curves and surfaces whose interior span/isoparm
configuration results in knots being closer in parameter value than the
tolerance specified in the text field.
NOTE This check does not report multiple knots for which a separate check already
exists (see Multiple Knots).
Minimum Radius of Curvature Report surfaces that have a radius of curvature
smaller than a user-defined value. The smallest radius found on those surfaces
is reported.
Curve or Surf-Boundary Self-Intersect Report curves, surface boundaries, or
trimmed surface boundaries that contain interior self-intersections. A
self-intersection refers to the curve or surface boundary intersecting itself at
one or more locations that are not both endpoints.
Trimmed-Surf Boundary Intersect Report trimmed surfaces containing
boundaries that intersect other boundaries on the same surface, within the
tolerance supplied in the text field.
Maximum Degree Check for objects with a degree higher than the number
specified in the text field.
Maximum Spans Report curves and surfaces that contain a number of spans
exceeding the value specified in the text field.
Surface or Planar Curve Waviness Report surfaces or planar curves that have
more than a user-defined number of inflections (change in curvature sign)
over their entire length (or width for surfaces). The maximum number of
inflections allowed is entered in the text field (default is 3).
Allowed Inflections Per Span This field only appears when Surface
Curvature Waviness is ON. When turned on, it controls the maximum
number of inflections per span allowed for a surface to pass the waviness test,
in addition to the overall number of inflection permitted (see previous option).
The default is 1.
Normal Consistency Check for surfaces whose normal direction is inconsistent
with the normal direction of adjacent surfaces.
NOTE The Topology Distance tolerance (in Preferences > Construction Options
on page 1088 ) must be larger than the Maximum Gap Distance for this check
to find inconsistent normals.
Max Gap Distance - G0 Report objects that exceed a user-defined tolerance
for positional continuity between adjacent curves or surfaces.
The tolerance value is given by Maximum Gap Distance in the Tolerances
Continuity section of Preferences > Construction Options on page 1088 .
Evaluate > Check Model | 439
to find gaps.
See Maximum Gap Distance on page 1091.
Tangent Angle - G1 Report objects that exceed a user-defined tolerance for
tangent continuity between adjacent curves or surfaces.
The tolerance value is given by Continuity Angle in the Tolerances
to find tangent discontinuities.
See Continuity Angle on page 1091.
Curvature - G2 Report objects that exceed a user-defined tolerance for
curvature continuity between adjacent curves or surfaces.
The curvature deviation is calculated as:
The tolerance value is given by Continuity Curvature in the Tolerances

to find curvature discontinuities.
See Continuity Curvature on page 1091.
Report Parameters
Tangent Angle Maximum Maximum angle allowed between the tangents
(or normals) of objects for them to be included in the G1 continuity test.
Curvature Maximum Maximum curvature deviation allowed between objects
for them to be included in the G2 continuity test.
NOTE G0, G1, G2, and Normal Consistency checks are only performed if the
maximum distance between the objects is less than the Topology Distance
found in Preferences > Construction Options on page 1088 .
See also:
Evaluate > Deviation Map

Shows the deviation (distance) between a set of meshes and a set of NURBS surfaces
as a colored error map on the surfaces.
Can also show the deviation between two sets of surfaces, or two sets of meshes.
Deviation Map Control
Ramp Distance Maximum distance between surfaces and meshes shown on

the color ramp. Areas on surfaces where the deviation is larger than this value
are displayed in a solid color (red or purple). The default is 10.0.
Acceptable Distance Upper limit for the acceptable deviation between meshes
and surfaces. Regions of the surfaces where the deviation is smaller than this
value are colored in green. The default is 1.0.
the Ramp Distance, the surfaces display intermediate colors as shown on
the ramp.
Evaluate > Deviation Map | 441
See also:
Visualize the deviation between mesh-surface, surface-surface or mesh-mesh
Evaluate > Contact Analysis

Provides the ability to analyze the safely of a model.
This tool is especially useful with car interior surface design work to avoid
accidents where the head of the driver touches a sharp interior surface.
Equally capable of working with meshes and NURBS surfaces, this tool enables
you to examine a collection of surfaces for potential impact points with a
head (represented by a sphere).
The tool internally creates a sphere to use to judge where the head could
contact the surface model. For example, some spaces, like between the steering
wheel and the dash board, are too small for the head to fit into. Only the areas
where a head can actually fit in the case of an accident are examined for
sharpness and safety issues.
Before analyzing the model, ensure that normals are unified. If they point in
different directions, results can be unreliable.
In the background, the tool is triangulating a mesh, and performing the

collision analysis on the mesh; this mesh approximates the NURBS surface
based on the Triangle angle tolerance.
Contact Analysis Control

All values are in current units.
Sphere radius Size, in current units, of the head used to check for sharp
areas. The sphere radius is used to check for areas where a sphere of the
specified radius can touch the surface without intersecting any other part of
Evaluate > Contact Analysis | 443
the surface. In other words, areas where the sphere can fit (shaded green) and
areas where the sphere cannot fit (shaded blue-gray).
Radius The radius of curvature of the surfaces being examined. Any part of a
surface with radius of curvature equal to or smaller than the specified value
is highlighted in red. This radius is used to check for sharp areas.
Triangulation Angle Tolerance Triangulation angle tolerance is the size of
the angle formed between the normals of two disjoint surfaces lying close to
one another. If this angle is greater than the triangulation angle tolerance,
those boundary vertices of the two disjoint surfaces that lie close to one another
are shaded red, indicating a sharp edge.
Evaluate > Dynamic Measurement

Provides a quick way to measure distances.
It is especially useful on shaded models during design reviews.
See also:
Make quick measurements on shaded models
Evaluate > Pedestrian Protection

Provides the ability to evaluate pedestrian impact with a car hood.
By knowing where the head of a pedestrian impacts the hood of a car during
a collision, the design can be modified to reduce collisions with stiff
under-structures, improving the ability of pedestrians to survive collisions
with vehicles. This is now required by automotive safety guidelines in several
countries.
Input to this tool consists of:
Pedestrian height
Width of the impact zone (on each side of the center line)
Ground height
Car hood surfaces
(All distances and heights are in current units.)
The output is a degree 1 curve (polyline) that lies on the hood and indicates
where the top of the head of a pedestrian of the given height would impact
the selected surfaces if the pedestrian was hit by the car and fell across the
hood. The number of spans corresponds to the value of Impact Curve
Samples in the control window.
This impact curve produced by the Pedestrian Protection tool has
construction history and updates when the input values (such as pedestrian
height) or target surfaces are modified.
The input values can be modified through the control window or using the
manipulator, and the curve is re-calculated.
NOTE We assume that the Z axis is the vertical axis and that the centerline of the
car is along the X axis (see illustration above).
Pedestrian Protection Control

Ground Height Ground plane location (height along the Z axis in current
units). The default is Z = 0.
Impact Zone (+/-) Distance from the centerline (along the Y axis) that defines
the impact zone. This will be the extent covered by the output curve. The
default is +/- 600 mm.
Evaluate > Pedestrian Protection | 445
Pedestrian Height Height of the pedestrian in current units. The default is

1250 mm.
Control Options
Impact Curve Samples Number of points calculated for the output curve.
This also corresponds to the number of spans since the curve has degree 1.
Auto Recalc When this is checked on, the impact curve updates as you change
the values in the Pedestrian Protection control window.
Create History When this is checked on, construction history is created for
the impact curve. After leaving the tool, you can modify the surfaces and the
impact curve will update.
Buttons
Evaluate Click this button to re-calculate the impact curve if Auto Recalc
is turned off.
Undo All Removes the impact curve and de-select the surfaces. The values in
the control window are not reset.
See also:
Create an impact curve with Pedestrian Protection tool
Point Clouds palette
15
Point Clouds > Subset

Discards unwanted points from a cloud, or divides a large cloud into smaller clouds.
Point Cloud Subset Options

Keep which region Points inside region Keep the points you select, delete
the rest of the cloud.
Points outside region Delete the points you select, keep the rest of the
cloud.
Both Create a point cloud with the points you select, while keeping the
unselected points in the original cloud.
See also:
Edit point clouds
Point Clouds > Project Curve

Creates a curve by projecting an existing curve onto a point cloud.
Point Cloud Project Curve Options

Project Curve Onto Front Project the curve onto the front of the point cloud
(that is, the first part of the cloud it hits along the projection direction).
Front and Back Project the curve onto both the front and back of the cloud.
447
Initial Projection Same Number Spans The projected curve has the same
number of spans as the original curve.
To Tolerance The projected curve fits the point cloud within the tolerance
you set.
Point Location Method Approximate Quicker but less accurate projection.
Use this option with cross-sectioned data, or when you do not require high
precision.
Surface Intersection Slower but more accurate projection.
Maximum Iterations The maximum number of iterations to try when fitting
within a tolerance. More iterations is slower but may give a better fit.
You usually do not need to change this option.
Create History Save the construction history of the projected curve for later
editing. If you turn Create History on, you can modify the curve that was
used to create the projected curve, and the projected curve updates.
See also:
Build a surface on a point cloud
Project a curve onto a point cloud
Point Clouds > Surfaces > Gridded

Takes four boundary curves and fits a surface to the points of a cloud between them.
Point Cloud Gridded Surfaces Options

Spans Between U/V Isoparms The number of spans (the distance between
two edit points) between each of the original boundary or isoparametric curves
used to create the surface.
Set the values for the U and the V directions. You can adjust these values when
using the tool.
Continuity to Adjacent Surface(s) The type of influence neighboring surfaces
have on the new surfaces. This option only works when you use isoparametric
curves or edges of another surface as construction curves for the new surface.
project boundary to cloud This option creates a better fit to the point
cloud, but may cause the edges of the new surface to pull away from
448 | Chapter 15 Point Clouds palette
neighboring surfaces. Do not use this option if you have already projected
the curves onto the point cloud.
hold position This option keeps the edges of the new surface on the
boundary curves, and so keeps positional continuity with neighboring surfaces.
hold position and tangent This option keeps the edges of the new surface
on the boundary curves, and also tries to maintain tangency with neighboring
surfaces.
Fit Surface To Choose the type of data you are fitting the surface to.
For cross-sectioned data, enter the spacing between cross-section slices in the
Spacing Between Cross sections field. This allows the Gridded tool to
calculate a much better fit.
See also:
Point Clouds > Surfaces > Detailed

Takes any number of boundary curves and fits a trimmed surface to the points in the
bounded area of a cloud.
Tolerance The maximum distance allowed between the new surface and the
point cloud.
Percent of Points Within Tolerance The percentage of points that must be
within the tolerance range for the surface to build.
This accounts for stray points in the cloud that might otherwise keep the
surface from building.
Continuity The degree of continuity with neighboring surfaces (Positional,
Tangent, or Curvature).
This option only works when you use isoparametric curves or edges of another
surface as construction curves for the new surface.
This option only affects surfaces with four boundary curves. All other surfaces
are trimmed automatically.
Create Trimmed Surface Make surfaces created from four boundary curves
be trimmed surfaces.
Point Clouds > Surfaces > Detailed | 449
See also:
Point Clouds > Surfaces > Corners

Takes four points from a cloud and fits a surface to the cloud with those points at the
corners.
Point Cloud Corner Surfaces Options

Tolerance The maximum distance allowed between the new surface and the
point cloud.
Percent of Points Within Tolerance The percentage of points that must be
within the tolerance range for the surface to build.
This accounts for stray points in the cloud that might otherwise keep the
surface from building.
See also:
Point Clouds > Merge

Merges the picked clouds into one new cloud.
See also:
Edit point clouds
450 | Chapter 15 Point Clouds palette
Menus
Describes the purpose and options of all menu items.
451
452
File menu
16
File > New

Starts a new, empty wire file. The current wire file is deleted after you are given the option
of saving any changes.
In Paint mode, File > New behaves like Canvas > New Canvas on page 593
and opens a dialog window allowing you to create a new canvas in its own Paint
window.
In all other modes, it behaves like Layouts > All Windows > All Windows on
page 547 , and displays the four standard modeling windows.
See also:
Create a file
File > Open

Retrieves previously saved files, including wireframe models and foreign data formats
from client machines as well as WebDAV servers.
TIP To add the data from a file to the current scene, use File > Import > File on page
456 .
NOTE The PTC Granite format is also supported, but because there are no options,
it is not listed in the option window.
453
For more information on the command line utilities corresponding to these

formats see Platforms and Command reference.
See also:
Import options on page 464
Import CAD data files
Open a Binary STL file
Import a PTC Granite or a Pro/ENGINEER part file (Windows only)
Open a file
Create a mesh
File > Open Recent > Clear History

Empties the list of files that shows under File > Open Recent.
This list contains files that were recently opened or saved.
NOTE File > Open Recent > only keeps track of certain types of files. Shader
files, textures, light files, and environment files will not be listed. However, any file
that can be opened through File > Open on page 453 should be of a valid type.
File > Open Stage Set

Opens sets of related wire files that can be displayed and worked on together in separate
stages.
File > Save

Stores the scene data in a file.
If this is the first time the file is saved, the File Browser appears, prompting
you to enter a file name.
TIP To export only the picked objects to a file, use File > Export > Active As on
page 475 .
454 | Chapter 16 File menu
File > Save As

Performs the same function as File > Save on page 454 , but prompts for a new file
name.
The options window displays different options based on the file format you
choose. Some file formats, such as OpenInventor, have no options.
This tool has the same options as File > Export > Active As on page 475 . See
Export options on page 489.
File > Save Stageset As

Saves sets of related wire files with a new name.
File > Checkpoint

Lets you save and load versions of the current wire file.
Auto Save Turn this option on to save a checkpoint automatically at set
intervals (controlled by the Frequency option).
Frequency The number of actions between auto-saves (when the Auto Save
option is turned on).
Maximum Files The maximum number of checkpoints to maintain on disk.
After this number is reached, older checkpoints are deleted to make room for
new ones.
Auto Save Checkpoints Lists the automatically saved checkpoints. Click a
checkpoint and click Retrieve to go back to the checkpointed state.
Manual Checkpoints Lists the time and size of checkpoints you have saved.
Click a checkpoint and click Retrieve to go back to the checkpointed state.
Disk Usage The current amount of space used on disk for all checkpoint files
(in megabytes).
Max The maximum amount of space that will be used on disk for all
checkpointed files.
File > Save As | 455
Verify on Save Checks the integrity of every checkpoint after it is saved. This
guarantees the checkpoint files were written safely, but slows down auto save.
Clear on Exit Deletes all checkpoint files when you exit Alias.
List Changes the list to show checkpoints from the Current Stage or all
Stages With Checkpoints.
Clear Deletes the selected checkpoint.
Retrieve Loads the selected checkpoint as the current wire file.
Chkpnt Saves a manual checkpoint of the current wire file.
See also:
Save checkpoints
File > Import > File

Allows you to transfer data from different file formats into the current scene.
NOTE To replace the current scene with the contents of a file, use File > Open on
page 453 .
NOTE The PTC Granite format is also supported, but because there are no
options, it is not listed in the option window.
See also:
Import options on page 464
Illustrator format
Import a UGS NX (Unigraphics) file into Alias (Windows only)
Import CAD data files
Import Illustrator files
Import CATIA V4 into Alias (Windows only)
Import a CATIA V5 file into Alias (Windows only)
Create a file
Import data into the current file
Create a mesh
File > Import > Cloud

Allows you to read in very large cloud files.
Sample every nth pt. Only read in one out of a number of points you set.
For example, set the option to 2 to only read every other point. Set the option
to 3 to only read every 3rd point.
Use this option as a last resort to import enormous point cloud files that are
too large to load otherwise.
Default is set to 1. Range up to 100.
See also:
Import Cloud data
File > Import > Anim

Imports a library of animation actions.
Import Anim Options

Match Method Determines how to match up the objects in the SDL file with
those in the picked hierarchy.
Hierarchy All objects in the retrieved animation are matched to their
corresponding objects in the picked hierarchy, based on their position within
the hierarchy.
Name DAG node objects in the SDL file are matched to those DAG node
objects in the picked hierarchy that have the same name. Non-DAG objects
are still matched according to their position relative to their nearest DAG
ancestor.
Retrieve Method Determines how the picked objects are affected by the
animation being read in from the SDL file:
File > Import > Cloud | 457
Replace Part Replaces a portion of the existing animation, if any, on the

affected parameters. The portion replaced begins at the point specified by the
Placement on page 458 option, and extends for the number of frames implied
by the selection in the Frame Range on page 458 option.
Replace All Replaces all of the existing animation on the affected
parameters, regardless of frame number.
Insert Inserts animation from the SDL file into the existing animation, at
the point specified by the Placement on page 458 option. Any existing
animation after this point is moved ahead in time to make room for the
inserted animation, unless a placement of Before or After was specified; in
which case, existing animation remains where it is.
Parameters Indicates which parameters should be retrieved from the SDL file:
All All parameters in the file are retrieved.
Global Retrieves only those parameters that are selected in the Global
section of the Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 window.
Local Retrieves only those parameters that are selected in the Local section
of the Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 window for the
currently picked object(s).
NOTE If the SDL file contains no animation for a parameter in the frame range
being retrieved, then that parameter will not be affected, regardless of the setting
of the Parameters option.
Frame Range Specifies which frames are to be retrieved from the SDL file:
All Selects all animation in the file, from the first to the last keyframes for
all affected parameters in the file.
Option Window Pops up Start and End sliders that can be used to
explicitly specify the range of frames to retrieve from the SDL file.
If the start or end of the frame range does not fall precisely on a keyframe for
any of the affected parameters, then a keyframe will be inserted at that point.
If the animation on an affected parameter does not span the full range selected,
then it may be extended to the edges of the range using linear tangents. This
is only done if the Replace Part or Insert operations have been selected
and the retrieved animation joins up with existing animation.
Placement
Specifies where the animation from the SDL file should be placed:
The Before and After options are only available when using the Insert
retrieval method.
Before Causes the SDL animation to be inserted before the first keyframe
of animation on the currently picked object(s).
After Causes the SDL animation to be inserted after the last keyframe
of animation on the currently picked object(s).
From File Causes all of the keyframes from the SDL animation to be
placed at the same times as they occupy in the SDL file.
Option Window Pops up the Start Time slider which you can use to
specify the time at which the first keyframe from the SDL file should be
placed.
Spacing Allows you to specify a time gap to be left between the start and end
of an inserted segment of animation, and between subsequent copies of an
inserted or replaced segment of animation.
If the spacing is set to 0, it is possible (even likely) that the keyframes at either
end of the inserted animation will fall on the same time as one of the keyframes
in the existing animation. Since only one keyframe is allowed at any given
time, the time of the leftmost of the two keyframes is set back by 0.01 frames
to distinguish it from the other and the two are joined with linear tangents.
An exception to this is if both keyframes also have the same value; in which
case, they are merged into a single keyframe.
By explicitly setting Spacing to a value greater than 0, you can avoid the
default behavior and better fine-tune the transition between the existing and
inserted animations.
File > Import > Anim | 459
Copies Specifies the number of copies of the retrieved animation to place into
the existing animation. The first keyframe of each copy immediately follows
the last keyframe of the previous one by the gap specified in the Spacing
option.
Retrieve Joint IK If this option is selected, the IK handle information is
retrieved for the corresponding sections of a skeleton. This information is
saved with the animation in the SDL file.
Overwrite Names If this option is selected, the names of the affected existing
animation curves will be overwritten by the names of the curves retrieved
from the SDL file. If the new name conflicts with that of some other curve in
the existing animation, then a default curve name will be created.
If Overwrite Names is not selected, then the names of the existing animation
curves will be retained. Note that it is not always be possible to retain curve
names, specifically in the case where multiple-instance actions are involved.
If a curves existing name cannot be retained, then it will be given a new,
default name.
The Overwrite Names option is only available for a Replace All operation.
Replace Part and Insert always try to retain existing curve names.
See also:
Import animation
File > Import > Image Plane

Imports a two-dimensional image into a camera.
You can use image planes for the following:
Rotoscoping Using live action footage in the background to which you

can match your models.
Model Guides You can set up three orthographic drawings as matte planes
to use for model building guides.
For example, in scenes with many objects, you can pre-render the objects
that you are not working on and use these renders as matte planes.
Sprite Animation You can animate matte planes as you do 3D models.
An image plane is associated with the camera.
Import an image plane

1 Choose File > Import > Image Plane .
2 Find the TIFF image you want to open.
3 Click Load Image.
The image plane is attached to the camera in the current window.
Change image plane settings

Click the window with the matte plane and choose Windows > Editors >
Cameras on page 1032 .
Notes
All of the above options can be changed or refined using the camera editor,
once the image plane has been loaded.
To remove an image plane from the model, use Delete > Delete Image
Planes on page 541 .
You cannot load image planes that have alphabetic characters in their
numeric extension (for example, an animated sequence having numeric
extensions). Make sure the extension only contains numbers. If the image
sequence consists of fields, use the filace utility to first interlace the fields
into frames.
You cannot use images that have extensions of five or more characters.
Import Image Plane Options

Size Fit window Fits the image plane into the modeling window.
Specified Imports the image plane at a specified size.
Horizontal If you select a Size of Specified, the Horizontal option appears
below it so that you can specify the horizontal width of the image plane in
centimeters.
Display Mode RGB shows a color preview of the image. Box shows only an
outline for faster display.
Depth Type Determines which image planes appear in front of each other or
the wireframe model. This setting is Off or Priority.
File > Import > Image Plane | 461
When it is Priority, a slider is also displayed, which determines which image

planes appear in front of each other or the wireframe model.
Image planes and the model are drawn in this order, from back to front:
Image planes with Depth Type set to Off
Image planes with Depth Type set to Priority and Depth of 0 or less, from
lowest to highest depth
The wireframe model
Image planes with Depth Type set to Priority and Depth greater than 0.0, from
lowest to highest depth
An image plane with depth greater than 0.0 appears in front of the model,
whereas other image planes appear behind the model. Depth drawing is in
sorted order so an image plane with a depth of 2.0 appears behind an image
plane with a depth of 3.0, and an image plane of depth -3.0 appears behind
an image plane of depth -2.0.
Crop to Window If Crop to Window is ON, the image plane is cropped to
fit in the selected window. By default, this toggle is turned OFF.
Dim Image If Dim Image is ON, the image plane is greyed somewhat to
create an inconspicuous background. By default, this toggle is turned OFF.
See also:
Add or delete an image plane
Annotate a model or cloud data
File > Import > Canvas Image

Imports an image file as a new image layer or mask layer, on an existing canvas, or
on a new canvas.
NOTE Sketchbook Pro layer information is retained when importing Sketchbook
Pro TIFF files.
Import Image Layer Options

Layer Type Image Imports the image as an image layer.
Mask(Luminance) Imports the image as a mask layer, using the images
luminance values as a mask.
Mask(Transparency) Imports the image as a mask layer, using the images

transparency (that is, its alpha channel) as a mask.
Always create New Canvas If this option is checked on, the layer is imported
into a new canvas created in the active window. If it is checked off, the import
operation behaves as follows:
If there are picked canvas(es) and/or construction plane(s), the layer is

imported into each picked canvas or construction plane. (Construction
planes are thus converted into canvases.)
If nothing is picked, the layer is imported into the active canvas.
If there is no active canvas in the active window, the layer is imported into
a new canvas created in the active window.
See also:
Import an image as a new canvas
Import an image as an image layer
Create a mask from an image file
File > Import > Alias Paint Canvas

Imports an Alias Canvas file as an image plane with layers.
This is a plug-in that you can load by selecting canvasFileImport from the
plug-in manager (Utilities > Plug-in Manager on page 1097 ).
Its purpose is to import 2D Alias Paint canvas files when the Alias Paint project
directory has been copied from UNIX on to your Windows machine.
All 2D image & mask layers will be imported into the active window.
NOTE No Alias Paint 3D paint textures or geometry will be imported. No Alias
Paint shelves will be imported. Multiple masks will be imported as Alias layers
masks.
File > Import > Alias Paint Canvas | 463
Import options
Wire import options
Keep Windows Controls whether windows are retrieved. ON retrieves them,
OFF does not. The default is ON.
Keep Cameras Controls whether cameras are retrieved. ON retrieves them,
OFF does not. The default is ON.
Keep Lights Controls whether lights are retrieved. ON retrieves them, OFF
does not. The default is OFF.
Keep Shaders Controls whether shaders are retrieved. ON retrieves them, OFF
does not. The default is OFF.
Keep Animation Determines whether to retrieve animations or only models.
The default is ON.
OFF retrieves only models; ON retrieves both models and animation. If this
option is ON, a window that contains an animated camera is retrieved.
Keep Background If ON, retrieves backgrounds contained in a wire file. The
initial default is ON.
Keep Construction Options If ON, a prompt will appear asking the user if
they would like to Accept the construction options contained in wire file.
The initial default is ON.
Keep Render Globals If ON, brings in the render globals set for the wire file
into the system, overriding the current settings.
To set render globals, use Render > Globals (see the Rendering book).
Keep Layers If ON, brings the layers you set in the wire file into the system,
overriding the current settings.
Keep Bookmarks If ON, bookmarks are imported as before. If OFF, the
bookmarks are not imported. This helps avoid the proliferation of bookmarks
that can occur when importing several files.
IGES import options

Default Trim Curves Specifies the trim curves that the processor will use. You
can select parameter space curves (Parameter Space), model space curves
(World Space), or use the flag that is present in the .IGES file (IGES Trim
Flag). IGES Trim Flag is the default. If the value is not specified, we use 3D
world space curves, and if not available, 2D parameter space trimming curves.
Shrink Surfaces When ON, Alias detects trimmed surfaces whose trim
boundaries are the same as, or iso-parametric to, the natural boundaries of
the untrimmed surface. It then converts these surfaces into Alias surfaces by
shrinking the untrimmed surface to the trim boundaries.
When OFF, Alias converts all trimmed surfaces of this type to Alias trimmed
surfaces.
Create Section Data If Create Section Data is ON, degree 1 curves are imported
as section data.
Logfile Output When ON, a logfile containing a list of path names of imported
files, and a list of warning and/or error messages, is generated. The default is
OFF.
VDAIS import options

Group Determines how files stored in VDAIS file format will be retrieved.
When ON, objects are retrieved as a single group for easier manipulation.
Annotation Enables (ON) or disables (OFF) the processing of supported VDAIS
entities that have been flagged for use as annotation.
Coalesce Params Enables (ON) or disables (OFF) multiple knot removal in
curve or surface geometry read from VDAIS files containing parametric spline
curves or surfaces.
The default is OFF.
NOTE If for any reason the trimming fails, the translator will try to trim with the
alternative curves.
Default Trim Curves Selects the trim curves that the processor will use. You
can select parameter space curves, model space curves, or use the flag that is
present in the.VDAIS file.
Scale Factor Changes the size of models stored in VDAIS file formats as you
retrieve the file.
Level Mapping Determines how the level (layer) information associated with
an VDAIS entity is mapped to Alias Set and Alias Layer information.
VDAIS import options | 465
Trimmed Surface Optimizations

surfaces.
JAMAIS import options

Group Determines how files stored in JAMA-IS file format are retrieved. When
ON, objects are retrieved as a single group for easier manipulation.
Annotation Enables (ON) or disables (OFF) the processing of supported
JAMA-IS entities that have been flagged for use as annotation.
Coalesce Params Enables (ON) or disables (OFF) multiple knot removal in
curve or surface geometry read from JAMA-IS files containing parametric spline
curves or surfaces. The default is OFF.
NOTE If for any reason the trimming fails, the translator will try to trim with the
alternative curves.
Default Trim Curves Lets you specify the trim curves the processor will use.
You can select parameter space curves, model space curves, or use the flag that
is present in the.JAMA-IS file.
Scale Factor Changes the size of models stored in JAMA-IS file format while
you retrieve the file.
Level Mapping Determines how the level (layer) information associated with
an JAMA-IS entity is mapped to Alias Set and Alias Layer information.
surfaces.
C4 import options
Group Determines how files stored in C4 file format are retrieved. When ON,
objects are retrieved as a single group for easier manipulation.
Annotation Enables (ON) or disables (OFF) the processing of supported C4
entities that have been flagged for use as annotation.
Default Trim Curves Selects the trim curves that the processor will use. You
can select parameter space curves, model space curves, or use the flag that is
present in the.VDAIS file. If for any reason the trimming fails, the translator
will try to trim with the alternative curves.
Scale Factor Changes the size of models stored in C4 file format as you retrieve
the file.
surfaces.
VDAFS import options

Items in VDAFS files that were grouped using BEGINSET/ENDSET are grouped
in a hierarchy in Alias after retrieval. Entity names are preserved.
as section data.
Group Determines how files stored in VDAFS file format are retrieved. When
Coalesce Params Enables (when ON) or disables multiple knot removal in
curve or surface geometry read from VDAFS files containing parametric spline
curves or surfaces. The default is OFF.
Map Groups as Layers When ON, VDAFS groups are mapped to Alias Layers.
All items in the group are assigned to the created layer. The name of the group
becomes the name of the layer.
C4 import options | 467
Default Trim Curves Selects the curves that the processor will use to trim
surfaces. You can select parameter space or model space curves. If for any
reason the trimming fails, the translator will try to trim with the alternative
curves.
Scale Factor Changes the size of models stored in VDAFS file format when
UGS NX import options (Windows only)

Keep Topology If this option is checked, solids are converted to Alias shells.
Otherwise, they are converted to a collection of trimmed surfaces.
surfaces.
Convert Facets When ON, entities of type Facet are converted (to meshes).
Convert Nurbs When ON, entities of type Nurbs are converted
Convert Curves When ON, entities of type Curve are converted
Convert Points When ON, entities of type Point are converted
Logfile Output If checked, a report containing a list of path names of imported
file(s), and a list of warning and/or error messages will be produced.
DES import options

as section data.
Group Determines how files stored in DES file format are retrieved. When
Scale Factor Changes the size of models stored in DES file formats as you
retrieve the file.
STEP import options

surfaces.
Autodesk Inventor import options (Windows only)

Nurbs When this option is checked, curves and surfaces are converted to
NURBS geometry.
Meshes When this option is checked, polygonal geometry is converted to
meshes.
CATIA V4 import options (Windows only)

Keep Topology If this option is checked, CATIA skins are converted to Alias
shells. Otherwise, they are converted to a collection of trimmed surfaces.
surfaces.
Import Invisible By default this option is ON.
By default, CATIA invisible (not datum) entities are converted to Alias invisible
entities.
When OFF (-v option specified for C5ToAl), CATIA invisible (hidden) entities
are ignored and are not converted.
Import Infinite By default this option is ON.
CATIA entities which are considered as having an infinite geometry (for
example, lines, planes) are converted by default.
When OFF (-x option specified for C5ToAl), CATIA infinite entities are ignored
and are not converted.
STEP import options | 469
Import Curves By default this option is ON.

CATIA parametric curves (Type 3), composite curves (Type 24), and NURBs
curves (Type 46) are converted to Alias curves.
Import Points By default this option is ON.
CATIA points (Type 1) are converted to Alias points.
Import Meshes By default this option is ON.
CATIA
Logfile Output If chosen, a report containing a list of path names of imported
file(s), and a list of warning and/or error messages will be produced.
CATIA V5 import options (Windows only)

Import NURBS If this option is checked on, curve, surface, shell, and solid
geometry data in CATIA is imported as NURBS in Alias. The default is on.
Keep Topology If this option is checked on (default), CATIA skins are
converted to Alias shells. Otherwise, they are converted to a collection of
trimmed surfaces.
Shrink Surfaces If this option is checked on, Alias detects trimmed surfaces
whose trim boundaries are the same as, or iso-parametric to, the natural
boundaries of the untrimmed surface. It then converts these surfaces into Alias
surfaces by shrinking the untrimmed surface to the trim boundaries.
When checked off (default), Alias converts all trimmed surfaces of this type
to Alias trimmed surfaces.
Import Cloud Data If this option is checked on, CATIA cloud mesh data
(which is generally scan data) is converted to Alias mesh data. The default if
on.
Import Weld Data If this option is checked on, CATIA weld data (assembly
joints) is converted to NURBS data in Alias. The default if on.
Import Meshes If this option is checked on, tessellated data associated to a
part in CATIA (that is, the graphical representation of the geometry data in
CATIA) is converted to meshes in Alias. The default if off.
NOTE In general, you do not want to import both NURBS and Mesh data, as they
are different representations of the same objects.
Keep Color This option only appears when Import Meshes is on. If checked
on, the color for each face of tessellated data is preserved. The default if on.
Merge Vertices This option only appears when Import Meshes is on. If
checked on, all coincident vertices (within tolerance) in a mesh (tessellated
data) are merged, and normals are averaged at the merged vertices. The default
if off.
Tolerance This option only appears when Merge Vertices is on. Vertices
that are within this distance of each other are merged.
Import By Layer If this option is checked on, the geometrical sets are
converted to layers. The default if on.
Import invisible If this option is checked on, CATIA invisible (not datum)
entities are converted to Alias invisible entities.
If checked off (-v option specified for C5ToAl), CATIA invisible (hidden) entities
are ignored and are not converted. This is the default.
Import infinite If this option is checked on, CATIA entities which are
considered as having an infinite geometry (for example, lines, planes) are
imported into Alias.
If checked off (-x option specified for C5ToAl), CATIA infinite entities are
ignored and are not imported. This is the default.
Logfile Output If checked on, a report containing a list of path names of
imported file(s), and a list of warning and/or error messages will be produced.
This options is off by default.
CAI import options (Windows only)

Extended Log File If ON and the model is a.CAI file, then the model will be
imported with the capacity to view the extended log file. If OFF, the model
is imported without the ability to view the extended log file.
OBJ import options

Keep Normals Specifies whether to preserve vertex normals when files are
retrieved. When this option is on ON (the default), vertex normals are retrieved
from the file and used by the renderer. When this option is on OFF, vertex
normals are ignored, which means that they are recalculated during rendering.
CAI import options (Windows only) | 471
WARNING If vertex normals are retrieved, they are frozen and are not updated.
Vertex level editing, such as moving one vertex in relation to its neighbors, can
make the frozen normals invalid, so subsequent renderings will not be correct.
However, object-level editing (such as translation, rotation, or proportional scaling)
does not cause these problems.
Input Units Specifies the major linear unit for the incoming file.
Scale Factor Specifies the scaling factor for this save. The default is 1.0.
Merge Vertices Specifies whether vertices are considered for merging.
ON (the default) Vertices are merged if they are within the position tolerance.
OFF Vertices are not merged.
Position Tol. (units) Specifies how close vertexes must be to be merged, in
the current major linear units. The default is 0.0001 unit.
Encapsulated Postscript import options

Group Determines how files stored in Postscript file format are retrieved.
Scale Factor Changes the size of models stored in Postscript file format as you
retrieve the file Group
Illustrator import options

Group Determines how files stored in Adobe Illustrator file format are retrieved.
When OFF, each of the curves in our model are displayed in the SBD window
as separate nodes.
Scale Factor Changes the size of models stored in Illustrator file format as
Pro/E Render import options

Pro/ENGINEER Render Format files can be imported into Alias. The translator
converts the triangle data of the Pro/ENGINEER Render format into Alias
meshes. It is important that the Pro/ENGINEER designer assign each part of
an assembly a different color, so that each part will become a separate mesh
in Alias. The colors are also translated into simple Alias shaders and these
shaders are assigned to the appropriate objects.
Group Determines how files stored in the Pro/ENGINEER Render file format
are retrieved. When ON, objects are retrieved as a single group for easier
manipulation.
Input Units If the units of the Pro/ENGINEER Render coordinate data is
known, it can be set using one of the options in this popup menu so that the
data is properly converted to the linear units set in Alias. The default is
INCHES.
Scale Factor Changes the size of models stored in the Pro/ENGINEER Render
file format as you retrieve the file.
Keep Normals Vertex normals in Pro/ENGINEER Render files all point towards
the inside of objects. For rendering purposes in Alias, these normals must
point towards the outside of objects. Consequently, the translator flips all
vertex normals during the translation.
The vertex normals of meshes are usually recalculated by the Alias renderer
before it renders meshes. By default, the normals assigned to vertices in the
Pro/ENGINEER Render file are frozen so that they are used by the renderer
rather than discarded and recalculated. This allows the renderer to produce a
better quality rendering.
To suppress this behavior, set Keep Normals OFF so that the renderer will
discard the Pro/ENGINEER assigned normals and recalculate them.
WARNING If vertex normals are retrieved, they are considered frozen and they
cannot be changed, so vertex level editing, such as moving one vertex in relation
to its neighbors, may invalidate the vertex normal since it will not be updated,
and subsequent renderings will not be correct.
NOTE Object level editing, such as translation, rotation, and proportional scaling
are still valid operations on frozen normals.
Merge Vertices By default, the translator may merge the vertices of triangles
along apparent shared edges. If two vertices have the same x,y,z position
within a tolerance and have the same normal within angular tolerance, they
are merged into one vertex. This allows Alias to do smooth shading across the
edges. If two vertices have the same x,y,z position, but have different normals,
then these vertices are not merged to maintain the hard edge.
If set to OFF, no vertex merging occurs and all edges are rendered hard.
If set to ON, the POSITION/NORMAL menu becomes available.
Pro/E Render import options | 473
Position/Normal Determines how vertices and normals are merged.

List Item
Description
POSITION + NORMAL
vertices and normals are merged based

on their x, y, z position.
POSITION
vertices only are merged based on their

x, y, z position. Normals are not merged.
Position Tol. (units) The tolerance used for comparing vertex positions can
be specified using the Input Units option selected. The value specified is in
the same units as the data. For example, if you specified 0.01 MILLIMETERS
from the Input Units menu, the tolerance for comparing vertex positions is
0.01 millimeters.
NOTE If you change the units from the default inches, then the default tolerance
of 0.0001 may have to be changed to make sense for the units specified.
Normal Tol. (degrees) The tolerance used for normal comparisons can be
specified in degrees and is the angle between the normals of two vertices. The
default is that two vertices will be merged if their positions are equal within
tolerance and the angle between the normals is less than 1 degree.
OpenInventor import options (Windows only)

NOTE The Inventor/VRML translator does not support annotation information.
Default Units The popup menu has options for millimeters, centimeters,
meters, kilometers, inches, feet and miles.
If an OpenInventor file has a length unit defined, the translation will use that
unit. If no unit is claimed in the file, the Default Unit set in this option is
used.
Optimize If checked, optimizes the Inventor file for improved retrieval and
model performance within Alias. If model structure is important, uncheck
this option .
STL import options

The triangle data from STL files is imported into Alias as meshes.
NOTE See mesh for more information on mesh objects.
Merge vertices If checked, vertices within the given tolerance (see below) are
merged when the file is retrieved.
Tolerance (units) This option is only visible if Merge Vertices has been
checked. The value is the tolerance within which vertices of the tessellated
mesh are considered to be coincident and will be merged. By raising this value,
the distance within which vertices will be considered coincident is broadened.
The slider range is 0.0001 to 10. The default value is 0.0001.
JT import options (Windows only)

Import JT Open (.jt) files into Alias. Supported items are assembly, instances,
materials, curves, XT-Brep, JT-brep, LODS.
BREP Import breps. By default, they are imported.
Curves Import curves. By default, they are imported.
Meshes Import levels of detail. By default, they are imported.
Merge vertices If checked, vertices within the given tolerance (see below) are
merged when the file is retrieved.
Tolerance (units) This option is only visible if Merge Vertices has been
checked. The value is the tolerance within which vertices of the tessellated
mesh are considered to be coincident and will be merged. By raising this value,
the distance within which vertices will be considered coincident is broadened.
The slider range is 0.0001 to 10. The default value is 0.0001.
File > Export > Active As

Allows you to translate the Alias data into appropriate CAD file format.
Stores the picked objects in a file.
STL import options | 475
TIP To save the entire scene (not just the picked objects), use File > Save on page
454 or File > Save As on page 455 .
The window displays different options based on the file format you choose.
Some file formats, such as OpenInventor, have no options.
See also:
Export options on page 489
Export a data file
Export STEP/IGES/PTC Granite to Pro/ENGINEER
Export picked objects
File > Export > SDL

Saves SDL files which contains information necessary to render a scene.
SDL is the Scene Description Language used by Alias. An SDL file is a binary
file that contains all the information necessary to render a scene, including
models, shaders, lights, and animation. To convert an SDL file into editable
text, use the stand-alone utility bsdl. Because they can be converted to simple
text files, you can edit an SDL file "by hand". That is, you can create or edit a
scene using a text editor and SDL commands. Usually, however, you will not
need to directly edit SDL files. Instead, the interactive modeling program will
automatically generate the SDL file for a scene and output it to the renderer.
If you do convert an SDL file to text to edit it, remember to convert it back to
a binary when youre done, using bsdl.
There are, however, some cases where you may want to edit an SDL file:
for absolute, mathematical control over scene elements such as models,

animation paths, and shaders.
to modify a generated SDL file manually, or with another program.
to create new procedural effects using the general programming features

of SDL.
By applying basic programming constructs to scene descriptions you can create

useful and spectacular effects that would be tedious or impossible to create
with the interactive modeler alone. You can also augment the dynamics and
particle systems of the interactive modeler with the flexibility of the SDL
programming language.
Once you have an SDL file describing a scene, you can then render it either
within the interactive modeler, or using one of the stand-alone renderers.
NOTE If you are planning to use the command line to render an SDL file that has
embedded textures, you must extract them before writing out the SDL file.
See also:
Export SDL files
Rendering tools and menus
Render a scene from the UNIX command line
File > Export > Anim

Creates a library of animation actions to be used in another model or scene.
Export Anim Options

Store You can choose to store just the Curves (or actions) that are used by
the selected items to create animation curve libraries, or the Hierarchy as
well, which stores the channels of each selected object and a description of
which curves (or actions) they use.
If Curves is selected, the resulting Curve library files cannot be imported into
Alias. (Alias needs both curves and hierarchy.)
If Hierarchy is selected, the Animation SDL file can be retrieved onto
picked objects using File > Import > Anim on page 457 .
Parameters You can store curves for All parameters, or just those chosen in
the Global or Local parameter control window (see Animation > Editors >
Param Control on page 928 for details).
This option also lets you store parts of a hierarchy. For example, if CV
animation is disabled in the param control window, and you choose
Hierarchy, everything in the hierarchy is stored except CV animations. This
option also lets you avoid storing animations for animated shaders.
File > Export > Anim | 477
Hierarchy You can choose to write out the channels for just the object (None),
the object and its ancestors (Above), the object and its descendants (Below),
or the object and its ancestors and descendants (Both).
Save Joint IK If this option is toggled ON when you save an animation for a
skeleton, the IK handle information is saved for each joint of the skeleton.
Additional hierarchy information associated with the handles of the skeleton
is also saved.
Data Per Frame If toggled ON, each channel is written out as linked to a
single parameter curve action that is sampled in frame increments specified
by the By option. This is similar to replacing the channel and possibly all its
timewarp actions with a single action, as in CurveTools > Use result in the
Action Window (Animation > Editors > Action Window on page 871 ).
Time Range If Data Per Frame is toggled ON, the following Time Range
options are displayed. You can write out the animation on a channel for its
complete range, or only within the specified time.
All Each channel is written out as a parameter curve action defined over
the complete range of the channel using the By slider.
Option Window The channel is sampled only between the specified Start
and End values, with an interval determined by the By value.
Limitations
Retrieve Anim may cause an expression to reference an existing curve

rather than a new curve if in the Anim SDL file the expression refers to a
Parameter curve that has the same name as a different curve already present
in the scene.
Either rename the existing curve before retrieving the animation, or edit
the Anim SDL file and rename both the curve and the expressions reference
to it.
Retrieve Anim with Overwrite Names OFF may result in expressions

referring to non-existent parameter curves and give a syntax error with no
further explanation of the problem.
Use Overwrite Names ON in the retrieve operation, or rename the
existing curve or the curve in the Anim SDL file before retrieving.
See also:
Export animation channels
File > Export > SLC

Translates NURBS into the SLC format to create a valid solid watertight model for Solid
Imaging.
Output Units Indicates in which units you want to output the SLC data. This
choice (millimeters or inches) will be reflected in the output .slc files headers
keyword -UNIT. By default the value will be inches.
Model Type Specifies the StereoLithography model type.
Part or Support Must be closed contours (polylines). By default, the

model type is Part.
Web type Can be open polylines or line segments. Typically used to

support cantilever regions on parts.
The choice will be reflected in the output .slc files headers keyword TYPE.
Auto Range If toggled ON (default) this option uses the bounding box of the
object to determine where to compute the slices (contour data). The slices will
be produced for the entire object, no matter what its position is in space, If
toggled OFF, two extra sliders are displayed.
Thickness Specifies the spacing (in mm) of the slices (contoured layers). By
default the value is 0.01 mm.
The Header Section The header section of the .slc file is an ASCII character
string (up to 2048 bytes) containing global information about the model.
File > Export > SLC | 479
The output in the header provides the following information:
SLC file format version number (-SLCVER2.0)
Output units (-UNITS<INCH/MM>
Type of model (-TYPE<PART/SUPPORT/WEB>)
Vender package and version number (which produce the SLC file
(-PACKAGE ALIAS STUDIO V10.0)
Calculations and sets from SLC output x,y,z extends of the model
(-EXTENTS mx,Mx,my,My, mz,Mz)
Header keywords (CHORDDEV, ARCRES, SURFTOL, GAPTOL,

MAXGAPFOUNS, EXTLWC, STHICK, STARD and ENDD) are set to 0.0.
File > Export > Rapid Prototype

Creates valid output for rapid prototyping (manifold, watertight meshes with consistent
normals in .STL or .ZPR (Windows only) file formats).
NOTE In this release, texture mapping is not supported in .ZPR output.
Export Rapid Prototype Control

File Format The format of the output file, STL or ZPR (Windows only).
Format The format of the output STL file (ASCII or Binary). The default
setting is Binary.
Stitch Tolerance Controls how accurately surfaces are tessellated.
Max Edge Length Specifies the maximum length of any triangle edge (in
Flip Normals Flips the mesh normal and the mesh display orientation
Create Wall Thickness Makes the mesh solid by thickening the walls according
the the Wall Thickness setting.
Wall Thickness Specifies the thickness of the mesh walls.
Display Color For ZPR format, displays stitch color assignments on the mesh
in flat shaded mode.
See also:
Create valid output for Rapid Prototyping (STL and ZPR files)
File > Export > Screen

Saves screenshots of the entire screen.
Save Screen Options
The following image formats are available:
JPEG
TIFF
BMP (32 bits)
File > Export > Current Window

Saves screenshots of the current window.
File > Export > Screen | 481
Save Current Window Options
File Type The following image formats are available:
JPEG
TIFF
TIFF with alpha
BMP (32 bits) (Windows only)
Specify Image Size If checked, two sliders enable you to set (in pixels) the
dimensions of the output image.
Maintain Aspect Ratio If this option is checked, the Vertical Size value is
first adjusted so that the aspect ratio corresponds to that of the current window.
Changing the horizontal or vertical size will then automatically adjust the
other slider so that the aspect ratio of the image is preserved.
This option only appears when Specify Image Size in on.
Horizontal / Vertical Size Size (in pixels) of the output image.
These options only appear when Specify Image Size in on.
Quality Level This option only appears when the File Type is jpeg.
Use the pull-down menu (Maximum, High, Medium or Low) or the slider
(values from 1 to 100) to adjust the quality of the jpeg image. A higher quality
will result in a larger file size.
File > Export > Canvas Image/Mask Layer

Exports the active image layer as an image file.
Exporting an image or mask layer exports a file of the same pixel dimensions
as the image plane. To see the image planes dimensions, choose Edit >
Sketch Properties from the Paint Layer Editor.
Export Image/Mask Layer Options

File Type The file format to save the exported image as: JPEG, TIFF, or 32 bit
BMP.
Resize Image Layer By default, set to true, which shrinks the layer bound to
the smallest size before exporting; otherwise, the exported image size is the
same as the canvas size.
See also:
Export sketch images
File > Export > Make Canvas Picture

Exports the sketch image plane in the active view as an image file.
Exporting a picture exports a file of the same pixel dimensions as the image
plane. To see the image planes dimensions, choose Edit > Sketch Properties
from the Paint Layer Editor.
Make Picture Options

File Type The file format to save the exported image as: JPEG, TIFF, or 32 bit
BMP.
Limit image size When this option is checked, two sliders appear to adjust
the Horizontal and Vertical size of the image in pixels. The sliders initially
represent the maximum dimensions of the image. If the image exceeds either
the horizontal of vertical maximum, it is scaled down, while preserving the
aspect ratio, to fit within the specified dimensions.
NOTE Images cannot be enlarged, only reduced in size.
Horizontal size Maximum width of the image in pixels.
File > Export > Canvas Image/Mask Layer | 483
Vertical size Maximum height of the image in pixels.

See also:
Export sketch images
Export a canvas plane
Create a conceptual design sketch
File > Export > Polygons

Exports data to other systems, such as polygon-based animation systems.
Export Polygons Options

Output Type Triangles The file is triangulated according to the subdivision
values specified in Render > Editors > Render Stats on page 622
unless
the Quality Type is set to GLOBAL in the Render Globals Quality Parameters
window (Render > Globals on page 605)

are used.
. Then the global parameters
Quads Useful if you need to output quadrilateral geometry with texture

maps attached.
Object Separators Outputs extra information, such as hierarchy, per-vertex
normals, and texture sub-samples. This option is useful with the alias_to_wave
and alias_to_sgo conversion programs, as well as custom-written ones.
Texture Subdivs The number of U and V texture samples per polygon.
File > Export > VRML 2.0 (Windows only)

To view and interact with 3D models on the Web.
Export VRML 2.0 Options

GUI ON Use the VRML 2 translators user interface.
OFF Use settings previously saved in this window (do not open the user
interface).
Reload DSO ON Unload the translator after each use.
OFF Keep the translator in memory for multiple runs.
Options Do not use this text box. Set options for the VRML 2 translator in
the translator itself.
Export Dir The directory in which to put converted VRML files.
VRML2.0 translator additional options

This window appears when you select Go from the options window described
above. Alternatively, you can access it directly by selecting File > Export >
VRML2.0 .
After you have used this window to set translation options, click its Go button
to start converting.
The translator creates a file (<scene>.wrl) containing VRML code describing
the scene.
File > Export > VRML 2.0 (Windows only) | 485
Push buttons
Save Saves the current settings in the window.
Go Starts the conversion.
During conversion, this button changes to Abort. Click it again to stop the
conversion.
Exit Closes the translator window.
Text section
This section appears at the top of the window. Type a comment for saving
with the scene. To clear its contents, click Clear text.
Animation section
The text at the top of this section indicates the animation frames available
for export. If you add frames while this window is open, this number will no
longer be accurate. (Click Update to update the frame count.)
Start Frame and End Frame Specify the start frame and end frame of the
animation you want to convert.
Frame step Defines the number of animated frames between exported frames.
Frames per sec Specifies the playback speed of the converted animation.
Animate Lets you choose what to animate. Select one or more of
transformations, vertices, shaders, and lights.
View frames When checked, lets you view animation frames in the Alias view
windows while you export them.
Hierarchy section
Hierarchy World Do not export hierarchy (all vertices use world space)
Flat One level of hierarchy: transformations use world space, vertices use
local space
Full Export the full DAG tree hierarchy: transformations and vertices use
local space
Export All Export everything visible in the scene
Picked Export everything picked in the scene (items lower in the DAG tree
from the DAG nodes of picked objects are not included).
Active Export everything picked in the scene (items lower in the DAG tree
from their DAG nodes of picked objects are also included).
Navigation section
These settings control the initial set-up of the VRML browser when it opens
the .wrl file:
Viewer The initial type of navigation.
Headlight When ON, the viewer will cast light on the scene.
File > Export > VRML 2.0 (Windows only) | 487
Travel speed The initial speed of the viewer.
Other options
Textures Export textures.
Normals Export normals.
Color per vertex ON Calculate color for each vertex.
OFF Calculate color for each polygon.
Long Lines ON Save the VRML text file with long lines.
OFF Break the VRML text file into short lines (each value on a separate line).
Turn this option OFF if you want to edit the output file with a text editor that
does not handle lines longer than 80 characters well (such as vi). This will
increase the size of the output file.
Auto launch viewer When ON, opens the new VRML file in Netscape
Navigator after export.
To view VRML files in Netscape Navigator, you must have the Navigator VRML
plug-in installed.
Sample Textures Converts procedural textures to image files.
Textures Imbedded Includes texture image data in the .wrl file (not
currently supported).
SGI image file Converts texture images to SGI format and reference.
Use texture path in URL Includes the texture path in the URL of the .wrl
file.
Texture path Save textures to this directory.
Output section
Scene name Base name for the scene, to which the translator will add the
suffix .wrl.
Export options
UGS-NX export options (Windows only)
NOTE When saving a file with the same name you will be prompted with: File
already exists. Do you want to replace it?
Output Units Export in inches or millimeters.
Convert Facets When ON, meshes are converted to Facet entities.
Convert Nurbs When ON, NURBS geometry (curves, surfaces, shells) is
converted.
Convert Curves When ON, curves are converted.
Convert Points When ON, space points are converted.
Split surface at internal discontinuity If this option is checked, surfaces will
be split at multi-knots which have G1 discontinuity.
Use Fixed Tolerance 0.00001 (mm) If this option is checked (default), this
value is output in the UG file as the model defined distance tolerance. It
corresponds to the UG session linear precision which is 1e-08 m in UG files.
Logfile output If chosen a report containing a list of path names of imported
files, a list of warnings and/or error messages, a detailed entity mapping report
and a table that documents the number of each type of entity processed during
the import, will be produced
DBVIEW export options (Windows only)

Output format Available in either BINARY or ASCII formats.
Surface Tessellation
Tessellate The default setting is OFF. If set to ON, surfaces are tessellated on
export.
Tessellation Tolerance This option is only visible if Tessellate has been
turned on. The value specifies the amount the polygonal surface can deviate
from the original NURBS surface.The default value is 0.1.
Export options | 489
CAI export options (Windows only)

Extended Log File If ON and the model is a .CAI file, then the model will be
imported with the capacity to view the extended log file. If OFF, the model
is imported without the ability to view the extended log file.
Include Comments If ON the log file will contain your comment information.
CAI File Header Information
Edit File Header When you click this field, a File Header Information menu
is displayed with fields specific to the file format youve chosen. Use these
fields to communicate information about the model being exported and the
sender and receiver of the data. This information is exported in the file header
of the file.
These fields are optional.
Edit File Comments When you click in this field, an editor window is
displayed where you can type comments specific to the file you are saving.
This editor window can be specified in the General section of Preferences >
CATIA V5 export options (Windows only)

Keep Topology When this option is ON (default), Alias shells are converted
to CATIA skins. When it is OFF (-s option specified for AlToC5), Alias shells
are converted to CATIA Faces.
Export By Layer Convert layers to open body/geometrical sets (-a option
specified for AlToC5). The default is on.
Export Symmetry By default this option is OFF.
When ON (-b option specified for AlToC5), if an Alias layer has symmetry
ON, this information is processed and the geometric objects resulting from
the layer's symmetry are converted.
Export Invisible By default this option is ON.
By default, Alias invisible geometric entities are converted to CATIA invisible

(hidden) entities. When OFF (-v option specified for AlToC5), Alias invisible
geometric entities are ignored and are not converted.
Divide MultiKnots By default this option is OFF.
When ON (-d option specified for AlToC5), a surface with multiknots is divided
(split) into multiple surfaces.
Divide Periodic By default this option is OFF.
When ON (-c option specified for AlToC5), a periodic surface is divided (split)
into multiple surfaces.
Logfile Output By default this option is OFF (option -l0 specified for AlToC5)
Choose one of
No logfile No logfile is generated.
Logfile A logfile is generated (option -l1 specified for AlToC5).
Extended logfile More detailed information about the conversion is

output to the logfile. (option -l2 specified for AlToC5)
STEP export options

ISO10303 is a standard for exchange of product information. The standard is
organized into a set of Application Protocols (AP). There are two APs that are
supported in this release these being ISO10303-203 (Configuration Controlled
Design) conformance classes 1-4, and ISO10303-214 (Core Data for Automotive
Mechanical Design Process) conformance classes 1-2. The import and export
of this data is supported via ISO10303-21 Physical file exchange.
Application Protocol Choose either AP214 or AP203 to output the desired
STEP file. The default is AP214.
Model Type Wireframe models A collection of curves written out as a
Wireframe model.
Surface models A collection of surfaces written out as a surface model.
Manifold Shells A collection of stitched surfaces that do not describe a
volume is saved out as a G3 Manifold Shell.
Brep Solids Stitched geometry that describes a closed volume is written
out as a G5 Brep Solid.
Hybrid models A combination of wireframe, surface, manifold shells and
BREP solids.
STEP export options | 491
The user can save the model and all the geometry in an Alias Stage, into a
STEP product. This is performed by choosing the Hybrid Models option (the
default).
If, because of contractual or system limitations on the receiving side, a Hybrid
model cannot be used, you can select single model representations, as
explained in the following table.
Any Alias Geometry
Hybrid Models
Alias Shells (Closed)
G5 BREP Solids
Alias Shells (Closed/Open)
G3 Manifold Shells
Alias Surface
G2 Surface Models
Alias Curves
G2 Wireframe Models
There is an inherent loss of information outputting an Alias Shell as a

wireframe.
When you do not have any shells, you can not get anything from manifold
shells option. You can get the unstitched surfaces transferred by using hybrid
option.
The other options are selective to shells (only), surfaces (only) or wires (only).
If the Alias model is a set of trimmed surfaces; the model cannot be output as
a BREP Solid.
When you choose Model Type option > Manifold Shells or Hybrid
Models, two Surface Geometry options are made available.
Surface Geometry As Is only outputs existing shells
Add Topology converts all surfaces into shells and outputs the shells.
Trim Curves Valid when outputting Hybrid Models and G2 Surface Models,
this option allows you to output either 2D (parameter space) or 3D (model
space) trimming curves.
The default is Parameter Space Trimming.
Keep Multiknots A multi-knot consists of multiple edit points at the same
location in space. Multi-knots are usually the result of curve or surface editing
operations that require a sharp turn in a curve. Note: many CAD packages
will not accept models with multi-knots. Default is ON
STEP Header Information Allows you to attach configuration data to your
STEP file.
PTC Granite export options (Windows only)

Granite Version Choose which version of the file format you want to use.
The default is Granite 6.0 (current version). You can also select Granite
1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 or 5.0.
OBJ export options

Object Groups Default is ON.
Output Units Specifies the major linear units for exporting the file.
Scale Factor Specifies the scaling factor for this export. The default is 1.00000.
Surface Tessellation
Tessellate The default setting is OFF. If set to ON, surfaces are tessellated on
export.
Tessellation Tolerance This option is only visible if Tessellate has been
turned on. The value specifies the amount the polygonal surface can deviate
DWF export options (Windows only)

Export Curves When ON, curves are exported.
Export Symmetry If an Alias layer has symmetry ON, this information and
the geometric objects resulting from the layers symmetry can be Merged
and converted or left intact (Unmerged) and converted.
When off layer symmetry is not exported.
Tesselation
Tessellator When the tessellator is set to Fast, models are triangulated more
quickly and less accurately. When the tessellator is set to Accurate, models
are triangulated more accurately and slowly.
PTC Granite export options (Windows only) | 493
Tolerance The value specifies the amount the polygonal surface can deviate
Limit Edge Length If checked, a Max edge length slider appears to control
how large the triangles can get. If unchecked, there is no limit on the size of
the triangles.
Max Edge Length Specifies the maximum length of any triangle edge (in
DWG export options (Windows only)

DWG Version Choose which version of the file format you want to use. The
default is 2007 (current version). You can also select 2004, 2000 or R14.
DXF export options (Windows only)

DXF Version Choose which version of the file format you want to use. The
default is 2007 (current version). You can also select 2004, 2000 or R12.
DES export options

Output Units Lets you store a DES file with either METRIC or IMPERIAL
(miles, feet, inches) units of measure.
Scale Factor Lets you save the wire model at a scale other than the scale at
which it was constructed. The default is 1.0.
Filename Extension Some receiving systems require that CAD files have a
specific filename extension before they can be recognized. This filename
extension specified is automatically appended to the filename of the exported
file. The default is .des.
VDAFS export options

Alias supports VDAFS version 2.0.
Include Comments Determines whether or not comments entered in the
Edit File Comments section (found in the VDAFS File Header Information
window) are included in the exported file. The default is OFF.
Export Layers Determines whether or not Alias Layers map to VDAFS groups.
The Alias Layer Number is mapped to the group name. The default is OFF.
For example, a layer number of 1 would map to a group name of Layer 001.
Rebuild Geometry Modifies your models so that all curves and surfaces are
compatible with CAD systems or neutral file formats that cannot fully support
NURBS geometry by:
reducing high degree curves and surfaces to degree 3
making non rational curves and surfaces where rational ones existed before
When Rebuild Surface is set ON, the resulting curve or surface is forced to be
at most degree three, with the weight of all CVs equal to a value of 1.
For example, if your model contains curves or surfaces that are rational (with
some weights that are not equal to 1.0) or high degree (higher than cubic or
bi-cubic), then it is sampled at a number of checkpoints and the data is fit
with a cubic or bi-cubic, non-rational curve or surface. Knots are inserted until
the fit is within the specified tolerance.
NOTE When Rebuild Geometry is set OFF, rational geometry is automatically
rebuilt to be non-rational because the VDAFS format supports high degree
geometry but not rational geometry.
Scale Factor Lets you save the wire model at a scale other than it was
constructed. 1.0 is the default value.
specific filename extension before they can be recognized. The filename
extension specified here is automatically appended to the filename of the
exported file.
The default is.vda.
NOTE There is no Output Units option for VDAFS because coordinate data
exported to VDAFS files is always in millimeters, regardless of the linear units set
in Alias. This is a requirement of the VDAFS standard.
VDAFS export options | 495
VDAFS File Header Information

If you choose the VDAFS file format, the Save Options window expands to
display the following:
of the file.
TIP Review IGES/VDAIS output environment variables option definitions on page
503 for more information.
C4 export options
Output Style Choose to preserve surfaces or (depending on your drafting
packages) convert them to curves.
If you choose to convert surfaces to curves and have set the patch precision
to a number greater than the default, all isoparametric curves are stored in
the file.
The default is PRESERVE SURFACES.
Edit File Comments section (found in the C4 File Header Information window)
are included in the exported file. The default is OFF.
Rebuild Geometry When set OFF (default is OFF) the degree of the resulting
surface and the weights on the CVs do not change.
When set ON, your models are modified so that all curves and surfaces are
compatible with CAD systems or neutral file formats that cannot fully support
NURBS and/or high degree geometry by:
Reducing high degree curves and surfaces to degree 3.
Making non rational curves and surfaces where rational ones existed before.
When set ON, the resulting curve or surface is forced to be at most degree 3,
with the weight of all control vertices equal to a value of 1.0.
Significant Digits The number of significant digits for coordinate data in the
exported file can be specified in this field. The minimum number is 1 and the
maximum number is 15.
Output Units Lets you choose either millimeters or inches as the data units
used for exported coordinate data. The exported coordinate data is converted
from the current linear units set in Alias to the selected units. MILLIMETERS
is the default.
The C4 standard allows only inches and millimeters, so these are the only two
choices available.
NOTE The C4 standard requires the file extension of a C4 conforming file to be
.c4x. This file extension is automatically appended to the filename of the exported
file
C4 export options | 497
C4 File header information

If you choose the C4 file format, the Save Options window expands to display
the following:
of the file.
General Preferences on page 1076 .
JAMA-IS export options

See IGES options for details on the JAMA-IS options.
File header information

If you choose the JAMA-IS file format, the Save Options window expands to
of the file.
VDAIS export options

VDAIS format is a subset of the IGES standard.
TIP Spline Type, Output Style, Surface Type and Rebuild Geometry are
automatically set to the appropriate values when you select a specific vendor from
the vendor list. See Common File Format Descriptions page 44 for more information
on the By Vendor window.
Spline Type Lets you choose between B-spline or parametric forms of curves
and surfaces to be created in the VDAIS file.
For B-SPLINE, curves are written as NURBS curves (entity 126) in VDAIS
and surfaces as NURBS surfaces (entity 128). This is the default.
For PARAMETRIC, curves are written as parametric curves (entity 112) and
surfaces as parametric surfaces (entity 114).
The PARAMETRIC option does not support high degree or rational geometry.
When using this option, any high degree and/or rational geometry is
automatically rebuilt to be, at most, cubic and non-rational.
Output Style Converts surfaces to curves for some drafting packages. If you
choose to convert surfaces to curves and have set the patch precision to a
number greater than the default, all isoparametric curves are stored in the file.
The default is PRESERVE SURFACES.
Surface Type Determines whether trimmed surfaces are written as trimmed
or bounded. The default is TRIMMED SURFACES.
For TRIMMED SURFACES, trimmed surfaces in the modeler are written as
trimmed surface entities (entity 144) and (trim) surface curves are written as
curve on surface entities (entity 142) in the VDAIS file.
Level Mapping Determines the type of Alias information exported as VDAIS
Level information.
For LAYER, Alias Layer number information associated to each entity is
exported as IGES Level information in the Directory Entry of this VDAIS entity
in (field number 5). In this case, Alias SET information is ignored and not
exported to VDAIS.
For SET, Alias Set information is exported as IGES Level information. If an
Alias Set is given a name of the form LEVEL<n>, where <n> is an IGES level
number and greater than 0, then the corresponding VDAIS entity for each
member of the Alias Set is assigned to level<n> in the VDAIS file.
VDAIS export options | 499
For example, the VDAIS entities corresponding to each member of the set
LEVEL42 are assigned to level 42 in the VDAIS file. Alias Multi-sets information
is exported as VDAIS (type 406, form 1) Property entity definition levels. If
an Alias object is a member of several multi-sets that conform to this naming
convention, then the VDAIS file contains a Property Entity 406 form 1
(Definition Levels) listing the VDAIS levels to which the corresponding entity
belongs. In this case, Alias Layer information is ignored and not exported to
VDAIS.
Edit File Comments section (found in the VDAIS File Header Information
window) are included in the exported file. The default is OFF. See File Header
Information page 46 for details.
Rebuild Geometry When set OFF (the default), the degree of the resulting
surface and the weights on the CVs do not change.
When set ON, models are updated so that all curves and surfaces are compatible
with CAD systems or neutral file formats that cannot fully support NURBS
geometry by:
Reducing high degree curves and surfaces to degree 3.
Making non rational curves and surfaces where rational ones existed before.
The resulting curve or surface is forced to be at most degree 3, with the weight
of all CVs equal to a value of 1.0.
Significant Digits Lets you specify the number of significant digits for
coordinate data in the exported file. The minimum number is 1 and the
specific filename extension before they can be recognized. This filename
extension specified is automatically appended to the filename of the exported
file. The default is.iges.
NOTE There is no Output Units option for VDAIS because coordinate data
exported to VDAIS files are always in millimeters, regardless of the linear units set
in Alias. This is a requirement of the VDAIS standard.
VDAIS File header information

If you choose the VDAIS file format, the Save Options window expands to
of the file.
General Preferences on page 1076 .
Common file format descriptions VDAIS by Vendor

To choose the specific software product to which you are transferring your
model, open the VDAIS by Vendor section.
When you choose a specific vendor, your output file is customized to optimize
data exchange for the target system. The data exchange parameters (output
environment variables) are modified. The active vendor is highlighted.
You can create new vendor files or remove files (except the default) and the
By Vendor window is updated accordingly.
NOTE The system does not recognize a vendor file without an appropriate header.
Create a new vendor file by copying, renaming, and modifying an existing one.
NOTE An appropriate header has the text Vendor Configuration File followed
by a number sign (#) and the vendors name. It is important to note that the
placement of the vendors name must follow the space after the number sign (#)
on the first line.
VDAIS export options | 501
IGES export options

IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) is a data exchange format
between CAD/CAM systems.
When storing an IGES file, the following options are available:
Curves and surfaces are written to IGES as NURBS curves and surfaces. Layer
Number information is exported as IGES Level information and can be
recognized by each IGES entity. Alias Set information is not exported.
Surface Type Determines whether trimmed surfaces are written as trimmed
or bounded. The default is TRIMMED SURFACES.
If you choose TRIMMED SURFACES, trimmed surfaces are written as

trimmed surface entities (entity 144) and trim curves are written as curve
on surface entities (entity 142) in the IGES file.
If you choose BOUNDED SURFACES, trimmed surfaces are written as

bounded surface entities (entity 143) and trim curves as boundary entities
(entity 141) in the IGES file.
Output Style Lets you preserve surfaces or convert them to curves for some
drafting packages. If you choose CONVERT TO CURVES to convert surfaces
to curves and have set the patch precision to a number greater than the default,
all isoparametric curves are stored in the file. The default is PRESERVE
SURFACES.
Significant Digits The number of significant digits for coordinate data in the
exported file can be specified in this field. The minimum number is 1 and the
Output Units Lets you choose any of the data unit types supported by the
IGES standard, including miles, feet, inches, mils, microinches, kilometers,
meters, centimeters, millimeters, and microns. The exported coordinate data
is converted from the current linear units set in Alias to the units selected
here.
An additional choice is available called MODEL, which keeps the output units
in the exported file the same as the linear units in Alias (IGES option only).
File Extension Some receiving systems require that CAD files have a specific
filename extension before they can be recognized. The filename extension
specified here is automatically appended to the filename of the exported file.
The default is.igs.
IGES Version Use the items in this menu to set the IGES version number in
the exported IGES file to 5.0 for systems that require it. The default is IGES
version 5.3.
NOTE Some receiving systems may not yet support the IGES 5.3 format.
Logfile Output When ON, a logfile containing a list of path names of exported
files, and a list of warning and/or error messages, is generated. The default is
OFF.
WARNING
If you create in Alias a surface of revolution with negative angle sweep (the
starting angle or/and angle negative) this surface of revolution will be exported
to IGES format as a NURBS Surface (IGES entity type 128) and not an IGES
Surface of Revolution (IGES entity type 120).
IGES/VDAIS output environment variables option definitions

IGES_OUT_POINT When set to 1 (default), 3D points are output. When set
to 0, 3D points are not output.
IGES_OUT_CURVE When set to 1 (default), curves are output. When set to
0, curves are not output.
IGES export options | 503
IGES_OUT_SURFACE When set to 1 (default), surfaces are output. When set

to 0, surfaces are not output.
IGES_OUT_SHELL When set to 1 (default), faces (trimmed surfaces) and shells
are output. When set to 0, they are not output.
IGES_OUT_INVISIBLE When set to 1 (default), invisible geometry is output.
When set to 0, invisible geometry is not output.
IGES_OUT_BS_TRIM Linear Trim Curve Output When
IGES_OUT_SPLINE_TYPE is set to 0 (B-Spline), this variable controls the type
of IGES entity used for multi-span linear (that is, polyline) trim curves.
When set to 1, linear trim curves are output as IGES entity type 106 form 12
Copious Data. When set to 0, linear trim curves are output as IGES entity type
126 Rational B-spline Curves.
IGES_OUT_PRECISION - Double Precision Significant Digits Changes the
number of digits of double precision stored in IGES or VDAIS files produced
by Alias. The default is 12 digits of precision, but can be changed to any
number between 1 and 15.
IGES_OUT_2D_TRIM Setting this variable to 1 specifies the output of 2D
parametric trim curves only. The default of 0 outputs both 2D and 3D trim
curves. Setting this value to 2 specifies the output of model space trim curves
only.
IGES_OUT_2D_BOUNDARY When set to 1, both 3D model space and 2D
parametric space boundary curves are output if the Surface Type option has
been set to BOUNDED SURFACE. When set to 0, only model space boundary
curves are saved in the IGES or VDAIS file.
IGES_OUT_POLY This variable produces polygon data from arbitrary degree
curves and surfaces for the IGES or VDAIS format.
When set to 1 and used in conjunction with the CONVERT TO CURVES
option:
All curves and surface isoparametric curves higher than degree 1 are
converted to linear curves and output as IGES entities 106, copious data
form 12.
When set to 1 and used in conjunction with the PRESERVE SURFACE option:
All curves higher than degree 1 are converted to linear curves and output
as IGES entities 106, copious data form 12.
Surfaces higher than degree 1 are converted to linear b-spline surfaces and
output to IGES entities 128, b-spline surface or 114 parametric surface. The
linear mesh is defined by the surface isoparametric curves, and the density
of the mesh is controlled using Object Edit > Patch Precision on page 238
.
IGES_OUT_SURF_AS_TRIM Setting this variable to 1 causes all untrimmed
surfaces to be output as trimmed surfaces. The default of 0 produces no change
in surface output.
IGES_OUT_INSTANCE_COPIES With the default of 1, Alias instances are
output as transformed copies of the geometry that they instance. When set
to 0, Alias instances are not stored.
IGES_OUT_POLYLINE_TYPE With the default of 0, multi-span linear spline
curves (polylines) are output as copious data IGES entities (106), and when
set to 1, as IGES entity Rational B-spline curve (126), or the IGES/VDAIS Output
Style option.
IGES_OUT_OUTPUT_STYLE When set to 1, surfaces are converted to curves.
With the default of 0, surfaces are preserved in the IGES or VDAIS file. The
value of this variable is reflected in the IGES or VDAIS Output Style option.
IGES_OUT_SURFACE_TYPE With the default of 0, Alias trimmed surfaces are
written as IGES entity 144 and curves on surface are written as IGES entity
142.
When set to 1, trimmed surfaces are written as IGES Bounded Surface entities
(143), and curves on surface are written as IGES Boundary entities (141). The
value of this variable is reflected in the IGES or VDAIS Surface Type option.
IGES_OUT_MONOTONE_2D_TRIM This variable controls the output of 2D
parametric space trim curves. When set to 1, 2D parametric space trim curves
are output in monotone increasing/decreasing pieces. When set to 0, these
trim curves are output whole.
IGES_OUT_CUBIC_2D_TRIM When set to 1, all 2D parametric space trim
curves are degree raised to cubic if necessary. When set to 0, these trim curves
may be of degree 1, 2 or 3.
IGES_OUT_LINEAR_2D_TRIM When set to 0, linear 2D parametric space
trim curves that lie on a natural surface boundary are output as IGES entity
type 110 Line. When set to 1, these curves are output as linear b-splines in
the form of IGES entity type 126 Rational B-Spline Curve, or the IGES/VDAIS
Spline Type option.
IGES_OUT_CONS_PREF Controls the value of the PREF flag (preferred
representation in sending system) of IGES entity type 142 Curve on a
Parametric Surface. Some receiving systems require a specific value for this
IGES export options | 505
field. The set of values for this variable correspond to the valid range of values
for the PREF flag.
The values are: 0 = Unspecified; 1 = 2D parameter space curve; 2 = Model Space
Curve; 3 = Both 3D and 2D curves equally preferred.
IGES_OUT_DEGEN_TRIM When set to 0, degenerate 3D model space trim
curves (that occur at the poles and seams of periodic geometry) are removed
from trim boundaries before these boundaries are output to IGES or VDAIS.
When set to 1, degenerate 3D model space trim curves are not removed
(0=none, 1=poles, 2=seams, 3=poles and seams).
IGES_OUT_SCALE This variable specifies the scale factor applied to the wire
model when it is exported. The default is 1.
When set to 1, degenerate 3D model space trim curves are not removed
(0=none, 1=poles, 2=seams, 3=poles and seams).
IGES_OUT_VERSION This variable controls the version of IGES used for the
output file. When set to 6, the output file conforms to IGES V4.0. When set
to 8, the output file conforms to IGES V5.0. When set to 11, the output file
conforms to IGES v5.3. No other versions of IGES are supported on output
(this parameter is not applicable for VDAIS). For VDAIS files, this variable
always has a value of 6.
IGES_OUT_UNITS This variable controls the units of measure used for the
model in the output file.The valid ranges of values for units are:
Value
Unit
Value
Unit
Inches
Kilometers
Millimeters
Mils
Model
Microns
Feet
10
Centimeters
Miles
11
Microinches
Meters
No other units are supported. If set to 3, then the linear units set in the Alias
modeler are used. For VDAIS compatibility, this parameter is ignored since
the units must be millimeters.
IGES_OUT_FILE_TYPE This variable specifies the output file type: 1 = IGES
(default), 2 = VDAIS, 3 = JAMAIS, 4 = C4.
IGES_OUT_FILE_EXT This variable specifies what the file extension of the
output file will be. It can be set as anything valid for UNIX, but the value must
begin with a '.'. For example, some systems require .igs. If the value is invalid
or not present, the default .igs is used.
WIRE export options

The default format for the Save command is WIRE, which is the normal Alias
binary file format. The Wire Options section displays by default.
Programmers can access wire files via the Alias OpenModel library. From within
Alias you may open an older wire version. By renaming older wire files you
will keep the older file format version and begin working in the latest version
of Alias. Supported entities include surfaces, curves, and poly(gon) sets.
Wire Options
Embed Image References If toggled ON, all file texture and environment
images used in a scene are embedded into the wire file. This improves your
ability to move files around without losing texture and environment images
required to render the scene.
Extract embedded images using File > Image References > Extract Image
References on page 523 .
NOTE You can use a stand-alone utility called EmbedTextures.exe if you want to
convert a number of files all at once.
Include Installed Images If toggled ON, texture and environment images
from the installed visualization library are embedded into the wire file.
Recommended for file sharing with users running older versions of Alias.
File > Reference Manager

Lets you import reference data for use in two major workflows: Importing large amounts
of engineering data while maintaining interactive performance, and importing large
WIRE export options | 507
amounts of design data and providing alternative shading and comparisons for design
reviews.
Reference Manager Menus

File menu
Import Lets you import a reference file (.wref file) into Alias. Reference files
are found in the reference folder of a project (by default).
Translate Converts a geometry file to a reference file. The reference file has
extension .wref and is placed in the reference folder of your current project by
default.
All file formats that can be imported into Alias can be translated to reference
files.
Pack Stores all your data in the same folder for easy transfer. This includes
your wire file and all the reference files it points to.
Edit menu
Remove File Removes the selected reference file from the Reference Manager,
or from an Alternative.
Remove Alternative Removes the selected Alternative (on the right side of
the Reference Manager window). This has the same effect as right-clicking on
the Alternative and choosing Remove Alternative from the menu.
New Alternative Creates a new Alternative (on the right side of the Reference
Manager window). If reference files were selected, they become part of the
Alternative.
Duplicate Alternative Makes a copy of the selected Alternative. The copy is
place below the selected alternative and called Copy of <alternative name>.
Promote Geometry Copies and transforms selected parts of the reference data
into real geometry. (Use Pick > Pick Reference on page 5 to select individual
components in the view windows.)
Promote Shader Places the shader from the selected reference object in the
Multi-lister, so it can be re-used. (Use Pick > Pick Reference on page 5 to select
individual components in the view windows.)
Retessellate Re-translates the selected reference file according to the new
tessellation options in the option box.
View menu
Reference Files Shows only the left side of the Reference Manager window.
Alternatives Shows only the right side of the Reference Manager window.
Both Shows both sides of the Reference Manager window (Reference Files and
Alternatives).
+/- All Expands or collapses the content of all the reference files and
Alternatives.
Translate Reference Options

Choose File > Translate from the Reference Manager menu to open the
option box.
Use project directory If this box is checked, reference files are saved to the
reference directory under the current project. If the reference directory does not
exist, it is created.
If the box is unchecked, reference files are saved to the directory you specify
in the Reference Directory field.
Curve Tolerance Chordal tolerance that controls the precision with which
curves are drawn after being translated. A higher value will produce smoother
reference curves.
File > Reference Manager | 509
Surface Tessellation Choose between Fast or Accurate tessellation. Fast

tessellation might ignore some local details.
Surface Tolerance Controls how accurately surfaces are triangulated.
Re-tessellate Reference Options

When you choose this tool, all selected items (individual reference files,
Alternatives, layers or components) are re-tessellated according to the selected
options, without having to translate the entire reference file again.
Choose Edit > Re-tessellate from the Reference Manager menu to open the
option box.
Tessellator Choose between Fast or Accurate tessellation.
Tolerance Controls how accurately surfaces are triangulated.
Right mouse button menus

This section describes the choices from the menu that appears when you
right-click various items (reference file, alternative, layer, etc) in the Reference
Manager.
Translations
Remove Deletes the name of the translated file from the Reference Manager.
Cancel Lets you cancel an ongoing translation.
Import Imports the reference file corresponding to this translation.
Reference Files
Visible Toggles the visibility of the reference file. The file is visible when the
check mark is displayed.
Remove File/Remove File from Alternative Deletes the reference file from
the Reference Manager.
If the file is inside an Alternative, it removes it from that Alternative only.
Show All Layers Makes all the layers under that reference file visible.
NOTE If you right-click Reference Files at the top level and choose Show All Files,
all reference files become visible.
Alternatives
Visible Toggles the visibility of the Alternative. It is visible when the check
mark is displayed.
Remove Alternative Deletes the Alternative.

Revert Transform Undoes all the transformations (move, scale, etc) applied
to the Alternative and returns it to its original state.
Show All Files Makes all the reference files under that Alternative visible.
NOTE If you right-click Alternatives at the top level and choose Show All
Alternatives, all Alternatives become visible.
Layers
Visible Toggles the visibility of the Layer. It is visible when the check mark
is displayed.
Symmetry Original Shows only the original reference data.
Symmetry Mirror Shows only the mirrored reference data. It uses the
symmetry plane set in Layers > Symmetry > Set Plane on page 590.
Symmetry Both Shows both the original and mirrored reference data.
See also:
Import reference data
File > Print Setup

Controls the look and layout of printouts.
Print Setup window for Plot mode

The content of the Print Setup window varies with the Mode setting in the
File > Print on page 517 option window. If Mode is set to Plot Print, the
following options are shown:
Output tab
Printer The printer to output to. This pop-up menu shows all the printers
available to your local system.
On Windows, this is all the printers in your Printers folder (Start > Settings
> Printers).
Output Style The page description language used by your printer.
If you are printing to a PostScript printer, choose PostScript.
File > Print Setup | 511
If you are printing to an HP/GL printer, choose one of the HP/GL options. If
your printer supports color, choose HP/GL2. Otherwise, check your printer
manual to find out which protocol your printer uses.
To output sketching curves to an Adobe Illustrator format file, choose
Illustrator. Note that only sketch shapes are output to Illustrator: no NURBS
curves or surfaces will be output.
Output to Output to a printer, or redirect the output to a file.
Appearance Print in Color or Black and White.
Print Range Choose which pages of all the possible pages to print (for layouts
that spread over multiple pages).
All Prints all pages.
Page placement Allows you to choose which part of the drawing will
appear on the page by dragging a representation of the page around the print
preview with the middle mouse button. This only works when Viewing type
is Scale.
Range Choose a start and end page to print.
Selection Print only the pages currently selected in the print preview
window (File > Print on page 517 ).
Number of Copies The number of copies to print to the printer. Not available
when output is directed to a file.
PostScript features Click to show a dialog box for setting low-level
PostScript-specific options.
Paper tab
Paper Type The type of paper used by your printer.
For printers fed by a continuous roll of paper, set the paper type to Rollfeed.
For normal printers fed by a tray with sheets of paper, set the paper type to
Pre-cut.
Standard Controls which international paper-size naming standard is used
to choose a paper size.
Size The paper size to output to.
Orientation Portrait (top of the output is at the top of the page) or
Landscape (top of the output is at the right edge of the page).
Margins The amount of space between the edge of the printers printable area
and the output.
Info tab
Draw Titlebox Whether to show the information box on the output.
Information fields The information that will appear in the information box.
Drawing Scale This value is automatically calculated based on the current
settings in the Viewing tab. You cannot edit it directly.
Units This value is taken from the units used in your model (Preferences >
Construction Options on page 1088 ). You cannot edit it directly.
Titlebox Font Size The font size of the text in the information box.
Viewing tab
Objects Output only picked (Active) or All objects in the model.
Viewing Type Scale Manually control the Layout Style and Scale.
Scale To Fit Automatically scale to accommodate a manually controlled
Layout Style.
Screen Match the layout and scale to the programs view windows.
Screen scale Match the layout of the programs view windows with manual
control over Scale in orthographic views.
Layout Style The layout of orthographic and perspective windows in the
output.
Scale Type Controls how you specify the scaling factor.
Ratio Enter the ratio between the output and the model, separated by a
colon (:).
Percent Enter the percentage of the models size to output.
Scale The scaling ratio or percentage (as specified in Scale Type).
Sync Viewing Axis Locks the axes of the orthographic views together, so
moving one view automatically moves the other views.
Match Paper Border Automatically fit the views to fill the available area on
the page.
Image Controls what color space is displayed in the print preview.
The colors in most images are specified using RGB values. The RGB color space
cannot be completely reproduced on a CMYK printer. This option lets you
preview what the images will look like when printed on a CMYK printer.
Drawing tab
Draw Grid Shows the grid in the output.
Draw Rulers Shows unit rulers along the edges of the views.
Crop Marks Shows crop marks around the edges of the output to allow for
easier registration.
Draw Border Shows borders around the views.
Border Thickness The width of the lines used to create the borders.
Grid Thickness The width of the lines used to draw the grid.
Ruler Font Properties Overrides the default font size for ruler text.
Ruler Font Size The font size of ruler text labels.
Edit Layer Print Attributes Click to show a dialog box allowing you to set
print attributes by layer.
Line Thickness The width of the lines used to draw the model.
Locator Color The color used for drawing locators, on color printers.
Filled Arrow Fills arrowheads with color.
Arrow Width The width of arrowheads in the output.
Arrow Length The length of arrowheads in the output.
Font Properties Overrides the default font size for locator text.
Locator Font Size The font size of locator text labels.
Hidden Line Tab

The hidden line algorithm uses a tessellation in its processing. You can specify
to use the existing tessellation (like in the NURBS to Mesh tool), or uncheck
that option and use your preferred tessellation settings.
If you have surfaces behind other surfaces that you want to be plotted (for
example, dials behind a transparent plastic shield), make the transparent
surfaces wireframe invisible before choosing Print; because hidden line
plotting doesnt recognize shader transparency.
Print Setup window for Canvas and Window modes

If Mode is set to Print Canvas, or Print Window in the File > Print on
page 517 option window, the following options are shown in the Print Setup
window:
Print Setup... Opens the Print window where you can choose a printer, set
the printer properties, number of copies, and so on.
Page Setup Opens the Page Setup window where you can choose the paper
size, orientation, and the printer tray.
Orientation Choose Portrait or Landscape. You can also set this value
from the Page Setup window (see above).
Fit to Page Check this box if you want the image to be automatically sized
to fit on the paper. If it is unchecked, the following options appear.
Height/Width Specify the height and width of the image (in either centimeters
or inches, depending on the units set in Preferences > Construction Options
on page 1088).
Center Image Check this box if you want the image to be automatically
centered on the paper. If it is unchecked, the following options appear.
Top/Left Specify the top and left margins (in either centimeters or inches,
depending on the units set in Preferences > Construction Options on page
1088).
See also:
Illustrator format
Export an Illustrator file
Print part of a large model on a single sheet of paper
Print to a non-PostScript/HPGL2 printer
Set up the printer
Choose the scale and layout of the drawing
Change the layout of view boxes on the printout
Change the scale of objects in the drawing
Give layers individual print attributes
Change the look of the grid, locators, and information box
Preview images in RGB or CMYK
Print the current file
Print a canvas plane
Create digital tape drawings
File > Print

Previews the print output and sends the output to the printer.
Buttons
Mode Determines what will get printed.
Plot Print The three orthographic views are printed by default, with an
information box in the lower right corner. The current canvas and wireframe
are printed, but not shaded geometry.
Print Canvas The current canvas is printed. The Preview area shows the
current canvas only. Use the Views lister to select a different canvas to print.
Click the Setup button to open the Print Setup window that lets you specify
the Image Size and Position. The image will always be adjusted to fit on the
page.Only the canvas is printed, without any geometry.
Print Window The whole content of the window is printed, including
shaded geometry and canvas. This is the same content as what gets saved
when using File > Export > Current Window on page 481. The Preview area
shows the active window only. Use the Views lister to select a different
window to print. Click the Setup button to open the Print Setup window
that lets you specify the Image Size and Position. The image will always be
adjusted to fit on the page.
Print Sends the output to the printer/file.
File > Print | 517
Setup Shows the Print Setup window.

Prev Page Shows the previous page in Show page by page mode.
Next Page Shows the next page in Show page by page mode.
Reset view Resets any tracking or dollying to show the default view of the
page (for Plot Print Mode).
Update Preview Redraws the preview to match the content of the canvas or
window (for Canvas or Window Mode).
Bookmark Uses the items in this pop-up menu to set, edit, or delete
bookmarked views of the output.
Preview area
The content of the Preview area depends on the Mode selected.
If Mode is set to Plot Print (the default), the Preview area shows the
following:
To track around the preview, drag the middle mouse button.

To dolly in and out on the preview, drag the right mouse button.
NOTE To export a curve to Illustrator using File > Print, shape attributes must
be assigned to the 2D curve. 3D NURBS curves, isoparametric curves, curves on
surface, or boundary curves will not be exported.
No. of papers Shows the total number of columns and rows of pages in the
output.
Page Size Shows the Paper Size, as selected in the Print Setup window.
Print Mode Shows the setting of the Mode button, Plot in this case.
Edge handles Drag these handles to change the size of a row or column of
views in the output.
Center handle Drag this handle to change the relative sizes of views.
View Move the mouse over a view and hold Shift + Alt (Windows) or Shift +
Option (Mac) to show the view panel, then choose the view direction by clicking
an arrow or car icon, or click Perspective.
Information box Shows the information you enter in the Info tab of the
Print Setup window.
Control the display of this box using the settings on the Drawing tab of the
Print Setup window.
Page Display menu Controls how to display a multiple page layout:
Show multiple pages Show the pages disconnected, allowing you to see
exactly what will show up on each page.
Show page by page Show one page at a time individually. Use the Prev
Page and Next Page buttons at the bottom of the window to show different
pages.
Show all pages Show the pages connected, as one large display, with dotted
lines showing the page divisions.
BookMarks menu Controls which bookmarked view you are currently
showing. This menu only appears when at least one bookmark has been created
with the BookMark button.
If Mode is set to Print Canvas, the Preview area shows the following:
File > Print | 519
No. of Papers/Page Size/Print Mode When Print Mode is Print Canvas, No.
of Papers is always 1 x 1 (that is, the canvas is printed on a single page), and
Page Size is always Custom page size (that is, you can set the size from the
Print Setup window).
Views Choose which canvas will get printed from the list. The content of the
canvas appears in the Preview area. If you create a new canvas, it is added to
the list.
If Mode is set to Print Window, the Preview area shows the following:
No. of Papers/Page Size/Print Mode When Print Mode is Print Window, No.
of Papers is always 1 x 1 (that is, the content of the window is printed on a
single page), and Page Size is always Custom page size (that is, you can set the
size from the Print Setup window).
Views Choose which view will get printed: Top, Left, Back, or Camera
(Perspective). The content of the view appears in the Preview area. If you create
a new window (for example, Front), it is added to the list.
See also:
Print part of a large model on a single sheet of paper
Print to a non-PostScript/HPGL2 printer
Choose the scale and layout of the drawing
Change the layout of view boxes on the printout
File > Print | 521
Change the scale of objects in the drawing
Give layers individual print attributes
Change the look of the grid, locators, and information box
Preview images in RGB or CMYK
Print the current file
Print a canvas plane
Create a conceptual design sketch
File > Show Image

Opens an image in a viewer window.
Image Type Lets you choose what to view:
Mask, to choose images from the mask directory
Image, to choose images from the pix directory
Header, to view the header of a file. Header information contains the image
resolution, offset, and number of bitplanes (8 or 24).
Automatic Scale Check this option ON to scale the image to a resolution
greater or smaller than the screen.
The default is OFF.
OFF The outline of a window appears that you can move anywhere on the
screen by moving the mouse. Pressing a mouse button places the Image or
Mask file on screen in the window.
ON The Image or Mask file fills the screen. You can scale up to the maximum
size that can be represented on the screen.
Offset View Lets you specify where the lower left corner of the image is placed,
measured in pixels. You can offset the image placement by entering numerical
values for the X and Y coordinates.
The default values are 0, 0.
NOTE Images are represented at actual resolution unless the image is larger than
the screen. Then the lower left corner of the image is shown if Automatic Scale
is set to OFF.
NOTE The Offset View coordinates must be smaller than the image size.
File > Image References > Image References

Shows a list of all external image files used by the current wire file, such as image
planes.
See also:
Fix image plane problems
File > Image References > Extract Image References

Use to extract shaders and textures from an Alias wire file.
Choose this function to extract shaders and image files from an Alias wire file
that have previously been embedded in the file.
Image files are extracted to the current Alias Project Location.
You must have space available in your local Temp or /tmp directory in order
for the shaders and textures to be extracted; during the process, temporary
files are created.
NOTE If you are planning to use the command line to render an SDL file that has
embedded textures, you must extract them before writing out the SDL file.
File > Exit

Quits Alias.
File > Image References > Image References | 523
524
Edit menu
17
Edit > Undo

Reverses the effects of the previous command.
The two checkboxes control how (or whether) Alias limits the amount of memory
it uses to remember undoable events. You turn on one, both, or neither limit.
In general, using the memory limit is better at conserving memory. However,
if you sometimes perform commands on large data sets and you want to make
sure you will always be able to undo them no matter how much memory they
use, use the command limit instead.
TIP In the long run, it is always preferable to increase the amount of memory in
your computer, if possible, than to lose the ability to undo.
Limit number of undo commands Limits the number of steps you can undo.
Set the Maximum number of undo commands option to control the
maximum number of steps Alias will remember.
Limit memory used by undo Limits the amount of memory that undoable
steps can take up. Set the Maximum memory used by undo option to
control the maximum number of megabytes Alias will devote to remembering
undo steps.
Maximum number of undo commands The maximum number of steps you
can undo.
Maximum memory used by undo The maximum number of megabytes of
memory Alias will devote to remembering undoable steps.
525
Edit > Redo

Re-applies the last command you reversed.
Edit > Reinvoke Last

Repeats the last command you chose.
For example, if the last command you used was Duplicate, choosing Edit
> Reinvoke Last is the same as choosing Duplicate again.
NOTE This is different from Edit > Redo on page 526 , which reverses the effect of
an undo.
Edit > Cut

Removes the picked objects from the scene and puts them on the Alias clipboard.
Edit > Copy

Copies the picked objects to the Alias clipboard.
Edit > Paste

Pastes the contents of the Alias clipboard back into the scene.
Paste Options
Layers options
Same layers Pastes objects into the layers they were cut or copied from. If the
layer does not exist, it is created.
Creation layer Pastes objects into the current creation layer. This is the layer
whose name appears with a yellow background in the Layer Bar.
Always ask When this option is checked, a menu always appears when the
tool is invoked, letting you choose where to paste the objects.
526 | Chapter 17 Edit menu
same layers Pastes objects into the layers they were cut or copied from. If
the layer does not exist, it is created.
duplicate layers If objects from a layer with a name identical to an existing
layer are pasted (for example when copying and pasting between stages), the
layer is duplicated and a number appended to its name. For example, if the
original layer is called curves, the duplicated layer will be called curves#2.
To merge the contents of all duplicate layers into the original (and delete the
duplicate layers) use Layers > Delete > Merge Duplicate Layers on page 589 . In
the example above, the contents of layer curves#2 will be added to layer
curves, and layer curves#2 will be deleted.
new layer Pastes objects into a new layer. A confirm box appears where
you can type the name of the new layer.
DefaultLayer Pastes objects into the DefaultLayer.
You can also paste into any of the existing layers by selecting it from the list
(for example, L1, L2, etc)
See also:
Organize objects on layers
Operate on all the objects in a layer
Edit > Cut Image

Cuts selected regions of the active canvas layer and places them in the Windows
clipboard.
Edit > Cut Image | 527
See also:
Cut, copy, and paste regions of a sketch
Edit > Copy Image

Copies selected regions of the active canvas layer and places them in the Windows
clipboard.
See also:
Edit > Paste Image

Pastes the contents of the Windows clipboard into Alias either as a new canvas plane
(if the active view doesnt contain a canvas plane) or as a new canvas layer (if the
active view contains a canvas plane).
NOTE The contents of the clipboard are pasted into an existing canvas plane
either into the center of the selection mask (if there is one) or into the center of
the canvas plane (if there is no selection mask).
NOTE Alias will automatically clear the selection mask when you choose Edit >
Paste image.
Paste Image Options

Display Mode RGB Shows a color preview of the image.
Box Shows only an outline for faster display.
Depth Type Determines which image planes appear in front of which, and
whether they are behind or in front of the wireframe model. This setting is
Off or Priority.
When set to Priority, a Depth slider is also displayed, which determines
the layering order of the image planes.
Image planes and the model are drawn in the following order, from back to
front:
Image planes with Depth Type set to Off
Image planes with Depth Type set to Priority and Depth of 0.0 or less,
from lowest to highest depth.
The wireframe model
Image planes with Depth Type set to Priority and Depth greater than
0.0, from lowest to highest depth.
Hence, an image plane with depth greater than 0.0 appears in front of the
model, whereas other image planes appear behind the model. Depth drawing
is in sorted order so an image plane with a depth of 2.0 appears behind an
image plane with a depth of 3.0, and an image plane of depth -3.0 appears
behind an image plane of depth -2.0.
Crop to Window Crop the image to fit in the current window.
Dim Image Wash-out the image to create a low-contrast background. This is
useful for tracing from the image or using the image as a reference.
See also:
Introduction to masks
Edit > Duplicate > Object

Creates one or more copies of the picked objects, with optional transformations applied
to each copy.
NOTE The default options create an exact copy of the original at the same location.
You will have to move the copy to see the original.
Edit > Duplicate > Object | 529
Duplicate Objects Options

Number The number of copies you want to create.
If you specify multiple copies, each copy is moved, rotated, and scaled relative
to the previous copy.
Transform in Choose XYZ space to transform copies using world space
measurements.
Choose Geometry space to transform copies relative to the measurements
of the original.
XYZ space options

Translation, Rotation, Scaling Move, rotate, and/or scale the geometry as it
is copied.
Note that negative scaling values reflect the object across its pivot point.
Group Specifies whether the copied geometry should be a child of the same
parent as the original geometry from which it was copied.
Geometry Type Choose Copy to create real geometry.
Choose Instance to create a lightweight reference to the original. When the
original is change, the instance is automatically updated.
Geometry space options

Distance on geometry Choose Equal to space copies equally along the entire
length of the curve or surface.
Choose Fixed Arc length to space copies at intervals controlled by the Arc
Length Distance option.
Arc Length Distance The spacing between copies along the curve or surface
when Distance on geometry is set to Fixed Arc Length.
Positive U, Positive V, Negative U, Negative V The axis direction along
which the object is duplicated.
Automatic Duplicate the object in either the positive U direction or the
negative U direction, whichever is greater.
Animation
Copy Animation Copy animation applied to the object.
To duplicate an animated light, use Edit > Copy on page 526 in the
Multi-lister.
Parameters Use these check boxes to copy channels for All, Global, or Local
parameters. To find out how to turn animation parameter controls on or off,
see Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 .
Hierarchy NoneCopies only the animation for the picked object.
Above Copies the animation from picked nodes and the nodes above them.
Below Copies the animation from the picked nodes and the nodes below
them.
Both Copies all animation from the picked nodes, the nodes above them,
and the nodes below them.
Time Offset Change the start time of the animation of the object being copied.
This setting is applied to all nodes of the chosen hierarchy, not just the picked
node.
Animation notes
If the object being copied has time warps applied to its channels, all the
time warps for each parameter are also copied. In this case, time offsets
are achieved by adding a time shift warp, not by moving the animation
curve.
Time offsets are ignored for any expression that is copied.
See also:
Create clusters
Duplicate objects
Create linked instances of objects
Flip (reflect) objects
2D best practices
Edit > Duplicate > Mirror

Enables you to create a symmetrical copy of hierarchies according to an axis plane.
Edit > Duplicate > Mirror | 531
Mirror Options
Mirror Type Duplicate Lets you pick a branch as the source branch. The
tool duplicates the branch and mirrors its nodes on the new branch.
Reshape Lets you pick an existing branch as the destination (rather than
have the tool create it). Geometries are not mirrored for this option.
Mirror Across Mirror provides three mirroring planes under world space.
This option specifies the plane to use for later mirror operations: XY, YZ or
XZ mirroring plane.
See also:
Create a human-like character
Draw a skeleton
Edit > Ungroup

Separates the components of a group into individually pickable objects.
Ungroup Options
Ungroup Method
This option controls how ungrouping the geometry affects the DAG.
Delete Node The picked node and all its descendants are ungrouped from its
parent DAG node.
If the node picked is a root node, the node is deleted and all its children are
now root nodes.
If the node is an only child, the parent is deleted.
If the node has siblings, the node gets adopted by its grandparent (that is,
it moves up one level in the hierarchy).
Copy Node The picked node and all its descendants are ungrouped from its
parent DAG node.
The parent DAG node and all its transformations are copied, and the copy
becomes the new parent DAG node for the picked node.
The picked node must have a sibling for this method to work.
If the node is an instance, an error message will appear on the information

line.
If the parent node is an instance, nothing happens.
Copy Node makes the current node have its own parent, if it doesnt have
one already.
Transformations are copied.
A new parent is grouped under the parents parent.
If the parent has no parent, a new group is formed.
Collapse Simplifies complicated hierarchies of curves or surfaces by collapsing

all the nodes below a given DAG node into a single level.
Collapse is especially useful for ungrouping objects while keeping
transformations on. You can also use it to apply a set of transformations
directly from a DAG node to the CVs that make up the geometry underneath.
If the picked node is an instance, an error message is displayed on the

information line.
If there is an instance in the group, the collapse is only performed below

the lowest instance.
All nodes from the picked node to, but not including, the leaf nodes are
deleted. The accumulated transformations are then applied to the geometry
of the leaf node. The transformations of the leaf nodes are reset and the
pivots are set to zero. The leaf nodes are then grouped under the picked
nodes parent. If there is no parent, the leaf nodes become root nodes.
Depending on the node that you picked, there may be some collapsing,
but no ungrouping. When collapse occurs, all the branches under the
picked nodes, including the picked node itself, are collapsed.
If an instance is picked, the following message appears: Cannot ungroup

INSTANCE nodes with DELETE NODE or COLLAPSE.
If a node with geometry right below it but nothing above it (root

component) is picked, nothing can be ungrouped but collapsing still occurs.
The following message appears: Root component collapsed but not
ungrouped; node transformations were applied to CVs.
If CVs or edit points are picked, no collapsing occurs. To warn you that
this is happening, the following message appears: No DAG compression
was done.
Edit > Ungroup | 533
Extract The picked nodes and all their descendants are ungrouped from the
parent DAG node. The picked nodes become root nodes.
Move Up The picked nodes and all their descendants move up one level in
the hierarchy (that is, the picked nodes become siblings of their parent DAG
node).
Preserve Position
These check boxes are not available when the Ungroup Method is Copy
Node (since position is always preserved in that case).
Yes The world space positions of all objects are preserved after ungrouping.
A transformation is applied to the CVs of the objects being ungrouped.
You cannot ungroup hierarchies that contain instances if you have Preserve
Position set to Yes.
No The ungrouped objects lose the transformations of their old parent
hierarchy.
See also:
Edit > Group

Groups the picked objects into a single object, allowing you to pick and apply
transformations to all the components at once.
When an object is part of a group, it retains its own transformations (position,
rotation and scale) but is further affected by any transformations made to the
group.
NOTE Construction planes and canvas planes cannot be grouped.
Group Options
Null Node Grouping Controls how null nodes (objects without geometry)
are grouped:
Under The grouped node will be grouped under the null node as a child
node.
Beside The grouped node will be grouped beside the null node as a sibling
node.
Preserve Position Apply any transformations necessary to keep the current

position of the geometry, despite any transformations applied to it by its new
parents.
Turn this option off to allow geometry to adopt the transformations of any
parents when it is added to a group.
NOTE You cannot group nodes containing instances if Preserve Position is ON.
See also:
Edit > Expand Instances

Creates real geometry in place of instanced objects.
Alias lets you use placeholder objects that are linked to an original object. This
lets you have many transformed copies of an original without using up memory
and disk space to store real geometry.
This menu item transformed instanced objects into real geometry that is no
longer linked to the original.
To use it, pick the instance or instances and choose Edit > Expand Instances
on page 535 .
See also:
Create linked instances of objects
Edit > Expand Instances | 535
536
Delete menu
18
Delete > Delete Active

Deletes the picked objects.
See also:
Delete objects
Delete a canvas plane
Delete > Delete Construction History

Deletes construction history from the picked objects.
See also:
Delete construction history
Work with curve networks
Delete > Delete Locators

Deletes all locators (measurement, evaluation, and labeling objects) in the scene, with
the possible exception of invisible locators or locators on reference layers.
537
Exclude Invisible Locators When this option is checked on (default), all

invisible locators are protected from deletion.
This includes locators on invisible layers, invisible locators on visible layers,
as well as locators attached to invisible objects (and therefore invisible).
Exclude Layer Reference States When this option is checked on (default),
locators on reference layers (layer state set to Reference) are protected from
deletion.
See also:
Delete objects
Delete > Delete Guidelines

Deletes all guidelines in the scene.
See also:
Delete objects
Work with, limit, or delete guidelines
Delete > Delete Model

Deletes all objects from the scene, while retaining the rendering setup (lights, cameras,
shaders, environments) so that you can import a new model into the same rendering
setup and shade it immediately.
For more information, see Utilities > SBD > Open SBD Window on page 1098 .
Delete Model Options

Delete Shaders Turn this on (default) if you are importing a wire file with
materials already assigned to the geometry. Turn it off if you are importing a
neutral file format (for example, IGES) so that you can use the materials already
in your session.
Delete Lights Turn this on to remove all the lights in your session. Turn if
off to retain the same illumination.
538 | Chapter 18 Delete menu
Delete > Painting > Delete Canvases from Construction

Plane
Deletes the canvas information from a canvas (construction) plane.
1 Select the canvas plane in one of two ways:
Use Pick > Object on page 3

in the window.
and click on the canvas plane
Click the small pick icon pick canvas to the left of the canvas planes
name in the Construction Plane Editor (Windows > Editors >
Construction Plane Editor on page 1001 ).
2 Choose Delete > Painting > Delete Canvases from Construction Plane on
page 539 .
All the paint information (brush strokes, masks, background color, opacity,
etc) is removed from the canvas plane, but the plane itself remains in the
scene and can be used as a regular construction plane. (See Create or edit
a reference plane and Work with the construction plane.)
NOTE To delete the canvas plane as well as the paint, pick it, then either
press the Delete key, or choose Delete > Delete Active on page 537 .
Delete > Painting > Delete Canvases

Deletes all canvases of the selected type in the scene.
To delete one canvas in a scene, pick the canvas in the Construction Plane
Editor or by choosing Pick > Object on page 3 , and either press the Delete
key or choose Delete > Delete Active on page 537 .
To delete all canvases of a particular type, use the Delete Canvases tool. It
offers the following choice of canvases for deletion:
Delete canvases options

All canvases and overlays Choosing this option removes all canvas planes
and overlay planes (planes visible only from specific view points)
Delete > Painting > Delete Canvases from Construction Plane | 539
All overlays Choosing this option removes all overlay planes only.
All canvases Choosing this option removes all canvas planes only.
Unbookmarked overlays Choosing this option will only remove overlay
planes that do not have bookmarks associated with them.
NOTE Use this tool carefully, as it does not offer an Undo capability.
See also:
Delete > Painting > Delete Active Image Layer

Deletes the active image layer.
Delete > Painting > Delete All Mask Layers

Deletes all mask layers on the active canvas.
See also:
Delete masks
Delete > Painting > Delete Sketch Projection

Removes a projection shader created from an image plane from an object or group of
objects.
Delete Project Sketch Options

Delete sketch projections Select Delete > Painting > Delete Sketch
Projection to remove a projected image plane from an object or group of
objects. Selecting this function also removes the projection shader from the
multi-lister.
The option box gives you the choice of deleting sketch projections in all
windows or the active window only.
Delete > Delete Image Planes

Deletes all image planes or only the image planes in the current window.
Delete Image Plane Options

All windows Deletes all image planes in the model.
Current Window Deletes any image planes in the current window. Invisible
image planes are also deleted.
See also:
Delete > Delete Projective Textures

Deletes all or picked projection objects, which represent the placement of projective
textures in the scene.
Delete Projective Texture Options

Delete Type All Deletes all projection objects in the scene.
Active Deletes only those projection objects currently picked.
Delete Parent Shader Every projection object is part of a texture map. (The
projection object controls the textures placement.) When this box is checked,
deleting a projection object also deletes the corresponding shader and texture
map from the Multi-lister.
If the shader is in use (assigned to geometry), only the texture map is deleted,
unless Delete Shaders with Connections is also checked.
Delete Shaders with Connections When checked, the tool will delete shaders
even if they are in use.
Delete > Animation > Delete Selection Handles

Deletes all or picked selection handles (does not delete the objects or nodes the selection
handles are attached to).
Delete > Delete Image Planes | 541
Delete Selection Handles Options

Objects All This option deletes selection handles from all objects.
Active This option deletes selection handles from active objects only.
Hierarchy None If Active is specified, then this option deletes selection
handles only from the active objects themselves. If All is specified, this option
has no effect.
Below If Active is specified, then this option deletes selection handles from
active objects and their descendants in the hierarchy. If All is specified, this
option has no effect.
See also:
Delete objects
Delete > Animation > Delete Channels

Deletes channel types, objects, parameters or hierarchy.
Delete Channels Options

From this option box you can choose to delete channel types, objects,
parameters or hierarchy. When you are finished, click the Go button.
Channel Types You can choose to delete Animation, Expressions, or Both
animation and expressions of the selected object.
Objects All Animation is deleted from every animated object in the universe.
Active Animation is deleted only from picked objects. You can pick a DAG
node, CV or camera using the Pick menu items. This is the default.
Sets Animation is deleted from all objects in the selected sets in the Set
Lister. Choose Animation > Editors > Set Lister on page 946 to display the Set
Lister .
NOTE A shader, texture, light or the background is considered active if it is picked
in the Multi-lister.
NOTE There is always at least one active shader, texture, light, or background.
NOTE If you have keyed channels on shaders, lights, and so on, directly with the
Key button, these channels may not correspond with the objects Local or Global
parameter settings, and you will have to use All to delete them.
Parameters All All channels of the object are deleted.
Global/Local Animation channels are deleted only from objects whose
animation parameters are selected in the Global or Local parameter control
windows.
TIP Choose Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 to select different
global or local animation parameters.
Hierarchy None Animation is deleted only from the selected objects.
Belowanimation is deleted from the selected objects and all objects below
them.
NOTE For DAG nodes, CVs and cameras, the hierarchy refers to the hierarchy as
represented in the SBD window. For shaders, textures, and lights, it refers to the
implicit hierarchy in the Multi-lister (see Render > Multi-lister on page 683 > List
all). If a light DAG node is picked and hierarchy is set at Below, then animation
on the light parameters is deleted as well.
See also:
Delete the animation for the object
Delete > Animation > Delete Static Actions

Deletes static actions from objects, parameters, and heirarchy.
Delete Static Actions Options

Objects All Deletes static actions from all objects.
Active Deletes static actions from active objects only.
Sets Deletes static actions from sets only.
NOTE A shader, texture, light, or the background is considered active if it is picked
in the Multi-lister.
NOTE There is always at least one active shader, texture, light, or background.
Delete > Animation > Delete Static Actions | 543
NOTE For information about the multi-lister, see the Rendering book.
Parameters All Deletes static actions from All parameters.
Global Deletes static actions only from those parameters specified in the
Global Parameter Control window.
Local Deletes static actions only from those parameters specified in the
Local Parameter Control window.
TIP To set different global or local parameters, use Animation > Editors > Param
Control on page 928 .
Hierarchy None Deletes static actions only from the picked objects
themselves.
Below Deletes static actions from the picked objects and their descendants
in the hierarchy.
NOTE For DAG nodes, CVs and cameras, the hierarchy refers to the hierarchy as
represented in the SBD window. For shaders, textures, and lights, it refers to the
implicit hierarchy in the Multi-lister.
Delete > Animation > Delete Constraints

Deletes animation constraints by hierarchy, target or type.
Delete Constraints Options

Hierarchy None Deletes constraints on selected nodes.
Below Deletes constraints on selected nodes and the lower nodes below
them in the hierarchy.
Target Object Deletes constraints whose targets are objects.
UV Deletes constraints whose targets are UV points.
Both Deletes constraints for both types of targets.
Type All Deletes all types of constraints.
Point Deletes only point constraints.
Orientation Deletes only orientation constraints.
Aim Deletes only aim constraints.
See also:
Delete Constraints
Delete > Delete Windows

Closes the current window, and all open modeling windows.
Delete Windows Options

Current Window Only the active window is deleted.
Modeling Windows All modeling windows are deleted.
Delete > Delete Null Nodes

Deletes any nodes with no objects under them.
In the SBD window, empty nodes are brown rectangles with nothing
underneath.
In the Information window (Windows > Information > Information

Window on page 994 ), they have no Geometry section.
Null nodes are not deleted if they are animated nodes, skeleton joint nodes,
or construction plane nodes.
Delete > Delete Windows | 545
546
Layouts menu
19
Layouts > All Windows > All Windows

The items in the Layouts > All Windows sub-menu set up the perspective
and orthographic windows in various standard configurations.
These menu items arrange various view windows in standard layouts, including
User windows, All Windows, All (Top + Persp), All (Front + Persp),
All (Right + Persp), All (SketchPad), All (Horizontal/Persp), and All
(Vertical/Persp).
When you resize the Alias window, the Modeling and Paint windows resize to
fill the new frame size.
Creating other window arrangements

When setting up a custom layout by resizing or moving Modeling or Paint
windows, a magnetic region along all windows edges helps you to align the
windows and snap them into place. The edges around the perimeter of the Alias
work space can also be used as snapping points.
547
In the example above, the blue lines show locations where window edges will
snap.
Layouts > Perspective

Lets you fill the screen with a Perspective view window.
Layouts > Front

Lets you fill the screen with a single Front view window.
This window looks at the -Y, Z plane.
548 | Chapter 19 Layouts menu
Layouts > Back

Lets you fill the screen with a single Back view window.
This window looks at the Y, Z plane.
Layouts > Right

Lets you fill the screen with a single Right view window.
This window looks at the -X, Z plane.
Layouts > Left

Lets you fill the screen with a single Left view window.
This window looks at the X, Z plane.
Layouts > Top

Lets you fill the screen with a single Top view window.
This window looks at the X, Y plane.
Layouts > Bottom

Lets you fill the screen with a single Bottom view window.
This window looks at the X, -Y plane.
Layouts > Paint

Opens a Paint window.
A paint window shows a full screen and head-on view of the currently active
canvas. This allows you to more easily focus on the task of sketching, without
being distracted by the 3D modeling world.
Layouts > Back | 549
See The Paint window for more information.
Layouts > New Window

Creates new view windows.
Window Options
Show Grid
Type Controls the type of window that is created. The default is Front.
Tips
You can create several different views of the same window using this option.
For example, to create three perspective windows, each with a different
view, select the Perspective option, click Go, then select New window
two more times. Adjust each view using the camera tools.
To create several cameras in the same window, use the View > New Camera
on page 400 tool from the Tool Palette.
Layouts > Full Screen

Displays the model and background over the entire screen without any interface
elements.
Marking menus, hotkeys and camera manipulations (through Alt-Shift
(Windows) or Option-Shift (Mac)) can still be used in borderless display mode.
Press the Esc key to return to the conventional display.
The option box allows you to turn on or off selected parts of the interface.
The options are:
Full Screen Display Options

Hide Main Menu UI This option is ON by default. Menus, title bar, prompt
line and layer bar are hidden.
Hide Title Bar This option is ON by default. The window title bar is hidden,
as are the individual view window title bars.
Hide Palette/Shelf This option is ON by default. The tool palette, shelves,
control panel and title bar are hidden.
Hide Control Panel This option is ON by default. The Control Panel is hidden.
Layouts > User Windows > Save Current Layout

Saves the current layout to a file, or as the default user layout.
Layouts > Full Screen | 551
Layouts > User Windows > Retrieve Layout

Loads a saved layout from a file.
Object Display menu
20
ObjectDisplay > Control

Opens a control window allowing you to show or hide various control features on all or
picked objects.
TIP Use the checkboxes in the Display section of the Control Panel to show and
hide object features.
Display Control Options

Scope What objects the checkboxes will affect when you click Go. Set this to
ACTIVE to only affect the picked objects.
Type This option only appears when Scope is set to NEW CRV. It lets you
specify which controls should be displayed when building a new curve of type:
CRV (regular curve), BLEND CRV, or KEYPOINT CRV.
All On, Off Automatically turns all the checkboxes on or off.
Key Points Show keypoints on keypoint curves (lines, arcs, rectangles, and so
on).
See Draw and edit CAD-like lines and arcs.
Hulls Show lines connecting adjacent CVs.
See CVs, hulls, and edit points.
Edit Points, Blend Points, CVs Show control points on curves.
See CVs, hulls, and edit points.
See Blend curves.
553
Surface Iso(parms) Show interior isoparametric curves on surfaces. When

this option is off, only the surface edges are visible.
Patch Precision Number of descriptive isoparameteric curves that will be
drawn for each span of a surface. This option only appears when Scope is set
to NEW SURF.
See also:
Move CVs along an arbitrary vector or plane
Transform one CV and have surrounding CVs follow it
View > New Camera on page 400
ObjectDisplay > Visible

Makes all invisible objects visible.
Visible Options
Scope All Makes all invisible objects visible.
Pick Makes only the picked nodes in the SBD window visible. To open the
SBD window, select Utilities > SBD > Open SBD Window on page 1098 .
Objects Choose whether the action will apply to objects.
Locators Choose whether the action will apply to locators.
ObjectDisplay > Invisible

Hides picked objects.
554 | Chapter 20 Object Display menu
ObjectDisplay > Hide Unselected

Hides unpicked objects.
By default, all unselected geometry is hidden. Additional options in the option
box allow you to also hide unselected Cameras, Lights, and Texture Nodes
if checked.
Select ObjectDisplay > Visible on page 554 to make all hidden objects visible
again.
ObjectDisplay > Toggle Visibility

Makes invisible objects visible, and visible objects invisible.
This tool is useful in conjunction with ObjectDisplay > Invisible on page 554
or ObjectDisplay > Hide Unselected on page 555 to toggle visibility between
two sets of objects.
Additional options in the option box allow you to also toggle visibility on
Cameras, Lights, Textures and Construction Entities if checked.
Select ObjectDisplay > Visible on page 554 to make all hidden objects visible
again.
ObjectDisplay > Template

Switches the picked object between normal and templated, where you can see and
snap to the object, but not pick it.
Templating is useful to get objects out of the way, and for creating reference
or construction objects that you can see without interfering with the modeling
tools.
See also:
Use objects as templates
ObjectDisplay > Hide Unselected | 555
ObjectDisplay > Bounding Box

Switches the picked objects between wireframe and bounding box display.
See also:
Change how objects are drawn
ObjectDisplay > Draw Precision

Increases or decreases the precision (smoothness) with which curves and surfaces are
drawn in the view windows.
Draw Precision Options

Draw Precision Specifies the drawing smoothness of all curves and surfaces.
The slider value goes from 0.0 (rough approximation) to 1.0 (very smooth).
The default is 0.5.
This value applies to all existing curves and surfaces, as well as all new curves
and surfaces created from this point on.
This slider is also available from the Modeling Control Panel. See Modeling
control panel on page 1123.
See also:
Simplify the display of objects
ObjectDisplay > Draw Style

Changes how surfaces, curves, and section data appear in the view windows.
NOTE The Draw Style settings do not affect printing or plotting.
DrawStyle Options
Surface
Surface Boundary Choose SINGLE or DOUBLE for the thickness of surface
boundaries.
Patch Precision Choose DOTTED or SOLID for the line style of additional
isoparametric curves introduced when setting the patch precision to a value
greater than the default of 2.
See Object Edit > Patch Precision on page 238 for details.
CV Icon Click a button to choose the icon that represents CVs on surfaces.
Curves
Line Width Choose SINGLE or DOUBLE for the curve thickness.
BlendPoint Style Choose SMALL or LARGE for the size of the blend point
icons on blend curves.
CV Icon Click a button to choose the icon that represents CVs on curves.
EP Icon Click a button to choose the icon that represents edit points on curves.
ObjectDisplay > Draw Style | 557
Section data
Point icon Click a button to choose the icon that represents section data
points.
NOTE To display section data as points, you must turn on CVs and hulls. You can
do this either in the ObjectDisplay > Control on page 553 window or in the
Control Panel.
Show Lines Click to control whether section data is displayed with lines
connecting points.
Line Style Choose DASHED or SOLID for the section data line style.
Symmetry
Line style Choose either DASHED or SOLID. This setting is used for Layers
> Symmetry tools.
See also:
Change the display of section data
Change how objects are drawn
ObjectDisplay > Diagnostic Shading

Opens the diagnostic shading control window, which allows you to shade the model
using various modes.
Diagnostic Shading
Tolerance Controls how accurately surfaces are tessellated when Tessellator
is Fast. The slider range is 0.0001 to 1.0. The default value is 0.1.
The same tolerance value is found in the option window of WindowDisplay
> Hardware Shade on page 567 .
The same option is used in the option window of WindowDisplay > Hardware
Shade on page 567 .
Multi Color and Random Color options

Show Orientation When this option is checked, components of surfaces or
meshes that have reversed normals are shaded in yellow.
(This option is only available in Multi Color mode.)
Color Click the color swatch to set the color, or drag the slider to change the
colors brightness. (This option is only available in multi color mode.)
Color Saturation Set the common saturation (the vividness of the color)
for the random colors.
Specularity Set the shininess of the surfaces.
Transparency Set the transparency of the shaded surfaces, from 0.0 (totally
opaque) to 1.0 (totally transparent).
Light Intensity Set the brightness of the light source.
Highlights When set to Fast, the highlights are calculated more quickly and
less accurately. When set to Accurate, the highlights are calculated more
accurately, but more slowly.
This option is only available in Multi Color mode.
Lock Light Position Normally the light source for the shading comes from
the camera (like a headlight). Turn this option on to lock the light source in
its current position.
The following options apply to Multi Color mode only.
Reflections If this is checked, the following Reflections options are displayed.
Scene Choose a reflection map by clicking Scene for a drop-down menu. The
choices are Showroom, Hall, Evaluation, Diffuse, and Abstract.
Scene imagery by CGI Backgrounds: http://www.cgibackgrounds.com/.
Reflectivity Use this slider to control how much your model reflects the scene.
Curvature evaluation map options

This mode shows a curvature map.
NOTE This option is not available for all Alias products.
Control the type of shading with the following options:
Curvature Evaluation Type Choose how to calculate the curvature:
ObjectDisplay > Diagnostic Shading | 559
Crv V, Crv U Display the curvature in the surfaces V or U parameter

direction at each point.
Crv Z, Crv Y, Crv X Display the curvature in the Z, Y, or X direction at
each point.
Mean Use the average of the two principal curvatures to approximate the
average curvature through each point.
Gaussian Use the product of the two principal curvatures.
Princ Min Use the minimum curvature values (that is, the curvature of the
flattest curves that pass through each point).
Princ Max Use the maximum curvature values (that is, the curvature of
the steepest curves that pass through each point).
Crv V, Crv U, Crv Z, Crv Y, Crv X, Mean, Gaussian, Princ Min, and Princ Max
types of evaluation
The following options are available for the Crv V, Crv U, Crv Z, Crv Y, Crv
X, Mean, Gaussian, Princ Min, and Princ Max surface evaluation types:
Curvature Color Scale Scales the radius ramp to show finer details of curvature
variation.
This option is not available when Min. Radius Limit or Max. Radius
Limit are turned on (see below).
Radius Ramp Shows the range of colors that will be applied to the curvature
map (and their corresponding curvature radius values) in the active modeling
window.
If the +/- band is set to 0.0, the curvature map is relative, and the ramp colors,
from left to right, represent increasing curvature values. (The colors are not
associated to specific values.)
If you adjust the Curvature Color Scale value, the radius ramp updates.
Min. Radius Limit Surface regions having a radius less than the Min. Radius
Limit value are indicated by one color, and surface regions having a radius
greater than the Min. Radius Limit value are indicated by a different color.
This option is only available for the Princ Max evaluation type.
Max. Radius Limit Surface regions having a radius larger than the Max.
Radius Limit value are indicated by one color, and surface regions having
a radius less than the Max. Radius Limit value are indicated by a different
color.
This option is only available for the Princ Min evaluation type.
Transparency Sets the transparency of the shaded surfaces, from 0.0 (totally
Iso-Angle highlight options

This mode shows iso-angle lines on surfaces to help you visually evaluate
continuity across surface boundaries.
Single, Multiple Controls whether a single black and white iso-angle line is
displayed (Single) or multiple colored iso-angle lines are displayed (Multiple).
Blur The blurriness of iso-angle line edges.
Transparency The transparency of surfaces with iso-angle lines.
Horizontal/vertical zebra stripe options

This mode shows horizontal or vertical highlights on the surface.
NOTE Highlighting helps you find surface flaws by using a color texture to simulate
natural highlights. It maps a color pattern onto a surface based on the angle (from
90 to -90 degrees) at which a viewing ray hits the surface.
NOTE A common use for highlighting is to identify adjacent surfaces with
mismatched tangents. (You can also use Surface continuity for this, but highlighting
gives you a clearer view of the surfaces.) Also note that not all Alias packages
include the highlighting features.
Vert., Horz. Sets the highlights to be vertical or horizontal.
Lock Texture Normally the highlights are projected from the camera, so the
projection changes as you move around the surface. (This is the unlocked
mode.) You can turn this option on so that the texture remains locked relative
to the surface.
Repeats Sets the rate at which the texture repeats. Increasing this number will
increase the number of highlight lines on the surfaces.
Surface Evaluation options

This mode lets you choose between Draft Angle, Deviation Map, or
Contact Analysis shading types.
Draft Angle Evaluation

Some manufacturing processes, like injection molding, need you to design
molds. A section of a mold only moves in a certain direction during removal.
This direction is the pull vector.
Angle-to-pull is the angle between the surface tangent plane at a surface point
and the pull vector. When the angle-to-pull is 0 degrees, the pull vector is
parallel to the surface tangent plane at that point. When the angle-to-pull is
90 degrees, the pull vector lies normal to the surface.
Most manufacturing processes require that the angle-to-pull for a molded
surface be greater than some angle, for example 1 degree, or else the molded
part will not separate from the mold. This angle is the draft angle.
When the angle-to-pull is less than the draft angle, the surface point is
out-of-draft. When the angle-to-pull is more than the draft angle, the surface
point is in-draft.
This shading mode shows you which parts of a surface are in-draft and
out-of-draft for a specified pull vector and draft angle. In-draft points are
shaded blue, while out-of-draft points are shaded red. You can also display a
tolerance region in pink.
Use one of the tools from the Evaluate > Surface evaluate menu to get
an accurate curve-on-surface for the parting line. To see the changes made
from the Surface evaluate tool on the draft map, click the surface evaluate
shading button again.
Show pull direction as Rotation Displays values (that you can edit) for
the X, Y, and Z rotation of a vector that defines the pull direction.
Vector Displays values (that you can edit) for the X, Y, and Z coordinates
of a vector that defines the pull direction.
Update From Selection Click this button to set the pull direction to be that
of an already selected (picked) vector or plane. In the case of a plane, the
direction perpendicular to the plane is used.
The X, Y, Z fields are automatically set to the coordinates of the picked vector.
Draft Angle Angle defining the boundary between in-draft (blue) and
out-of-draft (red).
Tolerance Displays a pink tolerance region between the in-draft and
out-of-draft regions. The Tolerance value represents an angle measured in
degrees. If the Tolerance value is 0, no tolerance region is displayed.
Deviation Map Evaluation

If you have scanned an object, and are trying to match the scan data with
your NURBS surfaces, the Deviation Map mode lets you know where the two
objects deviate. It calculates the distance between a set of meshes and a set of
NURBS surfaces, and displays it as a color-coded map, for a quick assessment
of the gaps severity.
Deviation Map can also show the deviation between two sets of surfaces, or
two sets of meshes.
This mode acts as a toggle. It only displays the shading once it has been
calculated once through the use of Evaluate > Deviation Map on page 441 .
See also Visualize the deviation between mesh-surface, surface-surface or
mesh-mesh
Transparency Sets the transparency of the shaded surfaces or meshes, from
0.0 (totally opaque) to 1.0 (totally transparent).
Contact Analysis Evaluation

This type of surface evaluation provides you with an ability to analyse the
safety of a model. It is especially useful with car interior surface design work.
Equally capable of working with meshes and NURBS surfaces, this shading
mode enables you to examine a collection of surfaces for potential impact
points with a head (represented by a sphere).
The tool internally creates a sphere, to judge where the head could contact
the surface model. For example, some spaces, like between the steering wheel
and the dash board, are too small for the head to fit into. Only the areas where
a head can actually fit in the case of an accident are examined for sharpness
and safety issues.
Before analyzing the model, ensure that normals are unified. If they point in
different directions, results will be unreliable.
This mode acts as a toggle. It only displays the shading once it has been
calculated once through the use of Evaluate > Contact Analysis on page 442 .
User-defined texture options

This mode shows a user-defined texture reflected on the picked surfaces. You
can use one of the two default textures, or load one of your own.
Map Type Showroom Shows a texture map with a showroom reflection.
Photo-Horizon Shows a texture map with a photo-horizon reflection.
Diffuse Shows a texture map with a diffuse reflection.
Shade-Sky Shows a texture map with the reflection of the sky.
Double-horizon Shows a texture map with a double-horizon image.
User defined Choose your own reflected texture.
Lock Texture Normally the highlights are projected from the camera, so the
projection changes as you move around the surface. (This is the unlocked
mode.) You can turn this option on so that the texture remains locked relative
to the surface.
Repeats Sets the rate at which the texture repeats. Increasing this number will
increase the number of highlight lines on the surfaces.
Change texture to Enter the name of a texture file to use instead of the default
horizon or sky texture. You can use Alias PIX, SGIs RGB, TIF and various other
image file formats. (The GIF and JPEG file formats are not supported.)
Click the arrow button to choose the texture from a file requester.
See also:
Show the minimum and maximum curvature on a surface
Shade surfaces with color
566
WindowDisplay menu
21
WindowDisplay > Window Title Bar

Displays or hides the title bar of modeling and SBD windows.
Toggle Title Bar Options

Toggle Type All Windows Displays or hides the title bar in all windows.
Current Windows Displays or hides the title bar in the current (active)
window only.
WindowDisplay > Window Sync

Turns synchronization of movement between the open view windows on or off.
See also:
Synchronize window views
Synchronize canvas plane views
WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade

Toggles between wireframe and render preview views of the scene.
567
Preview accuracy
Hardware shading attempts to show as realistic an image as possible while
maintaining interactive speeds. Because of these speed considerations, not all
rendering attributes are supported, and the hardware shading accuracy depends
on your graphics cards capabilities. Per-vertex shading does not support as
many rendering attributes as per-pixel shading.
The following rendering attributes are shown in the preview:
Color, transparency, bump, and displacement mapping on supported

texture types (all Surface, Environment Ball, Solid Projection maps).
Specular and reflection maps.
2D procedural maps in the color channel.
File texture support for label mapping and the Special effects section of
the Shader editor.
Cube map environment texture (on graphics cards which have cube map
support).
Planar ground shadows generated from a single light source.
Ambient occlusion.
Reflected background from a cube map environment (on CG-shading

enabled graphic cards).
Linear and spot lights.
Exclusive and linked lights are ignored in Hardware Shade.
Tessellation
Before surfaces can be rendered, they must be tessellated, that is, polygonal
objects approximating the surfaces have to be calculated. WindowDisplay >
Hardware Shade on page 567 displays a progress bar during tessellation,
indicating the approximate time to completion. It is also possible to escape
tessellation by pressing the Esc key.
568 | Chapter 21 WindowDisplay menu
Limitations
Although unlikely, you may experience the following limitations when viewing
shaded surfaces:
When using Label Mapping (any 2D texture placement with Ucoverage or

Vcoverage less than 1.0), turn off U and V wrap if you don't need them,
as they can potentially reduce Alias's ability to optimize hardware shading
quality.
Transparent surfaces (or diagnostic shading with Transparency greater

than zero) may cause distant surfaces to appear in front of near objects.
Re-order surfaces in the SBD window from left to right so that the left-most
surface is the surface that is nearest the camera (in the view that you are
shading) and the right-most surface is the surface that is farthest from the
camera.
To move a surface, select it in the SBD window, hold down the Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac) key and press the left arrow key (to move it left)
or the right arrow key (to move it right).
Transparent surfaces (or diagnostic shading with Transparency greater

than zero) may shade poorly (for example, triangles or bands may be
visible).
Smooth line display (WindowDisplay > Anti-Alias > Wireframe Anti-Alias

on page 575 ) and diagnostic shading cause lines to break up.
When diagnostic shading is applied to a selected model, the lines in other
models become broken up and difficult to view.
If you dolly (in the perspective view), the models become more difficult
to see the further the surfaces are from the camera.
Hardware Shade Options

Use Embedded File Settings If the file has been saved in Alias 2011 or later,
Hardware Shade settings were saved with the wire file, and will be used by
checking this option.
All Windows If checked, geometry in all modeling windows is shaded. If not
checked, geometry is shaded in the current modeling window only.
All Geometry If checked, all geometry is shaded. If not checked, only the
picked (active) geometry using the picked lights is shaded. If no lights are
active, all lights are used.
WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade | 569
Shading method Per vertex provides you with the same quality of shaded
mode as was available previously in Alias. Choose Per vertex for a fast
approximation of the surface while modeling. Per pixel provides highlights
close to the look obtained with the RayCaster, and requires a graphics card
that supports this mode. For further information about qualified graphics
cards, see http://www.alias.com/qual_charts/.

Quality Controls how accurately surfaces are tessellated when Tessellator
is set to Fast. Choices include LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH.
USER DEFINED You can control how accurately surfaces are tessellated
using the Tolerance parameter (see below).
Tolerance Controls how accurately surfaces are tessellated when Tessellator
is Fast and Quality is USER DEFINED. The slider range is 0.001 to 0.1. The
Show triangles Overlays the surfaces with triangles used for tessellation.
If checked, a Max edge length slider appears. If unchecked, there is no limit
on the size of the triangles.
Texture resolution If you are using textures, you can use approximations to
speed the computations in hardware rendering. Texture maps can be rendered
at the following square resolutions: 128, 256, 512, 1024, and 2048. You can
also turn off texture maps by choosing Off from this pop-up menu. A texture
map should not be larger than the size the rendered texture will appear to be.
For example, if a label in a finished rendering is to be about 256 x 256 pixels
square, it is a waste of computational power to use a texture map and a texture

resolution that is greater than that value.
Light Source All Lights Shade surfaces using the lights in the scene, up to
a maximum of eight.
Selected Lights Shade surfaces using any picked lights, up to a maximum
of eight.
Warm Cold Shade surfaces using a preset combination of warm and cool
colored lights.
Contrast Shade surfaces using a preset combination of lights to create a
wide range from highlights to shadows.
Default Shade surfaces using a direction light at the camera and an ambient
light. This is the fastest option. This option may be hardware accelerated.
Self Shadows Self-shadows boost the realism of a scene by adding additional
information about spatial relationships of objects, and provide information
about the shape of an object as it casts shadows on itself.
Self shadows must be turned on in the Hardware shade settings window. This
is the master control that determines whether any self-shadows can be cast.
Use self-shadows with either ALL LIGHTS or SELECTED LIGHTS to have control
over the shadows based on the lights parameters, position, and rotation.
To select which specific lights can cast shadows, use the Light editors Cast
Shadows button in the Active Effects section. The light editor shadow settings
are shared with the software renderer.
The WARM COLD and CONTRAST light settings, while useful for examining
a scene, do not create real lights, and so, do not provide any controls to
change the lights position or parameters. With these settings the Self-shadow
check box must be toggled ON but shadows do not have to be ON in the light
editor.
Shadows cast by the preset lights, WARM COLD and CONTRAST, will only
display once the camera has stopped moving. The effect is the same as when
Optimize during tumble is enabled for user defined lights which correspond
to the ALL LIGHTS option in the hardware shade settings.
The DEFAULT light setting does not work with self-shadows.
Clicking Self Shadows in the Optimize during Tumble section may
speed up playback.
NOTE Self shadows do not work on objects that have any transparency set. They
do work on layered shaders that have at least one opaque (not transparent) layer.
Moving lights around in a scene is computationally expensive, and the more

lights that are moved, the greater the number of calculations that must be
made. Tumbling a scene, where the objects and lights are stationary and the
camera moves, is much faster and less expensive computationally.
Auto update When checked, modifications made to the options are
implemented immediately, and reflected in the scene as quickly as possible.
You may want to turn Auto update off if you have a very large model and are
applying a number of initial settings.
Enable Environment Effects

Use Environment Turn on this option to have your model reflect a background
environment. Several preset cube map environments are provided in the
Control Panel (when you set the application mode to Visualize at the top),
or you can create your own in the Multi-lister.
NOTE The reflections will only be applied to shaders that have Refl. Backgnd
turned on in the Multi-Lister, and a non-zero Reflectivity value.
Show Background If a background is set up in the Environment editor (color,
color map, or a backdrop), checking this option will turn it on. Options that
determine what the background look like are found under Color on page 721
and Backdrop on page 721 in the Environment editor section of the Multi-lister
reference documentation.
Ground Plane Enables ground planes, ground plane shadows, and ground
plane reflections in hardware shade mode. Options are found in the Ground
Plane on page 723 section of the Environment editor.
Shader Glow Enables shader glow. Most settings are found in the ShaderGlow
on page 724 section of the Environment editor. Be aware that glows require
significant calculations that may slow performance. Reflected objects and the
ground plane will not show the glow.
Glow Quality If Shader Glow is enabled, this slider enables you to trade off
speed vs. quality of the glow in hardware shade.
Linear Reflection If enabled, shows the model as if it were surrounded by
long fluorescent light fixtures. The linear reflection tool is only available in
hardware shade mode. Settings for this feature are found in Linear Reflection
controls on page 729 in the Environment editor.
Edit Environment Click this button to open the Environment editor.
Optimize during Tumble

Self Shadows If enabled, self-shadows are approximated while camera
operations (track, dolly, tumble) occur, and are updated when the mouse
button is released.
Ground Plane Reflections If enabled, ground plane reflections are
approximated while camera operations (track, dolly, tumble) occur, and are
updated when the mouse button is released.
See also:
WindowDisplay > Anti-Alias > Shaded Anti-Alias on page 576
Preview an animation without reducing the scene
Shade a mesh
Shade surfaces with a render preview of their rendered appearance
Use the view panel
Preview rendering
Canvas > Project Sketch on page 602
Bookmark workflows
flange tool
WindowDisplay > Hidden Line

Hidden Line Options
All Windows If this option is checked, the geometry is shaded in all modeling
windows.
If it is unchecked, the geometry is shaded in the current modeling window
only.
Optimize during Tumble

Disable Silhouettes When this option is checked (default), the outline of the
model is not drawn during tumble, to speed up the operation.
Tessellation
Use existing tessellation If this option is unchecked, the model is re-tessellated
using the options below. It is checked by default.
Tolerance This value controls how accurately surfaces are tessellated.
If checked, a Max edge length slider appears, to control how large the
triangles can get. If unchecked, there is no limit on the size of the triangles.
See also:
Shade surfaces as a hidden line drawing
WindowDisplay > Anti-Alias > Wireframe Anti-Alias

Toggles anti-aliasing of wireframe lines.
Use this tool to turn anti-aliasing on and off on the wireframe. An anti-aliased
wireframe results in crisper and smoother curves and edges, and gives you
WindowDisplay > Hidden Line | 575
control over line thickness for both single and double lines. Wireframe
anti-aliasing is turned On by default.
Anti-Alias Wireframe Settings

Single Line Width A value between 0.0 and 2.0 that controls the width of
standard wireframe lines. The default is 0.5.
Double Line Width A value between 0.0 and 2.0 that controls the width of
double wireframe lines. The default is 1.0.
NOTE Surfaces boundaries are drawn as double lines when you choose
ObjectDisplay > Draw Style on page 556 and set Surface Boundary to DOUBLE
Hardware Anti-Alias Set this option to 4x or 8x to use hardware anti-aliasing.
You need to restart the application for this setting to apply. The default setting
is Off.
WindowDisplay > Anti-Alias > Shaded Anti-Alias

Toggles anti-aliasing of shaded surfaces.
Use this tool to turn anti-aliasing on and off on shaded surfaces. This applies
to surfaces shaded using either WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade on page
567 or Diagnostic Shading. You have the choice of two methods to anti-alias
shaded surfaces: Software Anti-Alias and Hardware Anti-Alias.
Software anti-aliasing gives you a better quality result, but does not apply
while you tumble in the view. Once you stop tumbling, there might be a time
lag while the anti-aliasing is re-applied. Hardware anti-aliasing works during
tumbling as well but the quality is less. You can use both methods
simultaneously if you want.
To use the Hardware Anti-Aliasing method, you must first check on Allocate
Hardware Anti-Alias Resources on Startup, then set Hardware
Anti-Alias to On. You need to restart your computer for those settings to
apply.
Anti-Alias Shaded Settings

Software Anti-Alias Set this option to Low, Medium, High, or User
Defined to specify the level of software anti-aliasing. By default this option
is set to Off. When you select User Defined, the following two options
appear.
Samples Sets the number of samples that will be taken and averaged. Generally,
you should choose values lower than 36. Choosing a value that is too high
for your scene may result in some artifacts, like banding.
Pixel Sample Radius To create a smooth image, the technique used moves
the camera slightly. Setting a value lower than 1 in this option means the
camera jitters less than a pixel; values greater than 1 jitter it more than 1 pixel.
Choosing a value that is high results in greater blurring than choosing a low
value.
Hardware Anti-Alias Set this option to 4x or 8x to use hardware anti-aliasing.
You need to restart the application for this setting to apply. The default setting
is Off.
Once you have chosen the appropriate settings in the option boxes, you only
need to select the menu items to turn the anti-aliasing on (check mark) or off
(no check mark).
WindowDisplay > Transparency

Adjusts the transparency level of different types of objects in the view windows.
Transparency Options
The following sliders range from 0.0 (fully opaque) to 1.0 (fully transparent).
Controls Changes the transparency of all CVs, hulls, edit points, blend points,
and so on.
Curves and COS Changes the transparency of all free curves and
curves-on-surface.
Surfaces Changes the transparency of all surfaces.
Meshes Changes the transparency of all meshes.
Locators and Visual Sections Changes the transparency of all locators,
evaluation objects, construction objects (points, vectors, planes, canvases),
visual cross-sections, and visual curves-on-surface.
Canvases Changes the transparency of the paint on all images layers on all
canvases.
Reference Files Changes the transparency of all reference data. Reference
datat is created when importing a reference file through File > Reference
Manager on page 507.
WindowDisplay > Transparency | 577
See also:
Change the transparency of objects
Modeling control panel on page 1123
WindowDisplay > Xray Controls

Lets you see and pick different types of objects through shaded geometry without
making the geometry transparent.
This lets you more easily manipulate your model while visualizing it with
Hardware Shade or Diagnostic Shading.
Obscured geometry is drawn partially transparent to show that it is on the back side or inside the
shaded objects.
Xray Controls Options
Controls When on, CVs, edit points, and blend points are visible through
shaded geometry.
Hulls When on, hulls are visible through shaded geometry.
Model When on, the model wireframe is visible through shaded geometry.
Locators When on, locators are visible through shaded geometry.
Pivots When on, pivot points are visible through shaded geometry.
KeyPoints When on, keypoints are visible through shaded geometry.
(Keypoints appear on geometry created from tools in the Curves > Keypoint
Curve Toolbox on page 112.)
Visibility Controls the level of transparency of the shaded geometry. A value
of 1.0 means completely transparent, and a value of 0.01 means virtually
opaque. The default is 0.15.
See also:
Shade surfaces with color
WindowDisplay > Show

Changes the visibility of items on a per-window basis.
WindowDisplay > Show | 579
Show Options
Mode Show Choose this setting to make checked items visible, and
unchecked items invisible.
Toggle Change the visibility state of checked items from their current state.
All/None The All and None buttons offer a quick way to check or uncheck
all the item check boxes at once.
Model Shows or hides wireframe models. This does not affect the ability of
the model to be rendered: its the wireframe display that is turned off.
Pivots Shows or hides green rotation and scale pivots.
Grid Shows or hides window grid.
Guidelines Shows or hides guidelines (usually created by keypoint curve tools).
Locators Shows or hides objects created using the Locators palette.
Construction Objects Shows or hides construction points, vectors, and planes.
Canvas Planes Shows or hides canvas planes.
Lights Shows or hides light icons as shown in modeling windows. This does
not affect their ability to be rendered.
Textures Turns texture placement box icons off or on if they are enabled in
the multi-lister and renderer. This does not affect the ability of the textures
to be rendered.
Cameras Shows or hides camera icons
Image Planes Shows or hides image planes (created using File > Import >
Image Plane on page 460 ).
Clouds Shows or hides display of cloud point data.
All Windows Check this box to change the display in all windows. Uncheck
it to change the display in the current window only.
NOTE Item visibility can also be toggled from the Show menu in the title bar of
each view window.
See also:
Hide or show specific items
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Model

Toggles the display of the actual model itself on or off. When the model is turned off,
only controls such as hulls and CVs are visible.
Toggle Model Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides the model (geometry) in all
open view windows.
Current Window Shows or hides the model only in the current window
(the last window you clicked, marked by a white outline).
Wireframe Only If this option is checked, CVs and hulls are not toggled off
along with their respective geometry. If unchecked, CV and hulls are toggled
off along with the geometry.
See also:
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Model | 581
Change the display of the wireframe
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Pivots

Toggles the display of pivot points on or off.
Toggle Pivots Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides pivot points in all open view
windows.
Current Window Shows or hides pivot points only in the current window
Notes
Pivot points are displayed only for active items or items with active CVs
or active edit points. You can find an objects pivot point from its
Information Window (Windows > Information > Information Window
on page 994 ).
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Pivots on page 582 overrides the pivot settings
in the Optimization Options of Animation > Editors > Playback Options
on page 921 .
If you have selected WindowDisplay > Toggles > Pivots on page 582 , pivots
are not rendered during playback, even if you have unchecked Pivots or
Cluster Pivots in Playback Optimization Options.
See also:
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Grid

Shows or hides the grid in the modeling windows.
Toggle Grid Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides the grid in all open view
windows.
Current Window Shows or hides the grid only in the current window
See also:
Show, hide, or change the grid
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Guidelines

Shows or hides guidelines (usually created by keypoint curve tools, such as lines and
arcs).
Toggle Guidelines Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides guidelines in all open view
windows.
Current Window Shows or hides guidelines only in the current window
See also:
Draw and edit CAD-like lines and arcs
Work with, limit, or delete guidelines
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Locators

Shows or hides locators in the modeling windows.
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Grid | 583
Toggle Locators Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides the locators in all open view
windows.
Current Window Shows or hides the locators only in the current window
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Construction Objects

Shows or hides all reference planes, vectors, and points in the view windows.
Toggle Construction Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides the construction objects in all
open view windows.
Current Window Shows or hides the construction objects only in the
current window (the last window you clicked, marked by a white outline).
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Canvas Planes

Shows or hides all canvas planes.
Toggle Canvas Planes Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides the canvas planes in all open
view windows.
Current Window Shows or hides the canvas planes only in the current
window (the last window you clicked, marked by a white outline).
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Lights

Shows or hides all lights.
Toggle Lights Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides lights in all open view windows.
Current window Shows or hides lights only in the current window (the
last window you clicked, marked by a white outline).
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Textures

Shows or hides all 3D texture placement objects.
Toggle Textures Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides texture placement objects in
all open view windows.
Current Window Shows or hides texture placement objects only in the
current window (the last window you clicked, marked by a white outline).
See also:
Texture Placement Objects
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Cameras

Shows or hides camera objects.
Toggle Cameras Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides camera objects in all open view
windows.
Current Window Shows or hides camera objects only in the current
window (the last window you clicked, marked by a white outline).
Notes
Toggling a camera on displays every component of the camera: icons,

vectors, and a complete frustum, including the far clipping plane.
The icons are displayed in the active color only if the component of the
camera they represent is active. For example, the forward vector is displayed
in the active color if either the eye or viewpoint is active.
See also:
Display camera icons
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Textures | 585
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Image Planes

Shows or hides all image planes in the view windows.
Toggle Image Planes Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides image planes in all open view
windows.
Current Window Shows or hides image planes only in the current window
See also:
Hide or show a canvas plane
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Clouds

Shows or hides all point cloud objects in the view windows.
Toggle Clouds Options

Toggle Type All Windows Shows or hides point clouds in all open view
windows.
Current Window Shows or hides point clouds only in the current window
Layers menu
22
Layers > New

Creates a new layer.
Set New Layer Options

Layer Start Number New layers are numbered starting with this value.
Symmetry Plane Origin Defines the center of the plane of symmetry for this
layer. If you turn symmetry display on for this layer, the geometry will be
reflected across this plane.
Symmetry Plane Normal Defines the normal (perpendicular) direction for the
symmetry plane. For example, 0.0 0.0 1.0 is a normal pointing up the Z axis,
which creates a plane oriented along the X and Y axes.
TIP Use the Set Symmetry Plane command in a layers pop-up menu to set the
plane.
See also:
Organize objects on layers
587
Layers > Select > Objects on Selected Layers

Picks all objects on the currently selected layer or layers.
Layers > Select > Layers by Picked Objects

Selects all layers which contain picked objects.
Layers > Select > All Layers

Selects all modeling layers.
Layers > Select > Layer Range

Allows you to select a range of numbered layers.
This tool enables you select multiple layers quickly.
To...
Do this
Select a layer by name.
Choose Layers > Select > Layer Range

.On the prompt line, type the name of the
layer.
Select a range of numbered layers.
Choose Layers > Select > Layer Range

On the prompt line, type the first layer and
last layer separated by a hyphen (for example, L100-L129).
Layers > Set State > Pickable

Makes the selected layers normal (pickable).
588 | Chapter 22 Layers menu
Layers > Set State > Reference

Sets the layers to be visible but not clickable.
Use this setting to snap to objects without picking them.
Layers > Set State > Inactive

Sets the selected layers to be templated (inactive).
Like objects templated with ObjectDisplay > Template on page 555 . The objects
are visible but not snappable or pickable.
Layers > Delete > Selected Layers

Deletes the selected layers.
Layers > Delete > Unused Layers

Deletes all layers with no objects on them.
Layers > Delete > Merge Duplicate Layers

Merges the contents of all duplicate layers into the original, then deletes the duplicate
layers.
When you have a series of layers called <myLayer>, <myLayer>#2, <myLayer>#3,
etc, the contents of all those layers are merged into <myLayer> and the other
layers are deleted.
This tool comes in handy after using the duplicate layers option in Edit >
Paste on page 526 .
Layers > Visibility > Visible

Makes invisible objects on the layer visible.
Layers > Set State > Reference | 589
Layers > Visibility > Invisible

Makes objects on the layer invisible.
Layers > Symmetry > On

Turns the automatic display of symmetrical halves of objects on the layer on.
Layers > Symmetry > Off

Turns the automatic display of symmetrical halves of objects on the layer off.
Layers > Symmetry > Set Plane

Lets you set the plane across which the automatic symmetrical halves of objects on
the layer will be displayed.
See also:
Automatically create symmetrical geometry
Layers > Symmetry > Create Geometry

Creates real objects from the automatically displayed symmetrical halves.
See also:
Automatically create symmetrical geometry
Layers > Undo Assign

Moves the last assigned objects back to the default layer.
590 | Chapter 22 Layers menu
Layers > Toggle Layers

Hides the layer bar and makes the application act as if the objects were not grouped
in layers.
See also:
Layers > Toggle Layer Bar

Shows or hides the horizontal list of layers under the prompt line.
Layers > Toggle Unused layers

Turns on and off the display of empty layers in the Layer bar and Modeling Layers
Editor.
Layers > Toggle Layers | 591
592
Canvas menu
23
Canvas > New Canvas

Creates a new sketch image plane in the active view.
The New canvas tool creates a new canvas plane according to the parameters
specified in the option window. It also automatically creates a construction
plane in the orientation that you specify.
This tool only allows you to create canvases aligned with the X, Y, and Z axes,
that is canvases lying in orthographic views: Top, Front/Back, and Left. To create
a canvas lying in a random plane, you must first create the construction plane
(Construction > Plane on page 406 ), then use Canvas > New Canvas on
Construction Plane on page 595 .
593
New Canvas Options
Canvas Name Remove the default name, and type a meaningful name for
your canvas in this field.
The name can also be changed later in the Construction Plane Editor.
See also Windows > Editors > Construction Plane Editor on page 1001 .
Orientation Specify the orientation of your canvas in 3D space by choosing
which orthographic view it will lie in: Top, Left, Front, or Back. Choose
Top|Left|Front or Top|Left|Back to create three orthogonal canvases at
once.
Background layer color Choose whether you will be painting on a canvas
that is initially transparent, like an acetate, or opaque (black, white, or the
current brush stroke color).
Size and Resolution

Paper Size Choose a standard paper size (default is A4) to print on, or choose
Custom to define your own.
Unit Specify if you want sizes to be displayed in inches or centimeters.
Pixels Specify the width and height of the canvas in pixels.
594 | Chapter 23 Canvas menu
in (or cm) Specify the width and height of the canvas in inches or centimeters.
This option is only available when Paper Size is set to Custom.
Pixels per in (cm) Specify the number of pixels per inch (or cm), that is, the
resolution of your canvas.
Portrait/Landscape Choose between a Portrait (vertical) or Landscape
(horizontal) orientation for your canvas.
See also:
How To Create an Image Plane With The Correct Resolution?
Create a canvas plane
2D best practices
Canvas > New Canvas on Construction Plane

Adds a canvas to a construction plane.
To create a paintable canvas on a construction plane, you need to choose this
tool. New canvas on construction plane is a continuous function. Either
pick the construction planes before choosing this tool, or select them one at
a time after entering the tool.
The options are almost identical to Canvas > New Canvas on page 593, with
the exception of the Name and Orientation fields. One or more construction
planes should already be present before using this tool.
Canvas > New Canvas on Construction Plane | 595
See New Canvas Options on page 594 for a definition of the options.
After creating the canvas on the construction plane, this tool will also
find/create a Paint window to display the canvas in, and do a look at on the
new canvas.
See The Paint window for more information on paint windows.
Canvas > New Overlay Canvas

Overlay canvases are canvases that are only visible from a particular viewpoint.
They are used in the perspective window to create perspective texture
projections, 2D roughs, or for annotation purposes (to create bookmarks).
You can grab a screen shot of a work in progress, and use the 2D image as a
basis for further painting. The painted image can either be used for presentation
of rough concepts, or you can project that painting back on to the model as
a texture, and see it in 3D.
Transparent planes can be used to annotate a model. The annotations are
associated with the particular viewpoint, so you can be sure they are seen in
their proper context.
The viewpoint is accessible through one of the following methods:
Click on the overlay canvas in the Construction Plane Editor
Click on the Look-At icon at the top of the Canvas Layer Editor
Select the overlay canvas from the pull down menu in the Paint window.
See Windows > Editors > Construction Plane Editor on page 1001 .
See Bookmark an annotated model.
To create a new overlay plane, choose Canvas > New Overlay Canvas on page
596 . The options are almost identical to Canvas > New Canvas on page 593 .
New Overlay Canvas Options
Canvas Name Remove the default name, and type a meaningful name for
your overlay canvas in this field.
The name can also be changed later in the Construction Plane Editor or
the Canvas Layer Editor..
See also Windows > Editors > Construction Plane Editor on page 1001
Grab window If this option is checked, you can grab a screen shot of a work
in progress, and use the 2D image as a basis for further painting. The image
is added to the overlay canvas as a new layer called Screen Grab.
NOTE The Screen Grab layer is completely opaque and will obscure any layers
and geometry below it.
Canvas > New Overlay Canvas | 597
Create bookmark If this option is checked, a new bookmark is created that

captures the camera position, shading information and annotations.
Size and Resolution

Paper Size Choose a standard paper size (default is A4) to print on, or choose
one of the following:
Custom Lets you specify the dimensions of the overlay canvas in world size
units (cm or in).
User defined Lets you specify the dimensions of the overlay canvas in
pixels only. The default values are 1900 by 1200 and can be changed in the
Paint section of Preferences > General Preferences on page 1076 .
Fit to screen Lets you specify the dimensions of the overlay canvas in
pixels only. The default values correspond to the current size of the window.
Unit Specify if you want sizes to be displayed in inches or centimeters.
Pixels Specify the width and height of the overlay canvas in pixels.
in (or mm) Specify the width and height of the overlay canvas in inches or
centimeters. This option is only available when Paper Size is set to Custom.
Pixels Per in (mm) Specify the number of pixels per inch (or mm), that is,
the resolution of your overlay canvas.
Portrait/Landscape Choose between a Portrait (vertical) or Landscape
(horizontal) orientation for your overlay canvas.
Canvas > Resize Canvas

Crops, expands, scale, or moves a canvas plane.
To resize a canvas plane by cropping or expanding it, choose Canvas > Resize
Canvas.
Black manipulators appear on the edges of the canvas. Crop or expand the
canvas by moving any of the manipulators on the edges or corners of the
canvas. Blue crosshairs indicate the horizontal and vertical center lines.
To move the position of the resized canvas, drag the center cross. As you move
the outline of the canvas around, it will subtly snap to the center line when
you get close to it, and the blue line will appear when you are on top of that
horizontal or vertical center line.
To provide numeric input,or to scale the plane, choose Canvas > Resize
Canvas to access the control window.
Canvas > Resize Canvas | 599
Resize Canvas Control Options
Resize Mode Scale Resize the canvas (including the content of its images
layers) by changing its width or height). Scaling is always done with respect
to the center point.
Crop/Expand Resize the canvas by cutting or adding material around
its edges, relative to an anchor point. The resolution (pixels per in/cm) does
not change. The content of the image layers does not change size but gets
cropped along with the canvas. This is the default behavior.
Image Pixels
Width Width of the canvas in pixels
Height Height of the canvas in pixels
Image Size
This section displays only when Resize Mode is set to Crop/Expand.
Unit Choose either Inches or Millimeters as the world size units for the
two measurements below.
Width True width of the canvas in the units given by Unit.
Height True height of the canvas in the units given by Unit.

Pixels per in/cm Resolution of the canvas (given by length in pixels divided
by true length). Changing the resolution modifies the true image size Width
and Height accordingly. The Width and Height in pixels are not affected.
This option only appears when Resize Mode is set to Scale.
Aspect Ratio
Lock Aspect Ratio If this option is checked (default), the aspect ratio (width
to height ratio) of the canvas is maintained when either the width or height
of the canvas is modified.
Anchor
This section displays only when Resize Mode is set to Crop/Expand.
Horizontal Choose Right, Center, or Left to specify what part of the canvas
remains fixed as it is cropped or expanded in the horizontal direction.
This option only appears when Resize is set to Crop/Expand.
Vertical Choose Top, Center, or Bottom to specify what part of the canvas
remains fixed as it is cropped or expanded in the vertical direction.
This option only appears when Resize is set to Crop/Expand.
See also:
Crop, expand, or move a canvas plane
Canvas > Crop to Marquee

Reduces or extends the active canvas plane based on the current selection region.
To crop a canvas
1 Select the area to be cropped or extended with Paint > Select > Marquee
on page 67 (rectangle) , Paint > Select > Marquee on page 67 (ellipse)
Canvas > Crop to Marquee | 601
, Paint > Select > Marquee on page 67 (lasso)
Select > Marquee on page 67 (polyline)
, or Paint >
2 Select Canvas > Crop to marquee.
If the selected area is smaller than the image plane, the image plane
will be cropped. If the selected area is larger than the image plane,
the image plane will be extended.
If you select the area using either the lasso, polyline, or ellipse
marquee, the image plane will be cropped or extended to the edges
of a bounding box encompassing the marquee.
See also:
Crop, expand, or move a canvas plane
Canvas > Project Sketch

Projects a canvas onto one or more objects.
Project Sketch Options

Render Determines whether all objects have the projected image applied (All
Objects), or only active (picked) objects have the projected image applied
(Active Objects). The default setting is All Objects.
Project from Set to either Active Canvas or All Canvases. This enables
you to control the ordering of the sketches as stacked layers of shaders.
Transparency is supported. If the contents of the image plane include
transparency, then that will be evident in the projected image.
The sketch projection workflow can be done in the perspective window with
perspective turned either ON or OFF.
Sketch projection now supports transparency so that sketches can be layered
on top of existing shading assignments and enable the existing shading to
show through. Previously, it would delete any layering for the surface and
assign a new shader. Hardware Shade now supports projective transparency.
Texture quality levels in Hardware Shade mode have been improved, as well,
so you may find the Low setting satisfactory in terms of performance and
shading.
To view your sketches in Shaded mode, choose WindowDisplay > Hardware
Shade on page 567 and turn ON the layered shaders flag.
NOTE You can also project a sketch onto objects through the Canvas Layer Editor
(Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor on page 1006 ) by choosing Project >
Project sketch in the menus. In the editor, turn off the visibility of the layers you
do not want to project.
To update a sketch projection after modifying the canvas or its layers, simply
re-select the Project sketch tool.
Sketch projection creates temporary textures on disk with the naming
convention WireFileName_CameraName.tiff. If you project a sketch from a
window, it automatically writes to this file on disk regardless of whether it
already exists or not.
Now you can sketch project an image plane that is added to a camera but has
no sketch.
To delete a sketch projection, choose Delete > Painting > Delete Sketch
Projection on page 540 . The option box gives you the choice of deleting sketch
projections in all windows or the active window only.
Canvas > Project Sketch | 603
604
24
Render menu
Render > Globals

The Render Globals window contains the global rendering parameters which
control how the overall scene will render.
Render Globals Options

The global rendering parameters control how the overall scene will render.
Render Determines whether all objects in your scene are rendered (ALL), or
only active (picked) objects are rendered (ACTIVE). The default setting is ALL.
NOTE The ACTIVE option has nothing to do with active animation.
Animation Determines if several frames of an animation are rendered (ON), or
only the current (single) frame is rendered (OFF). The Animation setting
determines if animation is included in the SDL file. If Animation is ON, the
Animation Range From parameter and the Animation Output Filename
Extensions parameters become available. The default setting is OFF.
Animation Range From Determines which frames of an animation are rendered
when Animation is ON. The default setting is TIME SLIDER.
TIME SLIDER
The Start and End values set in the Time

Slider.
MIN/MAX
The minimum and maximum frames of

the animation. If an animation exists, these
605
non-editable values are displayed below

the Animation Range From parameter.
GLOBAL
Displays the following parameters which

let you set the animation Frame Start,
End, and By values.
Frame Start,End, By The first (Frame Start) and last (End) frame number
of the animation to render, and the increment between frames (By). These
parameters are only available when Animation Range From is GLOBAL.
Global Quality Level Controls the overall quality level of rendered images
by automatically setting the Global Quality Parameters, Anti-aliasing
Levels, and Raytracing Maximum Limits to preset values. The default
setting is MEDIUM.
Animation Output Filename Extensions

The Animation Output Filename Extensions parameters control the
format of the rendered images file name extensions. These parameters are
only available if Animation is ON.
Modify Extensions Lets you set the starting number (Start Extension) and
the amount which the extension is incremented by (By Extension). If
Modify Extensions is ON, the Start Extension and By Extension
parameters become available. The default setting is OFF.
Start Frame, By Frame Lets you set the starting number (Start Frame) and
the amount which the extension is incremented by (By Frame). These
parameters are only available when Modify Extensions is ON. The slider
range is 1 to 100. The default value is 1.
Frame Padding The total number of characters in file name extensions. If the
number of digits in the frame number is less than the Frame Padding value,
606 | Chapter 24 Render menu
then leading zeros are added to the extension. For example, if the frame
number is 12, and the Extension padding value is 4, the image file will
have the extension <pixfile>.0012. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider
Extension format
Global Quality Parameters (Low, Medium, High)

The Global Quality Parameters control how surfaces are tessellated during
rendering. Default values are different depending on the Global Quality
Level setting. The default values listed below are for the MEDIUM Global
Quality Level.
Tessellator V9 Alias uses the 9.0 tessellation method to tessellate surfaces.
Accurate Alias uses the 2008 tessellation method to tessellate surfaces.
The Mesh Tolerance and Displacement detail options are available only if
Tessellator is set to Accurate.
Mesh Tolerance (cm) The maximum allowable distance (measured in
centimeters) between a NURBS surface and its tessellated version. The Mesh
Tolerance value controls how smoothly surfaces are tessellated. The lower
the Mesh Tolerance value, the smoother the appearance of surfaces; however,
rendering times may also increase. If the silhouettes of surfaces appear faceted
or jagged, decrease the Mesh Tolerance value. The slider range is 0.001 cm
to 0.10 cm. The default value is 0.05 cm for Medium quality.
NOTE You should set the Mesh Tolerance value based on the scale of your
model. For example, if your model is very small, you should use a low Mesh
Tolerance value. If your model is very large, you can use a larger Mesh Tolerance
value.
Displacement Detail Controls how finely surface areas with displacement
maps are tessellated. The higher the Displacement Detail value, the finer
the appearance of surface displacements; however, rendering times may also
increase. The slider range is 10 to 512.
Quality Type If the V9 Tessellator option is selected, determines which set
of render quality parameters are used during rendering. Render quality
parameters control subdivision, anti-aliasing, and raytracing limits. The default
setting is PER OBJECT.
PER OBJECT
each object renders based on its Object

Rendering Parameters
Render > Globals | 607
GLOBAL
all objects render based on the Global

Quality Parameters (see Global Quality
Parameters (Low, Medium, High) on page
607)
Subdivision Type The method used to subdivide surfaces during rendering.

The default value is ADAPTIVE.
ADAPTIVE
Subdivides surfaces (patches) into triangles

based on surface curvature. (Faces cannot
be adaptively subdivided.) Surfaces with
high curvature are divided into more triangles than flatter surfaces with low
curvature. If Subdivision Type is ADAPTIVE, then the Adaptive Minimum, Adaptive Maximum, and Curve
Threshold parameters become available.
UNIFORM
Subdivides surfaces into uniformly sized

triangles (that is, without taking surface
curvature into account). Trimmed surfaces
must be adaptively subdivided. Only the
U Divisions value is used for subdividing
faces. When Subdivision Type is UNIFORM, the U Divisions and V Divisions
parameters become available.
Adaptive Minimum, Adaptive Maximum The minimum and maximum

number of subdivisions between CVs in both U and V directions. Values must
be powers of 2 between 0 and 7 (either 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128). If you
enter any other value between 1 and 256, the next highest valid value is used.
The default value is 2 for Adaptive Minimum and 4 for Adaptive
Maximum.
Curve Threshold The threshold for subdivision in both the U and V directions.
The higher the Curvature Threshold value, the greater the number of
triangles, and the more accurate the curvature. The valid/slider range is 0 to
1. The default value is 0.96.
U Divisions, V Divisions The number of subdivisions that surfaces have

between CVs in both the U and V directions, regardless of surface curvature.
The valid range is 1 to 256. The default value is 4.
Limit edge length
Max edge length (cm)
Anti-aliasing Levels
The Anti-aliasing Levels control the quality of anti-aliasing used during
rendering. The default values listed are for the MEDIUM Global Quality
Level.
If you are rendering a scene with a few small details that can easily be missed,
try setting the Minimum value to 0 or 1, the Maximum value from 4 to 8,
and the Threshold value from 0.9 to 1.0. This gives very short rendering
times and excellent image quality.
Minimum The minimum number of subdivisions (or super samples) per pixel.
The higher the Minimum value, the better the anti-aliasing; however, a large
Minimum value can significantly increase rendering times. The valid/slider
range is 0 to 32. The default setting is 0.
Maximum The maximum number of subdivisions (or super samples) per
pixel. The higher the Maximum value, the better the anti-aliasing.The valid
range is 0 to 32. The default setting is 4.
If the Minimum value is greater than the Maximum value, the Minimum
value is automatically reset to the Maximum value.
Threshold Uses the colors at each corner of a pixel to determine if finer
anti-aliasing is required. If the value differences at each pixel corner are greater
than the Threshold value, the pixel is subdivided again. The valid/slider
range is 0 to 1 (the maximum number of samples is always taken). The default
value is 0.7.
Reduced Samples Uses a sampling technique that avoids anti-aliasing every
pixel at the most expensive level. An occasional pixels anti-aliasing is skipped
if it will not be very noticeable (speeding up the rendering process). This
option, however, may produce artifacts. The default setting is OFF.
Raytracing Maximum Limits

The Raytracing Maximum Limits set limits on the number of reflections,
refractions, and shadows possible during raytracing. The default values listed
are for the MEDIUM Global Quality Level.
Maximum Reflections The maximum number of times that a camera ray can
be reflected. The Maximum Reflections value overrides (that is, limits) all
shaders Reflect Limit values (see Reflect Limit on page 743). The valid range
is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 10. The default value is 4.
Maximum Refractions The maximum number of times that a camera ray
can be refracted. The Maximum Refractions value overrides (that is, limits)
all shaders Refract Limit values (see Refract Limit on page 744). The valid
range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 10. The default value is 4.
Max Shadows Levels The maximum number of times any surface can be
reflected or refracted and still receive shadows (in the reflection/refraction).
The Max Shadows Levels value overrides (that is, limits) all shaders
Shadow Limit values (see Shadow Limit on page 744). The valid range is 0
to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 10. The default value is 4.
Composite Rendering Options

The Render Globals window contains the Object Rendering Parameters,
which control how individual objects will render.
The Composite Rendering Options control whether objects are anti-aliased
against the background. Composite rendering is used for image compositing
and games design.
Composite Rendering Renders objects so that they are not anti-aliased against
the background. For example, a pixel on the edge of an object is not mixed
with the background coloronly the subsamples actually striking the object
are used to compute the color of the pixel. The default setting is OFF.
In TIFF terms, Composite Rendering generates unassociated alpha. The
RGB anti-aliased images that result wont look too anti-aliased due to the
unassociated alpha.
Coverage Threshold The number of subsamples required for the pixel as a
whole to be considered part of the object and not part of the background. For
example, if the Coverage Threshold value is 0.5, then at least half of the
subsamples must strike the object or it will be considered as a missed ray,
determined by the mask generated by the renderer. This lets you control the
bleed around the edges of a sprite. This parameter is available only if
Composite Rendering is ON. The valid/slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 0.5.
TIP For image compositing, set the Coverage Threshold value to 0.
Memory Options
The Memory Options include the Raytracing Memory Options and the
Texture Caching Memory Options.
Raytracing Memory Options

Subdivide Recursion Limits the number of times spatial subdivision is
recursively applied to the scene. Increasing the Subdivide Recursion value
requires an exponentially greater amount of memory. In general, keep the
Subdivide Recursion value set to 2 or 3. The valid/slider range is 1 to 4.
The default value is 2.
NOTE Only experienced users should adjust the Subdivide Recursion value.
Grid Cache The number of voxels to be allocated before caching voxels by
reusing old voxels begins. By lowering the Grid Cache value, you can save
memory, but you will lose some speed. The valid slider range is 100 to 10000.
BBox Status Controls how bounding boxes are stored in memory. The default
setting is FULL.
FULL
the bounding box of each triangle is kept

in memory to speed up raytracing
PARTIAL
the bounding box is encoded, saving

memory, but sacrificing a small amount of
speed
NONE
no bounding box is stored, saving even

more memory, but at a significant loss of
speed
Reducing memory usage usually increases rendering time. However, if the

raytracer starts to swap, reducing memory usage actually improves
performance. See Optimization
Voxel Resolution Controls how voxel resolution is determined. Changing
voxel resolutions affects the amount of memory needed. Only experienced
users should adjust the Nth Root, X Res, Y Res, or Z Res values. The default
setting is Nth ROOT.
NOTE A voxel is a volume element (cube) that encloses a certain amount of 3D

space.
AUTOMATIC
the resolutions of recursive voxels are

automatically determined
SHOWROOM
a more optimal and automatic determination of voxel resolution for scenes with a
large overall environment and a small section of space occupied by very complex
geometry (for example, a showroom)
Nth ROOT
the top level resolution, computed with t

** (1/N), where t = # of triangles, and N =
Nth Root (user input). Typical values of
N are 3 to 4; the range is 3 to 10.
SET TOP LEVEL
lets you specify the voxel resolution of the

top level in the X, Y, and Z directions (X
Res, Y Res, Z Res)
Texture Caching Memory Options

The Texture Caching Memory Options control how File textures are
stored in memory. Alias does not read every component of every texture file
into memory. The MIPMAPs are tiled, and only the portions for the area that
the renderer is working on are kept in memory.
You can specify a cache size that maintains only what has to be in memory
at any time, and load and unload texture tiles (parts of a texture) as need. This
can dramatically reduce the amount of memory used.
Texture Caching Controls how File textures are stored in memory. The
default setting is OFF.
OFF
all File textures are kept in memory at all

times
ON
Creates a cache of texture tiles (parts of a

texture), which is kept on disk, retrieved
as needed, and deleted from memory as
other tiles are needed.
PER TEXTURE
Creates a cache of texture tiles only for File

textures which have Cache ON (see Cache
on page 772). All File textures which have
Cache OFF are kept in memory at all
times.
Cache Size The largest memory size needed for all texture files if Texture
Caching is turned ON. The default setting is 256K.
Disk Cache Limit (Mbytes) The most disk space that texture caching can use.
The range is 30 to 5000. The default value is 30.
Blur Effects
You use the Blur Effects parameters to do post-rendering anti-aliasing and
motion blur during animations.
Post Filter Does more anti-aliasing after rendering is complete, using a 3 pixel
by 3 pixel Bartlet filter for each pixel. This produces softer edges and improved
image quality. If Post Filter is ON, the Post Center, Post Adjacent, and
Post Diagonal parameters become available. The default setting is OFF.
A Bartlet filter blurs each pixel in an image using a 3 pixel by 3 pixel sample.
The filter applies a weight to the color of the center pixel, the adjacent pixels,
and the diagonal pixels. The ratio between the weighted center pixel color
and the weighted surrounding pixel colors determines how much the center
pixels color is blended with the surrounding pixel colors.
Post Center The center pixel weight for the 3 pixel by 3 pixel Post Filter
(Bartlet filter). The valid range is 0 to 1000. The slider range is 0 to 20. The
default value is 8.
Post Adjacent The edge pixel weights for the 3 pixel by 3 pixel Post Filter
default value is 1.
Post Diagonal The corner pixel weights for the 3 pixel by 3 pixel Post Filter
default value is 1.
Motion Blur Blurs the motion of objects to produce smoother animations.
Motion blur is only calculated for objects which have Motion Blurred on
(see Motion Blurred on page 625) and for cameras which have Motion Blur
ON (see Motion Blurred on page 625). By default, all objects have Motion
Blurred turned on, and all cameras have Motion Blur turned off. If Motion
Blur is OFF, motion blur is not calculated regardless of individual object
settings. If Motion Blur is ON, the Shutter Angle parameter becomes
available. The default setting is OFF.
Motion blur is only available during raycasting.
NOTE Lights and shadows are not motion blurred.
Shutter Angle The angle (in degrees) that the camera shutter remains open.
The greater the angle, the greater the motion blur effect. For example, if the
Shutter Angle value is 180, moving objects are blurred over half of the frame
step time. The Shutter Angle parameter is only available when Motion
Blur is ON. The valid/slider range is 1 to 360. The default value is 144.
Miscellaneous
Textures Determines if textures are rendered. The default setting is ON.
No Transp. in Depth Controls whether transparent objects appear in the
cameras depth file (see Depth on page 618). If No Transp. in Depth is OFF,
transparent objects appear in the depth file. If No Transp. in Depth is ON,

the Transparency % parameter becomes available. The default setting is
OFF.
Transparency % The level of transparency an object needs in order to appear
in the cameras depth file (see Depth on page 618). For example, if the
Transparency % value is 0.8, objects that are more than 80 percent
transparent do not appear in the depth file. This parameter is only available
if No Transp. in Depth is ON. The valid/slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 1.
TIP This feature is ideal for transparency mapped surfaces used as collision objects
in games.
Keep Non Glowed Image Creates a separate file with no glow component
(for example, from particle, shader or light glow) with the name <pixfile>.ng.
The default setting is OFF.
Keep Non Glowed Image acts the same as the -P option for the command
line renderer.
Spotlight Depth Maps Saves spot light shadow depth maps to disk for spot
lights that have Use Depth Map ON (see Use Depth Map on page 653). The
Depth Maps in Memory Keeps spot light shadow depth maps in memory for
spot lights that have Use Depth Map ON (see Use Depth Map on page 653).
Depth Maps in Memory acts the same as the -k option for the command
line renderer.
Attenuate Transp. (Attenuate Transparency) This is relevant only for the
raytracer/powertracer.
If it is ON, all transparent objects are attenuated according to Beeres law,

which is physically based, and depends on the distance rays travel through
the object. Thus, large objects will have more attenuation than small ones
for the same transparency. Also note that the attenuation is inverse to the
transparency, so that as the transparency approaches 1, the attenuation
becomes smaller; a value equal to 1 effectively turns the attenuation off.
The default setting is ON.
If it is OFF, attenuation does not occur, and the resultant transparent

objects match raycaster-like effects (and totally transparent objects appear
totally transparent).
Attenuate Transp. acts the same as the -j option for the command line
renderer.
Invis. Obj. Cast Shadows Lets invisible objects cast shadows (for example,
to create special effects). The default setting is OFF.
Raytraced Shadow Bias Set this slider if there are self-shadowing artefacts.
Increase the bias beyond the default zero until the artefacts disappear: the
amount this will require depends on the scale of the scene, and will require
trial-and-error test renderings.
Image File Output

Format The rendered image is output and saved in this file format. The default
setting is ALIAS.
TIFF
Tagged Image File Format
TIFF16
Tagged Image File Format with 16 bits per

color component
Depth Format The camera depth file is output and saved in this file format
(see Depth on page 618). The default setting is ALIAS.
ALIAS
Alias camera depth file format (see Alias

Camera Depth File Format in the File
Formats online documentation)
COMPOSER
Composer depth file format
Fields Controls whether rendering produces frames or fields. A frame consists

of two fields, odd and even. The odd field contains every second line starting
at the first line. The even field contains every second line starting at the second
line. The default setting is OFF.
OFF
frames
BOTH
both odd and even fields
ODD
odd fields only
EVEN
even fields only
If Fields is either BOTH, ODD, or EVEN, an additional parameter becomes

available.
This parameter defines the order that the fields are rendered. The default
setting is ODD FIRST.
ODD FIRST
odd fields first
EVEN FIRST
even fields first
You can use field-rendered Pix Backdrops when rendering Fields. If you
render fields, the renderer uses pixbackdrop.*e during the even field rendering
and pixbackdrop.*o during the odd field rendering. The field-rendered Pix
Backdrop files is used only if the frame-rendered files (pixbackdrop.1,
pixbackdrop.2, and so on) do not exist. See Backdrop on page 721.
NOTE You can also render even fields first by setting the
ALIAS_SWITCH_SCANLINES_EVEN_ODD_SENSE environment variable.
Ignore Film Gate Does not render the region outside the filmback. The default
setting is OFF (the region outside the filmback is rendered).
Gamma Correction A color correction factor applied to the rendered image.
The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 2. The default setting
is 1.
The Gamma Correction value (gamma_value) is applied to each color
channel (RGB), according to the following formulas:
Camera Toggles
Determines whether a camera produces an image file, a mask file, or a depth

file, or all three. You can select one camera only.
If all camera toggles are OFF when you do a render (Render > Render on page
631 ) or save an SDL file (File > Export > SDL on page 476 ), the following confirm
box is displayed.
Image The renderer produces an RGB image (see Format on page 616). The
default setting is ON for the perspective camera, and OFF (no image produced)
for the orthographic cameras.
Mask The renderer produces an 8-bit mask or matte file for use with
compositing or paint software. If Mask is ON and the image file output
Format is TIFF, TIFF16, RLA, or SGI, the renderer produces not a separate
mask file but a four-channel Image file (RGBA). The fourth channel (A)
represents the mask information. The default setting is OFF (no mask file
produced) for all cameras.
Depth The renderer produces a camera depth file (see Depth Format on page
616). The default setting is OFF for all cameras.
Image XY Ratio Lock Maintains the ratio between the X Resolution and
Y Resolution values (that is, if you double one value, the other value doubles
automatically). If Image XY Ratio Lock is OFF, you can set the X
Resolution and Y Resolution values independently. The default setting is
OFF.
X Resolution, Y Resolution The X and Y resolution of the rendered image.
The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 2048. The default setting
is 645 for X Resolution and 486 for Y Resolution.
If Image XY Ratio Lock is ON, then you cannot set the X Resolution and
Y Resolution values independently. You can also set image resolution using
several predefined values (see Predefined Resolutions on page 620).
Pixel Aspect Ratio The ratio of each individual pixels width to its height for
a display or recording device. Most devices, including the monitor screen, use
square pixels, so the pixel aspect ratio is 1/1 = 1. Some devices, however, use
non-square pixels.
If you are rendering an animation that you plan to display on or record to
one of these devices, you must set the Pixel Aspect Ratio value to the
devices pixel aspect ratio value. The rendered animation will then look
squashed or stretched when you view it on the monitor screen, but will have
the proper proportions when you view it from the device. You can also set
the Pixel Aspect Ratio by selecting a predefined value (see Predefined
Resolutions on page 620). The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0
to 1. The default value is 1.
Device
Pixel Aspect Ratio
IRIS NTSC
1.0
IRIS PAL
1.0
Raster Tek's Hidef Frame Buffer
1.0
Abekas Internal Frame Buffer
1.33
Raster Tek's NTSC Frame Buffer
1.125
Quantel's Harry Interface
1.33
Full Frame 1K width
1.11
Motion Picture 1K with sound track
1.0
Motion Picture, no sound track
1.0
Predefined Resolutions
The Predefined Resolutions section of the Render Globals window
contains a list of common screen resolutions. You can select a predefined
resolution by clicking on it. The corresponding Image File Output
parameters (X Resolution, Y Resolution, and Pixel Aspect Ratio) are
automatically set.
You can change the X Resolution, Y Resolution, or Pixel Aspect Ratio
values of a predefined resolution by double-clicking in the appropriate field
in the Predefined Resolutions list, and entering a new value. You can also
add a predefined resolution to the list by clicking the Add button, or delete
a predefined resolution from the list by selecting the predefined resolution
and then clicking the Delete button.
If you change a predefined resolution, the change is automatically written to
your misc_data directory in a file called resolutions. The predefined file is
located within the active project. If no file exists, the system creates the Alias
default.
Add Adds a new (blank) predefined resolution to the list which you can then
edit.
Delete Deletes the selected predefined resolution from the list.
Hidden Line Rendering Parameters

The Hidden Line Rendering Parameters control the appearance of surfaces
during hidden line rendering.
Hidden Line Parms Determines which set of Hidden Line Rendering
Parameters are used during hidden line rendering. The default setting is PER
OBJECT.
PER OBJECT
each object renders based on its shaders

GLOBAL
all objects render based on the Hidden

Line Rendering Parameters in the
Render > Globals on page 605 window
Use Fill Color The renderer colors all surfaces in the scene with the Fill Color.
If Use Fill Color is OFF, all surfaces in the scene are colored with the
background color (as though they were transparent). The default setting is
OFF.
Fill Color The color of filled regions for all surfaces in the scene.
Line Color The color of lines for all surfaces in the scene.
U Patch Lines, V Patch Lines The number of lines shown in the U and V
directions for each surface in the scene. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The
slider range is 0 to 8. The default setting is 0 (no lines drawn on the surface
other than edges).
See also:
Bake animation and use Motion Blur compensation
Select camera views to render
Create a line drawing rendering
Surfaces against background
Surface silhouettes or edges appear faceted
Cracks appear between surfaces
Large objects do not motion blur correctly
Roping artifacts on highlights
Thin highlights have roping artifacts
BOT (block oriented texture) files
Black borders (letter box) appears in render
Overall image is too sharp
Raycaster/Raytracer optimization
Modeling and shading
Textures
Lights
Rendering parameters
Preview rendering
Render > Multi-lister > Multi-list Edit

Opens multi-lister control window for active object.
Use Render > Multi-lister > Multi-list edit for fast access to information
about a shader on a particular object, the environment, or a light.
Pick the object for which you want to open the control window, and choose
Render > Multi-lister > Multi-list edit. The appropriate control window
opens. If no objects are picked, the control window for the Environment
opens.
For further information about how to use the Multi-lister, see Render >
Multi-lister on page 683 .
Render > Editors > Render Stats

This window provides per-object information that can be changed to optimize
scenes for rendering.
Sort By menu
The Sort By menu contains tools to control how objects are listed in the
Render Stats window.
nothing Objects are not sorted.
type Sorts objects alphabetically by surface type.
name Sorts objects alphabetically by name.
List Mode menu
The List Mode menu contains tools to control which objects are listed in the
Render Stats window.
all Lists all surfaces.

active Lists only active surfaces.
tgl groups Displays the hierarchy of groups of surfaces. If Sort By is nothing,
and List Mode is tgl groups, object nodes with surfaces below in the
hierarchy are listed as shown in the following illustration. A surface icon
appears in the cell row for each group node displayed. Clicking this icon
automatically selects all rows for cells which correspond to the surfaces below
this node.
Select menu
The Select menu contains tools which let you select objects in the Render
Stats window and in the modeling windows.
select all rows Selects all objects listed in the Render Stats window.
pick selected rows Picks objects in the modeling windows that are selected
in the Render Stats window.
Object Rendering Parameters

The object rendering parameters control how individual objects will be
rendered.
Render > Editors > Render Stats | 623
Double Sided Determines whether both sides of the surface will render. If
Double Sided is ON, both sides of the surface will render. If Double Sided
is OFF, only one side of the surface will render; the side that renders is
determined by the direction of the surface normals and the setting of the
Opposite parameter (see Opposite on page 624 below). The default setting is
ON.
You may not want to render both sides of a closed object, such as a sphere,
(for both performance and memory reasons) because only one side of the
object will be visible when it is rendered. The Double Sided setting is ignored
during raytracing (both sides of all surfaces must be active).
Opposite Determines which side of the surface will renders when the Double
Sided parameter is OFF. If the wrong side of the object renders, toggle the
Opposite parameter. The default setting is OFF.
Shadows Lets the surface cast shadows during raycasting or raytracing. If
Shadows is ON, the surface casts a shadow. The default setting is ON.
Adaptive Subdiv Subdivides surfaces (patches) into triangles based on surface
curvature. (Faces cannot be adaptively subdivided.) Surfaces with high
curvature are divided into more triangles than flatter surfaces with low
curvature. The Minimum Subdiv and Maximum Subdiv values determine
the subdivision triangulation. Setting Adaptive Subdiv ON automatically
sets Uniform Subdiv OFF, and vice versa. The default setting is ON.
NOTE When Revert to V9.0 Tessellator is off in the Render > Globals on page
605 window, the Adaptive Subdiv values are dimmed in the Render Stats
window.
Minimum Subdiv, Maximum Subdiv The minimum and maximum number
of subdivisions between CVs in both U and V directions. These values are only
applicable if Adaptive Subdivision is ON. Valid values are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16,
32, 64, or 128. If you enter any other value between 1 and 128, the next highest
valid value is used. The default value is 2 for Minimum Subdiv and 4 for
Maximum Subdiv.
605 window, the Minimum Subdiv and Maximum Subdiv values are dimmed
in the Render Stats window.
Curvature Threshold The threshold for subdivision in both the U and V
directions. The higher the Curvature Threshold value, the greater the
number of triangles, and the more accurate the curvature. The valid range is
0 to 1. The default value is 0.96.
605 window, the Curvature Threshold values are dimmed in the Render Stats
window.
Uniform Subdiv Subdivides surfaces into uniformly sized triangles (that is,
without taking surface curvature into account). Trimmed surfaces must be
adaptively subdivided. The Uniform U and Uniform V values determine
the number of subdivisions. Only the Uniform U value determines the
number of subdivisions for faces. Setting Uniform Subdiv ON automatically
sets Adaptive Subdiv OFF, and vice versa. The default setting is OFF.
605 window, the Uniform Subdiv values are dimmed in the Render Stats
window.
Uniform U, Uniform V The number of subdivisions the surface will have
between CVs in both the U and V directions, regardless of surface curvature.
These values are only applicable if Uniform Subdiv is ON. The valid range
is 1 to 256. The default value is 4.
605 window, the Uniform U and Uniform V values are dimmed in the Render
Stats window.
Smooth Shading Gives meshes a smooth appearance during rendering. If
Smooth Shading is OFF, one normal of each triangular facet is used as a
representation of the triangle, giving surfaces a faceted appearance. The default
setting is ON.
Motion Blurred Blurs the motion of the surface to produce smoother
animations. To use this option, Motion Blur must be ON (see Motion Blur
on page 614). The MB Texture Samples and MB Shading Samples values
control the smoothness of the motion blur effect (see MB Texture Samples on
page 625 and MB Shading Samples on page 626 below). The default setting is
ON.
Reflect Only Determines whether the surface will be reflection raytraced only.
If Reflect Only is ON, the object is highlighted and will only appear in
reflections or refractions during raytracing, but will be invisible otherwise.
MB Texture Samples The number of texture samples taken over the motion
blur period (for motion blurred surfaces only). The valid range is 1 to 6. The
default value is 2.
Render > Editors > Render Stats | 625
If the texture on a motion blurred surface appears noisy, or not smoothly

blurred, increase the MB Texture Samples value by 1, test render, and repeat
until the texture is anti-aliased to your satisfaction. The actual number of
samples taken increases exponentially with the MB Texture Samples value.
Increasing this value also increases rendering time, so keep it as low as possible.
MB Shading Samples The number of shading samples taken over the motion
blur period in a pixel sample (for motion blurred surfaces only). The valid
Generally, one sample is enough to represent the shade of a surface in each
pixel sample. Thin specular highlights, bump maps, and displacement maps,
however, can alias incorrectly with only one shading sample. When you use
a bump or displacement map, MB Shading Samples will automatically
increase to 2 (if it is set to 1). If a sample value of 2 is not sufficient to anti-alias
your geometry, increase the MB Shading Samples value. Increasing this
value can dramatically increase rendering time, so increase it with caution,
and only for those surfaces that display aliasing with the default settings.
See also:
Moving objects with motion blur
Motion blur noise
Transparent surfaces
Fast moving objects
Raycaster/Raytracer optimization
Rendering parameters
Render > Editors > Light links

Opens an editor for assigning lights to illuminate only specific objects.
The Link Editor is the interface you use to create, list, and remove links
between lights and surfaces.
To open the Link Editor

1 Use Pick > Object on page 3 to select surfaces(s) and light(s) that you
want to link or unlink.
2 Select Render > Editors > Light links on page 626 .
Link Editor
The Link Editor contains three lists: Components, Current Links, and
Picklist. All lists are sorted alphabetically by name with lights appearing
before surfaces. The icons to the left of light names represent the light types
and are the same as those displayed in the SBD window and the Multi-lister.
Components
Components lists all lights and surfaces (at the component level) that were
active when you opened the Link Editor. (If you unpick an active item in
the modeling window, it will still be listed in the Components list, but it
will no longer be highlighted.) Lights and surfaces that are highlighted in the
Components list are listed in the Picklist. You can select or deselect
components in this list by clicking on them. If the auto button in the Picklist
is ON, this selection is automatically updated in the Picklist.
Click the arrow (->) beside a components name to list all the components
that are currently linked to that component in the Current Links list. If an
arrow is not highlighted, that component is not linked. Adding and removing
lights or surfaces from the Components list has no effect on the Picklist.
Render > Editors > Light links | 627
Select none, all Selects all or none of the elements in the list. The numeric
value to the right of these two buttons is the number of currently selected
items.
Add Adds highlighted lights and surfaces from the Picklist to the
Components list. Only lights or surfaces that are active (or are below active
DAGs) are affected.
Remove Removes highlighted lights and surfaces from the Components list.
Current links
Current Links lists all components linked to the active arrows component
in the Components list. For example, if the highlighted arrow component
is a light, Current Links lists the surfaces linked to that light.
Select none, all Selects all or none of the components in the list. The numeric
value to the right of these two buttons is the number of currently selected
components.
Picklist
Picklist lists lights or surfaces that are active in the Components list. Using
the Link and Unlink buttons, you can link or unlink lights and surfaces that
are listed in the Picklist.
auto Toggles auto update ON and OFF. If auto update is ON, selecting or
deselecting components in the Components list automatically adds or
removes them in the Picklist.
TIP Disable auto update if you are working on a large model. This will reduce the
number of times the screen has to refresh.
update Updates the Picklist to include only active components in the
Components list.The update button has no effect if auto update is ON.
Link Creates a link between the lights and surfaces listed in the Picklist.
Unlink Removes the link between lights and surfaces listed in the Picklist.
NOTE Link Editor lists are grayed out when you are in an option window or
when you choose a function that requires picking operations. While these items
are grayed out, you cannot use the Link Editor. To use it again, choose one of
the pick options.
See also:
Render > Direct Render

Renders the active window directly on-screen.
Direct Render window
Render > Direct Render | 629
Direct Rendering Options
Renderer Type The type of renderer used: Raycaster, Raytracer,

Powercaster, or Powertracer. The default setting is Raycaster.
Processors Determines whether the renderer uses all available processors (All),
or only a certain number of them (User Defined). This parameter appears
only when Renderer Type is Powercaster or Powertracer. If Processors
is User Defined, the Num Processors parameter appears. The default setting
is All.
Num Processors The number of processors that the renderer uses. This
parameter is only available if Renderer Type is Powercaster or
Powertracer, and Processors is User Defined. The valid/slider range is 1
See also:
Preview rendering
Render > Render

Determines the type of rendering operation that will be performed, the location of the
renderer, and renders the scene.
Rendering Options
Renderer Type The type of renderer used: Raycaster, Raytracer, Hidden
Line, Powercaster, or Powertracer. The icon in the Rendering Options
window changes if you change Renderer Type. If Renderer Type is
Powercaster or Powertracer, the Processors parameter becomes available.
The default setting is Raycaster.
NOTE With Powercaster or Powertracer, multiple renders on the same

multi-processor machine may produce the message /usr/temp/sgi_mp_rt_locks
permission denied. As a workaround, use the command setenv
ALIAS_PLACE_LOCKS_IN_SWAP.
Processors Determines whether the renderer uses all available processors (All),
or only a certain number of the available processors (User Defined). This
parameter is available only when Renderer Type is Powercaster or
Powertracer. If Processors is User Defined, the Num Processors
parameter becomes available. The default setting is All.
Num Processors The number or processors the renderer uses. This parameter
is only available if Renderer Type is Powercaster or Powertracer, and
Processors is User Defined. If you select User Defined, the initial value is
1. The valid/slider range is 1 to 32. The value you set will be saved in User
Prefs.
Test Render Automatically names the rendered image file testrender_nnnnnn,
where nnnnnn is a six-digit number. If Test Render is ON, the Test
Resolution parameter becomes available. The default setting is OFF.
Render > Render | 631
Test Resolution A scaling factor applied to the X Resolution and Y

Resolution values in the Render > Globals on page 605 window. The slider
range is 0.1 to 1. The default setting is 0.5.
Rendering Options window buttons

Reset Resets all Rendering Options to their default settings.
Save Saves the current Rendering Options settings for use by all subsequent
renders.
Exit Closes the Rendering Options window. The scene is not rendered, and
any changes you have made to the Rendering Options are not saved.
Go Renders the scene using the current Rendering Options settings.
See also:
Render > Ambient Occlusion > Compute on page 640
Render > Render to QuickTimeVR

Renders a QuickTime VR window to move around a model or explore an interior scene
in either a web browser or in QuickTime Player.
NOTE QuickTime must be installed on your computer to use this feature.
NOTE QuickTimeVR does not run on Windows 64-bit operating system.
NOTE A limitation exists with QuickTime 7.1; large QTVR scenes may not navigate
directly in QuickTime 7.1, but can be navigated if you load the QTVR file into a
web browser that has the appropriate QuickTime plug-in.
You can now easily produce a QuickTime VR of your scene in Alias.
Create a QuickTime VR movie

1 Click the menu bar of the window you want to use.
2 Choose Render > Render to QuickTimeVR and set options to
create the type of QTVR you want.
3 Click Go. If you are creating a QTVR file using screen grabs, do not overlap
any windows onto the Alias window while the scene is being recorded.
After the frames are recorded, they are assembled into a QTVR .mov file
that is stored in your projects pix directory.
Render > Render to QuickTimeVR | 633
4 Double-click the .mov file to open the QTVR file in QuickTime, or drag
and drop the output .mov file into a QuickTime-enabled web browser.
QuickTimeVR Options
Choose Render > Render to QuickTimeVR to open the options window.
The options in Render > Render to QuickTimeVR are as follows:
Image Source Screen Grab Uses the Perspective window as the source for
the QTVR. If a Perspective window is not current, QTVR will set it to the first
available Perspective window.
NOTE This mode supports different window display styles; for example, wireframe
and Hardware Shade.
TIP To modify the output size while preserving the aspect ratio of the window,
set the Perspective window to Fixed aspect ratio first, and drag-resize your
Perspective window to the desired output size.
Render Uses the Alias software renderers (Render, PowerRender, Hidden-line,
and so on) as the source for the QTVR. Choose from one of the available
renderers, as applicable.
NOTE When using the Software Render option with Save Frames set OFF, because
of the subsequent removal of the rendered files, the Show and Logfile buttons in
the Render Monitor window are disabled when the software rendering finishes.
Saved Frames Uses frames that have previously been rendered and saved.
You can control the ability to wrap around and the number of frames, so you
can generate a partial QTVR.
Coverage how the scene is represented Complete A complete 360
degree camera navigation around all view axes.
Rotisserie Rotates about an axis perpendicular to the camera. Choose this
option if the top, bottom, and sides of an object are of interest, and the front
and back are not important.
Turntable Rotates about the up axis (usually the Z axis). Choose this option
if the front, back and sides of the object are of interest, and the top and the
bottom are not important.
Frames per revolution Controls the number of snapshots taken for the QTVR
render. If the Coverage is set to Complete, multiple axes of revolution are
used. Rotisserie and Turntable use a single revolution.
The higher the number of frames per revolution, the smoother the QTVR
navigation will be. However, the file size, and time to render and create the
QTVR, increase proportionately.
Total Frames The total number of image frames to be rendered to create the
QTVR environment. These values are driven by the Coverage type and Frames
per revolution setting. This value is not directly editable.
View Type Object Produces an Object-style QuickTime VR file, in which
the camera orbits around the outside of the objects in the scene. The camera
rotates about its view pivot.
Panorama Produces a Panorama-style QuickTime VR file, in which the
camera pans from a fixed location. The camera rotates about its eye pivot.
Panorama
Center of Interest (available only if View Type is set to Object)
Origin Sets the Center of Interest at the world origin (0, 0, 0).
Picked Objects Sets the Center of Interest at the bounding box center of
all picked objects in the scene.
NOTE If no objects are picked, QTVR sets the Center of Interest at the bounding
box center of all visible objects in the scene.
NOTE If only one object is picked, QTVR sets the Center of Interest at that object's
rotate/scale pivot location. To make a single surface or object use its Bounding
Box center instead, use Transform > Local > Center Pivot on page 19 first.
Constrain lights to camera Keeps the lighting in a constant position relative
to the camera when it moves. When unchecked, lights are in a constant
position relative to the scene (and therefore, dont move).
Viewing Angle (available only if View Type is set to Panorama)
180 Limits the output Panorama QTVR to a 180 degree camera tilt.
360 Produces a Panorama QTVR with an unlimited camera tilt.
Codec Codec is short for compressor/decompressor. It determines how the
QTVR is compressed and optimized. The codec is used to control the output
QTVR image quality and file size. The higher the Quality setting, the larger
the output QTVR file size. In general, the current codecs available for QTVR
are older codecs, in contrast to regular (that is, non VR) QuickTime movies
that use the latest and most efficient codecs.
None No compression is used.
Render > Render to QuickTimeVR | 635
Graphics The Apple Graphics codec (also known as SMC). It has two
Quality settings: Low and High.
Video The Apple Video codec. Its Quality settings are from 0 percent to 100
percent, where 100 percent is highest quality.
Photo - JPEG Implements the Joint Photographic Experts Group (also
known as JPEG) compression. Its Quality settings are from 0 percent to 100
percent, where 100 percent is highest quality.
Cinepak Produced by Compression Technologies Inc. Its Quality settings
are from 0 percent to 100 percent, where 100 percent is highest quality.
Resolution Current Window Sets the output resolution for the QTVR
(screen grab or software render) to the xy dimensions of the current modeling
window.
Render Globals Sets the output resolution for the QTVR to the current
Render Globals Image File Output resolution.
NOTE This choice is not exclusive to Software Render QTVR output; it is just
another means of controlling the output QTVR resolution. It can be used, even if
Screen Grab is the chosen Image Source.
Custom Sets resolution from the custom xy sliders. The minimum allowable
QTVR resolution is 8 by 8.
Image XY Ratio Lock Maintains the ratio between the X Resolution and Y
Resolution values (that is, if you double one value, the other value doubles
automatically). If Image XY Ratio Lock is OFF, you can set the X Resolution
and Y Resolution values independently. The default setting is OFF.
X Resolution, Y Resolution The X and Y resolution of the rendered image.
The slider range is 0 to 2048. The default setting is 645 for X Resolution and
486 for Y Resolution.
If Image XY Ratio Lock is ON, you cannot set the X Resolution and Y
Resolution values independently.
Save Frames Choose this check box to save the temporary rendered files used
to produce the QTVR. They are written to a subfolder in your current projects
/pix directory.
NOTE There is no feedback that QuickTime is building the qtvr file after the .tifs
have been written to disk. This can take some time. After the frames have been
created and while the QuickTime file is being generated, the filename of the movie
file is filename (Generating).mov. When the file is ready, it is named
filename.mov.
Render > Convert Frames to Movie

Compiles an .avi file or a .mov file from a series of frames that have already been
rendered.
Images may be in any format Alias supports. Bitmaps are the ideal image
filetype. Other formats are converted to bitmaps before adding the frames to
the video, which slows the process down.
To convert a series of rendered images to a single movie file

1 Choose Render > Convert Frames to Movie .
NOTE When choosing the tool the first time, it takes a few seconds to load
all the codecs for AVI and Quicktime.
2 Set the type of the output movie file (AVI or QuickTime), the codec, the
frames per second, and other options. (Some options, for example Quality,
are only available for some codecs).
3 Click Go.
The file browser opens and you are prompted to
Choose the first frame.
4 Select a file in the browser to use as the starting frame. A series of files
must be numbered sequentially; for example, image.tif.1, image.tif.2,
image.tif.3, image.tif.4, and so on.
NOTE The image filename formats that are accepted are filename.num.ext
or filename.ext.num or filename.num, where num is the sequence
number and ext is the image format extension.
After the frames are chosen, an external program creates the movie in
either AVI or QuickTime format.
NOTE QuickTime format is only available if QuickTime has been installed.
The software is available at http://www.quicktime.com.
Render > Convert Frames to Movie | 637
Convert Frames to Movie Options
Output Specifies the type of movie that will be output: AVI or Quicktime.
Codec Specifies the coder/decoder application that will be used for
compression.
Quality This option is only enabled for codecs that support it. It may appear
as a slider with numerical values, or a pull-down with a choice of Low or High
quality.
Frames per second Specifies the number of rendered frames contained within
each second of the movie.
Control maximum number of frames If this option is turned on, you can
set the maximum number of frames to include in the movie by using the
Maximum number of frames field.
If this option is off, the tool will create a movie from all the frames in the
continuously-numbered sequence of images.
The image selected in the browser is always the first frame.
Control keyframe positions This option only applies to AVI movies. If turned
on, it lets you specify the frequency at which you want to position keyframes
through the Keyframe every field.
Control datarate This option only applies to AVI movies. If turned on, it lets
you specify the maximum data rate through the Datarate
(kilobytes/second) field.
TIP The data rate is the speed at which data can be transferred. The higher a video
file's data rate, the higher quality it will be, but the more system resources
(processor speed, hard disk space, and performance) it will take to work with it.
NOTE Quality, Control datarate and Control keyframe positions are only
enabled for codecs that support them. Some codecs also have their own
configuration windows, which can be accessed by using the Configure Codec
button.
Render > Apply Shaders

Simplifies the workflow for assigning shaders.
The Render > Apply Shaders tool provides two menus that display when
you click the middle and right mouse buttons. Use these menus to assign shaders
to your models quickly and easily.
Using the middle mouse button menu, you can assign shaders using four different
filters.
The right mouse button menu provides four tools that perform shading functions.
Render > Apply Shaders | 639
For more information, see Assign a shader to a surface using the Apply Shaders
tool.
Shade Control Options

Select the layout and define which interface components display in decorate
mode (when the Shade Control tool is selected.
Show Visualization Panel Shows the Visualization control panel.
Maximize Current View Maximizes the current view.
Use FullScreen Mode Displays the view in Full Screen mode.
NOTE When the tool is selected, press Esc to exit Full Screen mode.
Hide Main Menu UI Hides the menu bar in Full Screen mode.
Hide Title Bar Hides the title bar in Full Screen mode.
Hide Palette/Shelf Hides the Palette and Shelf in Full Screen mode.
Render > Ambient Occlusion > Compute

Calculates shading based on a theoretical ambient light source to create general areas
of shadow on your model. Ambient occlusion calculations can be used both with
hardware shading and software renderings.
The calculated information is saved to the wire file, and after it has been
calculated, it can easily be turned on and off without requiring a large overhead
of calculations again.
Ambient occlusion requires that all surface normals are unified. For further
information about unifying normals, see Surface Edit > Orientation > Unify
Surface Orientation on page 361 .
Ambient occlusion works best when intersecting geometry is trimmed to the
shared edge. Intersecting geometry causes confusion because the algorithim
tries to average between dark sample points on the interior and light sample
points on the exterior. Raising the Detail (resolution) minimizes the
problem but does not completely get rid of it.
There is a distinction between geometry that is the "occluder" and geometry
that is "occluded;" only spline surfaces can be occluded - not meshes. Hardware
shading tessellation is used for the calculation. You must have hardware shade
turned on.
NOTE Occlusion textures can't be computed on mesh objects. However, if you
compute ambient occlusion on a NURBS surface and then convert the surface to
a mesh, the occlusion calculation is retained.
Ambient Occlusion Options

Scope Choose whether all surfaces are to have their occlusion textures
calculated, or only the picked (active) surfaces in the scene.
All geometry that isn't set as invisible, template, or reference will occlude,
regardless of the switch.
All transparent surfaces should be hidden (or templated, or referenced) before
calculating ambient occlusion, to ensure that the surfaces are not obscured
during rendering.
If you have a few surfaces that are much larger than any others (like the floor
or walls of an environment), compute occlusion separately for these large
surfaces with a lower resolution. If you have a few small details that you want
higher quality on, compute those separately with a higher resolution.
Detail (resolution) Occlusion texture resolutions are computed automatically
in order to balance the quality evenly across the model and provide a
reasonable resolution for models of any scale. The Detail slider lets you scale
these resolutions up or down.
Increase this value to ensure that small details are calculated and included in
the ambient occlusion. If the scene does not have small details, the number
can be left low.
Imagine that it works this way: the scene bounding box is computed and a
512 by 512 texture is mapped onto that box. A measuring tape checks the
distance between those texture pixels. The "Detail (resolution)" slider is
Render > Ambient Occlusion > Compute | 641
multiplied into that distance. This scheme ensures that the initial result is
satisfactory, whether you're modeling a cufflink or a passenger jet, without
having to change any settings at all .
Now forget about the bounding box and the imaginary 512 by 512 texture.
We take the distance we've measured and multiplied and use it to measure
the occlusion texture onto each surface in proportion to its own worldspace
length in u and v. This is so that (1) there's a consistent level of detail across
the whole model and (2) none but the most dramatic changes to the model
will have the side effect of altering the level of detail you're getting with any
given slider value.
Smoothness (rays/sample) Increase this value if your image is speckled or
spotty to create a smoother, more uniform image.
The value is the number of rays traced per pixel of occlusion texture. A higher
value takes longer to compute but reduces the contrast of the noisyness of the
resulting texture.
The algorithm used for the smoothness calculation rounds the number of rays
to a multiple of 4, so try to use a multple of 4 for this value.
Filter Radius Controls the smoothing of occlusion textures.The slider range
is 1-4, however, you can enter values in the range of 0 to 7.
TIP In general, try changing the occlusion settings together: often, an increase in
resolution works well with an increase in the filter size and a decrease in the number
of rays per sample. Conversely, a decrease in resolution often works well with an
increase in the number of rays per sample and a decrease in the filter size.
NOTE Converting NURBS surfaces to meshes with Ambient Occlusion on preserves
the occlusion textures.
Use Decay Activates a distance limit for objects occluding a point on the
surface to be shaded. Objects further than this distance (Decay Distance) will
have no effect on the Ambient Occlusion of the surface at that sample point.
Decay Distance The distance (in scene units) from a sample point at which
objects no longer occlude the sample point.
Self-Shadow Correction In the event that a surface is both sufficiently concave
and very coarsely tessellated, you might see some black spots or streaks in the
model. Usually, the problem can be solved by computing occlusion with
Hardware Shade set to a finer tessellation than before. If it still has spots and
streaks, the Self Shadow Correction value can be increased, and those surfaces
recomputed to fix the artifact.
Self-shadowing can be confirmed as the cause of an artifact by turning on

Show Triangles in the Hardware Shade settings and observing whether the
dark spots line up with the tesselation grid.
Chord-Length Parameterization Causes the surfaces to use a mapping
technique that ignores the UV parameterization of the spline-based surface,
and instead maps according to surface distances (measured in world space
units). This can help to distribute occlusion detail evenly over surfaces
regardless of how they are constructed. Seam artifacts are sometimes produced
because of highly uneven detail distribution.
Calculations can be halted by pressing Esc. It may take a few seconds before
the calculations stop.
Render > Ambient Occlusion > Delete

Deletes the ambient occlusion calculation if you modify your model, and then calculates
the changed surfaces.
To delete the occlusion calculation for some surfaces, ensure they are picked,
and set the scope to Selected Objects.
Render > Ambient Occlusion > Toggle Display

Toggles on and off the display of occlusion textures for both hardware shading and
software rendering.
Render > Create Lights > Point

Creates a point light that illuminates evenly in all directions.
Point lights are like incandescent light bulbs they throw light evenly in all
directions.
Render > Ambient Occlusion > Delete | 643
You can create a light using the Create light tools or using the Multi-lister.
You can use the light options to set properties for any new light you create.
By default, lights are named sequentially as you create them: Light, Light#2,
and so on. To avoid confusion, however, you should name all lights as you
create them. If you let the system assign default names and later combine two
or more files, all lights are renumbered to avoid duplicate names. It may then
become difficult to distinguish lights by name.
NOTE Light#1 is not used explicitly as a name; the first light with a given name
is implicitly numbered 1.
To create a light using the Light tools

1 Select a tool from the Render > Create lights cascading menu, or click
one of these icons on the Create shelf:
NOTE If shelves are not visible choose Windows > Shelves on page 993 .
2 Place the light by clicking in the modeling window, or by typing a set of
coordinates in the prompt line.
A new light swatch appears in the Multi-lister, and a new light icon
appears in the modeling window. Each type of light has a unique
modeling window icon and Multi-lister swatch.
In addition, light manipulators are displayed in the modeling window.
(To display the manipulators for an existing light, select the Pick > Object
on page 3 tool, select the light, and select a Light tool.)
Most lights have one manipulator that controls the lights position. Spot
lights have two manipulators: one manipulator controls the lights
position, the other manipulator controls its direction (look-at point).
Each manipulator consists of a square icon at its center, and three colored
arrow icons radiating from the center in the X, Y, and Z directions.
By dragging a square icon you can move the light or the lights look-at
point across the view plane (in orthographic windows) or parallel to the
ground plane (in perspective windows). By holding the Alt (Windows) or
Command (Mac) key while you drag a square icon you can snap the light
to grid points.
By dragging an arrow icon you can move the light or the lights look-at
point in the X, Y, or Z direction.
To create a light using the Multi-lister
In the Multi-lister (Render > Multi-lister on page 683 > Lights), select Edit
> New Light. A new point light swatch appears in the Multi-lister, and
a new point light icon appears in the modeling windows at 0,0,0.
Double-clicking the icon opens up the Control Window that allows you
to change the light type and other parameters.
Render > Create Lights > Point | 645
To display the light options box
Do one of the following:
Select Create lights from the Render menu, then click the box beside
the name of a light type (for example, Render > Create Lights >
Point ), or
Double click one of the light icons from the Create shelf.
Point Light Options

The Point Light Options can be opened using the Point light tool.
The Color, Intensity, and Exclusive options are common to all light types.
Color The color of the light. If you map a texture to this parameter, the light
projects the texture. (The exact method of projection depends on the Light
Type.) The default setting is white.
Intensity The brightness of the light. If the light exerts a force, this value sets
its strength. A light with an Intensity value of 0 produces no light. A light
with negative Intensity value removes light from a scene in the area of the
lights influence. The slider range is 0 to 100. The default value is 1.
TIP Use a negative Intensity value to reduce or remove hot-spots or glare.
Decay Controls how quickly light intensity decreases with distance. The
Decay setting has no effect at distances less than 1 unit. If Force is set (that
is, not OFF) under Active Effects, the Decay value controls how quickly
the force intensity decreases with distance.
Valid settings are 0, 1, 2 or 3. The default setting is 1.
0
no decay; light reaches everything
light intensity decreases directly (linearly)

with distance (slower than real world light)
light intensity decreases proportionally with

the square of distance (the same as real
world light)

the cube of distance (faster than real world
light)
Exclusive Makes the light only illuminate objects that are linked to that light.
A light with Exclusive Link OFF illuminates objects that have no light links.
Shadows Determines whether the light casts shadows or not. The default
setting is OFF. Please note that only spotlights can cast shadows in a raycast
image.
See also:
Create a light
Render > Create Lights > Point | 647
Render > Create Lights > Spot

Creates a spot light that illuminates in one direction in an expanding cone.
Spot lights cast light in one direction only, emanating from a point in an
expanding cone.

to grid points.
In the Multi-lister (Render > Multi-lister > Lights), select Edit > New
Light. A new point light swatch appears in the Multi-lister, and a new
Render > Create Lights > Spot | 649
point light icon appears in the modeling windows at 0,0,0. Double-clicking

the icon opens up the Control Window that allows you to change the light
type and other parameters.
the name of a light type (for example, Render > Create lights
> Spot ).
Spot Light Options

The Spot Light Options can be opened using the Spot light tool.
The Decay parameter works differently for volume lights (see Decay on page
671). Valid settings are 0, 1, 2 or 3. The default setting is 1.
0


world light)

light)
Spread The angle (in degrees) from edge to edge of the spot lights beam.
Resolution problems may occur when the Spread value is greater than 170;
small objects may not cast shadows. The valid/slider range is 2 to 179. The
default value is 90.
Dropoff Controls the rate at which light intensity decreases from the center
to the edge of the spot light beam. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider
range is 0 to 255.
Typical values are between 0 and 50. Values of 1 and less produce almost
identical results (no discernible intensity decrease along the radius of the
beam). The default value is 0 (no dropoff).
TIP The Penumbra parameter produces an effect somewhat similar to the
Dropoff parameter.
Penumbra The angle (in degrees) over which the intensity of the spot light
falls off linearly to zero.
For example, if the Spread value is 50 and the Penumbra value is 10, then
the spot light has an effective spread of 60 (50 + 10) degrees; however, the
spot light intensity decreases to 0 between the angles of 50 and 60 degrees. If
the Spread value is 50 and the Penumbra value is -10, then the spot light
has an effective spread of 50 degrees and the spot light intensity decreases to
0 between the angles of 40 and 50 degrees.
The valid range is -90 to 90. The slider range is -10 to 10. The default value is
0.
Edge Quality The size of the blur filter used on the shadow depth map. The
valid range is 1 to 10. The slider range is 1 to 5. The default value is 2.
A low Edge Quality value (1 or 2) may produce slight aliasing (staircasing)

around shadow edges. Increasing the Edge Quality value will eliminate this
aliasing, but will increase rendering time. This will also cause the edges to
become softer, requiring a larger shadow Resolution value to maintain sharp
edges.
Adjust the Resolution value (not the Edge Quality value) to control the
general level of blur.
Resolution The size of the shadow depth map used during raycasting, which
determines the softness/sharpness of shadows. (The Spread and Edge Quality
values also affect the general softness/sharpness of shadows.)
High Resolution values produce sharp edged shadows but also use more
memory and slow down rendering. Low Resolution values use little memory
and speed up rendering. Use a Resolution value of 50 to produce very soft
and smooth shadows. The valid range is 2 to 4096. The slider range is 8 to
1024. The default value is 512.
A spot light with a low Spread value produces sharper shadows than a spot
light with a high Spread value, if their Resolution values are the same. For
example, a spot light with a Spread value of 90 requires a Resolution value
twice that of a spot light with a Spread value of 45 in order to have the same
shadow sharpness.
Fog samples Controls the quality of light fog shadows. A high Fog samples
value produces better quality fog shadows, but also increases rendering time.
The valid range is 4 to 4096. The slider range is 4 to 1024. The default value
is 50.
The default value (50) is usually good enough; however, small details may be
missed or may appear noisy. In this case, increase the Fog samples value up
to the Resolution value.
Use Depth Map Creates a spot light shadow depth map file the first time the
scene is rendered for re-use during subsequent renders. This eliminates the
need for the renderer to re-calculate the shadow depth map for each render,
and decreases overall rendering time. However, Use Depth Map is only useful
if objects do not move within the spot lights field of view (for example, during
a camera fly-by).
The file created by Use Depth Map has the same name as the spot light. The
Min Depth The world space distance that points on shadow casting objects
are moved toward the spot light before the shadow map is calculated (during
raycasting). Adjust the Min Depth value to correct self-shadowing problems.
The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 10. The default value
is 0.05.
If the Min Depth value is 0, then an object will shadow itself by 50% (if it
casts shadows) when the light is at an inclined angle to the surface. A relatively
small Min Depth value can bring the surface out of its own shadow, especially
when combined with a small Blend Offset value. If the Min Depth value
is too high, the object may not cast shadows onto surfaces that are very close.
Also, if the surface does not have to cast shadows but only receive them, set
Shadows off for the object (see Shadows on page 624). A Min Depth value
of 0 is then fine. A typical example of this is a ground plane.
Blend Offset Proportionally scales the distance that points on shadow casting
objects are moved toward the spot light before the shadow map is calculated
(during raycasting). Adjust the Blend Offset value to correct self-shadowing
problems. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 10. The
default value is 1.
image.
See also:
Lights
Moire pattern on surface when raycasting
Render > Create Lights > Directional

Creates a directional light that illuminates in one direction without having an obvious
source of light in the scene.
Directional lights have color, intensity, and direction, but no obvious source
in the scene. Use directional lights to simulate very distant light sources. For
example, the sun can be considered a directional light since it is far enough
away that light rays reaching the earth are effectively parallel. Directional
lights do not decay with distance.
Because directional lights only have a direction, their location in a scene is

unimportant. This also means that during raytracing they can cast shadows
on objects behind their apparent location in a scene.
Render > Create Lights > Directional | 655

to grid points.
> Directional ).
Directional Light Options

The Directional Light Options can be opened using the Directional light
tool.
Render > Create Lights > Directional | 657
image.
See also:
Lights
Render > Create Lights > Ambient

Creates a point light that provides a gentle omni-directional illumination.
Ambient lights are like point lights except that only a portion of the
illumination emanates from the point. The remainder comes from all directions
and lights all objects uniformly.

Render > Create Lights > Ambient | 659

to grid points.
> Ambient ).
Ambient Light Options

You can open the Ambient Light Options using the Ambient light tool.
Render > Create Lights > Ambient | 661
AmbientShade The proportion of directional light to omnidirectional

(ambient) light. The slider range is 0 (light comes from all directions) to 1
(light comes only from the position of the light). The default value is 0.5.
See also:
Lights
Render > Create Lights > Area

Creates a rectangular light source useful for simulating lightbox reflections.
Area lights are two-dimensional rectangular light sources. They are useful for
simulating the rectangular reflections of windows on surfaces. An area light
is initially two units long and one unit wide. Use Transform > Scale on page
13 and Transform > Non-p Scale on page 15 to re-size an area light.
The diffuse component of area lights is very small. To increase diffusion, move
the light further away and increase its Intensity value. Area light shadows
are much more costly than point light shadows. The increase in processing
cost is proportional to the complexity of the scene and the size of the area
light.

Render > Create Lights > Area | 663

to grid points.
> Area ).
Area Light Options

The Area Light Options can be opened using the Area light tool.
Render > Create Lights > Area | 665
0


world light)

light)
image.
See also:
Lights
Render > Create Lights > Volume

Creates a geometrical volume that illuminates objects contained within the volume
without illuminating objects outside the volume.
Volume lights define a closed volume within which objects are illuminated;
nothing outside the volume is illuminated by the volume light.
Within the volume, the direction and intensity can vary with many different
parameters. A volume light is a convenient way to link a light spatially,
instead of by object. One main use of the volume light is as an emitter of
forces or particles. Volume lights are also useful for removing hot spots or
glare by using a negative Intensity value.

Render > Create Lights > Volume | 667
to grid points.
> Volume ).
Volume Light Options

The Volume Light Options can be opened using the Volume light tool.
The Volume Parameters can be accessed by double-clicking the Volume
light swatch in the Multi-lister (Render > Multi-lister > Lights).
Volume lights have many parameters which define the shape of the volume
and the direction of the light/force in the volume.
Shape Defines the shape of the volume light as either a BOX, SPHERE,
CYLINDER, CONE, or TORUS. The default setting is SPHERE.
This option is also available from the Volume light tools option box.
You can also use the Transform tools to position or reshape a volume light.
Apply the Transform to the light icon in the modeling window or to the
DAG node above the light in the SBD window.
Specular Makes the light contribute to the specular component. (If the
Intensity value is negative, set Specular OFF.) The default setting is ON.
Decay Controls how quickly the light intensity decreases with distance within
the lights volume. (The volume light Decay parameter differs slightly from
the Decay parameter for other light types.) The slider range is 0 to 10. The
default value is 1.
0
No decay (light reaches everything within

the volume and nothing outside).
>0
Light intensity decreases from the center

to the edges of the volume. For example,
a value of 0.5 produces a linear dropoff
from the center to the edges. With a value
close to 1, intensity drops off very fast from
the middle. With a value close to 0, intensity drops off slowly in the middle and fast
near the edges.
<0
Light intensity decreases from the edges

to the center of the volume.
The direction that light decays depends on the volume lights Shape setting.
Shape
Decay Direction
BOX and SPHERE
all directions from the center
CYLINDER and CONE
in the direction of the principal axis
Shape
Decay Direction
TORUS
perpendicular to the principal axis
If Emit Particles is ON under Active Effects, the Decay value controls

where within the volume the particles are emitted. For large positive values
of Decay, particle emission is concentrated in the center of the volume. For
large negative values, particle emission is entirely on the surface of the volume.
If Force is set (that is, not OFF) under Active Effects, the Decay value
controls how quickly the force intensity decreases with distance within the
lights volume.
Decay Start Defines how far out from the center of the volume the light
intensity begins to decay. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
Dropoff Controls the rate at which light intensity decreases from the principal
axis to the edge of the light for CONE and CYLINDER volume lights only.
The slider range is 0 to 10. Typical values are between 0 and 50. Values of 1
and less produce almost identical results (no discernible intensity decrease
along the radius of the volume). The default value is 0 (no dropoff). The
volume light Dropoff parameter is similar to the spot light Dropoff
parameter (see Decay on page 651).
Dropoff Start Defines how far out from the principal axis of the volume the
dropoff starts. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Torus Radius The ratio of the minor radius to the major radius for TORUS
volume lights only. The slider range is 0 to 0.5. The default value is 0.5 (a
typical bagel, where the hole is reduced to a single point).
Cone End Rad The radius of the end of the cone for CONE volume lights
only. If the Cone End Radius value is negative, the direction of the cone is
reversed. The slider range is 0 (a true cone) to 1 (a cylinder). The default value
is 0.1.
Arc The portion (in degrees) of the swept volume for CONE, SPHERE,
TORUS, and CYLINDER volume lights only. The slider range is 0 to 360.
The default value is 360 (the entire volume).
Directionality The proportion of directional light to omnidirectional (ambient)
light. The slider range is 0 (light comes from all directions, like an ambient
light) to 1 (light comes from one direction only, like a directional light). The
default value is 1.
Direction Vectors
The Direction Vectors define the direction of the directional component

of the light. If the Directionality value is 0, the Direction Vectors have
no effect.
If Emit Particles is ON under Active Effects, the Direction Vectors
determine the initial direction of the particles. If Force is set (that is, not OFF)
under Active Effects, the Direction Vectors control the direction of the
force within the lights volume.
Concentric The direction of the directional component of the light toward
or away from the volumes axis. The slider range is -1 (toward axis) to 1 (away
from axis). The default value is 1.
Directional The direction of the directional component of the light up or
down the volumes axis. The slider range is -1 (down axis) to 1 (up axis). The
default value is 0.
Radial The angle of the directional component of the light relative to the
volumes axis. The slider range is -1 (at a negative angle to axis) to 1 (at a
positive angle to axis). The default value is 0 (perpendicular to axis).
See also:
Lights
Lights
Render > Create Lights > Linear

Creates a fluorescent tube-like light.
Linear lights are one-dimensional lines of light like fluorescent tubes. A linear
light is initially two units long. Use Transform > Scale on page 13 to re-size a
linear light.
Render > Create Lights > Linear | 673
Linear light shadows are much more costly than point light shadows. The
increase in cost is proportional to the complexity of the scene and the length
of the linear light.

to grid points.
> Linear ).
Linear Light Options

The Linear Light Options can be opened using the Linear light tool.
0


world light)

light)
image.
See also:
Lights
Render > Create Lights > Create Defaults

Creates one ambient light and one directional light in the scene.
See also:
Render > Create Lights > Ambient on page 659
Render > Create Lights > Directional on page 655
Render > Create Texture Projections

Creates texture projection objects to determine the way 2D texture maps are applied
to objects in a scene.
Texture projections include: Planar, Concentric, Ball, Triplanar, Spherical,
Cubic, Cylindrical, and Camera
To use the Projection tools
Click or click-drag in a modeling window to place the pivot point of the

new Texture Projection Object.
NOTE The Texture Projection Object is different for each Projection
type.
A new shader appears in the Multi-lister, having a Projection texture

mapped to its Color.
Tips
The projection objects are moved by their pivot points. When they are
created, the Planar and Tri-planar projections are not centered on their
pivot points.
When you are using the Camera projection, it may be helpful to pick the
objects you want to texture first, then use the Look at tool in the View
palette before creating the projection object.
Projection Options
Each Projection tool has a similar option box.
Display editor Automatically opens the Projection textures Control
Window after you place the Texture Projection Object in the modeling
window.
Magnet snap to B-box (Magnet snap to Bounding-box) Snaps the Texture
Projection Object as you move it in the modeling windows as listed below.
SELECTION LIST
snaps to the bounding box of a selected

individual object or component (for example, CV or edit point) or a group of selected objects or components
FROM SELECTED DAGS
snaps to the bounding box of a selected

individual object or group of objects
OBJECT
snaps to the bounding box of an individual

object (selected or unselected)
Render > Create Texture Projections | 679
OFF
does not snap to the bounding box of any

object or component (default)
If Magnet snap to B-box is set to SELECTION LIST, FROM SELECTED

DAGS, or OBJECT, the Draw snap box and Uniform scale options become
available.
The Magnet snap to B-box option is not available for the Camera
Projection tool.
Draw snap box Momentarily displays the XYZ bounding box of the object
being snapped to, during the creation of the projection. This option is not
available for the Camera Projection tool.
Uniform scale Makes the projection object square. If Uniform Scale is off,
then the projection object is non-proportionally scaled to the shape of the
bounding box of the object being snapped to. This option is not available for
the Camera Projection tool.
Snap to camera Matches the position and orientation of the Texture
Projection Object to the modeling windows camera. This option is only
available for the Camera Projection tool.
Render > Place Projection

Attaches a projective texture placement object to the bounding box of one or more
objects.
Use this tool to ensure that projected textures dont "swim" on objects if the
objects are moved in an animation sequence.
To place a projective texture placement

1 Pick the projective texture placement object and the items that you want
to snap to.
2 Choose Render > Place Projection on page 680 or click its icon.
The texture placement object is snapped to the bounding box of the

picked items.
See also:
Texture Placement Objects
Render > Place Projection | 681
682
Render > Multi-lister
25
Editor for creating, editing, and managing shaders, textures, lights, and the environment for rendered
scenes. The submenu contains options for listing All multi-lister entities, Picked, Shaders, Lights, or
Glows.
The Multi-lister is the primary interface that you use to create, edit, manage and display
shaders, textures, lights, and the environment. You also use the Multi-lister to access the
Control Window and the Color Editor.
The Multi-lister consists of a title bar, five menu buttons, and a swatch display area. The
swatches represent the environment, shaders, textures, and lights contained in your scene.
The title bar contains tools to control the display of swatches in the Multi-lister. The menu
buttons contain tools to create, edit, manage, and display shaders, textures, lights, and the
environment.
General information about the multi lister

window
Multi-lister interface on page 686
Multi-lister menus on page 691
683
Control Window on page 699

Color Editor on page 705
Texture placement window on page 712
Environment parameters on page 720
Shader parameters on page 730
Textures on page 747
Environment texture parameters on page
753
Ball texture on page 753
Chrome Texture on page 755
Cube textures on page 757
Sky textures on page 758
Sphere texture on page 765
Surface texture parameters on page 766
Bulge texture parameters on page 769
Checker texture parameters on page 769
Cloth texture parameters on page 770
File Texture Parameters on page 772
Fractal texture parameters on page 774
Grid texture parameters on page 775
684 | Chapter 25 Render > Multi-lister
Mountain texture parameters on page 776

Noise texture parameters on page 778
Ramp texture parameters on page 779
Stencil texture parameters on page 782
Water texture parameters on page 784
Solid texture parameters on page 790
Snow texture on page 796
sCloud texture on page 797
sFractal texture on page 799
sMarble texture on page 800
sRock texture on page 802
Leather texture on page 803
Granite texture on page 804
sWood texture on page 806
Volume texture on page 809
Light parameters on page 809
Point Light Parameters on page 826
Spot Light Parameters on page 827
Area Light Parameters on page 831
Volume Light Parameters on page 831
| 685
Linear Light Parameters on page 834
Multi-lister interface
Title bar
The title bar indicates the type of swatches that are listed in the Multi-lister.
It also lets you control the display of swatches in the Multi-lister (text, small
swatches, large swatches), and lets you close, track, and minimize/maximize
the Multi-lister window.
Swatches
There are five different types of swatches used in the Multi-lister:
environment, shader, texture, layered shader, and light.
These five types of swatches are used to represent:
the environment (the scenes surroundings)
shaders (surface materials)
layered shaders
textures (two-dimensional or three-dimensional patterns)
lights (lights that emit light and illuminate surfaces)
glows (shaders that produce a glow, and lights that produce a glow, halo,
fog, or lens flare)
Swatches are listed in the following order: the environment, shaders, lights.
Shaders and lights are listed alphabetically by name. Textures are listed next
to the environment, shader, or light that they are mapped to.
All swatches consist of an image and a frame. The image represents the
appearance of the environment, shader, texture, or light. The frame contains
the swatch name and any icons.
The type of swatch image and the way that you use the swatch are different
for different swatch types. All swatches, however, share the following features.
You can select a swatch by clicking on it. You can select several swatches by
Shift-clicking on them. By double-clicking a swatch, you open its Control
Window. You can then edit any parameter for that particular environment,
shader, texture, or light. Use the Control Window
Multi-lister interface | 687
You can edit the swatch name by double-clicking on the name and typing a
new name. You can change the resolution of the swatchs image by
click-dragging the white triangle on the right side of the swatch either up
(higher resolution) or down (lower resolution).
If an environment, shader, texture, or light has a texture mapped to one of
its parameters, the swatch will have an arrow in its bottom right corner. By
clicking on this arrow, you can toggle the display of the texture in the
Multi-lister.
If you have animated a parameter of an environment, shader, texture, or light,
the swatch will have a diamond in its bottom left corner. By click-holding on
this diamond, you can play back the animation of the swatch.
Shader swatches
See Assign or layer a shader.
A shader swatch uses a sphere to represent the appearance of a surface. By
Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac) on different parts of the sphere,
you can open the Color Editor and edit the shaders Color, Specular, or
Incandescence settings. (By Shift+Alt-clicking (Windows) or
Shift+Option-clicking (Mac) on the background, you can open the Color Editor
and edit the shader icon background color.) By click-dragging on the spheres
highlight, you can interactively edit the shaders Shinyness or Eccentricity
value.
NOTE The shader swatch is only a preview image and may not exactly correspond
to the appearance of the shader in a rendered image.
Surface texture swatches

See Apply surface textures.
A surface texture swatch displays the two-dimensional texture. By Alt-clicking
(Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac) on the top half of the swatch, you can
open the Color Editor and edit the textures Rgbmult setting. By Alt-clicking
(Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac) on the bottom half of the swatch, you
can open the Color Editor and edit the textures Rgboffset setting. By
click-dragging anywhere in the swatch, you can interactively edit the textures
Urepeat and Vrepeat values.
A surface texture swatch has two texture mapping symbols in its bottom right
corner. By clicking on one of these symbols you activate either 2D mapping
or 3D mapping.
See Use 3D mapping to position a texture on a surface.
The Stencil texture appears black in the Multi-lister until you specify its
Image.
The File texture appears black with a small question mark (?) icon until you
specify its Image. If the Multi-lister cannot find a File textures image file,
the File texture appears with both large and small question mark icons.
Layered shader swatch

A layered shader represents the combination of shaders that have been layered
onto a surface. The appearance of these layers is rendered onto a sphere swatch
in the multilister. Click the swatch to open the layered shader editor.
A new, empty layered shader appears black, because the layers are empty. To
add shaders to a layered shader, select one or more shaders from the Multilister
window, then click Add. You can select multiple shaders by pressing the Shift
key while you select shaders.
To remove shaders from a layered shader, select one or more of the listed
shaders in the Layered Shader editor, then click Remove. You can select
multiple shaders by pressing the Shift key while you select shaders.
Use the middle mouse button in the Layered Shader editor to rearrange the
layers.
The window shows the layers of shaders that have been applied to a simple
sphere. You can now assign this layered shader to other objects.
Environment texture and solid texture swatches

An environment or solid texture swatch uses a two-dimensional pattern to
represent the three-dimensional texture. By Alt-clicking (Windows) or
Option-clicking (Mac) on the top half of the swatch, you can open the Color
Editor and edit the textures Rgbmult setting. By Alt-clicking (Windows) or
Option-clicking (Mac) on the bottom half of the swatch, you can open the
Color Editor and edit the textures Rgboffset setting.
See Apply 3D environments and Apply solid textures.
An environment or solid texture has a texture placement symbol in its bottom
right corner. By clicking on this symbol you can display the textures Texture
Placement Object in the modeling windows.
The Ball, Cube, Sphere, Projection, and Volume textures appear black
in the Multi-lister until you specify an image file or series of image files for
them. The sCloud texture always appears black in the Multi-lister; the
shader it is mapped to displays the actual texture.
See Set the texture placement object.
Light swatches
A light swatch represents a light as viewed from 10 units away with a 20 degree
field of view. By Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac) the swatch
you can open the Color Editor and edit the lights Color parameter.
A light swatch has a light type symbol in its top left corner. If the light has a
force component, the light swatch will also have a force type symbol. If the
light is linked to a surface, the light swatch will also have an L symbol. If a
lights link to a surface is exclusive, the light swatch will also have an E symbol.
See Create a light.
Multi-lister menus
The Multi-lister menus contain tools to create, edit, manage, and display
shaders, textures, lights, and the environment. To display a menu, click and
hold the mouse on a menu button at the bottom of the Multi-Lister window.
The default active menu item is displayed below each button.
File menu
The File menu contains tools to save and retrieve lights, environments,
shaders, and textures.
Shader Browse Opens the File Requestor and lets you retrieve any shader
that was previously saved using File > Save on page 454 in the Multi-lister.
The default directory is the directory that you last used to save.
Texture Browse Opens the File Requestor and lets you retrieve any texture
that was previously saved using File > Save on page 454 in the Multi-lister,
into the active Multi-lister swatch (environment, shader, texture, or light).
The retrieved texture is automatically assigned to the Color parameter (if the
active Multi-lister swatch is an environment, shader, or light) or to the
Rgbmult parameter (if the active Multi-lister swatch is a texture). Only
one Multi-lister swatch can be active when using Texture Browse.
Light Browse Opens the File Requestor and lets you retrieve any light
(including glows) that was previously saved using File > Save on page 454 in
the Multi-lister. The default directory is the directory that you last used to
save.
Environment Browse Opens the File Requestor and lets you retrieve any
environment that was previously saved using File > Save on page 454 in the
Multi-lister. If you retrieve an environment, it will automatically replace
your current environment. The default directory is the directory that you last
used to save.
File > Layered Shader Browse Enables you to retrieve a previously-saved
layered shader. Retrieving a layered shader also retrieves all shaders referenced
by the layered shader.
Save as, Save Saves the active environment, shader, texture or light in the
Multi-lister to a file that is independent from your scenes wire file. The
files name can either be the current environment/shader/texture/light name
(Save) or a name that you specify when saving (Save as). You can retrieve
files saved using Save as/Save into other wire files using Shader Browse,
Texture Browse, Light Browse, and Environment Browse.
Note the following when using Save as or Save:
Files are saved to the current projects relevant subdirectory or to the last
place that an item of that type was saved. Glows are saved in the lights
subdirectory.
Save does not prompt for a name or path. If a file of the same name exists,
it will be overwritten without confirmation.
If you save a shader that has associated textures, the shader and its textures
are saved as a single file in the current shader directory. If you save a
texture, the texture is saved as a single file in the current texture directory.
If you save a shader and a texture at the same time (that is, both shader
and texture are active in the Multi-lister), the shader is saved in the
current shader directory and the texture is saved in the current texture
directory.
When you use Save, a small icon representing the active object appears
momentarily in the lower left corner of the screen.
By default, whenever you save a wire file, the environment and all shaders,
textures, and lights are stored in the wire file. When you later retrieve the
wire file, they are all retrieved. For this reason, you do not have to explicitly
save environments, shaders, textures, and lights from the Multi-lister
(File > Save on page 454 or File > Save As on page 455 ). However, you cannot
easily access this information from other wire files.
Edit menu
The Edit menu contains tools for creating and editing environments, shaders,
textures, and lights.
New Shader Creates a new shader that is identical to the default shader. To
create a new shader based on a shader other than the default shader, use Edit
> Copy on page 526 . To change the default shader for all future sessions, save
a shader in the default shader directory with the name DefaultShader. If you
edit the default shader in the Multi-lister, but dont save it, the changes will
only last for that session.
New Light Creates a new point light (based on the last point light you created)
located at (0,0,0). To set options for the new light, change the values in the
Point Light Options box and save them before selecting New Light. To
create a new light based on an existing light, use Edit > Copy on page 526 .
New LayeredShader Creates a new, empty layered shader. Double-click the
swatch to open the LayeredShader editor.
Copy Creates a copy of the currently active shader or light. Note the following
when using Copy:
If a texture is active when you select Copy, the shader or light that the
texture is assigned to will be copied.
You cannot copy the environment.
When you copy a shader/light, a number suffix is automatically added to

the new shader/light name. (If the original shader/light name has a number
suffix, the number is automatically incremented for the new shader/light
name.)
When you copy a light (including glows), the new light appears in the
scene in the same location as the original light. See Edit an environment,
shader, texture, or light
Copy Parameters Copies selected parameter settings from one

environment/shader/texture/light to another. Note the following when using
Copy Parameters:
You cannot copy Shading Model from one shader to another. If you
attempt to copy one or more parameters that do not exist in the target
shader (for example, because the shaders have different Shading Models),
a warning message will appear, the operation will stop and no parameters
will be copied.
You can use Copy Parameters to copy textures and texture parameters.
This is particularly useful when matching Texture Placement and Label
Mapping parameters.
You can use Copy Parameters to copy parameters between dissimilar

Multi-lister items. For example, you can copy a lights color to a shaders
color. See Copy parameter settings.
Convert Solid Tex Creates a new shader for selected surfaces, where all solid
textures are replaced by a file surface texture so that the appearance of the
objects does not change. These surface textures recreate the shading qualities
of the solid texture. In effect, this freezes the solid texture onto the surface.
Note the following when using Convert Solid Tex:
If you press Esc during the Convert Solid Tex operation, the files created
up to that point will be correct, but will not necessarily be assigned. Even
if you delete the shader created by Convert Solid Tex, the image files
still exist in a directory with the same name as the original shader in the
current pix directory. If you perform a second Convert Solid Tex
operation using the same shader and objects, the previously created files
are overwritten without warning.
You can only use Convert Solid Tex for spline type surfaces. You cannot
use Convert Solid Tex for faces or meshes.
Any image files created are referenced on the Per Object Images list of
the new file texture. Each surface gets its own image file for every solid
texture converted. The file textures created have no default Image file,
only per object files, therefore the shader swatch does not display the file
texture.
To display the texture on the shader swatch, copy any image file name
from the Per Object Images list to the default Image field (click in the
Object list to highlight the image file name, then click in the default
Image field with the middle mouse button to paste).
Use Convert Solid Tex in the following situations:
You are animating several objects that all use the same shader. Because
solid shaders can have only one texture node, the objects would appear
to flow through the solid material, changing appearance as they move.
You are using Blend Surfaces with a solid texture assigned and as the objects
change shape their textures change as the surfaces move through the solid.
You have a digitized head with a cylindrical scan image of the face. By
converting a cylindrical projection map you can animate the face and have
the skin texture behave properly.
Generally, file textures are faster to render than solid textures. Speed is
gained, however, at the cost of memory usage since file textures use more
memory, especially if they are large and numerous.
You can use several solid textures, like 3D paint brushes on a surface, by
using the Overlay mapping technique (in the Effects section of the
shaders Control Window) and turning Uwrap and Vwrap OFF for
the textures (in the Label Mapping section of the shaders Control
Window). When the desired effect is achieved, you can use Convert
Solid Tex to both bind the texture to the surface and optimize render
performance.
Extract LayeredShader Enables you to retrieve information from an active

surface, andview the shaders applied to that selected surface in the layered
shader editor.
Edit Opens the Control Window for the active environment, shader, texture,
or light. You can also open the Control Window by double-clicking the
environment/shader/texture/light swatch in the Multi-lister.
See Use the Control Window.
Color Opens the Color Editor for the Color parameter of the active
environment, shader, or light or for the Rgbmult parameter of the active
texture. You can also open the Color Editor by clicking the color field of a
parameter in the Control Window.
See Change colors.
Texture Map Opens the Texture Procedures window for the Color
parameter of the active environment, shader, or light or for the Rgbmult
parameter of the active texture. You can also open the Texture Procedures
window by clicking the Map button beside a texturable parameter in the
Control Window.
See Open a texture procedures window.
Undo Cancels all changes made to the active environment, shader, texture,
or light since it became active. This includes all changes made to any textures
assigned to it.
List menu
The menu item you use to open the Multi-lister determines the type of
swatches initially displayed in the Multi-lister (see Open the Multi-lister).
The List menu lets you change the type of swatches that are displayed in the
Multi-lister. The Multi-lister title bar indicates the type of swatches
currently displayed in the Multi-lister.
All Displays the environment and all shaders, layered shaders, textures, lights,
and glows currently in memory.
Shaders Displays the environment and all shaders currently in memory,
including textures that are assigned to the environment or to any shader.
Lights Displays all lights in your scene that have a Light component,
including textures that are assigned to any of these lights.
Glows Displays all lights in your scene that have a Glow, Halo, Fog, or Lens
Flare component and all shaders currently in memory that have a Glow
component, including textures that are assigned to any of these lights or
shaders.
See Active Effects on page 810 and Glow Intens (Glow Intensity) on page 741.
Picked Displays all lights in your scene that are picked (active) and all shaders
currently in memory that are assigned to active objects, including textures
that are assigned to any of these lights or shaders. Selecting List > Picked
displays lights with or without a Light component.
Linked Lights Displays all lights in your scene that are linked to surfaces,
including textures that are assigned to any of these lights. Selecting List
> Linked Lights displays lights with or without a Light component.
See Link a light.
Non-excl Lights Displays all lights in your scene that have a Light component
and are not exclusively linked to surfaces, including textures that are assigned
to any of these lights.
See Exclusive Link on page 815.
List > Layered Shaders Removes from display all items that are not layered
shaders.
Delete menu
The Delete menu contains tools to delete shaders, textures, and lights from
the Multi-lister. You cannot delete the environment or the default shader.
If you try to delete either of them, they will reset to their default parameters.
Active Deletes all selected shaders, textures, and lights, including textures
that are assigned to them. To select multiple shaders, textures, and lights, click
one shader/texture/light, then hold the Shift key and click any other
shaders/textures/lights.
All Deletes all shaders, textures, and lights.
Lights Deletes all lights, including textures that are assigned to lights. Selecting
Delete > Lights deletes lights with or without a Light component.
Shaders Deletes all shaders, including textures that are assigned to shaders.
Unused Shaders Deletes all shaders not currently assigned to objects in your
scene, including textures that are assigned to any of these shaders.
Delete > Layered Shaders Deletes all layered shaders from the multilister.
Shading menu
The Shading menu contains tools to assign and layer shaders to objects, link
and unlink lights, and pick and list objects.
Assign Shader Assigns the active shader to all active objects (surfaces or
meshes) in your scene.
If a shader is already assigned to an active object when you select Assign
Shader, the active shader replaces it. If you assign a shader to the wrong
object or overwrite an existing shader assignment, you must re-assign the
original shader to the object.
Layer Shaders Layers the active shader onto all active objects in your scene,
on top of any shaders previously assigned or layered. The Transparency
setting of a shader layered on top of another shader determines the visibility
of shaders beneath it.
You can achieve an effect like that of layered shaders by mapping a Stencil
texture to a shader parameter (for example, Color). See Stencil texture
parameters on page 782. The main advantage of using layered shaders is
that each shader can have a different Shading Model and different
Shading Parameters. For example, you can use layered shaders to
simulate rust or dirt (low reflectivity) on metal (high reflectivity).
Typically, the first shader that you assign to an object represents its material
properties. You can then layer more shaders on top of it to create effects.
For example, you can layer a shader having a fractal color map, bump map,
and transparency map onto a smooth, shiny shader to simulate rust or
dirt on metal. Or you could layer a shader having a fractal incandescence
map, bump map, and transparency map onto a granite shader to simulate
phosphorescent lichen or fungus on stone. You can also use layered shaders
to create labels.
Shaders layered on top of other shaders must have some level of

transparency or have a transparency map; otherwise, you can not see the
shader beneath it.
Alias may consider a layered shader partially transparent if even one of its
layers is partially transparent. For example, shadows cast by a surface that
uses a layered shader may appear faint, colored, or not at all.
To apply a displacement to a layered shader, you must apply the

displacement map on the lowest available layered shader.
List Objects Displays a window that lists all objects to which the active shader
is assigned or all objects to which the active light is linked.
The Objects window lists lights with or without a Light component. If you
select a different shader or light while the Objects window is still open, the
list is updated. Active objects appear highlighted in the Objects window.
Pick Objects Selects all objects to which the active shader is assigned or all
objects to which the active light is linked (including the light itself).
Although you can select Shading > Pick Objects with multiple shaders or
lights selected, only the first shader or light that you select is used to pick
objects.
Link Lights Links active surfaces to the active light. See Link a light. Selecting
Shading > Link Lights links lights with or without a Light component.
Unlink Lights Removes the link between the active light and the active
surfaces. Selecting Shading > Unlink Lights unlinks lights with or without
a Light component.
Control Window
The Control Window is sometimes referred to as the Environment Editor,
Shader Editor, Texture Editor, or Light Editor.
The Control Window is the interface that you use to edit shaders, textures,
lights, and the environment. You can also use the Control Window to access
the Color Editor.
The Control Window contains a list of parameters for the selected swatch
in the Multi-lister, and allows you to edit these parameter values or settings
interactively. There are four different types of Control Window:
environment, texture, shader, and light.
Title bar
The title bar indicates the name of the active environment, shader, texture,
or light in the Multi-lister. It also contains buttons or icons that let you set
a keyframe for a parameter, or scroll through the Multi-lister swatches.
Parameters
Parameters control the appearance of shaders, textures, lights, and the
environment. Each parameter has a name, which describes the parameter,
and a field, which specifies (and allows you to change) the parameters setting
or value. The Control Window contains several different types of fields:
name fields, file name fields, toggle fields, menu fields, numeric fields, and
color fields.
All the parameters are displayed on the Software tab; a selection of applicable
parameters is displayed on the Hardware tab. The hardware tab is labelled
either Per Pixel or Per Vertex, depending on the Shading Method selected
for WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade on page 567 .
Name fields Name fields let you change the name of a shader or texture by
clicking in the field and typing a new name. Textures also have an arrow
button on the left side of the name field, and ON and OFF buttons on the
right side of the name field. The arrow button lets you select the textures
parent swatch in the Multi-lister (that is, the environment, shader, texture,
or light that the texture is mapped to). The ON and OFF buttons let you turn
the effect of the texture on or off.
File Name fields and Browse buttons File name fields let you specify a path
and file name by clicking in the field and typing a file name. File name fields
also have a Browse button on the right side of the field. You can click the
Browse button to select a file using the File Requestor.
Toggle fields Toggle fields let you set a parameter ON or OFF.
Menu fields Menu fields let you select from a list of menu options by clicking
the mouse on a menu button, and then releasing the mouse on the desired
option.
Numeric fields Numeric fields let you enter a number using either the
keyboard or a slider beside the field. (You can also hold down the Alt (Windows)
or Option (Mac) key and drag the mouse in the numeric field to make fine
adjustments to the value.) Each numeric field has a valid range (the range of
values you can enter by typing in the field) and a slider range (the range of
values you can enter using the slider). The slider range represents the
recommended range of values for that parameter. The valid range is negative
infinity to positive infinity for all numeric fields unless otherwise stated.
Some numeric fields also have a Map button (for example, Reflectivity).
Color fields and Map buttons Color fields let you specify the color value by
using the slider, specify the color by clicking the color field and opening the
Color Editor, or map a texture to the parameter by clicking the Map button.
If you map a texture to a color field, a red arrow button appears to the right
of the Map button. By clicking this red arrow you can open the Control
Window for that texture.
Parameter groups
In the Control Window, parameters are organized in groups. You can display
or hide a parameter group by clicking on the group name.
Color Editor
The Color Editor is the interface that you use to change the colors of
environments, shaders, textures, and lights by that have a color field in the
Control Window.
The color editor has three tabs that enable you to choose color based on your
preferred method: a color wheel and triangle; a box for blending between four
colors, and a palette of colors.
Swatches menu
Reset to Default Resets the Swatches on page 708to their default setting (except
for locked swatches).
Compress Swatches Re-arranges the Swatches on page 708 so all empty
swatches are in the bottom right corner of the Swatches on page 708 area.
Ramp Selected When several swatches in the Swatches on page 708 area are
selected, Ramp Selected creates a ramp of swatches gradually blending
between the color of the first selected swatch and the color of the last selected
swatch.
Lock Selected Locks the selected swatches in the Swatches on page 708 area
so you cannot delete them (by choosing Swatches > Delete Selected or
Swatches > Reset to Default). A locked swatch has anwhite triangle in the
upper right corner.
Unlock Selected Unlocks the selected swatches in the Swatches on page 708
area so you can delete them (by choosing Swatches > Delete Selected or
Swatches > Reset to Default).
Options menu
0->255 Sets the RGB and CMY slider ranges to 0 to 255.
Common elements
Color history A history of the last fourteen colors you have used is
automatically stored in a series of swatches along the top of the Color Editor.
To choose a color from the history, click its swatch.
Sliders The Sliders let you choose a color by dragging sliders or setting values
for each color component.
Color Model Controls whether the sliders use the HSL, HSV, RGB, or CMY
color model.
See Color Models on page 709.

Sliders Let you choose a color by setting values for:
hue (0 to 360), saturation (0 to 1), and lightness (0 to 1)
hue (0 to 360), saturation (0 to 1), and value (0 to 1)
red, green, and blue (either 0 to 255, 0 to 1, or 0 to 100)
cyan, magenta, and yellow (either 0 to 255, 0 to 1, or 0 to 100).

NOTE You can choose the range for RGB and CMY sliders from the Options
menu.
Active color
The active color swatch indicates the active color. The active color swatch
updates interactively as you adjust the active color or choose a new color.
Color picker
Positioned directly beside the active color swatch is a color picker. Click this
icon to change the cursor to a medicine dropper. Click the canvas to pick up
a color from the active layer.
Color wheel and triangle
This area lets you choose a color using a color wheel and triangle.
Color Model Controls whether the color triangle uses the HSL or HSV color
model.
Color Models on page 709
Color Wheel Lets you choose:
a hue by clicking on the outer ring
a primary color by clicking on the inner disk.
Color Triangle Lets you choose:

white, black, or gray by clicking on the column of swatches
a saturation and lightness/value by clicking in the triangle.
Blending box The blending box represents a blend of four colors (the colors
in the four corner squares of the palette). You can use the blending box to
select a color by clicking or dragging anywhere within the box.
You can change the corner colors of the box by setting the current color (for
example, using the sliders), and then clicking a corner square of the blending
box.
Swatches The Swatches area lets you choose a color from a customizable
collection of color swatches.
Color Models
The Color Editor Picker and Sliders can represent color using various
color models:
HSL color model on page 709
HSV color model on page 710
RGB color model on page 711
CMY color model on page 712
HSL color model
The HSL color model uses dimensions that are familiar to artists to specify
colors: hue, lightness, and saturation. These three dimensions are represented
by a double-hexcone.
There is one main difference between the HSL and HSV color models. In the
HSV color model, both fully saturated colors (for example, pure red) and white
have a value of 100%. In the HSL color model, fully saturated colors have a
lightness (value) of 50% and white has a lightness (value) of 100%. In the HSL
color model, pure white is perceived to be lighter than fully saturated colors
(for example, pure red).
Hue Hue is the quality humans use to distinguish one color from another.
For example, red, green, and yellow are hues. In the HSL double-hexcone, hue
is measured by the angle around the vertical axis. Red is at 0, green at 120,
and blue at 240.
Saturation Saturation is the quality that distinguishes a strong color from a
weak one. At 100% saturation, the hue is perceived at its strongest; 0%
saturation is grayscale there is no hue, only black, white, or a shade of gray.
In the HSL double-hexcone, 100% saturation is at the perimeter of the hexagon,
and 0% saturation is at the central axis of the double-hexcone.
Lightness Lightness distinguishes light colors from dark ones. Black has a
lightness of 0, and white has a lightness of 1 (and a saturation of 0). The
bottom point of the double-hexcone has 0 lightness; this increases along the
axis of the double-cone to 1 at the top point.
NOTE If the Lightness = 0, then the color is black, regardless of the values for hue
and saturation. Similarly, if Lightness = 1, then the color is always white.
HSV color model The HSV color model uses dimensions similar to the HLS
color model: hue, saturation and (brightness) value. These three dimensions
are represented by a single hexcone.
Hue
Hue is the quality humans use to distinguish one color from another. For
example, red, green, and yellow are hues. In the HSV hexcone, hue is measured
by the angle around the vertical axis. Red is at 0, green at 120, and blue at
240.
Saturation
Saturation is the quality that distinguishes a strong color from a weak one. At
100% saturation, the hue is perceived at its strongest; 0% saturation is grayscale
there is no hue, only black, white, or a shade of gray. In the HSV hexcone,
100% saturation is at the perimeter of the hexagon, and 0% saturation is at
the central axis of the hexcone.
Value
Value is the brightness value; it distinguishes light colors from dark ones.
Black has a brightness value of 0%, and white has a brightness value of 100%
(and a saturation of 0%). The point of the hexcone is 0% value; this increases
along the axis of the cone to 100% at the top surface.
NOTE If the Value = 0, then the color is black, regardless of the values for hue and
saturation. In other words, the absence of light is black.
RGB color model Red, green, and blue are the additive primary colors. The
RGB color model describes how red, green, or blue light combines at different
intensities to produce different colors. In Alias, each component color can
have a value from 0 (zero intensity) to 1, 100, or 255 (full intensity).
NOTE At full intensity red, green, and blue light combine to form white light. This
is the opposite of how subtractive primary colors combine to form black.
The RGB color model is useful because it relates directly to how monitors emit
light to create colors. However, it is often hard for determine what the RGB
values are for a specific color. If you are mixing a color, you may find the
HLS or HSV model more useful.
CMY color model The CMY model describes colors as different values of cyan,
magenta, and yellow (the complements of red, green, and blue respectively).
These subtractive primary colors specify what is removed from white light.
This model describes how output devices such as printers deposit color
pigments onto paper.
Texture placement window

The Texture Placement window is sometimes referred to as the Texture Space
Editor.
The Texture Placement window displays a texture that is mapped to a
surface, and allows you to position the texture interactively. The two
dimensions of this window (S and T) represent the two parametric dimensions
of the active surface (U and V). A texture mapped to the active surface is
therefore displayed in the Texture Placement window relative to the surface.
Please note that not all texture parameters are available when using textures
within Shapes when sketching or painting.
The buttons at the bottom of the Texture Placement window allow you
to edit the position and orientation of the texture relative to the surface.
The title bar contains standard dolly and track icons, and full/half/resize,
minimize, and close icons. The buttons and menus located along the bottom
of the window let you interactively edit all Surface Placement and Label
Mapping parameters. There are also some additional tools along the bottom
of the window that are unique to the Texture Placement window.
Grid buttons
The Grid buttons allow you to display a grid in the window, specify the size
of the grid, and enable snapping of texture vertices to the grid.
Disp Displays a light grey grid in the window. The numeric field above the
Disp button controls the number of vertical grid lines (representing U in
parametric space), and the numeric field above the Snap button controls the
number of horizontal lines (representing V in parametric space). Click in either
of these fields to change the number of grid lines.
Snap Enables snapping of texture vertices to the nearest grid location when
you perform texture vertex transformations.
Pick buttons
The Pick buttons, Obj (Object) and TVert (Texture Vertices) allow to you
to select geometry or vertices in the modeling window, and load them into
the Texture Placement window. Picking geometry or vertices in the
modeling window is similar to using the Pick > Point Types > CV on page 6
tool:
Mouse Button
Selection Description
left
toggles selection
middle
deselects all vertices or geometry
right
deselects vertex or geometry
The Obj and TVert buttons are mutually exclusive; only one can be active
at a time.
Obj Allows you to select polygonal geometry in the modeling window and
load it into the Texture Placement window. You can modify geometry
loaded into the Texture Placement window using the Transform tools.
If any polysets, components, or polygons are selected when you first open the
Texture Placement window, all polysets or fully selected polygons are
loaded (if all of their vertices are selected) into the Texture Placement
window. This geometry is displayed as two-dimensional parametric space
geometry. At any point after you open the window, you can change the loaded
geometry by clicking the Obj button and selecting the geometry in the
modeling window.
When the Obj button is selected, you can select polygonal geometry at the
vertex level by clicking and dragging in the modeling windows (for example,
by using the Pick > Point Types > CV on page 6 tool). Polygons are loaded
into the Texture Placement window only if all of their vertices are selected.
If you have selected polygonal geometry before opening the Texture
Placement window, the Obj button is selected by default and all Texture
Placement window tools are enabled. If you have not selected polygonal
geometry before opening the Texture Placement window, the Obj button
is not selected and all Texture Placement window tools are disabled except
for the Obj button. Selecting polygonal geometry as above enables the tools.
While using the Texture Placement window, if you select another continuous
tool (such as Transform > Move on page 11 ), all geometry is unloaded and
the Obj button is deselected. If you select the Obj button again, you can
reload all active geometry. This also exits from the continuous tool.
NOTE A continuous tool is one that remains active after you have selected it and
used it to perform an action (for example, Transform > Move on page 11 ).
TVert Allows you to select polyset vertices in the modeling window. These
vertices correspond to the vertices displayed in the Texture Placement
window. You can modify selected vertices using the Vertex tools in the
Texture Placement window.
Vertex menu
The Vertex tools let you interactively transform selected polyset vertices.
You can select vertices by several methods:
You can select an individual vertex in the Texture Placement window

by clicking on it. You can select multiple vertices in the Texture
Placement window by holding the Shift key and click-dragging a box
around the vertices.
You can select individual or multiple vertices in the modeling window by

clicking the TVert button and then clicking on (or click-dragging a box
around) the vertices in the modeling window.
You can select all vertices associated with a polygon in the Texture
Placement window by holding the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key
and clicking in the middle of the polygon. This includes all vertices that
are shared with other polygons.
You can select all vertices of a polygon in the Texture Placement window
by holding the Alt and Ctrl (Windows) or Option and Control (Mac) keys and
clicking in the middle of the polygon. This does not include vertices that
are shared with other polygons.
You can select and transform a vertex without affecting any polygons that
share that vertex. First, select the vertex using any of the methods described
above, and then press the -> (right arrow) key. A white diamond-shaped
marker is displayed in one of the polygons that shares this vertex. Press
the -> key again until the marker is in the polygon that you want to
transform the vertex for. Transform the vertex using any of the Vertex
tools. Press the <- (left arrow) key to remove the marker.
Move Lets you move selected vertices in the Texture Placement window
by clicking and dragging in the window.
Mouse Button
Move Direction
left
freeform
middle
equal in S and T directions
right
along the S or T axis
Rotate Lets you rotate selected vertices about the current pivot point in the
Texture Placement window by clicking and dragging in the window. The
pivot point is indicated by a small green circle in the Texture Placement
window, and is in the bottom left corner of the window by default.
Mouse Button
Move Direction
left
clockwise
right
counter-clockwise
TIP To move the pivot point, see Set Pivot on page 717.
Scale Lets you scale selected vertices about the current pivot point in the
Texture Placement window by clicking and dragging in the window. The
pivot point is indicated by a small green circle in the Texture Placement
Mouse Button or Direction
Scale Type or Direction
left mouse button
non-proportional scale
middle mouse button
proportional scale
right mouse button
along the S or T axis
right or up direction
scale up (larger)
left or down direction
scale down (smaller)
Smear Lets you smear selected vertices in the Texture Placement window
by clicking and dragging in the window. Vertices closest to the mouse pointer
are moved more than vertices further away from the mouse pointer.
Set Vertex Lets you enter numeric S and T values to re-position the selected
vertex. When you select Set Vertex, the following dialog box is displayed.
You can also select the Set Vertex function by moving the mouse pointer
over the Texture Placement window and pressing the S key.
Set Pivot Lets you move the pivot point (used during Scale and Rotate
operations) by clicking and dragging in the Texture Placement window.
The pivot point is indicated by a small green circle in the Texture Placement
To center the pivot point within the selected vertices, move the mouse pointer
over the Texture Placement window and press the C key.
Freeze Transform Applies any Translate, Coverage, Rotate, Offset, or
Repeat values (set using either the Transform tools, or the actual parameters
in the textures Control Window) to all vertices loaded in the Texture
Placement window.
The texture coordinate that results from the transformation is calculated and
then assigned to the appropriate texture vertices in the Texture Placement
window. A system prompt also asks whether you want to reset the texture
transform values before you confirm the operation. If you decide to reset, then
the transformation values are set to their defaults.
The Freeze Transform tool is very useful when preparing texture coordinate
data for export to systems that do not support advanced placement options
such as Translate, Coverage, Rotate, Offset, and Repeat.
Undo Undoes the last vertex transformation you performed. You can also
select the Undo function by moving the mouse pointer over the Texture
Placement window and press the U key.
Vertex Flipping hot keys

Two other vertex tools are available only by your using hot keys in the
Texture Placement window.
H (Horizontal Flipping) Scales the S value of the selected vertices by a factor
of -1 around the center of the selected vertices (no matter where the pivot
point is). This flips the vertices horizontally.
V (Vertical Flipping) Scales the T value of the selected vertices by a factor of
-1 around the center of the selected vertices (no matter where the pivot point
is). This flips the vertices vertically.
Transform menu
The Transform tools let you transform the texture relative to the active
surface it is mapped to. Any transformations you make using these tools are
automatically updated in the textures Surface Placement and Label
Mapping parameters. The origin of the texture is in the lower left corner of
the window. The U parametric direction is horizontal, and the V parametric
direction is vertical.
Translate Lets you move the texture on the surface by clicking and dragging
in the Texture Placement window. This tool controls the textures
Utranslate and Vtranslate values.
Coverage Lets you reduce the coverage of the texture on the surface by clicking
and dragging in the Texture Placement window. This tool controls the
textures Ucoverage and Vcoverage values.
Rotate Lets you rotate the texture on the surface by clicking and dragging in
the Texture Placement window. The texture is not actually rotated in the
Texture Placement window. Instead, a white border representing the edges
of the surface is rotated. This tool controls the textures Rotate value.
Offset Lets you offset the textures position on the surface by clicking and
dragging in the Texture Placement window. This tool controls the textures
Uoffset and Voffset values.
Repeat Lets you change the number of times that the texture is repeated
within the coverage area by clicking and dragging in the Texture Placement
window. This tool controls the textures Urepeat and Vrepeat values.
This changes with shapes; Urepeat and Vrepeat become Uscale and Vscale,
which represent the number of times the texture repeats over 100 pixels. So
if Uscale is set to 2, the texture will repeat twice in the U direction every 100
pixels.
Reset Undoes the last transformation.

Fit Automatically fits the texture to the surface.
Lookat Dollies the display in the Texture Placement window so that the
placement object (representing the surface) fills as much of the window as
possible.
Display Mode menu

The Display Mode tools let you change the way the surface and texture are
displayed in the Texture Placement window. The default display mode is
Picture.
Line Only Displays the surface as a white outline, the texture as a red outline,
and the grid as blue lines.
Drag Line Displays the texture as a color image against the shader color,
unless you are using an Transform function. During Transform operations,
the display changes to Line Only mode. When the Transform operation
is completed and the mouse button is released, the texture is displayed as a
color image again.
Picture Displays the texture as a color image at all times.
High Res. Displays the texture as a high resolution color image at all times.
High Res. mode may be slower than other display modes.
Wrap menu
The Wrap tools let you repeat the texture pattern outside of its coverage area.
Toggle V Wraps the texture outside of its coverage area in the V parametric
direction. This tool controls the textures Vwrap setting.
Toggle U Wraps the texture outside of its coverage area in the U parametric
direction. This tool controls the textures Uwrap setting.
Model View menu

The Model View tools let you change the type of view in the modeling
window.
Shaded Wire Displays the texture on the wire frame of the active surface if
the texture is mapped to that surface. This tool activates 3D mapping.
Wireframe Displays the active surface in normal wire frame view. This tool
toggles the modeling windows out of Shaded Wire mode.
Environment parameters
The environment parameters define the appearance and properties of the
environment. All parameters except Linear Reflection controls and Ground
Plane on page 723 are available for software renders; Linear Reflection controls
are only available for Hardware Shade mode, and only if the shading method
is set to Per Pixel.
A subset of parameters are available for Hardware Shade mode, and these will
vary, depending on whether the shading mode is set to Per Vertex (a small
selection) or Per Pixel (a larger selection of parameters).
Image-Based Lighting
Reflection Map Either type the full or relative path to the High Dynamic
Range (HDR) image to be used as a reflection map or click the Browse button
to navigate to the file. HDR images are the only type of image allowed to be
used as reflection maps for Image-Based Lighting.
HDR images can be created using Photoshop CS2, HDRIshop, or purchased;
some are available on the web, as well (search for royalty-free HDR images).
See also:
Image Based Lighting (IBL)
To use image-based lighting
Tone Mapping
The contribution of image-based lighting to illuminating the model can be
controlled by tone mapping. HDR images, since they have a wide range, may
produce a resulting rendered image that may need to be "toned" to represent
lighting that is suitable for the scene. The toning is applied near the end of
the rendering process, and the final rendering accounts for both the toned
image-based lighting and the rendering done with regular lights. The tone
mapping does not affect regular lights.
As with digital photography and images that are higher than 24 bits, the
longer the original data is maintained and the later in the process that it is
reduced to 24 bits, the more value the high dynamic range data can contribute
to the final image.
Gamma Sets the brightness of the mid-tone values of the reflection map.
Lower values create darker reflections; higher values create brighter reflections.
Exposure Sets the overall brightness of the reflection map. Lower values reduce
the exposure of the image; higher values increase the exposure compensation.
Saturation Sets the amount of color in the reflection map that will be used.
Background
The Background parameters control the appearance of the background.
Color The color of the background. The default setting is black.
Pix File Backdrop

The Pix File Backdrop parameters let you specify an image file, or a series
of image files, to use as a background.
Backdrop The name of the image file to be used as a 2D backdrop.
Sequence Appends the frame number to the backdrop file name. Set Sequence
ON if you want to use a series of image files (that is, an animation) as a 2D
backdrop.
Fog (available in software renderings)

The Fog parameters control whether the environment contains fog, and let
you specify fog properties. Use environmental fog to simulate fog, mist, dust,
haze, smog, dispersed smoke, or great distances.
Fog Type The type of fog present in the environment.
Off
no environmental fog
Constant
constant density fog
Environment parameters | 721
Layered
fog whose density varies with altitude (see

Layered Fog Parameters on page 722)
Min/Max
constant density fog between the Min and

Max Distance from the camera (see
Min/Max Fog Parameters on page 723)
Fog Color The color of the environmental fog. Change Fog Color to simulate
smog (brown fog) or to create the illusion of great distance (blue fog). The
default setting is white.
Fog Depth Determines the distance that you can see through environmental
fog. (The color Value controls fog density in the direction of the cameras
view.) Fog Depth is the distance away that a surface must be before it has
half of its light scattered by the fog. Fog density also depends on the scale of
your scene. Small scenes require a higher Fog Depth value than large scenes
to have the same effect.
The slider range is 0 (nothing visible) to 1 (most objects visible). The default
color Value is 0.039.
Amult A scaling factor applied to the Fog Depth value when Fog Type is
LAYERED. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 1.
Aoffset An offset factor applied to the Fog Depth value when Fog Type is
Layered. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
Layered Fog Parameters

The Layered Fog Parameters control the appearance of layered
environmental fog. They are only available if Fog Type is Layered.
AltitudeMin The lower boundary for environmental fog. The slider range is
-10 to 10. The default value is 0.
AltitudeMax The upper boundary for environmental fog. The slider range is
-10 to 10. The default value is 1.
Column The column in a Density Map file used to calculate the vertical
density of the fog. The valid/slider range is 0 (left side of the Density Map
file) to 1 (right side of the Density Map file). The default value is 0.5.
TIP Animate the Column value between 0 and 1 to vary the layers of fog during
an animation. Use an image file or ramp texture with some horizontal variations
as a Density Map.
Density Map The image file or texture that determines the vertical density
of the fog. The Column value determines which column of the Density
Map file is used to calculate the vertical density of the fog. The default
Density Map is a smooth ramp.
TIP Use a vertical or diagonal ramp texture. If you use a horizontal ramp texture,
the fog will have a constant vertical density.
Min/Max Fog Parameters

The Min /Max Fog Parameters control the appearance of Min/Max
environmental fog. They are only available if Fog Type is Min/Max.
Min Distance, Max Distance The minimum and maximum distance from
the camera within which a constant density fog exists. The slider range is -10
to 10. The default value is 0 for Min Distance and 10 for Max Distance.
Ground Plane
Preview Enables you to see the placement of the ground plane in the Left
and Back windows while adjusting the plane Height slider. This is for display
purposes only: the plane is not real geometry and cannot be picked,
transformed, grouped, and so on.
Height Enables you to set the ground plane for reflections and shadows.
Shadows Enables shadows, and makes the Shadow Blur, Shadow Position,
and Shadow Transparency options available.
Shadow Blur Enables you to slide between Hard Shadows (0) and Soft Shadows
(1). Setting the value higher than 0.7 may cause longer processing times.
Shadow Position User Defined: The shadow is generated from either a spot
light or directional light created by the user. The appropriate light is selected
through the Multi-lister where the color and transparency of the shadow can
be modified.
Directly Above: The shadow is generated from a single light source located
directly above the model. The light source cannot be edited.This is the default.
45 degrees left: The shadow is generated from a single light source located
at 45 degrees to the left and above the model. The light source cannot be
edited.
45 degrees right: The shadow is generated from a single light source located
at 45 degrees to the right and above the model. The light source cannot be
edited.
Shadow Transparency Enables you to slide between opaque shadows (0) and
very pale shadows (0.9).
Reflection Check this box to enable ground-plane reflections of the scene.
The following options are made available.
Reflectivity Sets the amount the ground plane will reflect, from 0 (no
reflection) to 1 (mirror-like).
Reflection Depth Real life reflections fade out; Reflection Depth sets the
fade on the ground plane.
Reflection Blur Sets the amount by which the reflections are blurred on the
ground plane.
Reflection Blur Depth Similar to Reflection depth, it sets the amount by
which the blur will increase the further the distance a point on the surface is
from the ground plane.
ShaderGlow
The ShaderGlow parameters determine the type of effect produced when a
shaders glow intensity (Glow Intens value) is not zero. See Glow Intens
(Glow Intensity) on page 741.
Glow Type The type of glow a shader produces when its Glow Intensity
value is not zero. The default setting is LINEAR.
Off
No glow
Linear
Glow slowly diminishes from the surface
Spectral
Lower wavelengths (red) refract (or spread)

more than the higher frequencies (blue)
Rim Halo
Forms a circular ring with a soft central

glow. The size of the ring is determined by
the halo Spread value.
Halo Type The type of halo a shader produces when its Glow Intensity
value is non-zero. The default setting is Linear.
Off
No halo
Linear
Halo slowly diminishes from the surface
Spectral

Rim Halo

the halo Spread.
Auto Exposure Evaluates glows in the rendered scene, and based on the
maximum intensity found, automatically adjusts the intensity of shader glows.
The default setting is ON.
Although Auto Exposure is very useful, you should not use it during an
animation. This is because each frame could have a very different intensity
adjustment, resulting in glow flicker between frames. See Common glows
problems for information on eliminating glow flicker.
Quality Controls the resolution of the glow. The slider range is 0 to 5. The
TIP Increase the Quality value to prevent very small glow sources from vanishing
when rendered.
Threshold The minimum brightness at which surfaces will glow. For example,
if the Threshold value is 0.5, only surface regions with a rendered intensity
over 127 (255*0.5) will glow. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
Glow
The Glow parameters control the appearance of shader glow effects. These
parameters are similar to the light Glow parameters (see Glow on page 818).
Glow Color The color of shader glows. The default color Value is 0.392.
Intensity The brightness of shader glows. The Intensity value acts as a scaling
factor applied to Glow Color. As value increases, so does the apparent size
of the shader glow effect. A negative value subtracts from other glows. The
slider range is 0 to 10. The default value is 1.
Spread Controls the size of the shader glow effect. Negative values can have
odd but useful effects. For example, a Spread of -6 and a 2D Noise of 1
produces an image of a fiery bubble. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 0.05.
Eccentricity Determines how focused the glow effect is. The slider range is 0
(concentrated glow, fast decay) to 1 (ball-like glow). The default value is 0.1.
The degree to which a glow effect can be focused is limited. For very low values
of Eccentricity (0.01), increase the Quality value. Generally, it is better to
use a glow with a low Spread value and a halo with a high Spread value.
Radial Noise Randomizes the spread of shader glows to simulate starburst
effects and eyelashes refracting light. The slider range is 0 to 4. The default
value is 0.
Negative values of Radial Noise will create a thicker noise. Use the Noise
Freq. parameter (under Radial Effects) to adjust the smoothness of this
effect.
Star Level Simulates camera star filter effects. The slider range is 0 to 4. The
default value is 0.
The Star Level parameter is often effective when combined with a high value
of Radial Noise. Use the Star Points parameter to set the number of points
on the star. Use the Rotation parameter to rotate the star.
Opacity Allows a shader glow to obscure objects. (Opacity can be thought
of as the opposite of transparency.) The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value
is 0.
Halo
The Halo parameters control the appearance of shader halo effects. These
parameters are similar to the light Halo parameters (see Halo on page 819).
Halo Color The color of shader halos. The default color value is 0.392.
Intensity The brightness of shader halos. The Intensity value acts as a scaling
factor applied to Halo Color. The slider range is 0 to 10. The default value
is 1.
Spread Controls the size of the shader halo effect. The Spread value also
controls the size of the glow if Glow Type is Rim Halo. Halo size is generally
larger than glow size when the halo Spread and glow Spread values are the
same. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.3.
Eccentricity, Radial Noise, Star Level Control the appearance of shader halo
effects. These parameters operate the same way as the Glow parameters
Eccentricity, Radial Noise, and Star Level (see Glow on page 725).
Lens Flare Simulates a bright light source illuminating the surfaces of several
camera lenses. The intensity of the flare is determined by the halo Intensity
value. The size of the circles created is relative to the field of view of the camera.
The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0
Radial Effects
The Radial Effects parameters control the appearance of shader glow and
halo radial effects (Radial Noise and Star Level).
Rotation Rotates glow and halo noise and star effects about the location of
the surface. The slider range is 0 to 180 (degrees). The default value is 0.
The Rotation value affects the following ShaderGlow Glow and Halo
parameters: Star Level and Radial Noise.
Noise Freq. (Noise Frequency) Controls the smoothness of shader glow and
halo radial noise (see Radial Noise on page 726). The slider range is 0 to 1. The
Star Points The number of points on glow and halo star filter effects. A Star
Points value of 1 produces a comet-like effect. The slider range is 0 to 10. The
default value is 4.
Non-integer values could produce a seam or hard line at the top of a star effect
when rendered.
Photo Effects
The Photo Effects parameters control the overall appearance of the rendered
image.
Film Grain The level of graininess of the rendered image to simulate the
appearance of film stock. The slider range is 0 (no grain) to 1. The default
value is 0.
Filter The color or texture applied to the rendered image to simulate a camera
lens filter. The default setting is white (no filter).
Master Lighting control

The Master Lighting Control parameters act as scaling factors that are
applied to all lights in the scene.
Intensity A scaling factor applied to the Intensity value of all lights in the
scene. For example, a value of 2 will double the brightness of all lights in the
scene. The slider range is 0 to 10. The default value is 1.
Light Color A scaling factor applied to the Color of all lights in the scene.
The default setting is white.
A new visualization tool enables you to see your model as if it were surrounded
by long fluorescent light fixtures. The linear reflection tool is only available
in hardware shade mode.
How to create linear reflections

1 Open WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade on page 567 and check that the
shading mode is set to Per Pixel.
2 To interactively create linear reflections, turn on Linear Reflection,
choose Shade On and close the window.
3 Choose the Hardware (per pixel) tab on the Environment editor.

Scroll down to Linear Reflection Controls.
4 Adjust the Environment settings to suit your model. The reflections dont
add lights to the scene, just reflections to the model that look like they
were generated from a series of fluorescent light tubes.
Linear Reflection controls

Show Tunnel If turned on, the tunnel is represented with green lines. Its
useful to turn the display on when creating the reflection band display.
Color Click the swatch to choose a color other than white for the reflections,
or move the slider to change the value of the color.
Intensity Controls the relative brightness of the reflections. Values greater
than one are equivalent to setting a light to the same intensity.
Number of Bands Controls the number of bands of reflected light in the
cylinder.
Band Width Controls the width of the lights.
Band Fringe Controls the edge transition of the lights ranging from a hard,
sharp transition to a smooth soft transition.
To place and scale the size of the light tunnel, use the interactive placement
jack:
To scale the tube, move one or all of the three cubes.
To rotate the tube, click a sphere, which enables you to rotate about that
axis.
To move the tube, click an arrow.
Shader parameters
TIP For general information on shaders, see Apply shading to surfaces.
Shader name
The name of the shader. Shader swatches in the Multi-lister are listed
alphabetically (except for the DefaultShader). If you change a shaders
name, the swatch display in the Multi-lister may also change.
Shading model
Defines the basic surface type (for example, matte, reflective). The default
setting is LAMBERT. Each Shading Model has its own set of Shading
Parameters.
LAMBERT
A matte surface (chalk, matte paint, or

unpolished surface)
PHONG
A glassy or glossy surface (ABS or SAN copolymer which is often used for car
mouldings, telephones, and bathroom fittings)
BLINN
A metallic surface (brass, aluminum)
LIGHTSOURCE
A special effect. Light falling on the surface

is summed and averaged, and no complex
shading is done. The surface does not act
as a light (that is, it does not illuminate
other objects).
Shader parameters | 731
TThe Shading Parameters differ between LAMBERT, BLINN, or PHONG.

here are no Shading Parameters when Shading Model is LIGHTSOURCE.
Diffuse
The ability of the surface to reflect light in all directions. The Diffuse value
acts like a scaling factor applied to the Color setting: the higher the Diffuse
value, the closer the actual surface color is to the Color setting. The valid
range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (no light is reflected in all directions)
to 1. The default color Value is 0.8.
Gloss Gloss reproduces the effect of surface shinyness. A high Gloss material
has specular highlights the same color as its reflections. A low Gloss material
has specular highlights the same color as its diffuse shading. Values in the
middle blend between these.
Reflective materials with a low Gloss appearance could previously be achieved
only with a layered shader.
Specular The color of shiny highlights on the surface. A black Specular

produces no surface highlights. The default color Value is 0.5.
TIP For glossy plastic surfaces, use a whitish Specular color. For metallic surfaces,
use a Specular color similar to the surface color.
Specularity Specularity works with Gloss to determine the appearance of
specular highlights that are based on the color of the bright parts of the
environment cast on the object.
Specular reflections (the blurry ones which in the past only reflected the light
sources (point, directional, and so on) used to be colored only by Specular
Color. Now they are colored by a blend of the Specular Color and the (diffuse)
Color (which is actually the diffuse color of the surface), with the blending
being controlled by Gloss. When Gloss is 1.0, it's pure Specular Color, when
Gloss is 0.0 it's pure (diffuse) Color.
This is handy because it lets you do with one shader something that used to
require a layered shader. It's also positively irreplacable with image based
lighting (IBL), since even a layered shader wouldn't give you independent
control over reflected and specular part of IBL.
Experiment with these two parameters together in Hardware shading to get
new effects.
Low gloss and high specularity can produce a satiny, lustrous surface like a
pearl or wood with an oiled or waxed finish. High gloss and low specularity
gives small precise highlights, like highly polished enamel surfaces or wood
with a varathane finish.
Shinyness
Controls the size of shiny highlights on the surface. This parameter is only
available when Shading Model is PHONG. The valid range is 2 to infinity.
The slider range is 2 (broad highlight, not very shiny surface) to 100 (small
highlight, very shiny surface). The default value is 20.
Reflectivity
The ability of the surface to reflect its surroundings (the environment, other
surfaces), or the Reflection map, if any. Reflectivity values for common
surface materials are: car paint (0.4), glass (0.7), mirror (1), chrome (1). To
help visualize the effect of Reflectivity in the shader swatch, temporarily
assign a Reflection map to the shader.
The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (no reflections) to 1 (clear
reflections). The default value is 0.5.
NOTE Reflections are calculated only during raytracing.

Reflection
Maps a texture onto the surface to simulate reflections. By default, reflection

mapping only works during raycasting. To use reflection maps during
raytracing, set the shaders Use Refl. Map parameter ON (Use Refl. Map (Use
Reflection Map) on page 746).
TIP Map only environment textures to this parameter. Mapping a surface texture
or solid texture to this parameter does not produce realistic-looking reflections.
Use Environment
Causes the surface to reflect the environment texture assigned to the

environment, or the Image Based Lighting tone map. When IBL is on, this
option controls diffuse and specular as well as reflected illumination from the
Environment. The default setting is OFF.
Use Environment has no effect if an environment texture is not assigned
to the environment. If Use Environment is ON, any Reflection map
assigned to the surface is ignored.
Use Environment has a different effect during raycasting and raytracing.
During raycasting, the surface reflects the environment texture assigned to
the environment. During raytracing, the surface reflects only the environment
texture assigned to the environment. Any surrounding objects that would
normally be reflected by the surface during raytracing will not be reflected
when Use Environment is ON. If Use Environment is OFF during
raytracing, the surface will reflect the environment and surrounding objects.
See The rendering workflow
Spec. Rolloff (Specular Rolloff)
The ability of the surface to reflect its surroundings (the environment, other
surfaces), or the Reflection map, if any, when viewed at oblique angles. This
parameter appears only when Shading Model is BLINN. To help visualize
the effect of Spec. Rolloff in the shader swatch, temporarily assign a
Reflection map to the shader.
The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.3.
TIP Use a Spec. Rolloff value of 0.7 to simulate a wet surface (for example, wet
paint).
Eccentricity
Controls the size of shiny highlights on the surface. This parameter is only
available when Shading Model is BLINN. The valid range is 0 (no highlight)
to 0.999 (broad highlight, not very shiny surface). A value of 0.1 produces a
small highlight (very shiny surface). The default value is 0.3.
Common Shader Parameters

Color The color of the surface.
Incandescence
The color and brightness of light that a surface appears to be emitting.

(Incandescent objects do not illuminate other objects.) For example, to simulate
lava, use a bright red Incandescence. The default color Value is 0 (black).
TIP Use a little Incandescence for vegetation to make it look alive.
Transparency
The color and level of transparency of a surface. For example, if the

Transparency Value is 0 (black), the surface is totally opaque; if the
Transparency value is 1 (white), the surface is totally transparent. To make
an object transparent, set the Transparency color to a shade of gray or to the
same color as the shader Color. The default value is 0 (black).
If you change Transparency from the default black (0), the background of
the shaders Multi-lister swatch becomes a checkered pattern. This is a visual
aid and is not rendered in your scene.
TIP To create a realistic looking material, set the Specular, Reflectivity, and
Transparency values so that they satisfy the following equation: (Specular x
Reflectivity) + Transparency <= 1 For this equation the Specular and
Transparency values must each be expressed as a number between 0 and 1. (By
default, they are each expressed as a value between 0 and 255 in Alias.) For
example, if the Specular value is 0.5, and the Reflectivity value is 1, then the
Transparency value should be 0.5 or less.
Special Effects
Bump
Makes the surface appear rough or bumpy by altering surface normals (during
rendering) according to the intensity of the pixels in the bump map texture.
A bump map does not actually alter the surface. A silhouette of the surface
appears smooth.
A two-dimensional bump map does not significantly increase rendering time.
Displacement
Makes the surface actually rough or bumpy by altering the tessellated triangle
vertices during rendering, according to the intensity of the pixels in the
displacement map texture.
Displacement mapping is similar to bump mapping, except that the surface
is actually altered. (A silhouette of the surface appears bumpy.) Displacement
mapping, however, requires more rendering time than bump mapping.
Be careful when placing surfaces with displacement maps near other surfaces.
Because the actual displacement takes place during rendering, parts of the
surfaces may intersect.
You can convert a displacement-mapped surface to a mesh, and the mesh will
be displaced according to the map. This is useful for positioning surfaces or
camera paths before rendering. See Create meshes from displacement maps.
Shading Map Applies a color map to the surface after it is rendered. The U
value of the Shading Map texture is mapped to the surfaces hue, and the
V value is mapped to the surfaces intensity (the value defined by [R+G+B]/3).
A shading map changes the shaders color, specular color, and eccentricity,
effectively creating a new type of shading model.
A Shading Map is useful for creating non-photorealistic effects (for example,
cartoon shading) or for highlighting threshold values (for example, using a
ramp texture).
Translucence
The surfaces ability to transmit and diffuse light. Light falling on a translucent
surface is first absorbed beneath the surface, and then diffused in all directions.
The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
The Translucence value of a surface lit by a non-shadow-casting light is
effectively zero or infinite (all non-zero values).
If your scene combines a translucent surface with a shadow casting spotlight,

faint grid-like artifacts may become visible. If this happens, increase the
spotlight shadow Edge quality or lower the shadow Resolution.
For high values of Translucence, lower Diffuse accordingly to avoid
washout.
A surfaces actual translucence is based on the illumination it receives from
lights, and is not related to its transparency. However, as an object becomes
more transparent, its translucent (and diffuse) illumination gets dimmer.
Ambient lights have no effect on translucent (or diffuse) illumination.
TIP Use Translucence to simulate clouds, fur, hair, marble, jade, wax, paper,
leaves, flower petals, or frosted light bulbs.
Transl. Depth (Translucence Depth)
The distance light can penetrate a surface. The slider range is 0 to 5. The default
value is 0.5.
If the Transl. Depth value is greater than 0, light can penetrate a surface
entirely and illuminate the opposite side of the surface, even though it is
facing away from the light. For example, if a texture mapped spotlight shines
on a plane, you can see the texture on the side of the plane facing away from
the light (like a rear-projection screen).
The Transl. Depth value of a surface lit by a non-shadow-casting light is
effectively zero or infinite (all non-zero values).
If the Transl. Depth value is low (for example, 0.1) and you are raycasting
with a spotlight, make sure the spotlight shadow Min Depth value is low
(0.01) and the Blend Offset value is low (0.2).
Opacity Depth
Causes the transparency of an object to diminish with its thickness. An object

is opaque if its thickness is greater than its Opacity Depth. The slider range
When the Opacity Depth value is 0, it has no effect (as opposed to making
an object entirely opaque).
The shader must have some Transparency to show the effect of Opacity
Depth. When Opacity Depth is non-zero, transparency controls specularity,
reflectivity, and incandescence, which are normally independent of
transparency. This makes it easier to create soft, fuzzy objects.
Also, if you use a transparency map to create holes in a surface that has specular
highlights, set Opacity Depth to a high value instead of creating a matching
specular map.
Transparent objects cast shadows in the raycaster even if the Opacity Depth
value is non-zero.
TIP Use Opacity Depth to simulate hair, fur, and clouds.
Use Back Color
Assigns the color of the background that is directly behind the object to its
surface. The object then appears invisible, except for any reflections and
shadows on its surface. The default setting is OFF.
For example, if you are using an image file of an automotive showroom as a
background, a car model reflects this background. However, the car does not
cast a shadow on the showroom floor because no actual floor exists.
You can simulate a floor by placing a plane under the car model, and setting
its shaders Use Back Color ON. Now the plane is invisible, except for the
shadow of the car on it. If the planes shader is reflective, the floor also reflects
the car. If you apply a transparency map to the plane that is more transparent
at the edges and opaque in the center, the plane blends nicely into the
background.
Matte Transp. (Matte Transparency) A transparent multiplier applied to the
surfaces alpha channel in the rendered image. If the Matte Transp. value
is 0, an opaque object has an alpha value of 1 (that is, it is entirely invisible
when composited). If the Matte Transp. value is 1, an opaque object has an
alpha value of 0 (that is, it is entirely visible when composited). For example,
to make an object gradually appear during an animation (after compositing),
animate the Matte Transp. value from 1 to 0.
The slider range is -1 to 1. The default value is 0.
Ambient Occlusion
Ambient occlusion calculates shading based on a theoretical ambient light
source to create general areas of shadow on your model. Ambient occlusion
calculations can be used both with hardware shading and software renderings.
Concentration Increasing this value causes the occlusion shadow to retreat
to the places where it is darkest.
Contrast Reduces the effect of occlusion uniformly.
Glow
The Glow parameters define the type of glow produced from light reflecting
off a surface, or from surface incandescence.
Glow Intens (Glow Intensity)
The brightness of the shader glow effect. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 0.
Shader glow appears different at different image resolutions. If the
Environments Glow Type and Halo Type are both off (in the ShaderGlow
section of the Control Window), the Glow Intens. value has no effect (see
ShaderGlow on page 724).
Hide Source
Causes the surface to become invisible when rendered, showing only the glow
effect. The default setting is OFF.
If the Environments Glow Type and Halo Type are both off (in the
ShaderGlow section of the Control Window), or if the shaders Glow
Intens value is zero, Hide Source has no effect (see ShaderGlow on page
724).
TIP Use shader glow and Hide Source to simulate gas effects (for example, an
aurora borealis).
Clearcoat Settings
The Clearcoat Settings let you control the appearance of surface reflections
to simulate various types of surface finish (for example, automotive paint).
They are available only when the Shading Model is BLINN or PHONG.
Clearcoat Makes the shader resemble the Clearcoat Material if the shader
has any reflections. Clearcoat is on by default.
Clearcoat Material The material that the shader appears to be, if the shader
has any reflections and Clearcoat is on. When you select a Clearcoat
Material, the CC Refractive Index value is automatically set. The default
setting is Sheet Metal.
CC Refractive Index
Controls the appearance of clearcoat reflections. A value of 1.6 produces

reflections similar to glass. A value of 1.8 produces reflections similar to car
paint. This parameter is only available when Clearcoat Material is set to
User Defined. The slider range is 1 to 5. The default value is 1.8.
Brightness
Scales the brightness of clearcoat reflections. The slider range is 0 to 5. The

Contrast
Scales the contrast of clearcoat reflections. The slider range is -1 to 1. The

default value is -0.1.
Raytrace Parameters
The Raytrace Parameters control the appearance of the surface during
raytracing only.
Refractive Material The material that the shader appear to be, if the shader
has any reflections. When you select a Refractive Material, the Refractive
Index value is automatically set. The default setting is Glass - flint.
Refractive Index
The amount that camera rays bend when passing through a transparent
object.A Refractive Index value of 1 does not bend camera rays at all.
Refractive Index values for common materials are: glass (1.6), air (1), water
(1.333), crystal (2), diamond (2.417). This parameter is only available when
Refractive Material is set to User Defined. The valid range is 0.01 to
infinity. The slider range is 0.01 to 3. The default setting is 1.6.
The shaders Multi-lister swatch only approximates the effect of the
Refractive Index parameter.
Surfaces should have thickness in order for Refractive Index to have the
expected effect. If a surface does not have thickness (for example, a plane or
face element), set the Refractive Index value to 1 and use the Surface
Width parameter to simulate surface thickness. See Surface Width on page
745.
For best results, make sure there are suitable objects in the scene to be refracted.
Reflect Limit The maximum number of times that the surface allows a camera
ray to be reflected. For example, if the Reflect Limit value is 4, the surface
reflects camera rays that have been reflected (off itself or off other surfaces) 3
times or less; the surface does not reflect camera rays that have been reflected
4 or more times. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 10.
High values for Reflect Limit greatly increase rendering time. Test render
your scene using various settings, and use the lowest values that give you
acceptable results. Even highly reflective surfaces rarely need a Reflect Limit
value as high as 10 or more.
Refract Limit The maximum number of times that the surface allows a camera
ray to be refracted off itself or other surfaces.
For example, if the Refract Limit value is 10, the surface refracts camera
rays that have been refracted or reflected 9 times or less; the surface does not
refract camera rays that have been refracted or reflected 10 or more times.
is 6.
In the following example, a glass sits in front of a mirror.
The number of refractions includes both the entry and exit of a camera ray
from a surface having thickness.
The physical property Total Internal Reflection (TIR) can make some
transparent objects appear not to refract light. This is a real-world property
caused by light rays reflecting inside the thickness of the object. If this occurs
in your model, increasing Refract Limit has no effect, because the rays never
leave the surface. However, because TIR is a real-world property, you may
want to keep this effect. If do not want this effect, increase the Refractive
Index.
TIP To simulate realistic looking glass, set the Refract Limit value to 9 or 10.
Shadow Limit The maximum number of times the surface can be reflected
or refracted and still receive shadows (in the reflection/refraction).
For example, if the Shadow Limit value is -1, the surface does not receive
any shadows. If the Shadow Limit value is 0, the surface receives shadows
when viewed directly by the camera but does not receive any shadows when
viewed in reflections/refractions.
If the Shadow Limit value is 1, the surface receives shadows when viewed
directly by the camera or when viewed through a single reflection/refraction,
but does not receive any shadows when viewed through 2 or more
reflections/refractions.
The valid range is -1 to infinity. The slider range is -1 to 10. The default value
is 0.
NOTE High Shadow Limit values greatly increase rendering time.
Raytrace Effects
The Raytrace Effects parameters control the appearance of the surface
during raytracing only.
Surface Width The simulated thickness (in world space units) of transparent
objects that are made from single surfaces (for example, a plane or face). The
valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
Using Surface Width does not produce the same results as building a surface
with actual thickness. However, the effect works well when the edges of the
surface are not visible (for example, closed surfaces, or bounded shapes like a
car windshield).
Transp. Shade (Transparency Shade) Causes shadows of transparent objects
to be brighter in the center, simulating the focusing of light. The valid range
is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (constant intensity shadows) to 1 (shadows
focused in the center). The default value is 0.
Transp. Depth (Transparency Depth) The distance (in world units) camera
rays can travel after passing through a transparent surface. By setting the
Transp. Depth value, you can vary the surfaces transparency based on the
distance of objects behind the surface.
If the Transp. Depth value is 0, camera rays can travel an infinite distance,
and all objects behind the transparent surface are visible no matter how far
away they are. The surfaces transparency is the same across the entire surface.
For non-zero values, after a camera ray reaches the distance of the Transp.
Depth value, its color becomes the surface color. Only objects near the
transparent surface (less than the Transp. Depth value) are visible through
the surface. Objects close to the surface are more visible (that is, the surface
is more transparent in those areas) and objects further away are less visible
(that is, the surface is less transparent in those areas). Objects beyond the
Transp. Depth value are not visible at all (that is, the surface is opaque in
those areas).
is 0.
Chroma Abber. (Chromatic Aberration) Causes different wavelengths of
light to refract different amounts when passing through a transparent surface.
The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (no chromatic aberration)
Chromatic aberration only affects light rays as they pass through the second
surface of a transparent object (that is, the first exit ray). For best results, make
sure there are suitable objects in the background to be refracted.
Refrac Jitter (Refraction Jitter)
Randomly alters the direction of refracted light rays. The valid range is 0 to
infinity. The slider range is 0 (no jitter) to 1. The default value is 0.
If the Refrac Jitter value is high, you may have to increase the Refrac
Samples value to reduce the appearance of aliasing artifacts.
TIP Use Refrac Jitter to simulate frosted glass.
Refrac Samples (Refraction Samples)
Controls the smoothness of the Refrac Jitter effect. If the Refrac Jitter
value is 0, the Refrac Samples value has no effect. If the Refrac Jitter
value is high, you may have to increase the Refrac Samples value to reduce
the appearance of aliasing artifacts (see Common aliasing problems).
The valid range is 1 to infinity. The slider range is 1 (rough) to 10 (smooth).
Use Refl. Map (Use Reflection Map) Causes the surface to have reflections
from the Reflection map only. If Use Refl. Map is OFF, the surface has
reflections from all of its surroundings, but not from its Reflection map. The

The Hidden Line Rendering Parameters control the appearance of the surface
during hidden line rendering only (see Create a line drawing rendering).
Use Fill Color
Causes surfaces to be filled with the Fill Color during hidden line rendering.
If Use Fill Color is OFF, surfaces are filled with the background color. The
default setting is ON.
Fill Color The color that the surface is filled with during hidden line rendering,
if Use Fill Color is ON. The default color is white.
U Patch Lines, V Patch Lines
The number of lines shown on the surface in its U and V directions during
hidden line rendering. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0
(no lines shown on the surface except for edge lines) to 8. The default value
is 0.
Textures
Texture types
The Surface, Environments, and Solid sections of the Texture
Procedures window list all textures that you can map to the parameter of
an environment, shader, texture, or light.
Textures | 747
Texturable Values
The Texturable Values section of the Texture Procedures window
contains a button for each parameter (of the active environment, shader, light,
or texture in the Multi-lister) that you can map a texture to. The button(s)
that are pressed will have a texture mapped to them.
Texture parameters
The Color Balance, Intensity, Blur, and Effects parameters are common
to all textures.
Color Balance
The Color Balance parameters let you color correct a texture. These
parameters are not available when the texture is mapped to certain
single-channel parameters (for example, Reflectivity, Bump,
Displacement). In these cases, the Color Balance parameters (Rgbmult
and Rgboffset) are replaced by the Intensity parameters (Amult and
Aoffset). See Intensity on page 749.
Rgbmult
A scaling factor applied to the parameter that the texture is mapped to. That
is, all colors in the texture are multiplied by the Rgbmult color. For example,
you can color correct a texture that appears too green by setting the Rgbmult
color to a shade of blue.The default color is white (no effect).
Rgboffset
An offset factor applied to the parameter that the texture is mapped to. That
is, all colors in the texture have the Rgboffset color added to them. For
example, you can brighten a texture that appears too dark by setting the
Rgboffset color to a shade of gray. The default color is black (no effect).
Intensity
The Intensity parameters let you correct the intensity of the texture. These
parameters are only available when the texture is mapped to certain
single-channel parameters (for example, Reflectivity, Bump,
Displacement). In other cases, the Intensity parameters (Amult and
Aoffset) are replaced by the Color Balance parameters (Rgbmult and
Rgboffset). See Color Balance on page 748.
Amult
A scaling factor applied to the parameter that the texture is mapped to. That
is, all values in the texture are multiplied by the Amult value. The slider range
is 0 to 1. The default value is 1 (no effect).
Aoffset
Textures | 749
An offset factor applied to the parameter that the texture is mapped to. That
is, all values in the texture have the Aoffset value added to them. For example,
if the Amult value is -1 and the Aoffset value is 1, the texture is inverted.
The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0 (no effect).
Blur
The Blur parameters control the sharpness of the texture. If the Blur
parameter values are both 0, the texture is perfectly sharp. However, a small
amount of blur is usually needed to reduce aliasing effects (see Common
aliasing problems).
Blurmult
A scaling factor that controls the amount of texture blur in eye space. That
is, the further an object is from the camera, the greater the blur effect.
Increase the Blurmult value (for example, to 1) only to reduce aliasing effects
caused by sharp textures (see Common aliasing problems). If you want to
actually smooth the texture, increase the Bluroffset value.
Lower the Blurmult value (for example, to 0.1) if you are using the texture
as a bump or displacement map. If the Blurmult value is high, the
bump/displacement appears smoother when the surface is further from the
camera.
The slider range is 0 (sharp texture, no blur) to 1 (good anti-aliasing). The
default value is 1.
Bluroffset
An offset factor that controls the amount of texture blur in texture space. That
is, the amount of blur is the same no matter where the object is relative to
the camera. The slider range is 0 (no blur) to 1 (completely blurred). The
default value is 0.
Effects
The Effects parameters let you create a variety of texture effects.
Invert
Reverses all texture colors (for example, black becomes white amd white
becomes black). For example, you can change a bump or displacement maps
raised regions to depressions and vice versa by setting Invert ON or OFF. The
Overlay
Layers another texture on top of the original texture. The overlay texture
completely replaces the original texture in the region of a surface where both
textures exist.
For example, you can place multiple image file decals onto a model using this
parameter. You can also overlay another texture onto the overlaid texture,
and another texture onto that one, and so on.
Color Remap
Applies a color map to the texture. The U value of the Color Remap texture
is mapped to the original textures hue, and the V value is mapped to the
Textures | 751
original textures intensity (the value defined by [R+G+B]/3). The Color

Remap parameter acts similar to the Shading Map parameter (see Shading
Map on page 738).
Smear Map
Stretches the texture in the U and V directions. The intensity of the Smear
Map texture determines the magnitude of the stretch, and the hue determines
the direction (angle). For example, you can use Smear Map to create swirl
and dissolve effects using an animated fractal noise texture.
Convert to Pix Converts any procedural surface texture to an image file
texture. Because procedural textures take longer to render than image file
textures, you can use Convert to Pix to reduce rendering time. You can also
use it to reduce a texture with several overlays into a single image file texture.
If you click the Convert to Pix button, the following dialog box appears:
You can edit the Image Size value (the size of the image file) and the Image
Filename (the name of the image file), and you can turn Anti Aliasing ON
or OFF.
The Convert to Pix parameter is only available for surface textures.
Convert to Smear This parameter is only available for the Projection texture.
See Convert to Smear on page 796.
Environment texture parameters

The Color Balance, Blur, Effects, and 3D Placement parameters are
common to all environment textures.
Color Balance, Blur, Effects
Color Balance on page 748
Blur on page 750
Effects on page 751
3D Placement
Texture Node The name of the textures Texture Placement Object. The
Texture Placement Object is easier to find in the SBD window if you know
its name. See Texture Placement Objects.
Ball texture
Ball Environment Parameters
Image The texture used by the Ball texture. To use a single image of a highly
reflective chrome ball in an environment, map a File texture to the Ball
textures Image parameter, and then map the image file to the File textures
Image parameter.
To use several images of a highly reflective chrome ball in an environment,
map a Volume texture to the Ball textures Image parameter, and then map
one of the image files to the Volume textures Pix Sequence parameter (see
Volume texture on page 809).
Inclination The rotation (in degrees) of the ball image about the vertical axis.
The valid range is -10000 to 10000. The slider range is 0 to 180. The default
setting is 0.
Set the Inclination value to the inclination of the camera (that is, the angle
between the cameras view and the environments YZ plane) used to generate
the image file (by photographing or rendering a reflective ball in an
environment). For example, if the inclination of the camera is 45 degrees, set
the Inclination value to 45. If the camera is parallel to the YZ plane, set the
Inclination value to 0. When creating the ball image, a camera inclination
Environment texture parameters | 753
and elevation of zero will provide the best resolution for the view you intend
to use.
Elevation The rotation of the ball image about the horizontal axis. The valid
range is -10000 to 10000. The slider range is -90 to 90. The default setting is
0.
Set the Elevation value to the elevation of the camera (that is, the angle
between the cameras view and the environments ground plane: XY plane
for a Z-up scene) used to generate the image file (by photographing or
rendering a reflective ball in an environment). For example, if the elevation
of the camera is 90 degrees (that is, it is directly above the ball), set the
Elevation value to 90. If the camera is parallel to the ground plane, set the
Elevation value to 0. When creating the ball image, a camera inclination
and elevation of zero will provide the best resolution for the view you intend
to use.
Eyespace Causes the position of the Ball textures Image file to be defined
relative to the window, not the camera view. If Eyespace is ON, the Ball
textures Image file automatically matches the environments Backdrop
image file (provided they were both originally photographed/rendered from
the same point of view), even if the camera view changes. Reflections, however,
are based on the background being infinitely far away; that is, the reflection
planes are ignored (see Projection Geometry on page 754 below). Rendering is
faster when Eyespace is ON. The default setting is OFF.
Reflect Causes the Image file to be reflection mapped onto the background.
If Reflect is OFF, the Image file is mapped using a solid texture spherical
projection (see Projection texture). This allows you to model the geometry of
the background image and then map the background image to this geometry,
for example, to add shadows, lighting effects, or fog to your scene. The default
setting is OFF.
Projection Geometry
The Projection Geometry parameters define the location of the sky or room
walls of the original environment so that the system can calculate reflections
on surfaces in the re-created environment.
For example, if the original environment consisted of a ground plane and a
sky, then you would set the Sky_radius value to the radius of the sky, and
the Bottom value to the distance between the ground plane and the reflective
ball. If the original environment consisted of a room, then you would set the
Bottom, Top, Left, Right, Front, and Back values to the distance between
each wall and the reflective ball.
In some cases you may want to use values different than the original
environment. For example, instead of using the Bottom, Top, Left, Right,
Front, and Back values to define the walls of a room, you may simply use
the Sky_radius parameter. Because Sky_radius defines a sphere, reflections
on surfaces in the simulated environment will be smoother and less likely to
become blurred. You can also combine Sky_radius with Bottom, Top, Left,
Right, Front, or Back.
Sky_radius The radius of the sky of the original environment. The valid range
is 0 to 100000. The slider range is 0 to 20. The default value is 0.
Bottom,Top, Left, Right, Front, Back The distance between the reflective
ball and each wall of the original environment. The valid range is 0 to
9.999e+13. The slider range is 0 to 20. The default value is 0.
Chrome Texture
Sky Parameters
Sky_color The color of the sky at the horizon. Overall sky color is linearly
interpolated between Sky_color and Zenith_color.
Zenith_color The color of the sky at the zenith (straight up). Overall sky color
is linearly interpolated between Sky_color and Zenith_color.
Light_color The color of the simulated fluorescent lights. These lights
produce reflections in surfaces, but they do not actually illuminate surfaces.
Light Placement
The Light Placement parameters control the size and placement of the
simulated fluorescent lights in the environment. These lights produce
reflections in surfaces, but they do not actually illuminate surfaces.
Width, Depth
The width and depth of each light. These parameters also determine spacing
between lights. The valid/slider range is 0 to 1. The default Width value is
0.5 and the default Depth value is 0.1.
Chrome Texture | 755
Width_mult, Depth_mult
The number of lights per unit length. The valid/slider range is 0 to 1. The
default value is 1.
Width_offset, Depth_offset
The light displacement. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
Floor Parameters
The Floor Parameters control the appearance of the environments floor.
Floor_color, Horizon_color, Grid_color The color of the floor, the floors
horizon and the floors grid.
Real_floor
If Real_floor is OFF, the environments floor is located at infinity, so

reflections on moving objects or reflections viewed from a moving camera
will be incorrect. The default setting is OFF.
If Real_floor is ON, the floor is located on the ground plane, so reflections
on moving objects or reflections viewed from a moving camera will be correct.
If Real_floor is ON, make sure surfaces or the camera do not go below the
ground plane.
Grid Placement
The Grid Placement parameters control the size and placement of the floors
grid.
Width, Depth
The width and depth of the grid lines. These parameters also determine the
spacing between grid lines. The valid/slider range is 0 to 1. The default value
is 0.1.
Width_mult, Depth_mult
The number of grid cells per unit length. The valid/slider range is 0 to 1. The
default value is 1.
Width_offset,Depth_offset
The grid displacement. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
Cube textures
Cube Environment Parameters
Cross Orientation Choose either Horizontal or Vertical. Also, if you are using
a cross image (rather than six discrete images), use the following option. This
(and the following option) are designed for use with cross images generated
by HDR software.
Cross Image Browse to the location of the cross image that you want used
for a cube environment texture.
Right, Left, Top, Bottom, Front, Back The image files mapped to the right,
left, top, bottom, front, and back inner surfaces of an infinite cube. (The front
of the cube faces the front orthographic window.)
Cube textures | 757
Sky textures
Sky Environment Parameters
Total_bright.
The overall brightness of the environment. The valid range is 0 to infinity.

Sun Parameters
Sun_bright.
The color and brightness of the sun. The default color Value is 0.5.
Halo_bright.
The color and brightness of the halo around the sun. The default color value
is 0.1.
Elevation
The angle (in degrees) of elevation of the sun relative to the floor. The valid
range is -10000 to 10000. The slider range is 0 (sunrise/sunset) to 90 (midday).
Azimuth
The angle (in degrees) of the sun in the sky about a vertical vector. The valid
range is -10000 to 10000. The slider range is 0 to 360. The default value is 145.
Size
The size (radius) of the sun. The valid range is 0 to 10000. The slider range is
Blur
The size (radius) of the halo around the sun. The valid range is 0 to 1000. The
Sky textures | 759
Atmospheric Settings
Sky_bright.
A scaling factor applied to the sky color. The default color Value is 0.5.
Air_density
The density of the air in the atmosphere. The denser the air, the more light
will be scattered. Think of air density in terms of low and high altitudes. High
altitude skies are almost black straight up and blue near the horizon (the
Air_density value less than 1). Low altitude skies are blue straight up and
white near the horizon (the Air_density value greater than 1). The slider
Dust_density
The density of dust in the atmosphere. The slider range is 0 to 3. The default
value is 0.
Sky_thickness
The thickness of the atmosphere. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider
Sky_radius
The outer radius of the sky as a multiple of Sky_thickness. The

Sky_thickness and Sky_radius values determine the planet radius, and
planet radius influences the appearance of sunsets. A planet with a large radius
will have very red (and very dark) sunsets (you can adjust Sky_bright to
compensate for sunsets that are too dark).
For example, if Sky_thickness is 1000 and Sky_radius is 50, the outer
radius of the sky is 1000 x 50 = 50 000 units, and the radius of the planet is
(1000 x 50) - (1000 x 1) = 49 000 units.
The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0.01 to 300. The default
value is 50.
Floor Parameters
The Floor Parameters control the appearance of the environments planet
surface.
Has_floor
Sky textures | 761
Toggles the floor ON or OFF. If Has_floor is OFF, the environment below

the horizon is a mirror image of the environment above the horizon.
Floor_texture
The color or texture of the floor. The default color value is 0.392.
Cloud Parameters
Cloud texture
The texture that determines cloud distribution in the sky. For example, the
Fractal texture creates very realistic clouds. By default, there is no cloud
texture map (and no clouds).
Cloud_bright.
The brightness and color of cloud illumination from ambient scattered light
in the atmosphere. (The amount of ambient light depends on the Elevation
value.) The default color Value is 0.5.
Sunset_bright.
The brightness and color of cloud illumination when the sun is below the
horizon and the clouds are front lit (for example, when the suns Elevation
value is 0 and its Azimuth value is 180). This is a very subtle effect and occurs
only briefly in nature during a sunrise or sunset. The effect is more noticeable
with high altitude clouds. The default color Value is 1.
Density
The density of individual clouds. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider
range is 0 (no clouds) to 5 (heavy clouds). The default value is 1.
Threshold
A threshold value for the Cloud texture that controls how much of the sky
is covered with cloud. As the Threshold value increases, darker areas of the
texture do not produce clouds. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range
is 0 (entire sky is cloudy) to 1 (no clouds). The default value is 0.5.
Power
The clouds are scaled and positioned by adjusting the Power option. The
cloud density is achieved by subtracting the Threshold from the pixel value
clipping to 0, then multiplying the result with Density. To control the amount
of unfocusing of the Cloud_texture, adjust the Blur value (under Sun
Parameters). The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The
default value is 1.
Sky textures | 763
Altitude
The height of the clouds. The Altitude value does not greatly affect the
position of the clouds. Instead, it determines how much the atmosphere
obscures the clouds near the horizon. Low altitude clouds disappear into haze
much more slowly than high altitude clouds. The valid/slider range is 0 to 1.
The default value is 0.2.
Halo_Size
The size (radius) of cloud illumination from direct back lighting by the sun
(for example, when the suns Azimuth value is 0). Direct back lighting is
most noticeable near the edges of thick clouds or through thin clouds. The
valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 50. The default value is 20.
Calculation Quality
The calculations required for curved atmospheres are expensive. The
Calculation Quality parameters do not greatly affect the appearance of the
sky, but do affect the speed at which the calculations are computed.
Sky_samples
The number of samples used above the cloud layer. Set the Sky_samples
value to 1 for maximum speed. The valid range is 0 to 20. The slider range is
0 to 3. The default value is 5.
Floor_samples
The number of samples used by the atmosphere between the eye and the
horizon. Increasing the Floor_samples value increases the effect of the
atmosphere along the floor. At 0, there is no atmosphere between the eye and
horizon. The valid range is 0 to 20. The slider range is 0 to 3. The default value
is 1.
Cloud_samples
The number of samples used below the cloud layer. At 0, clouds do not fade
to mist at the horizon. The valid range is 0 to 20. The slider range is 0 to 3.
Sphere texture
Sphere Environment Parameters
Source texture
The texture mapped to the inner surface of an infinite sphere.

Shear_u
Sphere texture | 765
Shears the Source texture in the U direction. For example, horizontal stripes
will resemble a barber pole. The slider range is -10 to 10. The default value is
0.
Shear_v
Shears the Source texture in the V direction. For example, concentric lines
at the poles will spiral inward. The slider range is -10 to 10. The default value
is 0.
Flip
Reverses the U and V orientation of the Source texture. For example, what
was the horizon now spans the two poles. The default setting is OFF.
Surface texture parameters

The Color Balance, Intensity, Blur, Effects, Surface Placement, and
Label Mapping parameters are common to all surface textures.
Color Balance, Intensity, Blur, Effects

Intensity on page 749
Blur on page 750
Effects on page 751
Surface Placement
The Surface Placement parameters control how a textures pattern covers
the texture coverage area (the area the texture covers on the actual surface).
Apply surface textures
Rotate
The angle (in degrees) the texture map is rotated on the surface. The slider
range is 0 to 360. The default value is 0 (no rotation).
Urepeat, Vrepeat
The number of times the texture is repeated within the coverage area along
the surfaces U and V parametric directions. If Urepeat value or Vrepeat
value are greater than 1, the texture will be repeated several times within the
coverage area, but the size of each instance of the texture will be smaller than
the default size. Similarly, if the Urepeat value or the Vrepeat value are less
than 1, only a portion of the texture will be mapped to the surface. The slider
range is 1 to 10. The default value for most textures is 1.
Uoffset, Voffset
Offsets the texture pattern (without actually moving the texture itself) along
the surfaces U and V parametric directions. Adjust the Uoffset and Voffset
values to fine-tune the placement of a pattern on a surface. The slider range
is 0 (no offset) to 1. The default value is 0.
Mirror
Mirrors repeated patterns of the texture (when the Urepeat value or the
Vrepeat value is greater than 1) so that rows of images appear as mirrored
images of themselves. This helps to disguise the effect of seams between
repeated areas. The default setting is OFF.
Sphere texture | 767
Stagger
Offsets repeated patterns of the texture (when the Urepeat value or the
Vrepeat value is greater than 1) so that alternate rows are offset exactly half,
like bricks in a brick wall. When Stagger is OFF, the repeated patterns line
up horizontally and vertically. The default setting is OFF.
Chord Length
Causes the texture to use a mapping technique that ignores the UV

parameterization of the (spline-based) surface, and instead maps according to
surface distances (measured in world space units). This can help minimize
texture distortion on surfaces with non-uniform parameterization. The default
setting is OFF.
Label Mapping
The Label Mapping parameters control how the texture covers the surface.
Map a label to a shader
Ucoverage, Vcoverage
The fraction of the surface covered by the texture along the surfaces U and
V parametric directions. For example, if the Ucoverage and Vcoverage
values are both 0.5, the texture will cover half of the surface in the U direction
and half of the surface in the V direction, or one quarter of the total surface.
Areas outside of the texture coverage area have a non-texture mapped
parameter value as indicated in the shaders Control Window (for example,
the shader color). The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 1.
Utranslate, Vtranslate
Moves the texture coverage area along the surfaces U and V parametric
directions. Effectively, the Utranslate and Vtranslate values determine
where the texture map will be located on the surface. The slider range is 0 to
1. The default setting is 0.
Uwrap, Vwrap
Determines whether or not the texture will replicate (copy itself outside of
the coverage area) in the surfaces U and V parametric directions, when the
Utranslate or Vtranslate value is greater than 0.
By default, both Uwrap and Vwrap are ON. Toggle these parameters OFF
to prevent seams from showing on a closed surface, such as a cylinder or
sphere, or to prevent the texture from duplicating itself when you are using
the translation and coverage parameters to limit the mapping to a very specific
surface area.
Bulge texture parameters

Uwidth, Vwidth
The width of the texture squares in the U and V parametric directions. The
valid range is 0 to 1. The slider range is 0 to 0.5. The default value is 0.1.
Checker texture parameters

Color1, Color2 The two colors of the checkerboard squares.
Bulge texture parameters | 769
Contrast
The contrast between the two texture colors. The valid/slider range is 0 (the
two colors are averaged over the entire texture) to 1. The default value is 1.
NOTE When a checker texture is mapped to a parameters that uses the alpha
channel of the texture (for example, Bump, Displacement, or Reflectivity),
then the Color 1 and Color 2 parameters are ignored. In these cases, use the
checker textures Contrast, Amult, and Aoffset parameters to control the
relative intensity of the checker pattern.
Cloth texture parameters

U ThreadColor,V ThreadColor The colors of the warp (U direction) and weft
(V direction) threads of the cloth.
Gap Color The color of the area between the warp and weft threads. The
threads colors blend into the Gap Color at their edges, so a lighter Gap
Color tends to simulate a cloth with softer, more translucent threads.
U Thread Width, V Thread Width
The width of the warp and weft threads. If the thread width is 1, then the
threads will fully touch with no gap between them. If the thread width is 0,
the thread will disappear. (You can randomize thread width by setting the
Width Spread parameter.) The valid/slider range is 0 to 1. The default value
is 0.75.
U Wave, V Wave
Controls the waviness of the warp and weft threads to create special weave
effects such as herringbone. The slider range is 0 to 0.5. The default value is
0.
Randomness
Smears the texture randomly in the U and V directions. Adjust the

Randomness value to create natural-looking cloth with irregular threads, or
to prevent aliasing and moir patterns on very fine cloth textures. The valid
Width Spread
Randomizes the width of each thread along its length by subtracting a random
amount (between 0 and the Width Spread value) from the U Thread
Width and V Thread Width values. For example, if the thread widths are
1 and the Width Spread value is 0.75, the actual thread widths with vary
between 0.25 and 1. If the Width Spread value is greater than or equal to
the Thread Width value, then some threads will disappear entirely at certain
points along their length. The valid/slider range is 0 to 1. The default value
is 0.
Brght. Spread
Randomizes the brightness of each thread along its length by subtracting a

random amount (between 0 and the Bright. Spread value) from U Thread
Color and V Thread Color (similar to Width Spread). The valid/slider
Cloth texture parameters | 771
File Texture Parameters

The File Texture Parameters let you set an image to be used as a texture
map (or a sequence of images to create an animation), and lets you control
the image quality.
Image The image file used by the File texture. If you type only the file name,
the system looks for the image file in the pix directory of your current working
project, unless Preferences > General Preferences on page 1076 has been set to
direct all searches to a common pix directory. If the file is not found there,
the system looks in ALIAS_INPUT_PIX_DIR. If the file is found, the full
path is displayed in the Image field.
Use Extension Appends the frame extension number (Frame exten.) to the
Image file name and to any images in the Per Object Images list. To use
a sequence of image files to create an animation, set Use Extension ON and
then animate the Frame exten. value. The default setting is OFF.
Frame exten. (Frame Extension) The frame extension number that will be
appended to the Image file name and to any images in the Per Object
Images list. To use a sequence of image files to create an animation, set Use
Extension ON and then animate the Frame exten. value. If Use Extension
is OFF, the Frame exten. value has no effect.
Filter The anti-aliasing technique applied to the image file during rendering.
The higher order filters (QUADRATIC, QUARTIC, and GAUSS) only work
when the File texture is mapped directly to a shader. The default setting is
BLEND.
OFF No anti-aliasing. This is useful for game designers who want to see pixels
of a texture without any interpolation by the renderer.
BLEND Standard anti-aliasing (as in previous versions). This is the default
setting.
BOX Higher quality anti-aliasing, but slower performance.
QUADRATIC Higher quality anti-aliasing, but slower performance.
QUARTIC Higher quality anti-aliasing, but slower performance. Use only if
QUADRATIC is inadequate (extremely rare).
GAUSS Higher quality anti-aliasing, but slower performance.
Cache Caches the file texture. If Texture Caching is OFF in the Global
Rendering Parameters window, the Cache setting has no effect. The
Per Object Images
The Per Object Images section lets you create a list linking image files to
objects so that different objects can use the same shader and File texture, but
different image files. During rendering this list is examined. If the object is
on the list, the corresponding image file is used. If the object is not on the
list, the default Image (under the File Texture Parameters) is used.
If the default Image field is blank, then only the objects in the Per Object
Images list will be textured. Conversely, you could turn off the file textures
for specific objects by putting them in the Per Object Images list and leaving
their Image fields blank. You must still assign the shader to the objects in
the Per Object Images list.
TIP A File texture that uses Per Object Images is sometimes referred to as a
supertexture.
Two notable uses for this feature are Alias Paint and Convert Solid Texture.
In both cases you want to create the appearance of a single texture that spans
several patches. Separate image files must be used; however, by using the Per
Object Images list you only need one shader. Image files in the Per Object
Images list are not displayed in the Multi-lister.
Add Adds a blank line to the Per Object Images list.
Delete Deletes the active (highlighted white) line in the Per Object Images
list. To make a line active, click once on it.
File Texture Parameters | 773
Fractal texture parameters

Amplitude
A scaling factor applied to all values in the texture about the textures average
value. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 1.
Threshold
An offset factor applied to all values in the texture. The valid range is 0 to
infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
Ratio
Controls the frequency of the fractal pattern. The valid/slider range is 0 (low
frequency) to 1 (high frequency). The default value is 0.707.
Level_min, Level_max
The minimum and maximum number of iterations used to calculate the fractal
pattern. These parameters control how fine grained the fractal pattern is. The
valid range is 0 to 100. The slider range is 0 to 25. The default value is 0 for
Level_min and 9 for Level_max.
TIP If both Level_min and Level_max are high (close to 100) rendering will
take a long time. If you want to make the fractal pattern more finely grained, lower
the Blurmult or Amult value instead.
Animated Allows you to animate the fractal pattern by setting Animated
ON and animating the Time value. The Fractal texture will take longer to
calculate when Animated is ON. The default setting is OFF.
TIP Use an animated Fractal texture to create billowing cloud or flame effects.
Time Allows you to animate the fractal pattern by setting Animated ON
and animating the Time value. If Animated is OFF, the Time value has no
effect. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default setting is 0.
Grid texture parameters

Line_color
The color of the grid lines. The default color is white.

Filler_color
The color of the spaces between the grid lines. The default color is black.
Uwidth, Vwidth
The width of the grid lines in the U and V parametric directions. The valid
range is 0 to 1. The slider range is 0 to 0.5. The default value is 0.1.
Grid texture parameters | 775
Contrast
The contrast between the Line Color and the Filler Color. The valid/slider
range is 0 (the two colors are averaged over the entire texture) to 1. The default
value is 1.
Mountain texture parameters

Snow_color The color of the snow element of the texture.
Rock_color The color of the rock element of the texture.
Amplitude
value is 1.
Roughness of Features
Snow
The roughness of the snow element of the texture. The valid/slider range is 0
(perfectly smooth snow) to 1 (extremely rough snow). The default value is
0.4.
Rock
The roughness of the rock element of the texture. The valid/slider range is 0
(perfectly smooth rock) to 1 (extremely rough rock). The default value is 0.707.
Boundary
The raggedness of the rock/snow boundary. The valid/slider range is 0 (perfectly

smooth rock/snow boundary) to 1 (extremely rough rock/snow boundary).
Snow Levels
Snow_alt.
The level (altitude) of the transition between rock and snow. The valid range
is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Snow_dropoff
The suddenness with which snow no longer sticks to the mountain. The valid
Snow_max_slope
Mountain texture parameters | 777
The maximum angle (expressed as a decimal value) over which snow will not
stick to the mountain. For example, where the slope exceeds the
Snow_max_slope value, it would be bare rock. The valid range is 0 to infinity.
Recursion Depth
Level_max
The maximum number of iterations used to calculate the fractal pattern, which
controls how fine grained the fractal pattern is. The valid/slider range is 0 to
Noise texture parameters

Amplitude
value is 1.
Threshold
Animated Allows you to animate the noise pattern by setting Animated ON
and animating the Time value. The Noise texture will take longer to calculate
when Animated is ON. The default setting is OFF.
Time Allows you to animate the noise pattern by setting Animated ON and
animating the Time value. If Animated is OFF, the Time value has no
effect. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default setting is 0.
Ramp texture parameters

Ramp Type Controls the direction of the color ramp. The default setting is
V RAMP.
Interpolation Controls the way colors in the ramp are blended. The default
setting is LINEAR_RAMP.
Ramp
Ramp texture parameters | 779
Each color component in the ramp has a circular color handle on the left side
of the ramp, and a square color icon on the right side of the ramp (except for
the bottom color in the ramp). The active color has a white border around its
color handle. The Position and Ramp Color parameters apply to the active
color only. That is, to edit a color components Position value or Ramp
Color, you must first click its color handle to make it the active color
component.
Only changes in Ramp Type, Interpolation, Position, and Ramp Color
are actually displayed in the ramp. Changes in all parameters are displayed
in the Multi-lister swatch.
Position The position of the active color component in the ramp. The
valid/slider range is 0 (bottom of ramp) to 1 (top of ramp).
Ramp Color, Intensity The color or intensity of the active color component.
Only one of these parameters (Ramp Color or Intensity) is available for a
particular ramp texture. If the Ramp texture is mapped to a three-channel
parameter (for example, Color), then the Ramp Color parameter is available.
If the Ramp texture is mapped to a single-channel parameter (for example,
Bump), then the Intensity parameter is available. The slider range for
Intensity is 0 to 1.
Uwave, Vwave Controls the amplitude of a sine wave offset of the texture in
the U and V directions. Increasing the Uwave or Vwave value makes the
texture appear increasingly wavy. The slider range is 0 (no wave) to 1. The
default value is 0.
TIP To increase the number of waves in the texture, increase the Urepeat or
Vrepeat values.
Noise
The amount that the texture is offset in the U and V directions by

two-dimensional noise. If the texture repeats (the Urepeat value or Vrepeat
value are greater than 1), the noise will not repeat. That is, each instance of
the texture will be unique. The slider range is 0 (no noise) to 1. The default
value is 0.
Noise Freq.
Controls how fine-grained the noise is (if the Noise value is non-zero). The
slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
HSV Color Noise, Value Noise

The HSV Color Noise parameters allow you to modulate the texture color
using three separate two-dimensional noises which affect the colors hue,
saturation, and value. If the Ramp texture is mapped to a single-channel
parameter (for example, Bump), the Value Noise parameters (Val Noise
and Noise Freq.) replace the HSV Color Noise parameters.
Noise Hue
Offsets the color hue (mottles the color). The slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 0.
Sat (Saturation)
Offsets the color saturation with whiteness (creates a weathered look). The
Val (Value)
Ramp texture parameters | 781
Offsets the color value with blackness. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 0.
Freq. Hue, Sat (Saturation), Val (Value)
Controls the graininess of hue, saturation, and value noise. For each non-zero
Freq. value, additional calculations are involved that slow down rendering.
Stencil texture parameters

Image The texture used by the Stencil texture. To use an image file, you
must map a File texture to this parameter.
Mask
The transparency of the Stencil texture. You can use the Mask parameter
either to control the overall transparency of the entire texture (by using the
numeric field or slider), or to control the transparency of select regions of the
texture (by mapping a texture to Mask). To use an image file, you must first
map a File texture to this parameter.
For example, if the Stencil texture is mapped to a shaders color, and the
Mask value is 0.5, the resulting surface will be an even mix of the shader
color and the Stencil texture color. If Mask is mapped with an image of a
black circle on white, the Stencil texture color will appear inside the circle,
and the shader color will appear outside the circle.
If you are using the Stencil texture an Overlay map, the Mask setting
determines the degree to which the texture it was applied to can be seen
through the Stencil texture. Overlay on page 751
The slider range is 0 (opaque) to 1 (transparent). The default value is 0.
Edge Blend
Controls the sharpness/softness of the edges of the texture. The valid range
is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
HSV Color Key

The HSV Color Key parameters control the chroma key masking of the
Stencil texture.
Key Masking Enables chroma key masking. The default setting is OFF. If Key
Masking is OFF, all other HSV Color Key parameters have no effect.
Stencil texture parameters | 783
Positive Key Inverts the chroma key mask (only the colors specified in the
Color Key and HSV Range are displayed). The default setting is OFF (the
colors specified in the Color Key and HSV Range are masked).
Color Key The color to be masked in the texture. The default setting is black.
To mask a range of colors, you must also set the Hue/Sat/Val Range
parameters.
Hue Range The range of hues (H) centered on the Color Key color which
will also be masked. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1.
Sat Range The range of saturations (S) centered on the Color Key color which
Val Range The range of values (V) centered on the Color Key color which
Threshold The point at which the color state changes. The valid range is 0
to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Water texture parameters

Linear Wave Parameters
The Linear Wave Parameters control the appearance of linear water waves.
The Linear Wave Parameters do not affect the concentric ripple component
of the texture.
Numwaves
The number of linear waves in the texture. To create water ripples with no
linear waves, set the Numwaves value to 0. To combine linear waves with
concentric ripples, set the Numwaves value to a low number (1 to 3). The
Wave_time
Controls the appearance of the waves over time. If you relate the wave effect
to the wake from a boat, the waves start off at some point with a certain
velocity and amplitude. This is time zero. As time increases, the waves travel
to shore and their appearance changes (their velocity and amplitude decrease).
To simulate moving water waves, animate the Wave_time value. The waves
will move as this value increases. The actual speed of the waves is determined
by the Wave_velocity value and the rate at which you animate the
Wave_time value.
Wave_velocity
The speed of the waves. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0
Wave_Amplitude
Scales the height of the waves. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range
is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.05.
Wave Frequencies
Frequency
Water texture parameters | 785
Controls the distance between primary waves. The higher the Frequency
value, the shorter the distance. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range
Sub_frequency
Controls the distance between any secondary waves that ride on top of the
primary waves (for example, white caps). The valid range is 0 to infinity. The
Smoothness
Controls the intensity of any secondary waves. The valid range is 0 to infinity.
Wind Direction
Wind_u, Wind_v
The strength of wind in the U and V directions (which determines the overall
direction of the linear wave pattern). The slider range is -1 to 1. The default
value for Wind_u is 1. The default value for Wind_v is 0.
Concentric Ripple Parameters

The Concentric Ripple Parameters control the appearance of concentric
water ripples. The Concentric Ripple Parameters do not affect the linear
wave component of the texture.
Ripple_time
Controls the appearance of ripples over time. For example, if you relate the
ripple effect to that of a water droplet falling into a glass of still water, at time
0 there is no ripple; the droplet has not touched the surface of the water yet.
As the time parameter increases to a value greater than 0, the droplet has fallen
onto the water surface and the ripple wave effect simulates the effect on the
water in the glass at that point in time. When time has reached a value of 1,
the effect of the droplet on the water surface is nearly complete and the water
in the glass becomes still again.
To simulate moving water ripples, animate the Ripple_time value. The ripples
will move as this value increases. The actual speed of the ripples is determined
by the Group_velocity value and the rate at which you animate the
Ripple_time value.
Frequency
Controls the distance between individual ripples. The higher the Frequency
value, the shorter the distance. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range
Amplitude
Scales the height of the ripples. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider
range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.05.
Drop_size
The mass of the droplet that starts the water ripples. (Imagine a water droplet
falling into a glass of still water.) A Drop_size value of 0, produces no ripple
effect because the droplet has no mass. As the Drop_size value increases, the
mass of the drop increases, causing a greater ripple effect on the water surface.
The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is
0.3.
Ripple Center
U_origin,V_origin
The location of the center of the ripples along the U and V parametric
directions. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Ripple Wavelets
Group_velocity
The speed of the primary ripple. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider
Phase_velocity
The speed of sub-ripples. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0
to 10. The default value is 2.5.
Spread_start
Determines the degree of effect that a droplet will have on a still water surface
at time 0. A concentric ripple starts as a point of disturbance in parameter
space (defined by the U_origin and V_origin values) when the Ripple_time
value is 0. The size of the disturbance at time 0 is determined by the
Spread_start value. The greater the Spread_start value, the greater the
effect of the disturbance at time 0. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider
range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.005.
Spread_rate
The rate at which the primary ripple breaks up into sub-ripples. (As a ripple
expands outward, it breaks up into sub-ripples.) The valid range is 0 to infinity.
Ripple Reflections
The Ripple Reflections parameters define an imaginary bounding box that
ripples can reflect off. This effect, however, is nine times slower than if there
is no reflecting bounding box.
Reflect_bound
Activates an imaginary reflective bounding box. The default setting is OFF.

Umin, Umax, Vmin, Vmax
Defines the bounding box in the U and V parametric directions. If

Reflect_bound. is OFF, these parameters have no effect. The slider range is
0 to 1. The default value for Umax and Vmax is 1; the default value for Umin
and Vmin is 0.
Solid texture parameters

The Color Balance, Intensity, Blur, Effects, Recursion Depth, Solid
Noise Frequencies, and 3D Placement parameters are common to most
solid textures.
Color Balance, Intensity, Blur, Effects

Intensity on page 749
Blur on page 750
Effects on page 751
Recursion Depth
Level_min, Level_max
The minimum and maximum number of iterations used to calculate the

texture pattern. This parameter controls how fine grained the texture is. The
slider range is 0 to 25. The default value is 0 for Level_min and 20 for
Level_max.
TIP If both Level_min and Level_max are high (close to 100), rendering will
take a long time. If you want to make the fractal pattern more finely grained, lower
Blurmult or Amult instead.
Solid Noise Frequencies

Xripples, Yripples, Zripples
Determines how wavy the texture is in the X, Y, and Z directions. These

parameters represent the scale of the fundamental frequency of the fractal
used to generate the texture. The slider range is 0 to 20. The default value is
1.
NOTE The Projection texture has an extra Solid Noise Frequencies parameter
called Stagger.
3D Placement
The 3D Placement parameters control the orientation of the solid texture
relative to the surface it is mapped to.
Texture Node The name of the Texture Placement Object. Texture
Placement Objects
TIP The Texture Placement node is easier to find in the SBD window if you
know its name.
Wrap
Repeats the texture outside the region defined by the Texture Placement
object. If Wrap is OFF, the texture only appears on a surface inside the region
defined by the Texture Placement object. The default setting is ON.
Blend
Gradually blends the texture into the (unmapped) value of the shader
parameter being mapped. The blend region is defined by the boundaries of
the Texture Placement Object. For example, if a Leather texture is bump

mapped onto a surface, and Blend is greater than zero, the bump will gradually
diminish as it reaches the boundaries of the Texture Placement Object.
If Blend is set to 0, the texture ends abruptly at the boundaries defined by
the Texture Placement Object. The slider range is 0 (no blend) to 1 (very
gradual blend). The default setting is 0.
TIP Blend works best if Wrap is OFF. If Wrap is ON, the texture will blend into
the (unmapped) value of the shader parameter being mapped at the boundary
of the Texture Placement Object and repeat infinitely as the texture is repeated.
Link with Obj. Links the texture to the active object it is mapped to so that
the texture undergoes the same transformations (except cluster and CV
deformations) as the object. To link the texture to an object, pick the object
and click the LINK button. The name of the object is displayed in the Current
Link field.
NOTE You can only link a texture with one object (one DAG or hierarchy).
Current Link The name of any object that you have linked to the texture
using Link with Obj.
Projection Texture Parameters

Projection The projection method used to create a three-dimensional texture
from a two-dimensional texture.
PLANAR
Extrudes the texture along the Z axis of

the texture transformation.
SPHERICAL
Wraps the texture 360 degrees around the

Y axis to form a sphere centered at 0,0,0.
There are two pinch points at the -Y and
+Y poles.
CYLINDRICAL

Y axis to form a cylinder located between
-1 and 1 on the Y-axis. There are two pinch
points at the -Y and +Y poles.
BALL

Z axis like a wrapper around a lollipop.
There is one pinch point at the -Z pole.
CUBIC
Creates six copies of the texture, and projects them from 0,0,0 in six directions. The
projection in each direction resembles a
pyramid. The overall projection resembles
a cube with a copy of the texture on each
face. There are no pinch points, so CUBIC
can be used to map repeating textures
onto a sphere.
TRIPLANAR
Extrudes the texture along either the X, Y,

or Z axis (the axis closest to the normal at
that point on the surface).
CONCENTRIC
Projects a random vertical slice of the texture from the center to the outside edge
of each voxel. A voxel is a volume element
(a cube). A certain amount of 3D space
contains several voxels. The size of individual voxels is based on the size of the Texture Placement Object. A surface that
has a CONCENTRIC Projection texture
mapped to it appears to be carved out of
a three-dimensional array of cubes, where
the color of each cube in the array varies
from the cubes center to its edge. For example, try using a Ramp as the Source
Texture, and scale the Texture Placement Object very small.
CAMERA
Extrudes an image plane along the cameras (or the current windows) view line.
To use this setting, see below.
The projection types described above represent the defaults. You can customize
the projection effect by transforming the Texture Placement Object (for
example, non-proportional scaling or rotating) or by varying the Noise
Parameters or the Solid Noise Frequencies parameters.
Noise Parameters
The Projection texture creates a three dimensional texture by projecting a
two dimensional texture. The Noise Parameters control the randomization
(using fractal noise) of the texture in the direction the texture is projected.
Xamplitude, Yamplitude A scaling factor applied to all values in the fractal
noise about the average value, in the textures X and Y directions. The
Projection texture is rendered more quickly if the Xamplitude and
Yamplitude values are both 0.
The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (no noise) to 1 (strong
noise). The default value is 0.
Ratio Controls the frequency of the fractal noise. The valid/slider range is 0
(low frequency) to 1 (high frequency). The default value is 0.3.
Solid Noise Frequencies

Xripples, Yripples, Zripples Determines how wavy the texture is in the X, Y,
and Z directions. These parameters represent the scale of the fundamental
frequency of the fractal used to generate the texture. The valid range is 0 to
Stagger Offsets repeated patterns of the texture (when the two-dimensional
textures Urepeat value or Vrepeat value is greater than 1) so that alternate
rows are offset exactly half, like bricks in a brick wall. When Stagger is OFF,
the repeated patterns line up horizontally and vertically. The default setting
is OFF.
Mesh Surface (U,V) Definition
The Mesh Surface (U,V) Definition parameters have no effect on the

Projection texture itself. Instead, you use them to re-parameterize a mesh
so that a surface texture mapped to the mesh will resemble a Projection
texture.
If you animate a mesh that uses a Projection texture, the mesh will appear
to flow through the texture. You can solve this problem by re-parameterizing
the mesh and then replacing the Projection texture with a surface texture.
You may also need to re-parameterize a mesh that originated in another
application and was imported with inadequate texture coordinate information.
When you map a surface with a Projection texture that uses a cylindrical,
spherical, or ball projection type, the texture has a seam or pole. A seam exists
when the texture wraps around a surface and its two opposite edges touch
(where the surfaces UV parameters jump from 1 to 0). A pole exists when the
texture becomes pinched together (where the surfaces UV parameters become
crowded together).
If you re-parameterize a mesh using a Projection texture that uses a

cylindrical, spherical, or ball projection type, and then map a surface texture
to the mesh, the texture may appear distorted at the seam or pole. For example,
the entire texture may be repeated along the seam. To remove this distortion,
set Clean Seams ON before you re-parameterize the mesh. When Clean
Seams is ON, however, UV parameters may no longer be within the 0 to 1
range. This is not a problem for meshes within Alias, but it may be a problem
for other applications to which you intend to export your data. To scale UV
parameter values back to within the 0 to 1 range, set Normalize Seams ON
before you re-parameterize the mesh.
Project to UV - Apply Mapping Re-parameterizes the selected meshes by
mapping the vertices of the polygons to the Projection texture. A surface
texture mapped to the re-parameterized mesh resembles a Projection texture.
Clean Seams Removes texture distortion at seams and poles when a mesh is
re-parameterized using a Projection texture that uses a cylindrical, spherical,
or ball projection type. If Cleans Seams is ON, UV parameters may no longer
be within the 0 to 1 range. The default setting is ON.
Normalize Seams Scales UV parameters to within the 0 to 1 range when a
mesh is re-parameterized. The default setting is OFF.
Effects
The Projection texture has an additional Effects parameter: Convert to
Smear. See Effects on page 751for a description of the other Effects parameters.
Convert to Smear Replaces the Projection texture with the Source Texture,
and applies a Smear Map so that the texture has the same visual effect on
the surface as the original Projection texture.
Often times a texture is best applied to a surface using a 3D projection, however
this can create problems when the surface is morphing. The convert to smear
feature allows surfaces to be reparameterized to match a projection by using
a smear map. This freezes the texture onto the surface. The effect is similar to
convert solid texture, but allows for more freedom after the convert is done,
and does not degrade texture resolution. One can get away with much lower
resolution maps (smear maps) and animated textures are easily handled.
Convert solid texture may still be preferred for some cases, however,
particularly when the texture may be touched up in 3D paint.
Snow texture
Snow Texture Parameters
Snow_color The color of the snow that lies on the top of the surface.
Surface_color The color of the surface that the snow lies on top of.
Threshold
Determines the maximum slope that will hold snow. The valid/slider range
is 0 (90 degrees from horizontal) to 1 (0 degrees from horizontal). The default
value is 0.5 (45 degrees from horizontal).
Depth_decay
The rate at which the snow color blends into the surface color. The slider
Thickness
The apparent depth of the snow. Thickness controls the opacity of the snow
(deeper snow is more opaque). The valid/slider range is 0 (transparent) to 1
(opaque). The default value is 1.
sCloud texture
sCloud Texture Parameters
Color1, Color2 The two colors that are blended together to form the cloud.
Contrast The contrast between Color1 and Color2. For example, if the
Contrast value is -1, Color1 and Color2 are reversed. The slider range is 0
(the two colors are averaged over the entire texture) to 1. The default value is
0.5.
sCloud texture | 797
Edge Rolloff Parameters

The Edge Rolloff Parameters determine how the textures transparency
changes as the surface it is mapped to turns away from the camera.
Soft_edges
Gradually increases the transparency of the texture as the surface it is mapped

to turns away from the camera. This simulates natural looking clouds. If
Soft_edges is OFF, the texture is entirely opaque, and appears similar to the
sFractal texture. The default setting is ON.
Transp_range
The range over which the texture becomes transparent. The Transp_range
value controls the sharpness/softness of the edges of the cloud. The valid range
is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (sharp edges) to 1 (very soft edges). The
Center_thresh, Edge_thresh
Determines how diffuse or concentrated the edge rolloff is. If the

Center_thresh value is low and the Edge_thresh value is high, the texture
resembles a dense cotton-ball. If the Center_thresh value is high and the
Edge_thresh value is low, the texture resembles a wispy cloud. The slider
range is -1 to 0 for Center_thresh and 1 to 2 for Edge_thresh. The default
value is 0 for Center_thresh and 1 for Edge_thresh.
Noise Parameters
The Noise Parameters control the fractal noise used to generate the sCloud
texture.
Amplitude
Controls the strength of the fractal noise used to generate the sCloud texture.
The valid/slider range is 0 (no noise) to 1 (strong noise). The default value is
1.
Ratio
Controls the frequency of the fractal noise used to generate the sCloud texture.
The slider range is 0 (low frequency) to 1 (high frequency). The default value
is 0.707.
sFractal texture
sFractal Texture Parameters
Threshold
Amplitude
sFractal texture | 799
value. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (no noise) to 1
(strong noise). The default value is 1.
Ratio
Controls the frequency of the fractal noise. The valid slider range is 0 (low
sMarble texture
sMarble Texture Parameters
Filler_color, Vein_color The colors of the filler material and the vein material.
Vein_width
The thickness or width of the veins. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 0.1.
Diffusion
Controls the amount that the Vein_color blends into the Filler_color. (The
Contrast value also affects how the two colors blend together.) The slider
range is 0 (no blending) to 1 (smooth blending). The default value is 0.5.
Contrast
The contrast between the Vein_color and Filler_color. The slider range is
Noise Parameters
The sMarble texture creates a three dimensional texture by projecting a two
dimensional texture. The Noise Parameters control the randomization
(using fractal noise) of the texture in the direction the texture is projected.
Amplitude
A scaling factor applied to all values in the fractal noise about the average
value. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (no noise) to 1
(strong noise). The default value is 1.5.
Ratio
Controls the frequency of the fractal noise. The valid slider range is 0 (low
sMarble texture | 801
sRock texture
sRock Texture Parameters
Color1,Color2 The color of the two types of grains in the texture.
Grain_size
The size of grains in the texture. The Grain_size value effectively scales the
entire texture. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (no grains)
to 0.1 (large grains). The default value is 0.01.
Diffusion
Controls the amount that Color1 blends into Color2. The valid range is 0
to infinity. The slider range is 0 (no blending) to 1 (smooth blending). The
default value is 1.
Mix_ratio
Determines which of the two colors is the dominant color. The valid range is
0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (Color1 is totally dominant) to 1 (Color2
is totally dominant). The default value is 0.5.
Leather texture
Leather Texture Parameters
Cell Color, Crease Color The color of individual cells (Cell Color) and the
medium surrounding the cells (Crease Color).
Cell Size
The size of individual cells. The Cell Size value effectively scales the entire
texture. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 0.5.
Density
Controls the spacing of cells in the texture. The valid range is 0 to infinity.
The slider range is 0 to 1 (fully packed). The default value is 1.
Spottyness
Randomizes the Cell Color intensity. (The Threshold value also influences
the Cell Color intensity.) The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is
0 (all cells have the same intensity) to 1 (cell intensity is entirely random).
Randomness
Leather texture | 803
Randomizes cell position. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is
0 (cells are arranged in a regular 3D lattice) to 1 (cell location is entirely
random). The default value is 0.5.
Threshold
Controls how much the Cell Color and Crease Color mix into each other.
The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1 (no mixing, cells
appear as solid color dots). The default value is 0.83.
Creases
Creates boundaries between cells that resemble the creases in leather. If

Creases is OFF, the cells diffuse uniformly into each other. The default setting
is ON.
Granite texture
Granite Texture Parameters
Color1, Color2, Color3, Filler Color The color of the three different types of
cells (Color1, Color2, Color3) and the medium surrounding the cells (Filler
Color).
Cell Size
The size of individual cells. The Cell Size value effectively scales the entire
texture. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 0.15.
Density
Controls the spacing of cells in the texture. The valid range is 0 to infinity.
The slider range is 0 to 1 (fully packed). The default value is 1.
Mix Ratio
Determines which of the three colors is the dominant color. The valid/slider
range is 0 (Color1 is dominant) to 1 (Color3 is dominant). The default value
is 0.5 (Color2 is dominant).
Spottyness
Randomizes the cell color intensity. (The Threshold value also influences
the cell color intensity.) The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0
(all cells have the same intensity) to 1 (cell intensity is entirely random). The
Randomness
Randomizes cell position. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is
0 (cells are arranged in a regular 3D lattice) to 1 (cell location is entirely
random). The default value is 1.
Threshold
Granite texture | 805
Controls how much cell colors and filler color mix into each other. The valid
range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1 (no mixing, cells appear as solid
color dots). The default value is 0.5.
Creases
Creates boundaries between individual cells. If Creases is OFF, the cells diffuse
uniformly into each other. The default setting is ON.
sWood texture
sWood Texture Parameters
Filler_color
The color of the space between veins. The vein color diffuses into the filler
color.
Vein_color The color of veins in the wood. The vein color diffuses into the
filler color.
Vein_spread
The amount that the vein color diffuses into the filler color. The valid range
is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 3. The default value is 0.25.
Layer_size
The average thickness of each layer or ring. (The thickness of individual layers
or rings is also influenced by the Randomness and Age values.) The valid
range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 0.5. The default value is 0.02.
Randomness
Randomizes the thickness of individual layers or rings. The valid/slider range

is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Age
The age (in years) of the tree from which the wood came. The Age value
determines the total number of layers or rings in the texture, and influences
the relative thickness of central and outer layers. The central rings of wood
are thinner than the outer rings because a trees growth is slower when it is
young. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 100. The default
value is 20.
sWood texture | 807
Grain Parameters (spots)

The Grain Parameters (spots) control the appearance of random grain in
the wood (which appears as spots in the textures cross-section).
Grain_color The color of the random grain in the wood.
Grain_contrast
Controls the amount that the Grain_color diffuses into the surrounding
wood color. The valid/slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 1.
Grain_spacing
The average distance between grain spots. The valid/slider range is 0.002 to
0.1. The default value is 0.01.
Concentric Ring Location

Center_u, Center_v
The location of the center of the textures concentric rings in the U and V
parametric directions. The slider range is -1 to 2. The default value is 0.5 for
Center_u and -0.5 for Center_v.
TIP Dont set the Center_u or Center_v value less than -3 or greater than 3.
Noise Parameters
The sWood texture creates a three dimensional texture by projecting a two
dimensional pattern. The Noise Parameters control the randomization
(using fractal noise) of the texture in the direction the pattern is projected.
Xamplitude,Yamplitude
A scaling factor applied to all values in the fractal noise about the average
value, in the textures X and Y directions. The sWood texture is rendered
more quickly if the Xamplitude and Yamplitude values are both 0. The
valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 (no noise) to 1 (strong noise).
Ratio
Controls the frequency of the fractal noise. The valid/slider range is 0 (low
Volume texture
Volume Parameters
From, To The extension number of the first (From) and last (To) file in the
sequence. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 1 to 16. The
default value is 1.
Pix Sequence The name of any image file in the sequence (for example,
pixfile.4).
Light parameters
To set light parameters, double-click a light within the Multi-lister.
Volume texture | 809
Light type
Controls how a light illuminates a scene. Add and edit lights
Active Effects
Most Active Effects parameters are common to all light types. Some
parameters are limited to specific light types.
Light Controls whether a light actually emits light and illuminates surfaces.
This parameter has no effect on the Glow, Halo, or Fog parameter settings.
For example, a light can glow, but it will not illuminate surfaces. The default
setting is ON for lights.
Renderer Shadows Controls whether a light casts shadows during raytracing.

(Only spot lights can cast shadows during raycasting.) If Renderer Shadows
is ON, the Shadow Parameters become available. The default setting is
OFF.
Toggle Shade Shadows Controls whether a spot or directional light casts

ground shadows during hardware shading (WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade
on page 567 ). If Toggle Shade Shadows is ON, the Shadow Parameters
become available. The default setting is OFF.
Glows The type of glow that the light produces when viewed directly. A light
without glow can illuminate objects when the scene is rendered; however, a
light needs glow to be seen by the camera when the scene is rendered. You
can assign glow to all types of light except ambient lights.
If Glow is set for a light, the Glow, Radial Glow Effects, and 2D Glow
Noise Glow Effects parameters become available. The default setting is OFF.
OFF
No glow
LINEAR
Glow slowly diminishes from the center of

the light
EXPONENTIAL
Glow quickly diminishes from the center

of the light
BALL_GLOW
Glow diminishes faster towards a distance

(from the light center) specified by the
glow Spread value
SPECTRAL

RAINBOW
Simulates refraction due to water droplets

in air. The glow Spread value determines
the radius of the rainbow.
Halo The type of halo that the light produces when viewed directly. Halo is
like Glow, except that the falloff is more gradual and different falloff types
are available.
The Glow Intensity value must be greater than zero for the Halo setting to
have any affect. The default setting is OFF.
OFF
No halo
LINEAR
Halo slowly diminishes from the center of

the light
EXPONENTIAL
Halo quickly diminishes from the center of

the light
BALL_GLOW
Halo diminishes faster towards a distance

(from the light center) specified by the halo
Spread value
LENS FLARE
Simulates a bright light source illuminating

the surfaces of several camera lenses. The
intensity of the flare is determined by the
halo Intensity value. The size of the flare
circles is relative to the field of view of the
camera.
RIM HALO

the halo Spread value.
Fog The type of fog that the light appears to be shining through. You can
assign fog to point lights and spot lights to simulate light scattered from either
a sphere of fog (for point lights) or a cone of fog (for spot lights). The default
setting is OFF.
OFF
No fog
LINEAR
Fog slowly diminishes from the center of

the light
EXPONENTIAL
Fog quickly diminishes from the center of

the light
BALL_GLOW
Fog diminishes faster towards a distance

(from the light center) specified by the fog
Spread value
BALL_GLOW provides sharper thresholds at the edge when the fog Opacity
value is non-zero. In spot lights, the Decay value determines how fast the
light falls off from the center of the light. Shadows can be cast into volumes
of fog by using spot lights when Shadows are set ON and the Fog type is
LINEAR.
Use fog to simulate effects such as smoke or fog in the air. Light scatters
diffusely and creates a radiance around light sources. This type of radiance
fills a volume of space, and can show shadows of objects. Objects can immerse
into the glow or stand in front of it, unlike retinal glow, which is always in
front of objects. Fog glows can be visible even if the light source is totally
obscured.
Use fog to simulate illuminated fog. Smoky fog can be simulated by using the
2D Noise parameters (this noise is also available for glow). The smoke can be
animated by using the u and v offset parameters. Dark smoke can be specified
by using the opacity parameter and making the color of the light black or
negative.
Note the following when using fog:
Fog glow is 3D: a cone for spot lights and a sphere for point lights. The
camera can fly though fog glow.
If shadowing is on for shadow casting spot lights, the fog glow displays
the proper shadowing. For example, if the spot light shines through a
trimmed hole, then the glow assumes the shape of the hole.
Objects cast shadows into the volume of the fog. This can cause striking
effects when combined with the 2D noise and glow effects.
For example, imagine the light on a police car in fog. As the light cuts through
the smoke, objects cast shadows into the fog. When the light is pointing
towards the camera a flash occurs (glow for spots only occurs when the eye
is inside the spot light cone). The flash can have star and perhaps lens flare
effects. The only animation needed to accomplish this is rotating the spot
light.
Lens Flare Simulates a bright light source illuminating the surfaces of several
camera lenses. The intensity of the flare is determined by the halo Intensity
value. The size of the flare circles created is relative to the field of view of the
camera. The Lens Flare parameter is not available for ambient lights. The
Common Light Parameters
Link a light
Exclusive Link Makes the light only illuminate objects that are linked to that
light. A light with Exclusive Link OFF illuminates objects that have no light
links. The default setting is OFF.
Light Radius The size (radius) of the light (in world space units). The Light
Radius value influences surface shading and determines the separation of
the shadows. (Shadows are generated to match a globe shaped light with the
specified radius.) The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 1.
Light Type Parameters

The Light Type Parameters are different for each light type. Only the
Decay parameter is common to most light types.
Decay setting has no effect at distances less than 1 unit.
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light)
Shadow Parameters
The Shadow Parameters are only available if Renderer Shadows or
Toggle Shade Shadows is ON under Active Effects. The Ray Tracer
Soft Shadows parameters are not available for area lights or linear lights.
Shadow Color The color of shadows produced by the light. For example, you
can use Shadow Color to simulate shadows produced by colored glass.
Ray Tracer Soft Shadows
Soft Shadows Makes the light produce soft shadows during raytracing.
The nature of soft shadows which are created is determined by the distance
of the light from the object casting shadows combined with the Light Radius
value. Shadows are generated to match a globe shaped light with the specified
radius (in world space units). If the light source is small or far away, hard-edged
shadows will result. Shadows become softer-edged as the light's radius increases,
as happens in the real world. However, because of super-sampling, the region
of partial shadow (penumbra) can become noisy. To correct this, increase the
number of samples, adjusting either the Shadow Samples value (on light)
or the global anti-aliasing level.
If you use a blending function, Soft Shadows can be useful even when the
Light Radius value is 0 and the Shadow Samples value is 1. This method
helps avoid jagged shadow boundaries.
Correct self shadows
Use Shadow Map Toggles the Shadow Map method ON or OFF.
Shadow Samples The minimum number of shadow feeler rays per sample
(used to create raytracer soft shadows). A large Shadow Samples value
increases rendering times but produces smoother soft shadows. The valid range
is 0 to 100. The slider range is 1 to 40. The default value is 2.
Glow
The Glow parameters control the appearance of the lights glow, and are only
available when Glow is set (that is, not OFF) under Active Effects.
Glow Color The color of the lights glow. The default setting is white.
Intensity The brightness of the glow. As the Intensity value increases, so

does the apparent size of the glow effect. A negative Intensity value subtracts
from other glows. (The Decay value controls how the glow brightness decreases
with distance.) The slider range is 0 to 5. The default value is 1.
Spread Controls the size of the glow effect. Negative values can have odd but
useful effects. The slider range is 0 to 5. The default value is 1.
Star Level Simulates camera star filter effects. The slider range is 0 to 4. The
default value is 0.
Use the Star Points parameter to set the number of points on the star. Use
the Rotation parameter to rotate the star.
Radial Noise Randomizes the spread of the glow to simulate starburst effects
and eyelashes refracting light. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is
0.
Negative values of Radial Noise produce thicker noise. Use the Noise Freq.
parameter (under Radial Glow Effects) to control the smoothness of this
effect.
2D Noise The strength of two-dimensional noise applied to the glow. The

noise is generated on a plane that is centered at the location of the light and
always oriented towards the camera. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default
value is 0.
To create the illusion of illuminated smoke around a glowing light source, set
the 2D Noise value to about 0.5 and slowly animate the Uoffset and Voffset
values. The smoke will appear to slowly drift by the light.
Generally fog illumination (2D Noise under Fog Illumination) is better
than glow for creating smoke and fire effects, because fog is a 3D effect (for
example, glow 2D noise cannot be occluded by objects).
Opacity The amount that the lights glow obscures objects behind it. Opacity
can be thought of as the opposite of transparency. The slider range is 0 to 0.5.
Halo
The Halo parameters control the appearance of the lights halo, and are only
available when Halo is set (that is, not OFF) under Active Effects.
Halo Color The color of the halo. The default setting is white.
Intensity The brightness of the halo. As the Intensity value increases, so

does the apparent size of the halo effect. (The Decay value controls how halo
brightness decreases with distance.) The slider range is 0 to 5. The default
value is 1.
Spread Controls the size of the halo effect. The Spread value also controls
the size of the glow if Glow is RIM HALO. Halo size is generally larger than
glow size when the halo Spread and glow Spread values are the same. The
Fog Illumination
The Fog Illumination parameters control the appearance of the lights fog,
and are only available for point lights and spot lights when Fog is set (that
is, not OFF) under Active Effects.
Fog Color The color of the fog. The default setting is white.
Intensity The brightness of the fog. (The Decay value controls how fog
brightness decreases with distance.) The slider range is 0 to 5. The default
value is 1.
TIP Combine Glow or Halo with Fog to give a bright, focused center to the fog.
Spread The fog Spread value has a different effect on point lights and spot
lights. For point lights, it determines the size of the glowing spherical volume
of fog. For spot lights, it determines how the fog brightness varies across the
spot light beam. A high Spread value produces fog with uniform brightness.
A low Spread value produces fog which is brighter at the center of the spot
light beam. The spot light Decay value controls how fog brightness decreases
with distance from the light source. The slider range is 0 to 5. The default
value is 1.
Radial Noise Randomizes the spread of the fog to simulate starburst effects
and eyelashes refracting light. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is
0.
Negative values of Radial Noise produce thicker noise. Use the Noise Freq.
parameter (under Radial Glow Effects) to control the smoothness of this
effect.
2D Noise The strength of two-dimensional noise applied to the fog. The noise
is generated on a plane that is centered at the location of the light and always
oriented towards the camera. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is
0.
Opacity The amount that the lights fog obscures objects behind it. (Opacity
can be thought of as the opposite of transparency.) The slider range is 0 to
0.5. The default value is 0.
TIP Adjust the Opacity value to simulate fire and smoke effects, which frequently
do not let all the light in a scene pass through. To simulate black smoke, set the
light color near black and the Opacity value high (around 10).
Lens Flare
The Lens Flare parameters control the appearance of the lights lens flare,
and are only available when Lens Flare is ON under Active Effects.
Flare Color The color of the lens flare circles. If you map a texture onto this
parameter, each lens flare circle contains the texture scaled to fit inside it. The
default setting is RGB 160, 160, 255.
TIP Use a circular Ramp texture to create a colorful rainbow flare effect.
Intensity The brightness of the flare effect. (The Decay value controls how
the lens flare brightness decreases with distance.) The valid range is 0 to
Num Circles The number of circles in the lens flare effect. The valid range is
0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 30. The default value is 20.
If the Num Circles value is very large, rendering times may be long, especially
if the Min Size and Max Size values are large and the Flare Color is textured.
Min Size, Max Size The size of the circles is randomized between these two
values. The valid range is -infinity to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 5. The
default value is 0.1 for Min Size and 1 for Max Size.
Color Spread The amount that the hue of individual circles is randomized
about the Flare Color. The Color Spread value has no effect if the Flare
Color is not at least partially saturated (for example, not white or grey). The
Focus The sharpness of circle edges. The valid range is 0 (very blurry) to 1
(totally sharp). The default value is 0.6.
Vertical, Horizontal Controls the axis of the flare effect relative to the center
of the image. If the light source moves, the flare appears to rotate through
this point. The slider range is -1 to 1. The default value is 0.
Length The length of the flare effect relative to the light location. If Length
is small, all circles overlap the light. If Length is large, the circles spread out
across the image. The Length value has no effect if the Vertical and
Horizontal values are both 0. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is
1.
Hexagon Makes flare elements shaped like hexagons (instead of circles).

TIP To create lens flares having shapes other than circles or hexagons, apply a
texture map onto Flare Color using an image of the desired shape (white on
black).
Radial Glow Effects

The Radial Glow Effects parameters control the appearance of glow and
fog radial effects (2D Noise, Radial Noise, and Star Level), and are only
available when Glow or Fog is set (that is, not OFF) under Active Effects.
Rotation Rotates glow and fog noise and star effects (2D Noise, Radial
Noise, and Star Level) about the center of the light. The slider range is 0 to
360 (degrees). The default value is 0.
Star Points The number of points on glow star filter effects. A Star Points
value of 1 produces a comet-like effect. A non-integer Star Points value could
render with a seam or hard line at the top of a star effect. The slider range is
0 to 10. The default value is 4.
TIP Set the Star Points value to 1, the Star Level value to 1, and the Glow
type to RAINBOW to produce a rainbow arch.
Noise Freq. Controls the smoothness of glow and fog radial noise (see Radial
Noise on page 819). The slider range is 0 to 5.The default value is 0.5.
2D Glow Noise
The 2D Glow Noise parameters control the appearance of glow and fog 2D
noise, and are only available when Glow or Fog is set (that is, not OFF) under
Active Effects.
Threshold The cutoff value for the 2D noise. As the Threshold value
approaches 0, fog and glow 2D noise breaks up into smaller patches. The slider
TIP You can use Threshold to simulate globular clusters, ejecta from explosions,
snow and rain effects, especially when the Uscale and Vscale values are high.
You can also use it to make flames and smoke more patchy.
Uscale, Vscale Scales glow and fog 2D noise in the horizontal (Uscale) and
vertical (Vscale) directions. The slider range is 0 to 5. The default value is 1.
TIP You can use Uscale and Vscale to create layered fog or tall flames. Animate
the Uscale and Vscale values from high to low values to make the noise appear
to fly apart like an explosion.
Uoffset, Voffset Offsets glow and fog 2D noise in the horizontal (Uoffset)
and vertical (Voffset) directions. For example, you can animate the Uoffset
and Voffset values to simulate smoke, rain, or snow moving past a light.
Noise repeats after an offset of 1. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value
is 0.
Point Light Parameters

The Point Parameters are located in a point lights Control Window (see
Use the Control Window).
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light)
Spot Light Parameters

The Spot Parameters are located in a spot lights Control Window (see
Dropoff Controls the rate at which light intensity decreases from the center
to the edge of the spot light beam. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider
range is 0 to 255.
Typical values are between 0 and 50. Values of 1 and less produce almost
identical results (no discernible intensity decrease along the radius of the
beam). The default value is 0 (no dropoff).
TIP The Penumbra parameter produces an effect somewhat similar to the
Dropoff parameter.
Spread The angle (in degrees) from edge to edge of the spot lights beam.
Resolution problems may occur when the Spread value is greater than 170;
small objects may not cast shadows. The valid/slider range is 2 to 179. The
default value is 90.
Penumbra The angle (in degrees) over which the intensity of the spot light
falls off linearly to zero.
For example, if the Spread value is 50 and the Penumbra value is 10, then
the spot light has an effective spread of 60 (50 + 10) degrees; however, the
spot light intensity decreases to 0 between the angles of 50 and 60 degrees. If
the Spread value is 50 and the Penumbra value is -10, then the spot light
has an effective spread of 50 degrees and the spot light intensity decreases to
0 between the angles of 40 and 50 degrees.
Spot Light Parameters | 827
The valid range is -90 to 90. The slider range is -10 to 10. The default value is
0.
Show Spread Displays a circle representing the Spread value of the spot light
in the Spot View window. The default setting is OFF.
Penumbra Displays a circle representing the Penumbra value of the spot
light in the Spot View window. The default setting is OFF.
Up Displays the up vector of the spot light in the Spot View window. The
Spot View
The Spot View window displays a perspective view from the spot light and
lets you interactively position the spot light. Any changes you make to the
Spot Parameters are automatically updated in the Spot View window.
The Track, Azimuth/Elevation and Yaw/Pitch tools change the spot

lights actual position or orientation. The Dolly tool only changes the view
in the Spot View window, and does not alter the spot lights position or
orientation.
It may be difficult to use the Spot View window if the Spread value is greater
than 170.
Shadow Casting
Resolution The size of the shadow depth map used during raycasting, which
determines the softness/sharpness of shadows. (The Spread and Edge Quality
values also affect the general softness/sharpness of shadows.)
High Resolution values produce sharp edged shadows but also use more
memory and slow down rendering. Low Resolution values use little memory
and speed up rendering. Use a Resolution value of 50 to produce very soft
and smooth shadows. The valid range is 2 to 4096. The slider range is 8 to
A spot light with a low Spread value produces sharper shadows than a spot
light with a high Spread value, if their Resolution values are the same. For
example, a spot light with a Spread value of 90 requires a Resolution value
twice that of a spot light with a Spread value of 45 in order to have the same
shadow sharpness.
Edge Quality The size of the blur filter used on the shadow depth map. The
A low Edge Quality value (1 or 2) may produce slight aliasing (staircasing)
around shadow edges. Increasing the Edge Quality value will eliminate this
aliasing, but will increase rendering time. This will also cause the edges to
become softer, requiring a larger shadow Resolution value to maintain sharp
edges.
Adjust the Resolution value (not the Edge Quality value) to control the
general level of blur.
Fog samples Controls the quality of light fog shadows. A high Fog samples
value produces better quality fog shadows, but also increases rendering time.
Spot Light Parameters | 829
The valid range is 4 to 4096. The slider range is 4 to 1024. The default value
is 50.
The default value (50) is usually good enough; however, small details may be
missed or may appear noisy. In this case, increase the Fog samples value up
to the Resolution value.
Use Depth Map Creates a spot light shadow depth map file the first time the
scene is rendered for re-use during subsequent renders. This eliminates the
need for the renderer to re-calculate the shadow depth map for each render,
and decreases overall rendering time. However, Use Depth Map is only useful
if objects do not move within the spot lights field of view (for example, during
a camera fly-by).
The file created by Use Depth Map has the same name as the spot light. The
Self Shadow Correction
Min Depth The world space distance that points on shadow casting objects
are moved toward the spot light before the shadow map is calculated (during
raycasting). Adjust the Min Depth value to correct self-shadowing problems.
is 0.05.
If the Min Depth value is 0, then an object will shadow itself by 50% (if it
casts shadows) when the light is at an inclined angle to the surface. A relatively
small Min Depth value can bring the surface out of its own shadow, especially
when combined with a small Blend Offset value. If the Min Depth value
is too high, the object may not cast shadows onto surfaces that are very close.
Also, if the surface does not have to cast shadows but only receive them, set
Shadows off for the object (see Renderer Shadows on page 810). A Min Depth
value of 0 is then fine. A typical example of this is a ground plane.
Blend Offset Proportionally scales the distance that points on shadow casting
objects are moved toward the spot light before the shadow map is calculated
(during raycasting). Adjust the Blend Offset value to correct self-shadowing

problems. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 10. The
default value is 1.
Area Light Parameters

The Area Parameters are located in an area lights Control Window (see
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light)
Volume Light Parameters

The Volume Parameters are located in a volume lights Control Window
(see Use the Control Window).
Volume lights have many parameters which define the shape of the volume
and the direction of the light/force in the volume.
Area Light Parameters | 831
Shape Defines the shape of the volume light as either a BOX, SPHERE,
CYLINDER, CONE, or TORUS. The default setting is SPHERE.
You can also use the Transform tools to position or reshape a volume light.
Apply the Transform to the light icon in the modeling window or to the
DAG node above the light in the SBD window.
Specular Makes the light contribute to the specular component. (If the
Intensity value is negative, set Specular OFF.) The default setting is ON.
Decay Controls how quickly the light intensity decreases with distance within
the lights volume. (The volume light Decay parameter differs slightly from
the Decay parameter for other light types.) The slider range is 0 to 10. The
default value is 1.
0
No decay (light reaches everything within

the volume and nothing outside).
>0
Light intensity decreases from the center

to the edges of the volume. For example,
a value of 0.5 produces a linear dropoff
from the center to the edges. With a value
close to 1, intensity drops off very fast from
the middle. With a value close to 0, intensity drops off slowly in the middle and fast
near the edges.
<0
Light intensity decreases from the edges

to the center of the volume.
The direction that light decays depends on the volume lights Shape setting.
Shape
Decay Direction
BOX and SPHERE
all directions from the center
Shape
Decay Direction
CYLINDER and CONE
in the direction of the principal axis
TORUS
perpendicular to the principal axis
If Emit Particles is ON under Active Effects, the Decay value controls

where within the volume the particles are emitted. For large positive values
of Decay, particle emission is concentrated in the center of the volume. For
large negative values, particle emission is entirely on the surface of the volume.
If Force is set (that is, not OFF) under Active Effects, the Decay value
controls how quickly the force intensity decreases with distance within the
lights volume.
Decay Start Defines how far out from the center of the volume the light
intensity begins to decay. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.
Dropoff Controls the rate at which light intensity decreases from the principal
axis to the edge of the light for CONE and CYLINDER volume lights only.
The slider range is 0 to 10. Typical values are between 0 and 50. Values of 1
and less produce almost identical results (no discernible intensity decrease
along the radius of the volume). The default value is 0 (no dropoff). The
volume light Dropoff parameter is similar to the spot light Dropoff
parameter (see Dropoff on page 827).
Dropoff Start Defines how far out from the principal axis of the volume the
dropoff starts. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Torus Radius The ratio of the minor radius to the major radius for TORUS
volume lights only. The slider range is 0 to 0.5. The default value is 0.5 (a
typical bagel, where the hole is reduced to a single point).
Cone End Radius The radius of the end of the cone for CONE volume lights
only. If the Cone End Radius value is negative, the direction of the cone is
reversed. The slider range is 0 (a true cone) to 1 (a cylinder). The default value
is 0.1.
Arc The portion (in degrees) of the swept volume for CONE, SPHERE,
TORUS, and CYLINDER volume lights only. The slider range is 0 to 360.
The default value is 360 (the entire volume).
Directionality The proportion of directional light to omnidirectional (ambient)
light. The slider range is 0 (light comes from all directions, like an ambient
Volume Light Parameters | 833
light) to 1 (light comes from one direction only, like a directional light). The
default value is 1.
Direction Vectors
The Direction Vectors define the direction of the directional component
of the light. If the Directionality value is 0, the Direction Vectors have
no effect.
Concentric The direction of the directional component of the light toward
or away from the volumes axis. The slider range is -1 (toward axis) to 1 (away
from axis). The default value is 1.
Directional The direction of the directional component of the light up or
down the volumes axis. The slider range is -1 (down axis) to 1 (up axis). The
default value is 0.
Radial The angle of the directional component of the light relative to the
volumes axis. The slider range is -1 (at a negative angle to axis) to 1 (at a
positive angle to axis). The default value is 0 (perpendicular to axis).
Linear Light Parameters

The Linear Parameters are located in a linear lights Control Window
(see Use the Control Window).
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light)
Linear Light Parameters | 835
836
Animation menu
26
Animation > Keyframe > Set Keyframe

Allows you to set an action to a time frame.
Set Keyframe Options

You can use this tool to apply keyframe animation to objects, lights, shaders,
textures, cameras, and other objects
Objects Active A keyframe is set for all picked objects. A DAG node, CV,
image plane, or camera can be picked using the Pick popup menu items. A
cluster percent on a CV is picked when the CV is picked.
A light, shader, texture, or environment map is active if it is picked in the Render
> Multi-lister on page 683 > List All. Note that there is always at least one active
element in the Multi-lister.
A window is considered active if it is current. A constraint is considered active
if the constrained node is picked.
Set A keyframe is set for all objects in the selected sets in the Set Lister.
Choose Animation > Editors > Set Lister on page 946 to display the Set Lister.
Parameters All A keyframe is set for every animated parameter of the object.
Global/Local A keyframe is set only for the parameters that are selected in
the GLOBAL or LOCAL parameter control windows.
Choose Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 to select different
global or local animation parameter
Hierarchy None Keyframes are set only for the selected objects.
Above Keyframes are set for the selected objects and all objects in the
hierarchies above them.
837
Below Keyframes are set for the selected objects and all objects in the
hierarchies below them.
If Hierarchy is set to Below, and if there is geometry somewhere below a
picked DAG node, keyframes are set for all the DAG nodes below the picked
DAG node, but not for any of the CVs. To set keyframes for CVs, select the
CVs of the geometry you want to animate and set keyframes for them
separately.
Both Includes both Above and Below.
NOTE In the case of DAG nodes, CVs, image planes, and cameras, the hierarchy
refers to the hierarchy as represented in the SBD window. For shaders, textures,
and lights, it refers to the implicit hierarchy in the Multi-lister window.
IK Chain Keyframes are set for all joints between the root handle and
end-effector of the picked IK handle(s). (This includes the joints which are at
the root handle and end-effector.)
Another option, And IK Handles, appears when IK Chain is selected. Turn
ON the And IK Handles option to set keyframes for the picked IK handles.
Skeleton Keyframes are set for all joints belonging to skeletons which have
one or more picked nodes.
Frame Current Keyframes are set at the current time. The current time is
always displayed in the active modeling window, the Animation > Show >
Toggle Time Slider on page 985 , and Animation > Editors > Action Window
on page 871 .
Prompt Makes the system prompt you to enter the times at which to set a
keyframe when you invoke Set keyframe.
In Tangent Type/Out Tangent Type Click the items to the right of the In
Tangent Type and Out Tangent Type headings to display menus from
which you can select In and Out tangent types that control how the tangents
of the new keyframe are computed when the keyframe is created.
Tangents describe how an action is interpreted between the keyframes that
you have set. Each keyframe has two tangents, an in-tangent and an
out-tangent. These tangents describe the behavior of the action on the left
(in-tangent) and right (out-tangent) sides of a keyframe.
TIP To fine-tune tangents, use the Tangent Type menu in the Action Window.
The following tangent types are available:
SMOOTH Creates a smooth transition between the keyframe before and
the keyframe after the new keyframe.
838 | Chapter 26 Animation menu
The tangents are co-linear (both at the same angle). This ensures that there is
no jerkiness at the keyframe. The angle of the tangents is a weighted average
of the slopes between the two keyframes on either side of the new keyframe.
LINEAR Creates a straight line between two keyframes.
If the in-tangent type is LINEAR, the curve segment before the new keyframe
is a straight line.
If the out-tangent type is LINEAR, the curve segment after the new keyframe
is a straight line.
IN/OUT Eases out of one keyframe and into the next keyframe.
If the in-tangent type is IN/OUT, the curve segment before the new keyframe
will ease in and out.
If the out-tangent type is IN/OUT, the curve segment after the new keyframe
will ease in and out.
FLAT Causes the in and out-tangents of the new keyframe to be horizontal
(with a slope of 0 degrees).
Animation > Keyframe > Set Keyframe | 839
FAST If the in-tangent type is FAST, it makes the movement slow out of
the previous keyframe and faster going into the new keyframe. For example,
a car that is accelerating.
If the out-tangent type is FAST, it makes the movement faster going out of
the new keyframe. An example is a car that is slowing to a stop.
SLOW If the in-tangent type is SLOW, it slows the movement down as it
enters the new keyframe.
If the out-tangent type is SLOW, it makes the movement slower at the

beginning of the curve segment that follows the new keyframe.
STEP Specifies that the out-tangent of the new keyframe is flat. The curve
segment is also flat (horizontal) until the next keyframe, at which point it
jumps up or down to the value of that keyframe.
This is useful for animating Boolean (ON/OFF) values such as the DAG node
visibility or the presence or absence of a lights shadows. A value greater than
0.5 turns it ON, and less than 0.5 turns it OFF.
See also:
What is animation?
Create an exploded view animation
Add keyframes
Use keyframes
View individual frames of animation
Use Auto keyframe
Overview on skeletons
Animate an image plane
Animate a camera
Animation > Keyframe > Auto Keyframe

Automatically sets keyframes in channels for animation parameters that have changed
values since the last time a keyframe was set.
See also:
What is inverse kinematics?
Animation > Keyframe > Cut Keyframe

Sets parameters before cutting keyframes out of an animation.
Cut Keyframes Options

Parameters All Keyframes are removed from every animatable parameter
of the object.
Global Keyframes are removed only from the parameters that are selected
in the GLOBAL parameter control window.
Local Keyframes are removed only from the parameters that are selected in
the LOCAL parameter control window.
TIP Choose Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 to select different
global and local animation parameters.
Hierarchy None Keyframes are removed from only the selected objects.
Animation > Keyframe > Auto Keyframe | 841
Above Keyframes are removed from the selected objects and all objects
above them.
Below Keyframes are removed from the selected objects and all objects
below them. Keyframes are removed from all geometry below the picked DAG
node, including any CVs.
Cut method Keyframes Only existing keyframes between the start and
end frames are removed.
Any remaining animation is treated as follows:
if Compress is toggled on (indicated by a check mark), keyframes following

the last keyframe that was cut are moved to the start frame.
if Compress is toggled off, the out tangent of the keyframe immediately

preceding the first keyframe that was cut, and the in tangent of the first
keyframe following the last keyframe that was cut is set to Linear.
Segment If there are keyframes to be cut at the start and end frames, then
the cut with the Segment option behaves the same as the Keyframes option.
If there are no keyframes at either the start or the end frames, then keyframe(s)
will be inserted at those frames, and then all the keyframes between the start
and end frames will be removed.
Any remaining animation is treated as follows:
if Compress is toggled on, keyframes are inserted at the start and end
frame that are being cut (if these keyframes dont already exist).
if the two keyframes share the same value, then the end keyframe is
removed. If the two keyframes do not share the same value, a small time
gap (0.001 frames) is set between them. In either case, any subsequent
keyframes are moved back in time by the length of the frame range.
if Compress is toggled off, a keyframe is inserted at the start and end

frames that are being cut (if keyframes dont already exist). The out tangent
of the start keyframe, as well as the in tangent of the end keyframe, are set
to Linear.
Compress Determines whether animation between the start and end frames
should be removed completely, or just the keyframes removed.
Frame range Prompt The system prompts you to enter the start and end
frame range to be removed.
Option window The start and end frame range to be removed are read
from the current values set in the option window.
Current The system cuts keyframes at the current frame.
Start frame/End frame These values define the frame range from which to
remove the keyframes if Option Window is selected in the Frame Range
option.
See also:
Cut keyframes
Paste keyframes
Animation > Keyframe > Copy Keyframe

Sets parameters before coping keyframes to into aother animation.
Copy Keyframes Options

Parameters All Keyframes are copied from every animatable parameter of
the object.
Animation > Keyframe > Copy Keyframe | 843
Global Keyframes are only copied from the parameters that are selected in
the GLOBAL parameter control window.
Local Keyframes are only copied from the parameters that are selected in
the LOCAL parameter control window.
Hierarchy None Keyframes are copied from only the selected objects.
Above Keyframes are copied from the selected objects and all objects above
their DAG nodes.
Below Keyframes are copied from the selected objects and all objects below
their DAG nodes. Note that keyframes are copied from all the geometry below
a picked DAG node, including any animated CVs.
Copy method Keyframes Only existing keyframes between the start and
end frames are copied.
Segment I there are no keyframes at either the start or end frames, the
clipboard gets copies of all the keyframes between the start and end frames,
as well as newly created keyframes at the start and end frames.
NOTE If set to Segment, and if either the start frame or the end frame lie outside
the defined range of the animation, keyframes that correspond to the extrapolation
setting for the curve are copied to the keyframe clipboard.
Frame range Prompt The system prompts you to type the start and end
frames to be copied.
Option window The start and end frames to be copied are read from the
current values set in the option window.
Current The system copies keyframes at the current frame.
Start frame/End frame These values define the frame range from which to
copy the keyframes if Option Window is selected in the Frame Range
option.
See also:
Copy keyframes
Animation > Keyframe > Paste Keyframe

Sets keyframe paste parameters.
Paste Keyframes Options

Parameters All Matching keyframes from the keyframe clipboard are pasted
to every animatable parameter of the object.
Global Matching keyframes from the keyframe clipboard are pasted to the
parameters that are selected in the GLOBAL parameter control window.
Local Matching keyframes from the keyframe clipboard are pasted to the
parameters that are selected in the LOCAL parameter control window.
NOTE To select different global and local animation parameters, see Animation
> Editors > Param Control on page 928 .
Paste method Insert If the object has an existing animation curve, the
keyframes that are pasted from the keyframe clipboard are inserted into the
curve, pushing any existing keyframes forward.
Replace If the object has an existing animation curve, the keyframes that
are pasted from the keyframe clipboard overwrite any existing keyframes
between the start and end range.
Range fit None No range fitting is done. All the keyframes on the keyframe
clipboard are pasted into the object.
Scale All the keyframes to be pasted from the keyframe clipboard are scaled
to fit within the start and end times.
Fit All the keyframes on the keyframe clipboard are pasted into the object,
as long as they are within the start and end times.
Integer Determines whether a scaled Range fit should have the keyframe
times altered so that they are integer values.
Frame range Prompt The system prompts you to type the start and end
time for when the keyframes should be pasted.
Option window The start and end times for when the keyframes should
be pasted are read from the current values set in the option window.
Current The start time for when the keyframes should be pasted is the
current frame.
Start frame Defines the start time for when the keyframes should be pasted.
This option is required only if Option Window is selected in the Frame
Range option.
End frame Defines the end time before which the keyframes should be pasted.
This option is used when either Scale or Fit are selected as the Range Fit
option, and is required only when Option Window is selected as the Frame
Range option.
Animation > Keyframe > Paste Keyframe | 845
Repeat Specifies the number of times the animation sequence on the clipboard
is pasted.
Gap Defines the amount of time to leave between each repeated pasting of
the animation sequence.
See also:
Cut keyframes
Copy keyframes
Paste keyframes
Animation > Pick > Joint

Allows you to pick joints in your skeleton animation.
See also:
Creating a neutral pose for IK skeletons
Returning joints and IK skeletons to a rest pose
Animation > Pick > IK Handle

Allows you to pick IK handles in your skeleton animation.
How to use
1 Add an IK handle by picking two joints (the root first, then the
end-effector) using Animation > IK > Add IK Handle on page 848

.
2 Choose Animation > Pick > IK handle or click the IK handle icon
3 Click the IK handle to make it active. The following shows how the IK
handle appears in a modeling view (on the left) and in the SBD window
(on the right).
4 After an IK handle has been picked, you can view and edit information
about it in the Information Window and the Skeleton Editor.
Animation > Pick > Selection Handle

Picks selection handles to pick parts of your animated model.
See also:
Use selection handles to make picking easier
Delete objects
Animation > Pick > Selection Handle | 847
Animation > Pick > Pick Cluster

Allows you to pick clusters in your skeleton animation.
NOTE In Alias Design, the command is Animation > Pick Cluster.
Clusters can also be selected directly in the SBD window using either Pick >
Object on page 3 or Animation > Pick > Pick Cluster on page 848 .
See also:
Create clusters
Animation > IK > New Skeleton

Creates a skeleton for inverse kinematics animation purposes.
See Create skeletons and inverse kinematics animation for more information.
Animation > IK > Add IK Handle

Applies IK handles constraints to affect IK skeletons.
Add IK Handle Options

Solver These are the types of IK solvers you can use. Pick one of the following:
Multi-handle Click to use the Multi-handle solver. This option creates
an IK handle that controls a skeleton chain, but allows overlapping with other
IK chains.
See Multiple handle options on page 851 for information on the additional
options for this solver type.
Single-chain Click to use the default Single-Chain solver. This option
creates an IK handle that controls a non-overlapping IK skeleton chain.
See Single chain options on page 849 for information on the additional options
for this solver type.
Spline-handle Click to use the Spline-handle solver. This option creates
a Spline handle that controls a skeleton chain along a spline curve.
See Spline handle options on page 852 for information on the additional options
for this solver type.
Single chain options
Control Type Translation This is the default control setting, suitable for
most basic IK use. Translation means that you can move or animate the IK
handles translation channels.
Plane Rotation This setting gives you more in-depth control of the IK
handle. It lets you rotate the skeleton plane, the plane in which the joints
contained in the IK handle lie. If all the joints of the IK handle do not lie in
one plane, a best fit plane is chosen.
TIP The rotation of the plane axis can also be controlled by picking the IK handle
and using the left mouse button with the Rotate tool (Transform > Rotate on page
12 ).
Plane and Pole In some cases, the combination of translation and plane
rotation might cause the IK solution to flip uncontrollably. This setting
provides advanced, specialized control of the IK handle to avoid this situation.
Animation > IK > Add IK Handle | 849
Set the Pole rotate X and Pole rotate Y values (found in the IK Handle
info section of the Information Window) to alter the plane of the skeleton
while keeping the pole in the same orientation relative to the skeleton plane.
Orientation Local This option lets you control the handles orientation
relative to the root joint.
World This option lets you control the handles orientation in world space.
This means that the rotation plane is controlled by an IK handle that can be
fixed in world space instead of relative to the root joint. You can also set this
attribute from the Information Window after the IK handle is created.
Set rest pose When this option is ON, the current pose becomes the rest pose
for the joints in the chain controlled by the IK handle.
This option is the same as choosing Edit > Rest Pose > Set Rest Pose and
then Objects > Add IK handle.
Multiple handle options
Weight Type Weights are useful if you have constrained an object to more
than one other object. This way you can weight the different constraints, so
that a constrained object tends to meet one constraint more than another.
Weight You can change the weight value either by using a preset weight
(Sticky, Low, Medium, High); by clicking in the field, typing a value and
pressing Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac); or by dragging the slider bar. Weights
can be animated.
NOTE In general, if you know that you wont have conflicting constraints, or if
you want all constraints to be weighted equally, it is best to use the Sticky weight
(2.00) or some other low value for the weight. Higher weight values make the IK
stiff, and harder to solve.
Goal Type Position Selects the rotate pivot position of the joint.
Orientation Selects the same orientation as the object.
Both Selects both the position and orientation.
Create end-effector As shown in the following diagram, this option creates
an extra joint node beside the IK handle.
Create end-effector
Spline handle options
Position Type Spline handles can define positions on a curve either by

parameters or by arc-lengths. Both types of measurement use relative
percentage values.
Twist Type The Twist Type menu allows you to choose how to distribute
the twist angle defined on a handle to its joints.
Linear The joints twist equally at each joint.
Ease-in/out Joints in the middle twist more than joints at the ends.
Fast-in/slow-out The joints near the root twist less than the joints near
the end.
Slow-in/fast-out Joints near the root twist more than joints near the end.
Twist Root Set this option ON to define the twist starting from the root joint.
If set to OFF, the twist starts from the second joint.
Create Root handle Set this option ON to create a root spline handle at the
root of the chain controlled by the master spline handle. If set to OFF, only
a master spline handle is created.
Create Curve You do not have to pick an existing curve if you select this
option. Instead, a new curve is automatically created. This new curve will
match the chain defined by the new handle. The curve will be grouped as a
sibling of the root joint.
Snap Curve to Root If you do not want to create a new curve, pick an existing
curve. If you select Snap Curve to Root, the picked curve is snapped so that
the first CV matches the root joint of the new handle. Otherwise, the curve
does not move. Instead, the root and the chain move to the curve.
Limitations for IK handles
Scaling a skeletal chain with an IK handle may cause the skeleton to

respond incorrectly.
Turn off the IK handles, scale the skeleton, and turn the IK handles back
on. If you scale the chain non-proportionally, delete the IK handle and
then reapply it.
The spline handle solver may generate a solution in the range (-180 degree,
+180 degree) for each of its joints.
This may result in problems when rendering with motion blur or rendering
on fields, as the interpolation will not be correct if the solution jumps from
one end of the range to the other between two frames.
Use Run IK with the Motion Blur or Field compensation options or
both. Disable the handles after RunIK or the desired animation will not
be written out to SDL.
NOTE A spline handle is always constrained, so if it is turned on it will solve
and override any animation on the skeleton.
Cumulative rotations of more than 360 degrees with spline handles may
cause geometry to flip.
Use the Anti Flip Controls on the Root Handle in the Information
window to find a setting which keeps the rotations coherent.
See also:
Run IK to render your animation
Use the single-chain solver
Use the multi-handle solver
Animation > IK > Set Rest Pose

Creates a pose to serve as a neutral position for an inverse kinematic skeleton before
you start to animate.
Choose Animation > IK > Set Rest Pose on page 854 to open the Rest Pose
Options box:
Rest Pose Options
Hierarchy None Sets a pose for selected joints only.

Above Sets a pose for selected joints and all joints above them.
Below Sets a pose for selected joints and all joints below them.
Both Sets a pose for selected joints and all joints above and below them.
Joints Used Sets a pose for all joints that have been transformed.
All Sets a pose for every joint in the skeleton.
Pose Rotation Sets a pose for rotation parameters.
Translation Sets a pose for translation parameters.
Both Sets a pose for both rotation and translation parameters.
Animation > IK > Assume Rest Pose

Returns the inverse kinematics skeleton to the neutral or rest pose.
Choose Animation > IK > Assume Rest Pose on page 855 to open the Rest
Pose Options window.
Animation > IK > Assume Rest Pose | 855
Assume Pose Options
Assume Neutral Pose Sets node translations and rotations to zero.

Rest Pose Sets joint translations and rotations to the rest pose.
Hierarchy None Assumes a pose for selected joints or nodes only.
Above Assumes a pose for selected joints and all joints or nodes above them.
Below Assumes a pose for selected joints or nodes and all joints below them.
Both Assumes a pose for selected joints and all joints above and below them.
Joints Used Assumes the rest pose for all joints that have been transformed
All Assumes the rest pose for every joint in the skeleton.
Pose Rotation Assumes the rest pose for rotation parameters.
Translation Assumes the rest pose for translation parameters.
Both Assumes the rest pose for both rotation and translation parameters.
Animation > IK > Run IK

Creates an animation using multi-chain IK handles attached to a skeleton.
Run IK Options
Skeletons All If you select All, the Run IK simulation runs on all root-level
skeletons that have multi-chain IK handles, whether or not they are picked.
A root-level skeleton is a joint node with no ancestors that are joint nodes.
This joint node and all joint nodes below it make up a skeleton.
Active If you select Active, the Run IK simulation runs on all joint nodes
on the skeletons that are active.
The skeletons are defined from the picked joint node and all joint nodes below
it. Anything that is picked but is not a joint node will be ignored.
Frame Range
NOTE Multi-chain IK animation must be run from the same initial state to get the
same animation.
NOTE For Run IK with multi-chain handles, the skeleton must be in a known
starting position.
NOTE If you want to render only a subset of the frames in your animation, you
must still follow the above steps and run IK for the whole range of animation.
All The default frame range includes the range of animation for all the IK
handles attached to the picked skeletons.
Current The IK simulation starts at the current frame and runs until you press
the Esc key.
Option Window Lets you specify start and end frames. When you click this
button, these controls appear:
You can specify the frame range for the IK simulation by typing the Start
Frame and End Frame values. These values apply for running the IK
simulation only if Option Window is selected.
By Frames This is how often keyframes are set for a skeleton during the IK
simulation. If the Simplify option is ON, some of these keyframes may be
removed after the simulation is complete.
Sample Rate This is the increment at which the Run IK simulation is run.
For example, if the Sample value is 0.2 frames and the By value is 1.0, then
Animation > IK > Run IK | 857
the IK simulation runs for 5 steps for each frame before setting a keyframe in
the skeleton.
Since the IK handle animation is sampled at different frame values, inverse
kinematics may cause a jump from one frame to another. Choosing a smaller
Sample value makes the inverse kinematics solution smoother, even though
keyframes are generated only at the By Frames increments.
Simplify If the Simplify option is toggled ON (indicated by a check-mark),
all the animation curves that were created in the skeleton during the IK
simulation are simplified after the simulation to remove as many keyframes
as possible within the given tolerance, while still preserving the shape of the
original curve.
When it is checked, the following additional controls appear:
Translation/Rotation Tol These tolerance values are used for simplifying the
curve. A tolerance specifies how much the simplified curve may differ from
the unsimplified curve at each keyframe.
These two sliders let you specify different tolerances for curves that are
animating joint rotation versus those animating joint translation. For example,
the default tolerance for rotation is higher than that of translation because a
difference of one degree of rotation is usually less noticeable than a difference
of one unit of translation.
Disable multi IK If this option is set ON, all multi-chain IK handles are
disabled after the Run IK simulation.
Redraw If this option is set ON, each time a keyframe is computed, the
skeletons are redrawn in their configuration at that frame. This gives instant
feedback for the Run IK simulation.
TIP If a large model is simulated for many frames, redrawing at every By value
can slow down the simulation. If you toggle Redraw off, the skeletons are redrawn
only at the beginning and end of the simulation.
With Single/Spline IK If this option is set on, any single-chain IK and spline
IK animation information is also translated into rotational information on
the skeleton in addition to the translated multi-chain IK. When you select
this option, the following additional controls are displayed:
Disable Single/Spline IK This option turns off the single-chain and spline IK
handles after Run IK is applied. To turn the single-chain and spline IK handles
back on, use Edit > Rest Pose > Set Rest Pose, or the Information Window.
Compensation If you are going to render an animation with Motion Blur,
or Field Render (see Render > Globals on page 605 for details), you may want
to use motion blur compensation, field render compensation, or both during
the Run IK simulation. These compensations only apply on animations
translated from single-chain or spline IK handles.
Motion Blur Run IK simulation sets extra keyframes at motion blur sample
times if interpolation between keyframes would yield wrong values for motion
blur. The Shutter Angle used for the motion blur compensation is set in
Render > Globals on page 605 > Blur Effects.
Fields Render Run IK simulation sets extra keyframes at half frames if
interpolation between keyframes would yield wrong values for half frames.
Field rendering information is set in Render > Globals on page 605 > Image File
Output.
None Compensation does not occur (this is the default).
Both Both motion blur and field rendering occur. By default,
Compensation is set to None. Otherwise, the following additional controls
appear:
Detection Only If set to ON, animation is not translated to the skeleton.

Instead, the compensation information appears at the prompt line; you are
told if compensation is needed and at which keyframes it should be applied.
Translation Tol/Rotation Tol for Compensation These tolerance values are
used to determine if a compensation between two keyframes is needed or not.
Animation > IK > Run IK | 859
Each time the compensation procedure checks an animation, if the real

translation value is within the tolerance, no compensation happens. Otherwise
a new keyframe is inserted with the real value.
See also:
Run IK to render your animation
Set the IK handle rotation behavior
Animation > IK > IK Handles On/Off

Turns on or off IK handles.
IK Handles On/Off Options

Command Tgl The IK handles states will be toggled. That is, if an IK handle
is ON then it will become OFF, or if OFF will become ON.
Tgl Unify If the selected IK handles are either all on or all off, then this
behaves the same as Tgl.
If some of the selected handles are on and others off, then the first use of this
control will set them all to the same statesubsequent use of this control will
then behave the same as Tgl.
On On Forces all IK handles to be ON.
Off Forces all IK handles to be OFF.
Objects Active Only the active IK handles are affected.
All All existing IK handles are affected.
Hierarchy None Changes state for IK handles only.
Above If a joint is used, all IK handles relative to the joint and the joints
above it may be changed.
Below If a joint is used, all IK handles relative to the joint and the joints
below it may be changed.
Both If a joint is used, all IK handles relative to the joint and joints above
it and below it may be changed.
Single Chain If set OFF, no Single-Chain IK handles will be changed.
Multi Handle If set OFF, no Multi-Chain IK handles will be changed.
Spline Handle If set OFF, no Spline handles will be changed.
NOTE At least one of the three types is always ON.

See also:
Turn IK handle display on or off
Animation > Create > New Selection Handle

Creates selection handles to distinguish parts of a model.
Once selected they can be applied to a new layer for later use.
When you pick a selection handle, all other items that are not attached
to the selection handle become unpicked.
If you drag over part of an object that has a selection handle, the object
is not picked unless you drag over the selection handle itself.
In the SBD window, you can pick any node, whether or not it has a selection
handle.
See also:
Animation > Create > New Cluster

Creates exclusive or multiple clusters in an animation.
NOTE In Alias Design, the command is Animation > New Cluster.
New Cluster Options

Members Exclusive Members of the new cluster are not allowed to be in
any other cluster.
Multiple The picked elements are allowed to be in other clusters.
NOTE You can change the Members state once a cluster has been created in
the Cluster Editor window (Animation > Editors > Clusters on page 946 ).
Animation > Create > New Selection Handle | 861
Notes
Face-surface CVs can be included in clusters and animated, but will not
render properly if they are not maintained in the same plane.
Limit transformations of face-surface CVs and clustered face-surface CVs
along the plane of the face-surface.
Copying a cluster with Edit > Duplicate > Object on page 529 creates a null
node.
Instead, create a new cluster and empty it.
Use the cluster editor to copy the cuts from the original cluster into a new
cluster. This will preserve the cluster percentages. Reorder the clusters so
that the new cluster immediately follows the original.
Copying cluster members with Edit > Duplicate > Object on page 529 places
the new objects in the same clusters as the original, it will not create new
clusters.
Instead, use Edit > Copy on page 526 and Edit > Paste on page 526 to create
a copy of both clusters and members.
Animation > Create > New Set

Creates a new set.
New Set Options

Members Exclusive Members of the new set can not be in any other set.
Multiple Members of the new set can be in other sets.
NOTE After a set has been created, you can change whether it is exclusive or
multiple in the Set Editor window by changing the Set Type option.
See also:
Create clusters
Animation > Create > New Time Warp

Applies an animation curve to a channel and modifies the time of an action.
New Time Warp Options

Objects All The new time warp curve is applied to all currently animated
objects.
Active The new time warp is applied to all picked objects.
Sets The new time warp is applied to all objects in the selected sets in the
set lister. Choose Animation > Editors > Set Lister on page 946 to display the
set lister.
Parameters All The new time warp is applied to every channel (every
animation parameter that is currently animated) of the object.
Global or Local The new time warp is applied only to the channels whose
parameters are selected in the GLOBAL or LOCAL parameter control windows.
TIP Choose Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 to set different
Hierarchy None The new time warp is applied to only the selected objects.
Below The new time warp is applied to the selected objects, and all objects
below them in the hierarchy.
NOTE For DAG nodes, CVs, and cameras, the hierarchy refers to the hierarchy as
represented in the SBD window. For shaders, textures, and lights, the hierarchy
refers to the implicit hierarchy in the Multi-lister.
Time Range Defines where the first and last keyframe of the new time warp
curve should be placed.
All The range of all channels to which the time warp curve is applied is
found, and the two keyframes at the minimum and maximum time of all the
animation for this channel are created.
Option Window The Start and End options are used to determine at
what time to create its new keyframes.
When you choose the Option Window option, the New Time Warp
Options window expands to display the following:
Animation > Create > New Time Warp | 863
Start Frame/End Frame Defines in what time range the new time warp curve
should be applied. These values are only used if the Time Range option is
set to Option Window.
See also:
Apply a time warp
Cycle sections of animation with a time warp
Animation > Create > New Cycles Warp

Applies a cycle of timed animation and modifies the time of the action.
Cycle Options
Objects All The new timewarp curve is applied to all currently animated
objects.
Active The new timewarp is applied to all picked objects.
Sets The new timewarp is applied to all objects in the selected sets in the
set lister.
Parameters All The new timewarp is applied to every channel (every
animation parameter that is currently animated) of the object.
Global or Local The new timewarp is applied only to the channels whose
parameters are selected in the GLOBAL or LOCAL parameter windows.
TIP Choose Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 to set different
Hierarchy None The new timewarp is applied to only the selected objects.
Below The new timewarp is applied to the selected objects, and all objects
below them in the hierarchy.
NOTE For DAG nodes, CVs, and cameras, the hierarchy refers to the hierarchy as
represented in the SBD window. For shaders, textures, and lights, the hierarchy
refers to the implicit hierarchy in the Multi Lister.
Oscillate If toggled ON (indicated by a check mark), the new timewarp cycles
the segment of animation in the forward direction followed by the backwards
direction. The amount of time the cycled animation occupies is doubled again.
If toggled OFF, the new timewarp repeats the segment of animation in the
forward direction only.
Loop Start Frame/Loop End Frame Defines the range of existing animation
(before the timewarp is applied) that is to be affected by the timewarp (cycled).
Paste to Frame Indicates where the range of animation between Loop Start
and Loop End should be inserted on the original animation of the channel.
Between Loops Indicates the amount of time to wait before beginning the
next repetition of the cycle. This value may not be negative.
Repetitions Indicates the number of times that the range of animation between
Loop Start and Loop End of the original animation should be repeated.
See also:
Animation > Create > New Scale Warp

Defines the range of animation that the time warp curve should scale.
Time Scale Options

Objects All The new timewarp curve is applied to all channels of all currently
animated objects.
Active The new timewarp is applied to all picked objects.
Sets The new timewarp is applied to all objects in the selected sets in the
set lister.
Params All The new timewarp is applied to every channel (every animation
parameter that is currently animated) of the object.
Global or Local The new timewarp is applied only to the channels whose
parameters are selected in the GLOBAL or LOCAL parameter control windows.
NOTE Choose Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 to set different
Hierarchy You can select which parts of a hierarchical animation are to be
scaled in time.
None Only the animation at the picked node is scaled. None is the default.
Animation > Create > New Scale Warp | 865
Below Only the animation from the nodes at and below the picked nodes
are scaled.
NOTE For DAG nodes, CVs, and cameras, hierarchy means the node hierarchy
as represented in the SBD. For shaders, lights, and textures, hierarchy means
the implicit hierarchy in the multi-lister (see Render > Multi-lister on page 683 >
List All).
Time Range Defines the range of animation that the time warp curve should
scale.
All The range of all channels to which the time warp curve is applied is
found, and two keyframes at the minimum and maximum time of all the
animation for this channel are created.
Option Window The Start and End options are used to determine at
what time to create its new keyframes.
When you choose the Option Window option, the following sliders are
displayed:
Start Frame/End Frame Defines in what time range the new timewarp curve
should be applied. These values are only used if Time Range is set to Option
Window.
Time Scale Indicates how the new timewarp should scale the animation to
which it is applied. For example, a scale of 3 makes the animation take three
times as long to play back. A scale of 0.5 takes half as long to play back.
See also:
Animation > Edit > Duplicate Animation Channels

Duplicates animation channels to later apply to other objects in your animation.
Duplicate Channels Options

TIP To copy channels on several CVs, pick the geometry node of a surface as the
source, and the geometry node of an identical surface as the destination.
Translation/Rotation/Scaling
Use these sliders to specify how much to offset the animation on the
destination object from the current values of the animation on the source
object.
Translation/Rotation Adds values to the channels of the destination object
while preserving the shape of the channel.
Scaling Multiplies values to the scale channels of the destination object. This
does not necessarily preserve the shape of the scale channels.
Notes:
If the source object does not have any animation for one of the X, Y, or Z
transformations, the animation offset for that transformation is ignored.
If the source object has expressions attached to any of the X, Y, or Z

transformations, the animation offset for that transformation is ignored.
If a hierarchical animation is being copied, the transformation offsets are

applied only to the destination node in the hierarchy that you have picked.
NOTE There are no units associated with the values entered for offsets the
offsets are applied in the units of the animation curve being copied.
NOTE Warning! If copying an expression creates a circular reference, then
that particular expression is not copied.
Other parameters
Parameters You can choose to copy curves for All, Global, or Local
parameters. Local parameters are applied on the target object. All animated
channels from the source object are considered.
Choose Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 to find out how to
turn animation parameter controls ON or OFF.
Hierarchy Use these choices to select which parts of a hierarchical animation
are to be copied.
Animation > Edit > Duplicate Animation Channels | 867
None Only the animation at the picked object is copied.

Above Only the animation from the nodes above and including the picked
nodes are copied.
Below Only the animation from the nodes below and including the picked
nodes are copied.
Both Selects both Above and Below.
Time Offset This slider lets you change the start time of the animation of the
object being copied. Time Offset is applied to all nodes of the destination
hierarchy, not just the picked destination.
Notes
If the source object has time warps applied to its animation parameters,
all the time warps for each parameter are also copied. In this case, time
offsets are achieved by adding a time shift warp, not by moving the
animation curves CVs.Time offsets are ignored for any expressions which
are copied.
Copying CV animation from object to object doesnt work.

Pick the DAG nodes above each of the objects instead of the CVs
themselves, choose Duplicate Animation channels r, and toggle
Hierarchy Below on.
Animation > Edit > Overlay Skeleton

Copies pivots, IK handles, joints and time offsets from one skeleton to another.
Overlay Skeleton Options

Copy Pivots If toggled ON (indicated by a check mark), the pivot point
positions of the joint nodes in the skeleton are also copied. This changes the
dimension of the bones in the skeleton so that they match those of the
skeleton being copied. The target skeleton will end up on top of the source
skeleton, so you will have to move it back to where it is supposed to be.
For example, if an arm is animated to make contact with an object, then the
positioning of the length of the arm and the tips of the fingers on the hand
are important. If the animation of the arm is copied to a different length arm,
then the arm cannot make contact with the object or it may pass through it.
If Copy Pivots is set ON, the second skeleton not only receives the first
skeletons animation, but also its bone dimensions.
Toggle Copy Pivots OFF if you dont want to copy the pivot points. For
example, if an animation of a man walking is copied to the skeleton of a small
boy and Copy Pivots is OFF, both the man and the boy will walk with the
same animation, but the sizes of their skeletons will remain different.
Copy Joints If toggled ON, the information about the joints at each of the
joint nodes is also copied. Joint information for the target skeleton is overlaid
with this new information.
The joint information includes which translate and rotate joints are used,
their joint limits, and the style in which the bone is drawn (see Animation >
Tools > Bone Style on page 982 ).
Copy IK Handles If toggled ON, any IK handles on any of the joints in the
skeleton that is being copied are copied to the corresponding joints in the
target skeleton. If any of these handles are animated, the new handles on the
target skeleton are also animated.
Time Offset The value you set with this slider indicates by how much the
animation should be offset in time when it is copied. If set to 0.00 (the default),
the animation of the original and copied skeleton will occur at the same time.
A Time Offset of 5.0 means that the copied skeletons animation occurs five
frames after the original skeletons animation.
See also:
Animation > Edit > Constraints On/Off

Turns constraints off or on in an animation.
Constraints On/Off Options

Command Tgl The constraints states are toggled. That is, if a constraint is
ON, then it becomes OFF, and OFF become ON.
Tgl Unify If the specified constraints are either all on or all off, then this
behaves the same as Tgl. If some of the specified constraints are on and others
are off, then the first use of Tgl Unify will set then all to the same state, and
subsequent uses will behave the same as Tgl.
On Forces all constraints to be ON.
Animation > Edit > Constraints On/Off | 869
Off Forces all constraints to be OFF.

Objects Active Only the active objects are used.
All All existing objects are used.
Hierarchy None Changes states for constraints only on the specified objects.
For example, if the objects option is set to Active, only those constraints
applied on the active objects will be changed.
Above Changes states for all constraints on the specified objects and the
objects above them in the hierarchy.
Below Changes states for all constraints on the specified objects and the
objects below them in the hierarchy.
Both Changes states for all constraints on the specified objects and the
objects above them and below them in the hierarchy.
Side of Constrained For any used object, if it is constrained by any other
objects, all the constraints are changed.
Constraining For any used object, if it is constraining any other objects,
all the constraints are changed.
Both Any constraints, no matter if constrained by an object or constraining
to an object, will be changed.
The following is an example to illustrate the Side of settings:
Where both obj_3 and obj_4 are constrained by obj_2 ad obj_2 is constrained
by obj_1:
For obj_1, if Side of is set to Constrained then none of the constraints

will be affected. If it is set to Constraining then constr_1 will be affected.
For obj_2, if Side of is set to Constrained then constr_1 will be affected.

If it is set to Constraining then constr_2 and constr_3 will be affected.

If it is set to Constraining then no constraints will be affected.

If it is set to Constraining then no constraints will be affected.
Point If this control is turned OFF, no point constraints will be changed.

Orientation If this control is turned OFF, no orientation constraints will be
changed.
Aim If this control is turned OFF, no aim constraints will be changed.
See also:
Turn constraints on or off
Animation > Editors > Action Window

Edits keyframes, expressions and animation curves.
Action window interface
Choose Animation > Editors > Action Window

to open the
Action Window. The Action Window has three components:
the Action Lister on page 874
the Action graph editor on page 880
the Action timeview on page 882
Animation > Editors > Action Window | 871
The Action Lister is always displayed on the left side of the Action
Window.
On the right side, you can display either the graph editor or the timeview.
Use one of the icons in the Lister title bar to switch between these two views.
The Action Window also has its own set of pull-down menus. See Action
Window menus on Action Window menus on page 883 for information.
There is a prompt line below the menus. It displays error message information
and prompts you for input that is required when you select certain menus.
When the prompt line is dark pink and the cursor is not in the Action
Window, you know that the window is not active. The cursor must be in
the Action Window in order for keyboard input to be recognized. The
prompt line also contains snap toggles (see Action window snap toggles on
page 873) that help you constrain movement.
Notes
Some menus or menu functions are not applicable in some situations. For
example, if the timeview display is active, you cannot use the Action
Window Pick > Tangents function, since tangents are only visible with
the graph editor. Unavailable functions appear in light gray text.
The minimum time that can be displayed in the Action Window is

-160,000.00. The maximum is +160,000.00.
Action window snap toggles

key toggle
The key toggle is to the right of the prompt line. When toggled on, the time
slider bar is snapped to keyframes. When moving keyframes, they are snapped
to times or values of other keyframes as follows:
use the left mouse button to snap keyframes to the time and value of other
keyframes.
use the middle mouse button to snap keyframes to the time of other
keyframes.
use the right mouse button to snap keyframes to the value of other keyframes.
time toggle
The time toggle is to the right of the key toggle. Use this toggle to constrain
the movement when keyframes or the current time slider bar are moved.
When time is toggled on, the time slider bar and the time of keyframes snap
to integer values. When toggled off, you can move selected keyframes or the
slider time bar to any time.
value toggle
The value toggle is to the right of the time snap toggle. This toggle is used
to constrain the movement when keyframes are moved.
When value is toggled on, the value of keyframes snap to integer values.
When toggled off, you can move selected keyframes to any value.
time slider
The graph editor and timeview both have a time slider. This is the vertical bar
that crosses the window with a box at the top that contains the current time.
The time slider bar slides along a horizontal rail. You can change the current
time by clicking anywhere in that rail and dragging left or right. When you
drag to a new current time, notice that all animatable objects are updated
with their channels evaluated at this new time.
You can also double-click in the time slider box to change the current time.
(This is like choosing Animation > Show > View Frame on page 983 and selecting
a new current time at which to view the world.)
When the box turns pink, with the existing time on a grey background, type
the new current time. A single click in the time slider box updates the animated
world. This is useful if you have changed any keyframe positions, as these
changes are not automatically reflected in the animated world.
Action Lister
The Action Lister lists items with their channels and is always displayed on
the left hand side of the Action window. The contents of the Lister depends
on the settings of the List Mode menu. Objects and channels that have an
animation associated with them are displayed in a dark color, while entries
without an animation appear in a lighter color.
Parameters that have an expression attached to them also appear in a dark
color, with a pair of brackets () next to the parameter name (if Disp Tools >
Show curve names is enabled in the Action Window, the expression
appears within the brackets).
Channels animated by a single action may also have the name of the action
curve displayed next to the parameter name.
Action Lister buttons and icons
Model-Pick button
Takes the objects currently selected in the Action Window Lister and makes
them active in the modeling windows.
Parameter Filter button
Opens the filter control panel that lets you select which channels are displayed
in the Action Lister.
Filter Control panel To open and close the filter control panel, click the
Param Filter button. While the filter control panel is open, you cannot do
any other function in Alias.
The filter control panel is for DAG node channels. For other types of objects,
you can choose between the local and global settings in the Param Control
window (see Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 ).
A DAG node has ten animatable parameters, but the most commonly used
ones are the X, Y, and Z translate, rotate and scale parameters. The 3X3 grid
in the parameter control filter allows you to quickly turn on and off the display
of these nine parameters, controlling the amount of data in the Action Lister.
To turn a parameter on or off, click in its box. For example, clicking in the
second column of the first row turns off the Y translate parameter; clicking
in the box again turns it on. You can toggle all the translate, rotate or scale
parameters at once by clicking in the Tra, Rot, or Sca buttons. Similarly,
you can toggle all the X, Y, or Z parameters by clicking the X, Y, or Z buttons
respectively.
Below the 3 XYZ toggles are five more buttons:
The first button is a filter for animated channels. If this button is toggled
on, only channels with animation information in them are displayed in
the Lister.
The second button, Visibility, is a filter for the tenth DAG node animation
parameter. It is represented as a DAG node SBD box with a section removed
from it.
The third button is obsolete and has no function. (It duplicated the display
of time warps.)
The fourth and fifth buttons in the filter panel represent local and global
parameter filters, and are represented by a quarter and a full globe
respectively. These buttons control which animation parameters are filtered
out of the Action Lister for all animatable items other than DAG nodes.
If neither of the fourth and fifth buttons is selected, then all animation
parameters for non-DAG node items are listed. If only the local parameter
button is selected, then only those animation parameters are listed that
correspond to those selected in the items local parameter control.
If the global parameter button is selected, then only those animation

parameters selected in the global parameter control are used.
See Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 for more details.
When you have finished toggling buttons on and off in the parameter filter
panel, click the parameter filter button again to close the panel. The Action
Lister updates to display the selected parameters.
graph editor button
The graph editor button activates the graph editor (which appears to the
right of the Action Lister). The graph editor lets you view and change action
curves for any channel.
timeview button
The timeview button activates the timeview (which appears to the right of
the Action Lister, replacing the graph editor). The timeview lets you view
overall animation timing for any channel, and create and edit expressions
and attach them to animation parameters.
Selecting in the Lister

For various operations in the Action Lister, you must select elements in the
Lister before selecting a function.
Select an item in the Action Lister.
To select more than one item at a time, click the first one, drag the cursor
up or down to the last one, and then release the mouse. All items between
the first and last are selected.
To add or remove an item from the currently selected list, hold down Shift
while clicking on the item. If it is already selected, it is deselected. If it is
not already selected, it is selected.
If you have selected more than one item in the list, you can use the expand
item and expand animation buttons to expand all selected items at once.
For example, if you select three out of five animated items, and then click the
expand animation button for one of the selected items, all three selected
items have their animation parameters added to the list. (For an in-depth
explanation of these buttons, see the next section.)
Changing names in the Lister

NOTE See Animation > Editors > Param Control on page 928 for a complete list of
all animation parameters for all types of animatable items.
You can change the name of most items in the Action Lister by double-clicking
the item that you want to change. The field turns light pink, indicating that
you can type the new name. Press Esc to clear the field of the current name,
then type the new name. If you make a mistake, use the Backspace (Windows)
or Delete (Mac) key. Any action curve can be renamed, as well as most
animatable items, such as DAG nodes and shaders.
NOTE You cannot rename CVs, since they get their names from the name of the
DAG node above them. You also cannot rename animation parameter names since
these are names used throughout Alias to identify the parameter.
object type icon
The icon to the left of each objects name shows the object type. For example,
a DAG node above a surface has a surface icon, a DAG node above another
DAG node has a DAG node icon, and a camera has a camera icon.
expand item button
If an object has any descendants, this button appears next to it. Select this
button to add the objects descendants to the Lister. The new sub-objects are
indented below the first object to show the objects hierarchy. For example,
if a DAG node above a surface is in the Lister, it has an expand item button.
When this button is pressed, all the surface CVs are listed with their names
indented below that of the surface DAG node.
When an object is expanded, click the same button to compress its itemsthat
is, to remove its descendants from the Action Lister.
If you hold the Shift key while clicking the expand item button, the item
expands to its children, each of the children expand to their children, and
this continues until all items below the original item are expanded.
NOTE Using the Shift key to expand does not expand leaf geometry DAG nodes
to their CVs. This restriction is made so that you can expand DAG node hierarchies
quickly without having to list the potentially large number of CVs that belong to
curves or surfaces.
expand animation button
If the item in the Lister is animatable, it has an expand animation button next
to its name (between the expand item button and the item type icon). Click
this button to display the items animation parameters in the Lister. What
appears in the Lister depends on the filter control panel settings.
When an item is expanded to show its animation parameters, press the expand
animation button again to compress the items and remove the display of the
items animation parameters from the Lister.
NOTE If the animated object is an IK handle, its parameter names may come with
special notes. For example, if the object is a single-chain IK handle, its X Rot may
be shown as X Rot[PoleX], Y Rot as Y Rot[Plane], and Z Rot as Z Rot[PoleY].
When you change the rotation order for the single-chain handle, the notes are
updated accordingly.
NOTE For other examples, the X Rot parameter becomes X Rot[Roll], and the
X Tra becomes X Tra[Pos] if it is a spline root handle. The X Rot becomes X
Rot[Twist] if it is a spline master handle.
pin object button
If an object is pinned, it remains visible in the Action Window Lister even if

it becomes unpicked in the modeling window or its parent object in the Lister
is compressed.
expand channel button
If an animation parameter is animated, it has a channel. If the channel has

more than one action (for instance, it has at least one timing curve applied
to its base action), then it has an expand channel button next to its name.
Press this button to display the channels action curves in the Lister.
The new actions are indented with respect to the channel. Actions are listed
in the order in which they are applied, with the base action first.
When a channel is expanded, press its expand channel button to compress
that is, to remove the display of the actions of the channel from the Action
Lister.
padlock
If a channel is padlocked, it remains visible in the Action Window Lister, even

if the channel filters or parameter controls are changed such that the channel
would otherwise be removed from the Lister.
NOTE Padlocked channels are still removed from the Lister when the objects
channel list is compressed.
Action graph editor

NOTE View the graph editor with this icon.
Use the graph editor to create and modify actions. There are also a few
operations that you can apply to channels.
The curves in the graph editor reflect what is in the Action Lister. For example,
if an item has three parameters that are animated each by a single curve
channel, then three actions are displayed in the graph editor.
If a channel has two or more actions on it (for example, a base action and
timing curves, which were created using Set motion), the channel appears
in the Lister with an expand channel button. When you click this button,
the channels animation curves are added to the Lister and to the graph editor.
If the channel is not expanded, only the resulting animation curve on the
channel is displayed in the graph editor.
The resulting curve (result curve) is the final evaluation of the channel with
all of its actions. Result curves are always displayed as dashed lines because
they are not editable. You can toggle their display on or off by choosing Tgl
result curves from the Disp Tools menu in the Action Window.
You can pick channels and animation curves in the graph editor by selecting
the name of the animation parameter in the Action Lister.
If the curves are picked using Pick > Curve, their curve names are
highlighted in the Action Lister.
If a keyframe of a curve is picked in the graph editor, a yellow X is placed

to the left of the curve name in the Action Lister, to indicate that at least
one keyframe on that curve is picked.
If a tangent of a curve is picked in the graph editor, a green arrow is placed

to the left of the curve name in the Action Lister, to indicate that at least
one tangent on that curve is picked. The direction of the arrow indicates
whether an in or out tangent (or both) has been picked.
Action timeview
View the timeview with the following icon:
The timeview is an alternate way of viewing actions and channels. You see
only the duration of actions without the animation curves that appear in the
graph editor. The timeview is useful if you are satisfied with your animations
motion but want to adjust its timing. You can edit individual actions, single
channels of an animatable item, or channels for the whole animatable item.
You can also use this view to coordinate the movement of objects in your
scene.
A parameter curve action is represented by a time bar whose length

is defined by the first and last keyframes of the action. The keyframes
appear as little triangles.
A motion path action simply has a name next to it, which is the name
of its 3D NURBS modeling curve. To edit a motion path action, edit the
NURBS curve in the modeling windows.
The timeview contains summary bars next to animated items. A summary

bar represents the range over which the item is animated by all of its
channels. A summary bar has a solid outline if it can be edited (that is,
you can move it or scale it in time).It has a dashed outline if cant be edited
(that is, at least one of the items channels is not editable),. Summary bars
can be edited only if all of their channels can be edited. The summary bars
of channels can be edited if the channel uses only one action and this
action is a parameter curve. If a channel cant be edited, try to expand it
and edit its parameter curves.
You can create, view, and edit expressions in the timeview. Any animation
parameter which is not currently animated can have an expression attached
to it (choose Edit > Clear to remove animation from an animation
parameter).
Double-clicking in the timeview next to an animation parameter enables
you to enter an expression.
You can also choose Edit > Edit Expression to use an external editor
to edit or create an expression.
Action Window menus

The Action window members described in this chapter are as follows:
ListMode menu on page 883
Edit menu on page 884
CurveTools menu on page 890
Pick menu on page 892
Transform menu on page 894
Views menu on page 898
DispTools menu on page 899
ActionTools menu on page 900
TangentType menu on page 904
Preferences menu on page 907
ListMode menu
The List Mode menu lets you specify which objects are displayed in the
Action Lister.
Picked Lists all the modeling objects that are picked.
All Lists all root level items in the universe.
Picking items
A DAG node, CV, camera, or image plane is considered by the Action

Window to be picked in the modeling windows.
A shader, texture, light or environment map is considered picked if it is

picked in the multi-lister. (Choose Render > Multi-lister on page 683 > List
All.)
A perspective window is picked if it is current.
For items that appear in the SBD window, only the root level DAG nodes are
listed. The hierarchical items below the DAG node can then be expanded
using the expand item button.
Other types of items that are listed in this mode include the universe and all
animatable perspective windows.
Edit menu
The Edit menu lets you do operations on items selected in the Action Lister.
Keyframe Edit Opens up the Keyframe Stats window which can be used
to edit the frame, value, and tangents of individual keyframes.
Edit Expression Opens an external ASCII editor to create or edit an expression
for the currently selected animation parameter.
Cut Deletes selected items.
To remove the animation from a parameter, for example, select the parameter
in the Action Lister and select Cut to delete its channel. Only the animation
is deleted; the parameter itself still remains in the Lister, but is now shown in
a dim color to indicate its lack of animation.
You can also delete keyframes or individual actions using Cut. If you cut
something by accident, use Undo to restore it.
If you cut only one channel or action curve, the animation is placed on the
clipboard (replacing anything that may have been there already) so you can
paste it later onto an unanimated parameter (see Paste and Paste Instance
below).
Copy Copies one channel or action curve to the clipboard (replacing anything
that may have been there already) so that you can paste it later (see Paste on
page 885and Paste Instance on page 886).
If a tangent is picked, both the tangent angle and tangent type are copied.
Paste Pastes a channel or action curve onto an animation parameter that has
no animation attached to it.
TIP If tangent information has been copied to the clipboard, Paste can be used
to alter the tangent angles and tangent types of any picked tangents.
NOTE The channel or action that is pasted onto the animation parameter is the
one that is currently on the clipboard. Actions and channels are placed on the
clipboard after a Copy or Cut operation.
Copy Segment Copies a segment of an animation curve onto the clipboard.
Use Paste Segment to insert this segment onto another curve. To copy a
segment, pick the keyframes from a curve. The segment is defined as the part
of the curve between the first and last keyframes picked on the curve.
Paste Segment or Paste Segment With Offset Inserts a curve segment from
the clipboard into an existing curve.
Paste Segment With Offset offsets the values of the pasted segment that
is, raises or lowers the segment) so that its first keyframe sits precisely on the
selected curve at the specified time. Paste Segment (without offset) leave
all of the values in the pasted segment untouched.
To use Paste segment or Paste segment with Offset

1 Select the curve onto which you want to paste the segment.
2 Click the curve and drag along the curve to the location at which the
segment should be inserted.
Alternately, you can use the keyboard to specify where the curve segment
should be pasted. When you choose Paste Segment or Paste Segment
With Offset, the system prompts:
Click or drag on curve to define insert location (time, [repeat],
[gap]):
Type the time at which the first keyframe of the segment should be placed.
Optionally, type the number of copies of the segment to paste (this is
the Repeat option). The repeat is 1 by default. If you enter a repeat
of more than 1, you can optionally enter a gap in time to be inserted
between the segments. The default is 0.
NOTE To paste a segment onto an unanimated parameter, you must use
keyboard input.
Clear Deletes selected items without placing them on the clipboard. (If you
clear something by accident, use Undo to restore it.)
To remove animation from a parameter, for example, select the parameter in
the Action Lister, then choose Clear to delete the channel.
Only the animation is deleted. The parameter itself still remains in the Lister,
but is now shown in a dim color to reflect its lack of an animation.
Paste Instance Like a paste operation, except that the newly animated
parameter reuses the animation curve on the clipboard instead of making a
copy.
To Use Paste Instance:
1 Select a channel from one object and invoke Copy.
2 Select an unanimated parameter from the same or a different object, and
invoke Paste Instance.
The newly animated parameter and the original channel share the same
action curve(s). Now if you edit the action, the animation for both
channels is affected.
Show Instance Shows all the channels that are using a particular action curve.
Sometimes an action curve can be used by more than one channel. For
example, if you create motion path animation (Choosing Animation > Tools
> Set Motion on page 951 ) or a new time warp (Choosing Animation > Create
> New Time Warp on page 862 ), then the animation curve(s) created are shared
by more than one channel. To share an existing action with more than one
channel, use Paste Instance.
To see all the channels that are using a particular action curve, select the action
and choose Show Instance from the Edit menu.
A utility lister appears listing the name of the action. Below the action is listed,
the names of the objects and their animation parameter which use the action.
You must close the utility lister by clicking OK before proceeding with any
other operation in Alias.
Undo Undoes previous operations on keyframes, tangents, and an action itself
(such as Transform, Tangent Type and Edit operations).
Undo keeps a history of transformations, so that if you repeat Undo, it will
undo further back in the history.
NOTE Using Edit > Cut in the Action window limits the undo function. If you
choose Edit > Cut and cut more than one action on the same channel in the
Action window, Edit > Undo may not work.
NOTE Cut one action followed by the second action, or cut the channel as one
item.
Redo Recreates what was undone by Undo.
You can use Redo to reverse the last operation from Undo. You can redo as
many operations as you undid with Undo.
NOTE Delete operations outside the Action Window (for example, Delete >
Delete Active on page 537 or Delete > Animation > Delete Channels on page 542 )
delete the undo history in the Action Window.
Viewing and editing keyframe stats

Choose Keyframe Edit to open the Keyframe stats window, which lets you
view and edit frame, value and tangent information for one or more keyframes,
one keyframe at a time.
Once the Keyframe Stats window is opened, pick a keyframe in the Action
window. Each time you pick a keyframe, the Keyframe Stats window shows
the information for the picked keyframe.
The parameters in the Keyframe Stats window are described below.
Pos X/Y The current position of the keyframe. The first number is the frame
time of the keyframe and the second number is the value of the keyframe.
You can change the position of the keyframe by clicking a number and entering
a new number.
NOTE You can not enter a time that is outside the segment in which the keyframe
is contained.
Tan In/Out The angles of the in-tangents and out-tangents on the keyframe.
The values must be between -90.0 and 90.0. If you change the value of either
of these tangents, the tangent type for that tangent becomes fixed. This
ensures that the new tangent value that you assigned to the keyframe retains
that value.
Tangent Lock Button Next to the tangent values is a tangent lock button.
Clicking this button locks in the current angle between the in-tangents and
out-tangents, so that if you modify one of them, the other is modified by a
compensating amount.
For example, if the in-tangent is 10 degrees and the out-tangent is 30 degrees,

then the angle between them is (90 - 30) + (90 - 10) = 140 degrees. It you turn
on tangent lock and change the out-tangent value to -20 degrees (a decrease
of 30), the in-tangent value changes to 60 degrees (an increase of 30), thereby
maintaining the 140 degree angle between them.
NOTE The tangent lock button works only for changes in the Keyframe Stats
window. To maintain a tangent relationship when changing tangents using
Transform > Move on page 11 , use the right mouse button.
Tan Type For more information on tangent types, see the description of the
Tangent types on page 904.
Shows the current type of the in- and out-tangents. The tangent type controls
how tangents are recomputed when a keyframe is moved or when keyframes
are added or deleted next to the keyframe. Click down on the currently
displayed tangent type to use a menu to select a different tangent type. (The
current tangent type is highlighted in the menu.)
Notes on selecting multiple keyframes

When you have the keyframe stats window open, you can also select multiple
keyframes. If any of the position or tangent values are the same for all picked
keyframes, the corresponding value is shown in black.
If the values are not all the same, the value in the keyframe stats window is
gray. If you select this value and enter a new value, and then all picked
keyframes assume this same value.
For example, if you pick two keyframes, one with a value of 5 and the other
has a value of 10, then the keyframe stats show the value of one of the
keyframes in gray, indicating that not all picked keyframes have the same
value. If you select this grayed value and type in 7, now both keyframes are
given a value of 7 (and it is displayed in black).
If multiple keyframes are picked and they all have the same tangent type, then
this tangent type is displayed. If not all keyframes have the same tangent type,
then the Tan Type parameter says Unknown. You can select an Unknown
tangent type and select another tangent type; then all keyframes assume this
same tangent type.
(Tangent angles and tangent types can also be copied from one keyframe to
another using Edit > Copy on page 526 and Edit > Paste on page 526 .)
CurveTools menu
Use the CurveTools menu to create and modify action curves.
Append keyframes Adds keyframes to an existing action, or creates a new
action for a parameter that is not currently animated.
To use Append keyframes:
1 Select an unanimated parameter or a parameter curve action.
2 Do one of the following:
click in the graph editor at the place you would like the new keyframe
created, or
use the keyboard to specify the frame time and value of the new
keyframe.
The tangent types of the new keyframe depend on the current tangent
type mode. See Tangent types on page 904 for more details.
Insert keyframes Adds keyframes to an existing action.
To use Insert keyframes:
1 Choose the action in the Action Lister, or pick the action in the graph
editor (using Pick > Curve).
2 Choose CurveTools > Insert Keyframes and click and drag to the
frame at which you would like to insert the keyframe.
The keyframe is inserted using the same value as the action originally
had at that frame. The tangents of the new keyframe are adjusted to
preserve the original shape of the action.
NOTE Insert keyframes adds keyframes to a curve only between its first
and last keyframes. If you wish to extend an existing curve before its first
keyframe or beyond its last one, then use Append keyframes.
Use result Compresses all actions applied to a channel into one parameter
curve that maintains the same shape as the original animation of the channel.
This function is very useful if a channel is animated with several time warps,
and you want to edit the channel as a whole, instead of as individual actions.
To use Use result:
1 Animate an item along a motion path or apply one or more time warps
to a channel. (See Create a motion path animation for more information.)
The channels with the motion path and time warps appear as dashed
lines because they cant be edited. Compressing these non-editable
channels makes them editable, since the channel then uses only a single
parameter curve action.
2 Select the non-editable channels that you want to compress.
3 Choose CurveTools > Use result. You are prompted to enter a start,
end, and by value at which to sample the channel.
The start and end values represent the range over which the new
parameter curve is defined.
The by value is the frequency with which new keyframes are created.
(If you do not specify start, end, or by, defaults are used. The default
start and end values are the range of the channel being compressed. The
default by value is 1.)
For example, if you enter 0, 10, and 2, then keyframes are created at times
0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10.
Using a large by value is faster, but may give an inaccurate curve,
especially if the animation has many sudden and dramatic changes in
value. If this occurs, choose Edit > Undo to restore the original curves
and them try again with a smaller by value.
NOTE If a channel has one or more time warps, the range of the channel is
not well-defined. Specify explicitly the start and end values for the channel,
rather than relying on the default values.
Simplify Simplifies a curve by reducing the number of keyframes in it while

still preserving the shape of the curve within a tolerance.
When you choose Simplify, the system prompts:
Select actions to simplify. Enter range & tolerance ([start], [end],
[by], [0.050]):
If you simply press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac), the selected actions are
simplified with default tolerances and ranges.
NOTE The default values for start and end are the complete range of the actions
selected. The default by value is 1, and the default tolerance value is 0.05.
Alternately:
Type the start and end at the keyboard to specify the frame range in which
to simplify the actions.
Use the by option to simplify the frame tolerance. The simplified action is
equivalent to the original action (within a value tolerance) at this frame
tolerance.
The fourth number to enter is the value tolerance. This specifies by how much
each frame at the frame tolerance is allowed to differ in the simplified action
from the original action.
When you choose Simplify, you can either press Enter (Windows) or Return
(Mac), type just one number or four numbers. If you type one number, this
number is used as the value tolerance. If you type four numbers, these numbers
are interpreted to be the start, end, by, and value tolerance respectively.
Tgl keyframe lock Toggles whether a keyframe is locked or unlocked.
If a keyframe is locked, it cannot change location or value when you Transform
> Move on page 11 . This is useful if you want to ensure that a specific keyframe
happens at a specific time, and you want to avoid accidentally moving it.
Locked keyframes are displayed as solid squares in both the graph editor and
the timeview.
Pick menu
Use the Pick menu to pick items in the action editor. Pick for actions is like
the standard Alias Pick, but it works on actions, channels, and keyframes.
You can pick an item by clicking on it.
To pick multiple items, click and drag. In the Action Lister, this picks several
adjacent items. In the graph and time views, it drags out a pick box; everything
inside the pick box is made active when you release the mouse button.
TIP The graph editor Pick functions have the added capability of picking while
you are in other functions. If you hold the Shift key, you are automatically in Pick
mode no matter which menu item is current.
You can also pick curves by typing the curve name in the prompt line. You
can use wildcard characters (such as *,?) to select curves with similar names.
For example,
sphere.*Translate
picks all the spheres Translate animation curves. Choose DispTools > Show
curve names to display the names of the curves.
Nothing Unpicks anything that is active in the Graph Editor, Action
Lister, or Timeview.
Any Picks whatever is contained inside the pick box. It picks channels or any
component of an action: keyframes, tangents and actions.
Since keyframes, tangents, and actions cannot be picked at the same time, a
pick priority defines what is picked if all three of these action components are
inside the pick box: keyframes, then tangents, then the action itself.
Keyframes Picks the keyframes of an action.
You can pick keyframes in a certain time range by typing the first and last
time of the range at the keyboard. Be sure that your cursor is in the Action
Window so that keyboard input goes to the Action Window. Keyframe
display can be toggled on or off using DispTools > Show Keyframes.
Curves Picks actions or channels. If a curve is picked in the graph editor, it is
also selected in the Action Lister.
Any tangents Picks a keyframes in-tangents and out-tangents.
In tangents Picks only the in-tangents of keyframes. The in-tangent is the
tangent entering the keyframe (from the left).
Out tangents Picks only the out-tangents of keyframes. The out-tangent is
the tangent where the curve leaves the keyframe.
Template Picks templated curves. A curve can be templated using DispTools
> Tgl Template.
If the Pick type is set to Keyframes, selecting an action (or a single-action
channel) in the lister toggles the pick state of every keyframe on that action,
meaning that unpicked keyframes become picked and vice-versa.
Similarly, if the Pick type is set to Any Tangents, In Tangents, or Out
Tangents, then the pick states of all the tangents on the curve, or just the
in- or out-tangents, are toggled.
Using keyboard input to move between keyframes and tangents

By holding down the Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac) key and using the arrow
keys, you can pick-walk through keyframes and tangents.
Pick-walking lets you pick a keyframe or tangent and then, with the use of
the keyboard arrows, go on to pick another while unpicking its predecessor.
Ctrl + left arrow (Windows) or Control + left arrow (Mac) walks to the next
keyframe or tangent on the same action curve.
Ctrl + right arrow (Windows) or Control + right arrow (Mac) walks to the
previous keyframe or tangent on the same action curve.
Ctrl + up arrow (Windows) or Control + up arrow (Mac) walks to the keyframe

or tangent which is at the same time in the action curve above the current
one.
Ctrl + down arrow (Windows) or Control + down arrow (Mac) walks to the
keyframe or tangent which is at the same time in the action curve below
the current one.
Notes on pick-walking
Since curves may cross several times, the terms above and below are
somewhat arbitrary. If you walk up you may actually end up moving to
the curve which is visually below the current one at that point in the graph.
In reality, walking down traverses the action curves in the order in which
they were created while walking up traverses them in the reverse direction.
If you walk through to the end or start keyframe, the next picked is the
start or end keyframe respectively.
If an in-tangent is picked, the next picked is an in-tangent, as well.
If an entire action is picked, using Ctrl + right arrow (Windows) or Control

+ right arrow (Mac) unpicks the action and picks the first keyframe or
tangent; Ctrl + left arrow (Windows) or Control + left arrow (Mac) picks the
last keyframe or tangent of the action.
Multiple keyframes and tangents can be walked simultaneously.
Transform menu
The Transform menu does operations on items selected in the Action Lister,
timeview, or graph editor.
Move Lets you move keyframes, tangents, or the whole curve.
To use Move, select any number of components using Pick and then choose
Move. Drag the cursor in the graph editor window. The picked objects follow
the cursor.
When moving keyframes and curves:
The left mouse button moves objects in both the horizontal and vertical
directions.
The middle mouse button constrains movement horizontally.
The right mouse button constrains movement vertically.
When moving tangents:
The left mouse button moves without constraints. Note, however, that the
in-tangent stays to the left of the keyframe and the out-tangent stays to
the right of the keyframe.
The middle mouse button locks the in-tangents and out-tangents of a

keyframe so that they remain 180 degrees apart (that is, in a straight line).
This ensures that the curve is smooth through the keyframe.
The right mouse button locks the in-tangents and out-tangents of a keyframe
so that they maintain the current angle between them.
Normally, when you are moving tangents, horizontal motion of the mouse
is ignored and the tangents move proportionally to the vertical motion of the
mouse. So, if the mouse moves one quarter of the way up the Action
Window, all the selected tangents move up by 45 degrees, which is one
quarter of their total range of movement.
If you hold down the Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac) key while moving
tangents, instead of proportional movement you get direct movement, where
the tangents point directly at the current position of the selection arrow:
The left mouse button causes all active tangents to immediately change
position so that they point directly at the selection arrow.
If a tangent is on the opposite side of its keyframe from the selection arrow,
it cannot point directly at the pointer and instead is pinned to point
straight up if the pointer is higher than the keyframe or straight down if
the pointer is lower than the keyframe. For this reason it is typically not
very useful to use this form of tangent movement when both in-tangents
and out-tangents are selected at the same keyframe.
The middle mouse button locks the in-tangents and the out-tangents of a
keyframe so they remain 180 degrees apart (that is, in a straight line), then
moves the nearest of each tangent pair so that it points directly at the
selection arrow. Nearest means the tangent that is on the same side of the
keyframe as the selection arrow. For example, if the selection arrow is to
the left of a keyframe, its in-tangent points directly at the pointer and the
out-tangent points directly away. If the selection arrow then moves to the
right of that keyframe, the tangents reverse roles, with the out-tangent
pointing at the selection arrow and the in-tangent pointing away.
The right mouse button locks the in-tangents and out-tangents so that they
maintain the current angle between them. The nearest tangent of each
pair (that is, the one on the same side of the keyframe as the selection
arrow) is then moved to point directly at the selection arrow, to the degree
that the fixed angle between the two tangents allows.
NOTE When you move a tangent its type changes to fixed.
Using keyboard input to move objects

You can use keyboard input to specify where to move curves or keyframes,
and to give tangent values. If you precede your keyboard input with A, the
values entered are interpreted as the absolute position to move to. If you
precede your keyboard input with R, the values entered are interpreted relative
to their current values.
For example, typing A 10 5 moves a keyframe to the time 10, and value 5. If
you then type R 2 1, the keyframe is placed at time 12 and value 6. You can
enter either positive or negative numbers.
If a curve is picked, Move moves the whole curve with respect to the first
keyframe on the curve.
If a tangent is picked, only one value needs to be entered at the keyboard.
This value is an angle between -90 and 90 degrees. An angle of 0 degrees means
the tangent is horizontal. You cannot assign a value of exactly -90 or 90 to a
tangent because this would produce a vertical line in the curve; however, you
can assign tangent values close to -90 or 90.
Scale time Speeds up or slows down the animation in a certain range of an
action without affecting the timing of the rest of the animation.
Scale time is only available via keyboard input, and not interactively.
To use Scale time

1 Select the curve or keyframes from the curve which you would like to
scale, and choose Move > Scale Time.
The system prompts:
Enter (start, end, new start, [new end]):
2 Enter the old range of the action that you would like to scale (start and
end) followed by the range to which it should be mapped (new start
and new end). You can optionally not enter the new end time, and it
defaults to the end time.
The specified range of animation between start and end is scaled to the
new range. If there was no keyframe at either start or end, a keyframe
is inserted before the range is scaled to define the segment to be scaled.
Scale value Scales the value of picked keyframes.
NOTE If you have set fixed tangents, the shape of the curve may not be preserved.
NOTE Scale value is only available via keyboard inputnot interactively.
To use Scale value

1 When you choose Scale value, the system prompts:
Enter y-axis pivot value, scale factor:
2 Enter the value around which you would like to scale (the pivot value)
and the amount you would like to scale by.
The new keyframe value is computed by subtracting the pivot value from
the old keyframe value to determine the current scale, multiplying this
scale by the scale factor, and then adding this resulting value to the pivot
value to obtain the new keyframe value.
For example, if the keyframe value is currently 80, and you specify a pivot
value of 70 and a scale factor of 2, then the current scale is 80 - 70 = 10.
This value is multiplied by the scale factor to obtain the new scale value
of 20. Thus the resulting keyframe value is the pivot value 70 plus the
new scale 20 to equal 90.
Randomize Assigns random values to keyframes. Randomize is useful for
animating movement with distinct but similar behavior, such as a school of
fish swimming in the same general direction but with their own individual
movements.You can randomize keyframes in their frame or value or both.
To use Randomize
1 Pick the keyframes you want to randomize.
2 Choose the Randomize function from the Transform menu. You are
prompted to make a box defining the range inside of which the
randomized keyframes should remain.
3 Click down where you want the first corner of the box, and drag to define
the size of the box. Alternately you can type in the frame and value for
the two opposite corners of the box.
4 Now click down inside of the box and move the mouse.
As you move the mouse horizontally further away from where you clicked,
the keyframes are randomized more in time. As you move the mouse
vertically further away from where you clicked, the keyframes are
randomized more in value.
Use the middle mouse button to randomize the keyframes in time only.
Use the right mouse button to randomize the keyframes in value only.
Views menu
Use the Views menu to change the view in the graph editor and timeview.
Look At Changes the view in the graph editor so that all selected curves,
keyframes, and tangents in the Action Lister are visible.
The time and location ranges displayed in the graph editor are bounded by
the lowest and highest time and location values of all selected items.
To use Look At
1 Select the items you want to look at.
2 Choose Views > Look At. The view changes to show the full extent of
the selected items. The other curves, keyframes, and tangents are still
displayed, but they may not be visible or may be only partly visible if
they do not lie fully within the bounds of the new view.
Dolly Zooms in or out of a particular view.
Click in the graph editor or timeview at the point you want as the center of
your new view. Drag the dolly box out, then release the mouse.
If you use the left or middle mouse button to make the dolly box, you
dolly in to the view encompassed inside the box.
If you use the right mouse button to make the dolly box, you dolly out so
that the current view fits inside the area of the dolly box.
If you hold down the Alt and Shift (Windows) or Option and Shift (Mac) keys
while pressing the right mouse button, you can do direct dollying (moving
the mouse to the right zooms in and moving it to the left zooms out).
Direct dollying is always available: you do not need to select the Dolly
function from the Views menu to use it.
Track Tracks the view horizontally and vertically.
Click in the graph editor or timeview, and drag your mouse around to change
the view:
the left mouse button tracks horizontally and vertically.
the middle mouse button tracks horizontally only.
the right mouse button tracks vertically only.

If you hold down the Alt and Shift (Windows) or Option and Shift (Mac) keys
while pressing the middle mouse button, you can do direct tracking, where
the view follows the motion of the mouse. This is the same as doing a
normal, unconstrained track, except that direct tracking is always available:
you do not need to select the Track function from the Views menu to
use it.
Undo View Undoes previous operations on the view, such as track, dolly, or
lookat. Undo View keeps a history of transformations, so that if you repeat
Undo View, it undoes further back in the history.
Redo View Re-creates what was undone by Undo. Use Redo View to reverse
the last operation from Undo View. You can redo as many operations as you
undid with Undo View.
DispTools menu
Use the DispTools menu to change the display of various items in the graph
editor. All of its choices are toggles.
Tgl template Puts a curve in a templated mode. The curve appears in gray,
and has no keyframes or tangents on it. (This behavior is like the ObjectDisplay
> Template on page 555 function in the main Alias window.)
To template a curve, pick the curve (either in the Action Lister or using Pick
> curve), and choose DispTools > Tgl template. If the curve was templated,
pick the curve using Pick > Template on page 5 and choose DispTools >
Tgl template to untemplate it. A templated curve cannot be picked in the
graph editor, although it may still be picked in the Action Lister.
Tgl tangents Turns the display of curve tangents on or off. By default, tangents
are not displayed.
Tgl infinity Turns the display of the curve beyond the actions defined time
range on or off. See Defining actions on page 901 (Action Tools) for the various
out-of-range types.
Tgl keyframes Turns the display of keyframes on parameter curve actions on
or off. Keyframes are displayed with a small box if they are locked, and with
a small X when they are not locked.
Tgl stats Turns statistical information about keyframes and tangents on or

off.
If Tgl stats is on and a keyframe is picked, the (X, Y) co-ordinates of the
keyframe are displayed. If a tangent is picked, the angle of the tangent is
displayed.
Tgl result curves Turns the display of channels on or off.
If a channel is animated by a single action, the action is still displayed even
when you hide the result curves.
If a channel is animated by more than one action, toggling result curves
off still shows the channels individual actions, but hides the display of the
resulting channel animation.
Tgl curve names If a channel is animated by a single action, then toggling
Tgl curve names on displays the name of that action beside the channel
name in the Action Lister. If the channel is animated by an expression, then
the expression is displayed beside the channel name, instead.
ActionTools menu
Use the ActionTools menu to change the behavior of curves outside their
defined range. You can also add comments to your actions.
Defining actions
Actions are defined over a certain time range:
Parameter curve actions are defined over the range of time between their
first and last keyframes.
Motion path actions are defined over the range of 0 to 100. If the current
frame is outside the range of the action, the action must still take on a
value.
You can display how an action is evaluated out of range by choosing

DispTools > Tgl Infinity.
The ActionTools menu lets you specify how the curve should be evaluated
when it is out of range of the first and last defined times. The Before types
specify how the curve should be evaluated before the first defined time; the
After types specify how the curve should be evaluated after the last defined
time.
Constant Before/After Constant Before means that the curve retains the
same value as the value of the first keyframe (or at time 0 for motion path
actions) for all time values before this first keyframe.
Constant After means the value of the last keyframe (or at time 100 for
motion path actions) is used for all time values after the last keyframes. This
is the default out-of-range type for parameter curve actions.
Cycle Before/After Cycle Before means that the curve repeats itself before
the first keyframe. This is like the curve being copied and pasted repeatedly
before the first keyframe.
Cycle After means that the curve repeats itself after the last keyframe. This
is like the curve being copied and pasted repeatedly after the last keyframe.
Cycle Before/After with Offset Cycle Before with offset is the same as
Cycle Before, except it continues backwards vertically from where the
previous cycle left off. (It does not start from the same vertical position each
time.)
Cycle After with offset is the same as Cycle After, except it continues
vertically from where the previous cycle left off.
Oscillate Before/After Oscillate Before and Oscillate After means that

the curve repeats itself backwards, then forwards, then backwards, and so on.
This is as if a copy of the curve was taken, and first glued to the curve in the
reverse (or mirror) direction, then in the forward direction, then in the mirror
direction, and so on.
Linear Before/After Linear Before means that the curve continues in a

straight line along the in-tangent of the first keyframe.
Linear After means that the curve continues in a straight line along the
out-tangent of the last keyframe. Since motion path actions do not have
editable tangents, linear means that the curve continues along the actual
tangent of the curve.
Identity Before/After Identity Before and Identity After means that the
curve continues in a straight line at a slope of 45 degrees (or parallel to the
line y = x starting at the first/last keyframe). This is the default out-of-range
type for time warp actions created with Anim > Time tools.
Comment Lets you add comments to your actions to remind you of
information about that action. This is like Object Edit > Edit Comment on
page 238 , which lets you add comments to objects in the modeling world.
Pick one curve in the graph editor, and choose Edit Comment. A shell
window running an editor is opened, and you can add new comments or edit
previous ones for the action. When you quit the editor, the window closes
and you can continue working.
TangentType menu
The TangentType menu is both a mode and a function, and it operates on
currently picked keyframes.
To use it as a mode, select the desired tangent type from the menu, and
then choose CurveTools > Append Keyframes or CurveTools > Insert
Keyframes to add new keyframes to an action. As each keyframe is added,
the new keyframes tangent is computed based on the current tangent
type.
To use it as a function, pick keyframes from some curves, and select the
desired tangent type from the menu. All picked keyframes have their
tangents recomputed to use the selected tangent type.
Tangents control how a curve behaves as it leaves one keyframe and enters
the next. The display of tangents can be toggled on or off using DispTools
> Tgl Tangents.
Tangent types
Keyframe tangents have tangent types. All of the tangent types except for
Fixed cause the tangents to be recomputed whenever the keyframe is moved,
so that the characteristics of the tangent type are maintained. For example,
if a keyframes in-tangent is Linear seg in, then the in-tangent of the
keyframe always points to the previous keyframe. If the keyframe is moved,
the in-tangent is updated to continue to point at the previous keyframe. If a
tangent type is Fixed, this means the tangent does not change angles when
you move the keyframe. You must explicitly move a Fixed tangent to change
its angle.
For finer control of a keyframes tangent, pick the tangents using Pick > Any
Tangents, Pick > In Tangents or Pick > Out Tangents, and then choose
Transform > Move to adjust the tangent. This causes the modified tangents
type to become Fixed.
Smooth A smooth transition is made between the keyframe before and the
keyframe after the selected keyframe. Its tangents are co-linear (that is, they
are both at the same angle). This ensures that there is no jerkiness at the
keyframe.
The angle of the tangents is a weighted average of the slopes between the two
keyframes on either side of the new keyframe. Setting a keyframe to Smooth
sets the tangent type of the in- and out-tangent of the keyframe to smooth.
Linear seg in The action is in a straight line between the previous keyframe
and the selected keyframe. The out-tangent of the previous keyframe and the
in-tangent of the selected keyframe lie along this straight line.
Setting the tangent type of a keyframe to Linear seg in changes the
in-tangent type of the picked keyframe to linear and the out-tangent type of
the previous keyframe to linear.
Linear seg out The action is in a straight line between the selected keyframe
and its next keyframe. The out-tangent of the selected keyframe and the
in-tangent of its next keyframe lie along this straight line.
Setting the tangent type of a keyframe to Linear seg out changes the
out-tangent type of the picked keyframe to linear and the in-tangent type of
the next keyframe to linear.
Slow seg in The movement slows as it enters the keyframe. Setting the tangent
type of a keyframe to Slow seg in changes its in-tangent type to slow and
the out-tangent type of the previous keyframe to fast.
Slow seg out The movement is slower at the beginning of the curve segment
following the keyframe. Setting the tangent type of a keyframe to Slow seg
out changes its out-tangent type to slow and the in-tangent type of the next
keyframe to fast.
In/Out The movement eases out of the new keyframe, and eases in to the
next keyframe. Setting the tangent type of a keyframe to In/Out changes the
out-tangent type of the picked keyframe and the in-tangent type of the next
keyframe to in-out.
Fast seg in The movement is faster going into the selected keyframe. For
example, a car accelerating. Setting the tangent type of a keyframe to Fast
seg in changes the in-tangent type of the picked keyframe to fast and the
out-tangent type of the previous keyframe to slow.
Fast seg out The movement is faster going out of the selected keyframe, as in
the example of throwing a ball. Setting the tangent type of a keyframe to Fast
seg out changes the out-tangent type of the picked keyframe to fast and the
in-tangent type of the next keyframe to slow.
Flat The in- and out-tangents of the new keyframe are horizontal (that is,
with a slope of 0). Setting the tangent type of a keyframe to Flat changes the
in- and out-tangent types of the picked keyframe to flat.
Step The out-tangent of the new keyframe is flat. The curve segment is also
flat (horizontal) until the next keyframe, at which point it jumps up or down
to the value of that keyframe.
The step tangent type is useful for animating Boolean (ON/OFF) values such
as DAG node visibility or the presence/absence of a lights shadows. A value
larger than 0.5 means ON, and less than 0.5 means OFF. Setting the tangent
type of a keyframe to Step changes the out-tangent type of the keyframe to
step.
NOTE If a keyframes out-tangent type is Step, then the in-tangent type of the
next keyframe is ignored.
Fixed The tangents of the selected keyframes become fixed at their current
angles. A tangent type that is Fixed means the value of the angles does not
change unless you explicitly modify the tangent. This can be useful if you set
a tangent to a certain angle which you would like to maintain even if the
keyframe or the segments around the keyframe are modified.
Preferences menu
Edit marking menus Let you customize a marking menu shelf.
To display an Action window marking menu

1 Press and hold Shift and Ctrl (Windows) or Shift and Control (Mac)
simultaneously.
2 Click and hold a mouse button anywhere in the Action Window.
3 To select a command, drag in the direction of the command. As you drag,
a rubber band line is drawn from the center of the menu that follows the
cursor.
To edit a marking menu

1 Choose Preferences > Edit Marking Menus. A shelf window for the
current tools in the marking menu appears:
2 To change the items used in a marking menu, modify the contents of

folders by dragging and dropping the appropriate tools.
To delete an individual tool, click and drag the tool with the middle mouse
button into the trash can. To delete a folder, click the folder tab with the
middle mouse button and drag it into the trash can.
To assign mouse buttons

Mouse buttons can be assigned to folders. For example, you might want to
assign the left mouse button to the pick tools folder and the middle mouse
button to the Transform tools folder. The mouse icon in the folder tab
corner indicates which mouse button the items are assigned to.
Tgl update model Lets you specify whether or not transforming keyframes
or curves within the Action Window also updates the modeling windows.
If Tgl update model is selected, the Tgl update model during
Transform option is displayed in the menu.
Tgl update model during Transform Select this option for updates to occur
during a transformation; de-select it for updates to occur just after the
transformation.
Warning! The updates are done by viewframe operations, which may make
performance very slow. You can always turn this off and view frames by
clicking on the frame indicator in the Action Window.
Action Window Closes the Action Window and returns you to the modeling
views.
Tgl short expressions Lets you toggle between displaying expressions normally
and displaying them in short form.
For example, sphere:x_Translate is shortened to sphere:xt, and you can
type any of the following:
sphere: xt
sphere: t sphere: T sphere: t_ sphere: x_t
sphere:x_Translate
Short expressions are not case sensitive. Any combination of characters and
the underscore, _ is recognized.
Using expressions in the action window

This section describes the syntax or rules to be followed when entering an
expression and discusses the valid mathematical operations.
Expressions enable you to establish dynamic links between animatable
parameters, so that a change in one parameter (as in the rotation of a joint)
can update another parameter (as in the deformation of a surface)
automatically. The expression system provides simple mathematical operations
(+ - * /), provides most of the functions supported by SDL, and allows references
to DAG nodes and CV parameters as well as to the current frame value. Any
animatable parameter can have an expression defined to calculate its value.
Expressions are created using the Timeview window in the Action Window.
Any parameter that is not currently animated can have an expression attached
to it. (Choose Edit > Clear to remove existing animation from an animation
parameter.) To type an expression, double-click in the list area next to a
parameter. Or you can choose the Action Windows Edit > Edit Expression
function to edit or create an expression using an external text editor.
Referring to other parameters

You can define expressions to establish a relationship between one parameter
and another. For example, the X translation of one object can be related to
the X translation of another object.
Expressions can refer only to DAG nodes (and their CVs). References to shader
and light parameters, for example, are not supported.
Parameter references are defined as follows:

ObjectName[.CVreference]:Parameter
Object Name is the name of the object (DAG node) that you want to
refer to. CV reference is an optional qualifier which lets you specify a
CV.
Parameter is the specific parameter you want to reference.
DAG node references

Within a DAG hierarchy you can refer to DAG nodes higher up in the
hierarchy using a relative reference. A single period (.) is used to specify the
current DAG node. Two periods (..) represent the DAG node above the current
one. A backslash (\) at the start of the reference represents the highest possible
DAG node above the current one. A backslash can also be used to separate
upward references.
For example, assume that you have the following hierarchy defined (in
descending order):
BaseLevel:SubLevel1:SubLevel2:object
For example:
Fluffy:Shoulder:Paw:mySphere
Then relative references to the object mySphere can be created as follows:

.
mySphere
..
Paw
..\..
Shoulder
..\..\..
Fluffy
Fluffy
Relative references are re-calculated if intervening levels are added or removed.

So if Paw is removed, ".." refers to Shoulder.
Relative reference is useful because an expression copied from one object to

another refers to the new objects DAG hierarchy, whereas an explicit,
non-relative reference would continue to refer to the old objects hierarchy.
CV references
The parameter of any CV within a surface may be referenced as shown in this
table:
Object
Reference (where # represents a number) Example
surface
u#v#
plane.u3v0
curve
u#
curve.u1
curve within a face
c#u#
curve#3.c2u3
Valid parameters
For DAG node references, you can use these parameters:
X_Translate or tx
Local X Translate of the DAG node
Y_Translate or ty
Local Y Translate of the DAG node
Z_Translate or tz
Local Z Translate of the DAG node
X_Rotate or rx
Local X Rotation of the DAG node, in degrees
Y_Rotate or ry
Local Y Rotation of the DAG node, in degrees
Z_Rotate or rz
Local Z Rotation of the DAG node, in degrees
X_Scale or sx
Local X Scale factor of the DAG node
Y_Scale or sy
Local Y Scale factor of the DAG node
Z_Scale or sz
Local Z Scale factor of the DAG node
Visibility
A Boolean specifying whether or not this

DAG is visible
For CV references, you can use these parameters:

X_Position or px
Local X Position of the CV
Y_Position or py
Local Y Position of the CV
Z_Position or zp
Local Z Position of the CV
Weight
The weighting factor for this CV
Short expression names

Short expression parameter names such as tx, ty, sx and rX are
expanded to their full names. You can also display names in the form TX.
Examples of valid parameters

sphere:X_Translate
X Translate of the object sphere
sphere.u2v3:X_Position
X position of the u2v3 CV within the object

sphere
..\..:X_Translate
X Translate of the DAG node two levels

up
Mathematical functions
In addition to the normal mathematical operators (+, -, *, /), you can use any
SDL functions which evaluate to a SCALAR.
The following list provides a brief description of each function, along with
the expected parameters.
The standard trigonometric functions:

acos(radians)
acosd(degrees)
asin(radians)
asind(degrees)
atan(radians)
atand(degrees)
atan2(value, value)
atan2d(value, value)
cos(radians)
cosd(degrees)
cosh(value)
sin(radians)
sind(degrees)
sinh(value)
tan(radians)
tand(degrees)
tanh(value)
Bessel functions Jn(x) :

besselj0(value)
besselj1(value)
besseljn(order,value)
besselyn(order, value)
The smallest whole number greater than value:

ceil (value)
Constrain value such that it is an integer multiple of by between start

and end:
constrain (start, end, by, value)
Error functions :
erf (value)
erfc (value)
Absolute value of value:

fabs (value)
The greatest whole number less than value:

floor (value)
Floating point remainder of value / divisor:

fmod (value, divisor)
Gamma function :
gamma (value)
Return a random number using a standard Gaussian distribution:

gauss ()
Length of the diagonal of a rectangle with sides of lengths x and y (
Base 10 log of value:

log10 (value)
value raised to power:

pow (value, power)
Return a random number in the range -1.0 to 1.0 with a pseudo-random

distribution:
rand ()
Use the argument seed as a seed for a new sequence of pseudo-random

numbers:
srand (seed)
Return 0.0 if value is 0.0, 1.0 if value is positive and -1.0 if value is negative:
sign (value)
Square root of value:

sqrt (value)
Evaluating action curves:

animate (action curve, expression)
The value of the animate function is the value of the curve action curve
at the frame given by the expression. For example, animate (curve, frame
- 2) returns the value of the animation curve at 2 frames less than the
current frame.
NOTE You can see the name of any action in the Action Window (see
DispTools > Tgl Curve Names in the Action Window).
NOTE The animate function takes an action curves, not a channel, as its first
argument. Thus, it does not reference a parameter such as
sphere:X_Translate, but rather the action curve that might be animated
such a parameter (for example, sphere.X_Translate or my_curve).
NOTE As a convenience, you can specify a parameter or channel reference
when entering an animate function into an expression by enclosing the
reference within braces, as in animate ({sphere:X_Translate}, frame).
However, note that this is immediately translated into a reference to the action
curve currently animating that parameter, so it is still not a true channel
reference.
The animate function provides two very useful capabilities:
You can refer to the position of an object at a time other than the
current frame.
It can be used as a mechanism for defining your own functions within

expressions.
Logical operations
Logical operations include:
comparisons (==, !=, >, <, >=, <=)
Boolean operators (&&, || !) )
These can be used wherever a value is allowed. A logical operation which is

TRUE evaluates to 1.0, and a logical operation which is FALSE evaluates to
0.0.
An example of a logical operation would be to set the position of an object
based upon a decision. The algorithm would be as follows:
if the distance along the X axis between a cube and a cone is less than 3
units
then return the pyramids X Translate value less 4 units
otherwise return the cubes X Translate value less 5 units
This algorithm would be entered as:
((fabs (cube:X_Translate - cone:X_Translate) < 3) * (pyram

id.X_Translate - 4)) +
((fabs (cube:X_Translate - cone:X_Translate) >= 3) *
(cube:X_Translate - 5))
Expression examples
The following are a few different examples of how expressions can be used.
In the examples, expressions are written out in the form:
parameter = some expression
For example, sphere:X_Translate = sin (frame), means that the expression

sin (frame) is to be applied to the X_Translate channel of the object sphere.
Also, all of the examples are built in a Y-Up orientation.
TIP To see the expressions update while you move the mouse, turn Expression
updates during Transform ON. (See Preferences > Performance Options on
page 1086 .)
A simple finger
You can get some realistic finger motion by creating a simple expression
relationship between each finger joint. A finger with five joints (named joint,
joint#2, joint#3, joint#4 and joint#5, with joint#5 being the finger tip),
behaves nicely if the rotation of each joint is set to the rotation of the finger
tip. Apply the following expressions to the finger:
joint:Z_Rotate
joint#5:Z_Rotate / 2
joint#2:Z_Rotate
joint#5:Z_Rotate
joint#3:Z_Rotate
joint#5:Z_Rotate
joint#4:Z_Rotate
joint#5:Z_Rotate
This establishes the rotational relationship between the finger joints. Now as
the finger tip (joint#5) is rotated about the Z-axis (using Transform > Rotate
on page 12 ), the other joints rotate an equal amount, giving a very realistic
motion to the finger.
TIP Expressions may be copied and pasted within the Action Window just like
any other animation channel (See Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste on page 526 in
the Action Window).
Interlocking gears
Expressions may also be used to create mechanical devices; for example, gears.
A mechanical relationship with four gear objects (gear, smallGear, link#1
and link#2), with gear as the control object, could be established with the
following expressions:
smallGear:Y_Rotate
gear:Y_Rotate * -2
link#1:Y_Rotate
- gear:Y_Rotate
link#2:Y_Rotate
- link#1:Y_Rotate
Notice that the smallGear is half the size of gear, and should then rotate twice
as fast as gear. The negative sign in front of each reference causes the gears
to rotate in opposite directions.
Creating control objects

Establishing relationships between various objects is a very powerful use of
expressions. You can also create objects that exist only to control (or influence)
the motion of other objects.
The following expressions give an example of a scale and object relationship:
rightTape:X_Scale
(control:X_Translate / 2)
+ 4
rightTape:Z_Scale
.:X_Scale
leftTape:X_Scale
18.5 - rightTape:X_Scale
leftTape:Z_Scale
.:X_Scale
The next expressions establish a link between the size of the object and the
amount of rotation for the object:
rightReel:Z_Ro
tate
log10 (1 + ((rightTape:X_Scale
- 4) / 1.5)) * 36000
leftReel:Z_Ro
tate
log10 (1 + leftTape:X_Scale 4) / 1.5)) * 3600
To animate an object, set keyframes on the position of the control object itself.
(Choose Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 to see a sample animation).
Relating shader parameters

While expressions may refer only to DAG node parameters, they can also be
applied to any parameter that can be animated. This particular example shows
how a small puff of dust (using particles) can be produced when an object
bounces on the ground. In general, we will adjust the rate of particle emission
for a small stand-in object so that particles are emitted when the object touches
the ground. The stand-in object will be at the point of contact between the
object and the ground.
The expression which is applied to the dust shader (albeit very simplistic) is:
dust:psys_particles_per_sec
(ballObject:Y_Translate <
0.25) * 500
Notice how this expression uses the logical operation to compare the position
of the ballObject, and then set the particle emission accordingly. Expressions
may be applied to any shader parameter, particle emission was chosen because
it produces an immediately visible result.
Following animated objects

You can use the animate function to evaluate an animation curve at any frame.
You can make objects follow each other by having them share the evaluation
of the same animation curve.
For this example there are three spheres, which follow each other around. The
lead sphere (sphere) is animated using keyframe animation. It has two
animation curves (yTrans for the Y_Translate channel and yRotate for the
Y_Rotate channel). The other two spheres follow 5 and 10 frames behind the
lead sphere.
The expressions that define this animation are:
sphere#2:Y_Translate
animate (yTrans, frame 5)
sphere#2:Y_Rotate
animate (yRotate, frame

- 5)
sphere#3:Y_Translate
animate (yTrans, frame 10)
sphere#3:Y_Rotate
animate (yRotate, frame

- 10)
sphere#3:X_Translate
sind (frame * 3.6) - 6
The last expression is added just to make the third sphere behave a little
differently.
Any scalar value can be used for the second parameter to animate, including
another animate function. The second parameter is simply an expression
whose value is used as the frame to evaluate the action curve. Evaluation of
the action curve outside its defined range follows the settings for the
extrapolation type for the curve (see ActionTools in the Action Window).
Modulating an animation over time

You can also use the animate function to modulate the evaluation of an
animation curve over time. This example shows a swinging pendulum which
slows down over time. The basic pendulum swinging was done as a keyframe
animation from frames 0 to 60. The expression on the pendulum then uses
the animate function to evaluate the curve at the current frame, and then
modulates the results based upon the overall length of the sequence.
The expressions that form the animation include:

pendu
lum:Z_Rotate
animate (animNode.Z_Rotate, fmod

(frame, 60)) * ((animNode:X_Rotate frame) / animNode:X_Rotate)
anim
Node:X_Ro
tate
500
The second parameter to the animate function is set to range between 0 and
60 (the original range of the keyframes). A similar result could have been
achieved by just using animate (animNode.Z_Rotate, frame) and then
changing the extrapolation on the animNode.Z_Rotate curve to cycle after.
Notice how animNode:X_Rotate is being used as a simple variable. That way
if the timing of the sequence needs to be changed, only the value of
animNode:X_Rotate needs to be changed. All other expressions are then
evaluated using the new value.
Defining your own functions

For this example, the apply Function plug-in was used to create an animation
curve that represents the evaluation of a noise function over the range 0 to
100. The animate function is then used to index into the resultant animation
curve (in effect evaluating the function). The sphere has a normal keyframe
animation for its rotation, and the following expression:
sphere:Y_Translate
animate (Noise, frame)
The noise function could also be used to modulate the evaluation of other
animation curves, in effect supplying a follow-type expression with a slightly
random but controllable behavior.
In the same example, sphere#2 was animated using keyframe animation, and
then sphere#3 has a follow type series of expressions, with the Noise
function being used to add a little randomness to the follow of the
X_Translate:
sphere#3:Y_Ro
tate
animate (sphere#2.Y_Rotate, frame - 5)
sphere#3:X_Trans
late
animate(sphere#2.X_Translate, frame 5) - (animate (Noise, 60 + fmod

(frame, 15)) * 0.375)
For the X_Translate, the Noise function is evaluated over the range from
60 to 75.
See also:
What is a time warp curve?
What is a parameter curve action and a motion path action?
Prevent collisions in your exploded view animation
Edit the animation curve
Move keyframes on an animation curve
Edit a motion path in the Action Window
Edit a keyframe animation
Playback the animation
Rendering image matching views
Animation > Editors > Playback Options

Controls animation during playback to optimize playback performance.
See View individual frames of animation.
For example, you can choose to play back only the active items, not display
CVs or lights during a playback, or to play back rendered images.
Playback Options
The Playback Options window contains several parameter sections to let
you view your animation in different ways.
Animation > Editors > Playback Options | 921
To open a section, click the black down arrow to the left of the heading.
Play Blast options

For more information about play blast, see Use the Play Blast window.
TIP Toggling off the time slider during playback may improve the playblast rate
by up to 200%.
Show Play Blast If toggled ON, all animation previews occur in a Play Blast
window, and only in this window. To play the animation in the application
windows, toggle this option OFF.
Output Res Represents the actual screen resolution for the Play Blast window.
NOTE You can only change the X resolution because the Y resolution is computed
so that the aspect ratio of the Play Blast window is the same as the active
modeling window.
Quality If you change the Quality percentage, the Output Res updates to
reflect the new resolution of the Play Blast window. If set to 100%, the
resolution of the Play Blast window is the same as the active modeling
window.
Zoom Factor The default for Zoom Factor is 1. If you change it to a large
number, the Play Blast window becomes that many times larger than the
specified resolution by repeating pixels from the original resolution. For
example, if the Zoom Factor is 2, each pixel from the original image is
repeated twice (in each direction) to create a larger image.
Compress Determines how the Play Blast images are stored in memory. If
the Compress option is toggled ON (indicated by a check mark), the images
in memory are compressed. As a general rule, if a large number of frames are
being played back, it is a good idea to use this option.
TIP The advantage of compressing images in memory is that more frames of Play
Blast animation can be stored because they take up less memory.
NOTE However, the playback may be slightly slower with compressed images
since before displaying each frame in the Play Blast window the image for that
frame must be decompressed.
Animation Options
Objects Click to the right of the heading to display the Objects menu.
ALL Every animated object is animated during a playback.
ACTIVE Only picked objects are animated during a playback. A DAG node,
CV, or camera can be picked using the Pick menu items. A shader, texture,
or environment map is active if it is picked in the Multi-lister.
ACTIVE SETS Only the items in the selected sets in the Set Lister are
animated during a playback. Choose Animation > Editors > Set Lister on page
946 to display the Set Lister.
Parameters Click to the right of the heading to display the Parameters
menu.
ALL All channels of objects are animated during a playback.
GLOBAL/LOCAL Only channels whose parameters are turned on in the

GLOBAL or LOCAL parameter control windows are animated during a
playback.
To turn animation parameters on or off, use Animation > Editors > Param
Control on page 928 .
Hierarchy This menu is only available when either ACTIVE or ACTIVE SETS
is chosen from the Objects menu.
None Keyframes are set only for the selected objects.
Above Keyframes are set for the selected objects and all objects in the
hierarchies above them.
Below Keyframes are set for the selected objects and all objects in the
hierarchies below them.
If Hierarchy is set to Below, and if there is geometry somewhere below a
picked DAG node, keyframes are set for all the DAG nodes below the picked
DAG node, but not for any of the CVs. To set keyframes for CVs, select the
CVs of the geometry you want to animate and set keyframes for them
separately.
NOTE In the case of DAG nodes, CVs, image planes, and cameras, the hierarchy
refers to the hierarchy as represented in the SBD window. For shaders, textures,
and lights, it refers to the implicit hierarchy in the Multi-lister window.
Repeat Click to the right of the heading to display the Repeat menu.
ONCE The range of animation plays back once, then stops.
OSCILLATE The animation alternates between playing in a forward and
reverse direction until you stop the animation.
LOOP The animation plays over and over in the same direction (in whichever
direction the playback was initiated).
Pose Animation If set to ON, playback only displays the frames in the pose
animation sequence. To create a pose animation sequence, see Animation >
Tools > Pose animation on page 972 .
Output to Pix If set to ON, then the next time a playback is invoked, the
animation will be saved to .pix files in the .pix directory of your current
project.
You can quickly preview these images from Animation > Show > FCheck on
page 991 .
TIP During a Play Blast, you can turn pix output on and off by clicking the
Output to Pix button on the Play Blast windows titlebar.
The camera view that is used for the images is the same view as the current
application window. To specify the window to be used for creating image files,
click in it before starting a playback.
TIP The image files created are snapshots of the screen. For best results, make
sure no other windows are covering the current application window.
After you have entered the name of a file, the playback starts. The first time
through the playback, an image file is saved for each frame. After the playback
has run once through all the animation in the given range, the Output to
Pix option automatically turns OFF, and playback continues without saving
image files.
TIP It is recommended that you set the Sync Rate (fps) in the Time Slider to 0.0
when using the Output to Pix option. If you use a non-zero frame rate, the
resulting image file animation could be very jerky.
Optimization If Optimization is OFF, the playback is not optimized. In this
case, the Optimization Options heading is not displayed since it does not
apply.
If Optimization is ON, any playback (invoked from the control panel, from
Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 , or from the Time Slider) uses
optimization options to increase the speed of the playback. Expand the
Optimization Options section to set these options.
Optimization Options
If the Optimization option in the Animation Options window is set to

ON, all animation playbacks are optimized using the following optimization
options.
NOTE If a check mark is displayed next to an option it means that an item is

optimized (not displayed) during a playback.
CVs If checked, no CVs are displayed during playback.
Hulls If checked, no hulls are displayed during playback.
Grid If checked, the grids in the application windows are not displayed during
playback.
Title Bar If checked, the title bar and window icons of the application windows
are not displayed during playback.
Lights If checked, no lights are displayed during playback.
Cameras If checked, no cameras are displayed during playback.
Model If checked, no geometry is displayed during playback.
This is useful if a window is in toggle shade mode (see WindowDisplay >
Hardware Shade on page 567 ).
MultiLister If checked, shader animation does not occur in the Multi-lister.
If not checked, the animated shader balls are updated at each frame. For a
faster playback of just one shader ball, use the animated shader icon next to
the shader ball name.
Time Slider If checked, the time slider and frame counter in the Alias window
will not be updated during playback, but will update once playback is over.
This optimization alone can double the speed of many Play Blasts, but has
minimal effect on most normal playbacks. Note that the frame marker can
still be dragged and all of the frame control buttons still operate normally.
Pivots If checked, no pivots are rendered during playback.
Skeletons If checked, skeleton bones are not displayed during playback.
Cluster Pivots If checked, cluster pivots are not rendered during playback.
NOTE WindowDisplay > Toggles > Pivots on page 582 overrides the pivot settings
in the Playback Options Optimization window. If you have selected
WindowDisplay > Toggles > Pivots on page 582 , no pivots will be rendered during
playback even if you uncheck Pivots or Cluster Pivots in the Playback Options
Optimization window.
Display Windows Specifies which windows should remain open during
playback. (The more windows that are open, the slower the playback.)
Click to the right of the heading to display the Display Windows menu.
ALL Any window that is currently open remains open, including any
opened editor.
ALL MODELING Only the modeling windows remain open and all
editors are closed.
ACTIVE MODELING Only the current modeling window remains open.
After the playback is finished, all windows that were closed during the playback
are reopened.
NOTE SBD windows that are open will always close during a playback no matter
what the Display Windows option is set to.
Output Filename Extensions

The Output Filename Extensions options are used when the Output to
Pix option is set to ON in the Animation Options window or when you
are rendering an animation sequence with Animation turned ON in Render
> Globals on page 605 .
The names of the image files that will be saved consist of a base name, which
the system prompts you for, a period (.), and then a numbered extension
indicating the place in the sequence of image files that this file represents (for
example: filename.1, filename.2, filename.3, and so on.) This number,
does not necessarily correspond to the frame number. It is computed using
the three options in this window.
Start This is the number that will be used as the file name extension for the
first frame of animation saved to an image file.
By This is the amount by which the file name extension number is
incremented.
Extension padding This is the minimum number of digits in the file
extension. If the file name extension number has fewer digits than specified
by this option, the number is padded with 0's to the left.
For example, assume:
the Min, Max, and By values in the Time Slider panel are currently 90,
120, and 3
the Start, By, and Num of Digits options in this window are set to 1,
1, and 2
when you invoke a playback with Output to Pix set to ON and are
prompted for a base name, you type anim
The image files that are generated have the names anim.01, anim.02,
anim.03, and so on, up to anim.11.
Animation > Editors > Param Control

Set s the parameter control animated properties to GLOBAL or LOCAL.
See Animation SDL.
There are two groups of isolated animatable properties: GLOBAL and LOCAL.
Each controls different animation parameters. LOCAL animation parameters
are per object, whereas GLOBAL are for all objects of that sort.
Param control window interface

Choose Animation > Editors > Param Control to display the Parameter
Control window.
In the Parameter Control window, you can see all the animation parameters
(attributes) for every type of item that can be animated. For example, X
Translate is an animation parameter of a DAG node, Angle of View is an
animation parameter of a camera, and Reflectivity is an animation parameter
of a shader.
GLOBAL parameters
If you click the arrow beside GLOBAL, a list of all items that can be animated
is displayed. This includes DAG nodes, curve CVs, surface CVs, cameras, lights,
and shaders. If you click the arrow beside an animatable item, a list of all the
attributes that can be animated for that type of item is displayed.
Global parameter window
When you expand the DAG node Global parameter settings, this is what you
find. Any box with a check represents an animatable parameter. Visibility
doesnt have a check; therefore, this parameter cannot be animated with set
keyframe at this time.
When you expand the Curve CV Global parameter settings, you will see that
Position XYZ can be animated and Weight, for the moment, cannot.
Animation > Editors > Param Control | 929
Shading parameters Global settings
When you click the arrow beside the Shading parameters, sub-headings for
shader and texture parameters are displayed. Clicking an arrow beside a
sub-heading displays the parameter settings for that shader or texture.
NOTE The above illustrations show only a partial list of the shader and texture
choices available.For details on shader and texture parameters, see Render >
Multi-lister on page 683 > List All.
LOCAL parameters
If you click the arrow beside LOCAL, you can see a list of all animatable items
that are currently active. If you pick or unpick objects in the modeling windows
or select a new shader, texture, or light in the Multi-lister window, the items
under LOCAL change to reflect this new set of active items.
TIP Check in the LOCAL window before using an animation function that acts
on active objects. An example of such a function is Animation > Keyframe > Set
Keyframe on page 837 or Delete > Animation > Delete Channels on page 542 .
If you click the arrow beside an animatable item, you see all the attributes
that can be animated for that type of item. Usually this list is the same as in
the GLOBAL parameters for that type of item. However, in some cases, the
LOCAL animation parameters are a subset of the GLOBAL animation
parameters. For example, all lights have color, intensity, and shadow attributes.
However, only ambient lights have the Ambient shade attribute.
Local parameter window
The LOCAL parameter window lists all items that are active.
Each animation parameter (GLOBAL or LOCAL) has a box next to it, which
contains a check mark (4) if the parameter is turned ON. To toggle it OFF,
click in the box.
Parameter names for IK handles

Although IK handles are DAG nodes, some types will display parameter names
which are different from Translate, Rotate, and Scale, which are the
standard for DAG nodes. The following diagram illustrates the difference
between spline handles and a single-chain IK handle.
Parameters
Any animation functions that have Params in their option box operate based
on the on or off condition of their animation parameter.
For example, Animation > Keyframe > Set Keyframe on page 837 ,Animation
> Edit > Duplicate Animation Channels on page 866 and File > Import >
Anim on page 457 all have the Parameters option in their option boxes.
If the Parameters option in these functions is set to Global, then the
function is only applied to the animation parameters that have a check mark
next to them in the GLOBAL parameters section of the window. If the
Parameters option in these functions is set to Local, then the function is
only applied to the animation parameters that have a check mark next to
them in the LOCAL parameters section of the window.
The difference between GLOBAL and LOCAL is that there is only one set of
GLOBAL parameters that apply to all objects. LOCAL parameters, on the
other hand, apply to each animatable item. Therefore, when you set the
LOCAL parameters of each item individually and then invoke some
animation functions with Parameters set to Local, different animation
parameters of different items will be affected.
The state of each GLOBAL parameter is set to its default each time you start
up Alias. However, LOCAL parameters for an item are saved when you store
a file. So when you retrieve a model, its latest LOCAL parameter settings are
also retrieved.
The check mark box next to each items animatable parameter gives a visual
cue about that items parameter. In particular, if the item is animated in a
LOCAL parameter (that is, a channel exists for the animation parameter of
that item), then the box next to that parameter stands out by being slanted
(just like the slanted boxes in the SBD window for animated items) and white.
To turn all the animation parameters for an item on or off click the check box
beside that items name (under both the GLOBAL and LOCAL parameter
headings).
Using the Apply button

Sometimes you may want to change the LOCAL parameter settings for many
items of the same type all at once. For example, if you are animating the CVs
of a curve or surface in the XY plane, you may want to turn off the LOCAL
animation parameter for the Z position of all CVs.
Since an object could have hundreds of CVs, it would be very cumbersome
to pick all the CVs, and turn off the Z position LOCAL animation parameter
for each CV. Instead, you can pick all the CVs, click the Z Position GLOBAL
parameter box off in the Curve CV or Surface CV parameter window
(depending on whether the CVs are on a curve or a surface), and then click
the apply button in the GLOBAL parameters section of the window. This
applies the GLOBAL parameter settings for each type of item to the LOCAL
parameter control of each item in the LOCAL parameters window.
Now if you open one of the CVs in the LOCAL parameters window, you see
that its Z Position parameter has been turned off.
Next to the apply button there is a check box. If you click in this box, you
can turn all the GLOBAL parameters on or off for every type of animatable
item at once (a check mark indicates that they are on).
Animation > Editors > Deformation Control

Provides a higher level of manipulating CVs by letting you create groups (or clusters)
of CVs.
See also:
Expand a DAG node in the action lister
Animation > Editors > Expression Control

Interacts with and control expressions through an edit cell or slider, instead of by
picking and transforming objects.
Animation > Editors > Skeletons

Learn how to use the Skeleton editor to set joint information, such as limits, rest
position, and stiffness, allowing you to affect how a skeleton moves under inverse
kinematics.
See also:
Create a human-like character
Draw a skeleton
Display skeleton bones
Editing skeletons with the skeleton editor

1 Create a joint node hierarchy with Animation > IK > New Skeleton on
page 848 .
2 Choose Animation > Editors > Skeletons on page 934 to open the Skeleton
Editor window.
Use the Skeleton Editor to create and modify joint DAG nodes and skeleton
hierarchies, and to tailor joint limits, and other properties of an IK chain.
The Skeleton Editor has two sections. On its left side is a lister containing
the names of DAG nodes; on the right is a spreadsheet listing the properties
of each joint.
Skeleton Editor lister

The contents of the lister depend on the selection made in List Mode. Each
element in the list has up to four icons, plus a DAG node icon and DAG node
name.
Animation > Editors > Skeletons | 935
Lister icons
joint node icon
This toggle changes an existing DAG node to a joint node, or changes an

existing joint node to a DAG node. If on, it is dark gray with a white bone
joint, which indicates that the DAG node is a joint node. In the SBD window
the DAG node has a joint icon drawn in its SBD box. If off, it is light gray
instead of dark gray, indicating that the DAG node is not a joint node.
joint expansion icon
With joint DAG nodes, certain joint properties can be tailored for use with IK
handles. These properties are listed on the right side of the Skeleton Editor,
in the spreadsheet section.
Click this icon to expand the joint to see the joint components that are used
and their joint limits. The expansion state is kept so that the joint is expanded
the next time you list it. Click the icon again to collapse the joint.
pin icon
When you click this icon, the item stays on the list, whether it is picked or
not. The icon changes to a black pushed pin.
NOTE Double click the DAG node name area to change its name.
IK type icons The following icons appear left of the IK handle names to
indicate the IK handle controlling type:
The Shared joint icon indicates the joint is shared by both a single-chain
and a multi-chain.
Skeleton Editor spreadsheet

The right side of the Skeleton Editor is a spreadsheet of values that you can
edit for different joint node components. (You can edit values only for joints.
Before you can edit other objects in this window, you must change them to
joints.)
Select the joint expansion icon for one of the joint nodes to see the values
for these joints in the spreadsheet. The values for each of the joints in the
spreadsheet are used by single-chain or multi-chain IK handles.
This screen shows the Skeleton Editor with the Show D.O.F. menu set to
All.
Select Use Joint and Use Limits column entries in the spreadsheet to set
them ON (shown by a check mark) or OFF (shown by a dash).
Use Joint
If set to OFF, the parameter does not change during a transformation. This is
useful for restricting the motion of a joint. For example, in a skeleton hierarchy
of a leg, you may restrict the knee joint so that it can only bend along the
x-axis. Therefore, the Y and Z rotations for Use Joint should be OFF.
Use Limits
If set to ON, the joint uses the limits defined in the next two columns,
Minimum and Maximum, during transformations. This is useful if you
want a joint component to move within a specified joint range. For example,
a joint node representing an elbow may have a desired range of 0 to 170
degrees. If Use Limits is ON, and these range limits are set, the elbow joint
does not take a value outside that range during a transformation.
If set to OFF, any joint limits set for that joint are ignored. To show this, the
Minimum and Maximum cells are grayed out and non-editable.
To define limits, see the description of the Set Button in the Set menu on page
943 section.
0 degrees is determined with respect to the direction in which you drew the
bone originally. If you drew the bone at a slant, the minimum and maximum
ranges in the previous example would appear as shown in the following.
Minimum/Maximum
These two columns can take any values. The values represent the minimum
and maximum values for a joint parameter. For rotation parameters, the values
are angles in degrees. For translation parameters, the values are in centimeters.
Click in the column on the row of the joint you want to change, and set the
minimum or maximum joint value.
NOTE You can also set the minimum and maximum joint values using the
Minimum and Maximum Set menu.
Restrictions are that the minimum value must be less than the maximum
value, and the rest position must be between the minimum and maximum
values. If you enter a minimum value that is greater than the maximum, or
if you enter a maximum value that is less than the minimum, the minimum
and maximum values are exchanged. If Use Limits is on, these minimum and
maximum values restrict the range that a joint parameter can assume.
Stiffness Percentage
This column contains values between 0 and 100, which represent the
percentage stiffness for each joint parameter. When dragging a chain with a
multi-chain handle, there are usually many possible solutions for the chain
to reach its goal. Applying stiffness to some joints provides greater control
over how the chain reaches its goal.
For example, if you are animating an arm reaching for an object, making the
shoulder joint really stiff makes the arm bend at the elbow to reach the object.
However, making the elbow joint really stiff keeps the arm straight, and forces
the whole arm to reach for the object.
A value of 0% means that there is no stiffness applied to that joint, and it will
move as quickly as it can to help the chains effector reach its goal. A stiffness
of 100% constrains the joint completely, and produces the same effect as not
using the joint at all (that is, as if Use Joint is OFF).
Skeleton Editor button menus

List Mode menu
The List Mode menu controls which DAG nodes are shown in the lister
section of the Skeleton Editor.
Picked The lister shows only the picked DAG nodes, regardless of whether or
not they are joint nodes.
Chain The lister shows the currently picked joint node, and every joint node
that is an ancestor of that node, up to and including the first joint node. If
there are no DAG nodes picked that are joint nodes, nothing is listed.
Skeleton The lister contains every joint node in the skeleton to which the
picked joint nodes belong. Unlike hierarchy, skeleton only lists joint nodes.
If no joint DAG nodes are picked, nothing is listed. If two joint DAG nodes
are picked that belong to the same skeleton, the skeleton is only listed once.
Above The lister shows the picked DAG nodes, and every DAG node above
the picked DAG nodes, regardless of whether or not they are joint DAG nodes.
Below The lister shows the picked DAG nodes, and every DAG node below
the picked DAG nodes, regardless of whether or not they are joint DAG nodes.
Hierarchy The lister shows every DAG node in the hierarchy in which the
picked DAG nodes are contained.
All The lister shows roots of all existing skeletons, whether they are picked or
not.
All Skeleton The lister shows all existing skeletons, whether they are picked
or not.
Any DAG node in the lister can then be interactively toggled to a joint by
clicking on the joint button in the lister. To determine which DAG nodes
appear in the lister, the system finds the root DAG node of the picked DAG
node, and lists every DAG node below that root DAG node.
Example of Hierarchy, Below, and Above

The Hierarchy, Below, and Above modes are useful if you have already
created a hierarchical model and want to use inverse kinematics to move or
animate it. Any DAG node in the lister can then be interactively toggled to a
joint by clicking on the joint button in the lister.
These modes can also be used to limit the information in a hierarchical list
to parts of the skeleton you are working on.
The following example shows a desk lamp and its skeletal hierarchy:
List Type menu

Joints The joints are listed hierarchically.
Handles The joints are listed by IK Handle.
Show D.O.F. menu

The Show D.O.F. pop-up menu controls the rotation and translation
parameters displayed when you click the joint expansion button for a joint
node. The D.O.F. stands for degrees of freedom viewed from the point of IK
control.
All This is the default mode. When you click a joint nodes joint expansion
icon in the Skeleton Editor lister, you see all possible degrees of freedom
for that joint node (that is, X, Y, and Z rotations and translations).
Used When you click the joint expansion button of a joint node, only the
degrees of freedom that have the Use Joint column ON appear in the lister.
Set menu
The Set menu lets you set the Minimum and Maximum columns in the
currently selected rows to the current values of the corresponding joint
parameters.
Choose joints in the Skeleton Editor lister, and then choose one of these
settings from the Set menu:
Minimum The current minimum parameter value for all selected rows will
be set to the current value of the joints corresponding parameter.
Maximum The current maximum parameter value for all selected rows will
be set to the current value of the joints corresponding parameter.
For example, suppose a joints Y Rotation value is set to 60 degrees:
1 Choose the Y rotate row for that joint in the Skeleton Editor.
2 Choose Set > Maximum. The Minimum column in the joints Y
rotate row will be set to 60 degrees.
NOTE If invoking one of these Set functions makes the minimum value
greater than the maximum value, then the minimum and maximum values
are swapped so that the joint limits are still within a valid range.
Model Pick menu

Selected The DAG nodes that you select in the Skeleton Editor are
automatically picked in the modeling world. After this operation is complete,
the selected and unselected items in the Skeleton Editor lister correspond
exactly to the picked and non-picked DAG nodes in the modeling world.
This operation is used most successfully when the List Mode is skeleton or
hierarchy. This is because the contents of the list in the Skeleton Editor
do not change after the Model Pick > Selected operation.
Sometimes it is not possible to pick all DAG nodes that are selected in the
Skeleton Editor. This is because the Skeleton Editor is designed to display
hierarchies of DAG nodes. These hierarchies can be selected in the Skeleton
Editor lister window. However, DAG nodes that are ancestors or descendants
of each other cannot be picked at the same time in the modeling world (this
is known as a pick conflict).
To resolve this pick conflict, if ancestor and descendant DAG nodes are selected
in the Skeleton Editor lister, the lowest descendant DAG nodes that are
selected are picked in the modeling world. The DAG nodes that could not be
picked in the modeling world are deselected in the Skeleton Editor lister.
An example best demonstrates how this works. Suppose you have created a
two-legged figure:
1 Pick the left_knee joint node in the modeling world.

2 Choose List Mode > Skeleton in the Skeleton Editor. The Skeleton
Editor lister now contains a hierarchical listing of the joint nodes for
the two-legged figure.
3 In the Skeleton Editor lister, select all the joints in the right leg
(right_hip, right_knee, right_ankle).
4 Choose Model Pick > Selected.
Since the left knee is not selected in the lister, it is unpicked in the
modeling world. Since there is a pick conflict between the joints in the
right leg, the lowest joint is selected (right_ankle), and is picked in the
modeling world. The other joints in the right leg are unselected in the
lister, since they could not be picked in the modeling world.
Selecting and Global editing

The Skeleton Editor is a spreadsheet that lets you edit several selected
elements from a column at once. You can use the lister section of the Skeleton
Editor to select one or more elements from the list. Simply click the first
element to select, and drag your cursor up or down to the last element of the
list to be selected. The selected items are highlighted.
You can hold down the Shift key while selecting to add or remove elements
of a selected list. For example, to select the second, third, seventh, eighth, and
ninth elements of the list, click the second element and drag to the third
element. Then hold Shift, click the seventh element and drag to the ninth
element. Now all five elements are selected.
Once you have selected more than one item on the list, you can globally edit
all the selected items. Global editing works both in the lister and spreadsheet
sections. For example, if you have five elements that you want to be joint
nodes, select the five elements and click the joint icon for any one of the five
elements. All five elements are now joints. List the joints for one joint DAG
node by clicking on the joint expansion button, and select all the joint
properties. Click under the Use Limits column of one of the selected rows,
and all the joints now have the same Use Limits value (ON or OFF).
Caution! Clicking several selected elements to toggle the joint icon off also
deletes all the associated joint information, such as joint limits and joint
stiffness, and all joint constraints, or IK handles attached on the joints.
Animation > Editors > Clusters

To add or remove members of clusters, move or copy members between clusters, modify
percentage effects of members, toggle a clusters percentage effect type between joint
or leaf DAG nodes, or reorder the clusters to set the order in which the cluster transforms
will be applied.
See also:
Create clusters
Edit cluster attributes
Animation > Editors > Set Lister

Displays the Set Lister window.
Set Lister Options

Mode All The Set Lister displays all sets of the current stage. This is the
default.
Active The Set Lister displays only active sets.
A set is active if all its members are selected. Active sets are highlighted in the
Set Lister.
Controls in the Set Lister window

Picklist Updating
This option controls whether changes to the picklist affect the modeling
window automatically or only when you choose.
auto By default, this is ON. When it is OFF, you can use functions that act on
sets without affecting which objects are picked in the modeling window.
If the auto button is selected:
Selecting a set in the Set Lister picks all its members in the modeling or SBD
window. Deselecting a set in the Set Lister unpicks all its members.
Picking all the members of a set in the modeling or SBD window selects the
set in the Set Lister. Unpicking one member in the modeling or SBD window
deselects the set.
NOTE If picking all the members of a set fails to pick the set, check in the SBD
window to see whether some members are invisible. If so, turn off auto if you
want to select the set in the lister (or set the member in the Set Editor).
If the auto button is not selected:
Selecting sets in the Set Lister does not affect what is picked in the modeling
window
Picking or unpicking objects in the modeling window does not affect which
sets are picked in the Set Lister.
NOTE When auto is off, you can use functions that act on sets without
affecting which objects are picked in the modeling window.
update If auto is off, you can change what is picked so that only members
of your selected sets are picked.
To do so, click the update button. All members of the highlighted sets become
picked in the modeling and SBD windows. Any other objects become unpicked.
Select
none All the sets in the lister are deselected.
all All the sets in the Set Lister are selected. Sets already selected remain
selected.
The value at the far right shows how many sets are currently selected.
NOTE Some Set Lister buttons are grayed out in the option box or when you start
a function that requires picking. This is to prevent simultaneous, conflicting actions.
NOTE When items are grayed out, you cannot select them. To activate them, use
one of the Pick options. Now that an object is selected, the other function become
available again.
Set Lister List menu

List All All sets on the current stage are listed in the Set Lister.
List picked Only the selected sets are listed in the Set Lister.
Remove All selected sets are removed from the Set Lister.
Animation > Editors > Set Lister | 947
NOTE Remove does not delete the actual sets. They are no longer displayed in
the Set Lister, but the sets themselves still exist.
Set Lister Modify menu

Add Members Currently picked objects in modeling window are added, as
new members, to the selected sets on the lister.
NOTE An object that has an ancestor or descendent members in the set cannot
be added to the set.
NOTE CVs of an object with construction history cannot be added to a set.
Remove Members Currently picked objects in the modeling window that
belong to a Set (or Sets) and are also selected in the Set Lister, are removed
from those sets.
Create Set A new set is created with the members of all picked objects in the
modeling window.
Delete Set All selected sets are deleted, not just removed from the lister.
Animation > Editors > Edit Set

To add or remove members from sets, or to change the name or type of sets.
Create a set by picking a collection of DAG nodes, CVs, and/or cameras, and
then choose Animation > Create > New Set on page 862 .
To open the Set Editor, either:
Choose Animation > Editors > Edit Set on page 948 to open all Set Editors
for those sets whose members are all picked,
Click the > button at the left of a set name on the Set lister to open the
set editor for this set.
Animation > Editors > Animation Stats

Displays the number of animation-related attributes for selected DAG nodes.
These attributes are included in the windows columns:

Object Names DAG node name. Edit it by double-clicking on the field.
Clusters Number of clusters affecting the node or geometry below the node.
Constraints Number of constraints affecting the node.
Channels Number of node attributes that are animated.
For example, if only the nodes rotations are animated, channels would be 3
(X, Y, and Z).
Min Frame Earliest keyframe, if there is any keyframed animation. If there
isnt, the value is 0.
Max Frame Latest keyframe, if there is any keyframed animation. If there
isnt, the value is 0.
Param Curves Number of parameter curves that are directly animating this
node. Note that instanced curves are only counted once.
For example, if translate, rotate, and scale were animated, and a new timewarp
created, Param Curves would be 10 curves (we dont count the timewarp for
every channel)
Expressions Number of expressions that directly animate the node.
Keyframes Total number of keyframes in the curves that animate this node.
As with Param Curves, keyframes on instanced curves are only counted once.
Sort By menu
Animation > Editors > Animation Stats | 949
Nothing Shows the nodes in DAG order, with the DAG type icon.
Type Sorts the nodes by type, with the DAG type icon.
Name Sorts by name (doesnt show the DAG type icon).
List Mode menu
All Shows all nodes in the system.

Constrained Show all constrained nodes.
Clustered Shows all nodes that are directly clustered; that is, the node that
you see as a cluster member in the cluster editor.
Animated Shows all animated nodes.
Active Shows active nodes.
Hierarchy Shows active nodes and all nodes below them.
Select menu
Select all rows Highlights all rows in the window

Pick selected rows Does a model-pick on the nodes in the selected rows. If
nodes on the same branch are highlighted, the highest node is picked.
Animation > Editors > Scene Info

Shows or hides the scene information window, which shows various statistics about
the scene.
The Scene Info editor provides information about
Clusters
Sets
Inverse Kinematics
Animation
Animation > Tools > Set Motion

Applies motion path animation to any valid active objects.
See also:
What is a parameter curve action and a motion path action?
Edit cluster attributes
Animating along a path

Animation > Tools > Set Motion on page 951 lets you create several different
kinds of segments of animation.
For example, you can do the following:
animate an object along a NURBS curve. The curve acts as a motion path
for the object assigned to it.
animate an object so that it always points in the direction in which it is

traveling, maintaining its original orientation to the path curve at all times
as it travels along the path.
animate an object so that it banks around curves.
compute the animation for the UP point of a camera.
Animation > Editors > Scene Info | 951
animate an object so that it flows or deforms through the animation,

bending and twisting as necessary to conform to the shape of the path
curve.
NOTE Having an object bend as it travels along a path solves a problem of
rigid body animation, which lacks the squashing and stretching that
characterizes realistic and believable characters.
Overview
When you use Set motion, up to four different types of animation are
computed, depending on the current option settings:
Motion path animation is computed first, creating animation curves for

translating the object.
Follow and Bank are then computed together to create animation curves
for rotating the object.
Flow is then computed to create animated clusters for the object, which
use the objects existing animation.
Camera Up animation is computed to create motion path animation for

the Up DAG node of all currently active cameras.
How to use
To use Set motion, choose it from the Animation menu or click its icon.
Using Motion Path with Bank and Follow
When used with the default option settings, Set motion animates an object
along a motion path with both Follow and Bank animation, using a
combination of three types of animation. These defaults ensure that the
assigned object rotates to continually point in the direction of the path curve
throughout the motion. The object will also bank appropriately through areas
of varying degrees of curvature if the Maximum Bank option is set to a
value other than zero.
The following steps show how to create a motion path with Follow:
1 Create a NURBS curve to define the motion path that you want the object
to follow.
2 Choose Surfaces > Primitives > Cone on page 243 to create a cone primitive.
3 Position the cone so that the point that you want to follow the curve (for
example, the tip of the cone) is at the origin. Orient the cone so that it
will start at the beginning of the curve to your specifications.
NOTE If the final position of the motion curve is not near the origin, make
a copy of the curve (Edit > Duplicate > Object on page 529 ) and place the
start of the copied curve at the origin. Use this curve to help you set the
orientation of the object. This curve can be deleted later.
4 Create a new group for the object in this position (Edit > Group on page
534 ). See the side examples.
Animation > Tools > Set Motion | 953
1 Pick the grouped object to which you want to assign a motion path, and
then choose Animation > Tools > Set Motion on page 951 . The system
prompts:
Pick a curve to be used as a motion path.
Click directly on the curve that you want to assign as the motion path.
It is assigned as a motion path for the active object.
2 Choose Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 to view the animation.
Because Follow was toggled on, notice how the object rotates to follow
the path curve and is continually pointing straight ahead throughout
the entire frame sequence.
The Action Window displays action curves for the rotation of the object
around all three axes.
These curves represent the necessary rotation of the object to maintain
the original orientation to the path curve. You can edit any of these action
curves to fine-tune the animation of the object.
Using the Flow option

NOTE Spline IK is another alternative for creating flowing motion along a path.
The following example describes how to animate a snake slithering along a
path.
1 Create the model of the snake (you can use a simple cylinder primitive
if you want).
2 Create the path that you want the snake to follow.
3 Choose Anim > Set motion to display the Set Motion Options
window.
4 Click Reset to reset default settings.
5 Toggle Flow on. The default options ensure that the assigned object
maintains its original orientation to the path curve throughout the entire
motion and that it banks appropriately through areas of varying degrees
of curvature. Bank and Follow should be left toggled on.
6 Set the Maximum Bank option to a positive number (such as 30, for
example), and click Save to save the current parameter settings.
Creating smooth and natural movement when using Flow

1 Position the object (the snake body in this example), so that the tip of
its head (the front-most point of the object) is at the start point of the
path curve.
2 Choose Transform > Local > Set Pivot on page 18 to set the rotation pivot
to the tip of the snakes head (the front of the object).
3 Use Transform > Rotate on page 12 on the object to orient the snake so
that it is pointing in the direction it will travel along the motion path.
It should be positioned so that it is aligned tangent to the start of the
curve.
4 Select the model of the snake that you have created to make it active.
5 Choose Set motion. The system prompts:
Pick a curve to be used as a motion path
6 Click directly on the curve that you want to assign as the motion path.
A series of messages appear on the prompt line, informing you of the
animations progress.
7 Choose Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 to view the animation.
If you dont like the generated animation, you can delete the clusters that
were created to animate the snake (ensure that the clusters are the only active
geometry and then choose Delete > Delete Active on page 537 .) Since all the
flow animation was on the clusters, the snake will no longer be animated and
you can start again. You may want to try increasing the Flow Slices and/or
the Maximum Bank values to increase the amount of banking.
Animating the camera along a motion path

1 Choose Layouts > All Windows > All Windows on page 547 to create a
default window set.
2 Create a curve that represents the path you want the cameras eye to
follow.
3 Choose View > Reset View on page 399 and click in the perspective window
that belongs to the camera you want to affect. This forces the Up point
of the camera to point straight up above the camera eye.
4 Choose Pick > Object on page 3 and pick the eye DAG node above the
camera, as shown in the following diagram.
5 Choose Set motion to display the option window. Ensure that only
the Motion Path and Camera Up options are selected, and then click
Go to invoke the function.
6 Click directly on the curve that you want to assign as the motion path.
A new motion path is created for the Up DAG node of the camera.
7 Choose Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 to view the camera
animation. The animation may not be satisfactory because, although the
camera is moving, its lookat point is still fixed.
NOTE If you animate the camera along a motion path curve that has knot
multiplicity, the rendered animation will look different than the animation in
the perspective window. In these cases rebuild the curve or choose Curve
Tools > Use result in the Action window.
Animating the look at point of the camera

1 Pick the view DAG node, which is the DAG node directly above the
camera view node as shown in the following illustration.
2 Choose Set motion to display the option window.

3 Change the Start and End values to 1 or 2 frames less than what they
were set for animating the camera up and eye nodes. You can use negative
frame values if necessary. For example: if the eye and up nodes were
animated with frame values of 1 and 30, use -3 and 27.
4 Ensure that only the Motion Path option is selected, and then click
Go.
5 When prompted to select the curve to be used as a motion path, click
the same curve that is being used as the motion path for the eye DAG
node.
6 Choose Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 to view the camera
animation. It will be easier to monitor the camera animation if you toggle
the camera visible. To do this, choose WindowDisplay > Toggles > Cameras
on page 585 . Ensure that the camera is also toggled ON in the
Optimization Options section of the Animation > Show > Playback
on page 984 options window.
Set Motion Options

Motion Path Motion path animation means that the objects move along
a selected curve. The Motion Path option creates X, Y, and Z axis translation
animation for each of the selected objects. If translation animation already
exists for the active objects, it is replaced by the motion path animation.
The curve you want to use as the motion path must exist before you invoke
the function. Curve-on-surface elements are not valid motion paths and must
be converted to world space curves using Curve Edit > Create > Duplicate
Curve on page 135 .
NOTE If you are not using the Flow option, then the point on the object that
makes contact with the motion path curve during animation is the point that
touches the origin (0,0,0) when there is no translation on the DAG node to be
animated by a motion path.
Follow To change the point on the object that will travel along the curve,
position the object so that this point touches the origin, group the object
using Edit > Group on page 534 , then use Animation > Tools > Set Motion on
page 951 on the grouped DAG node.
Ensures that the object assigned to the motion path rotates as necessary to
maintain its original orientation to the path curve throughout the entire
animation along the path. It points in the direction in which it is traveling
(up or down, left or right) at all times. The Follow option animates the
rotational parameters of the object in conjunction with the Bank option.
Camera Up Applies a motion path curve to animate the Up DAG node of an

animated camera or above its Eye DAG node. This option lets you control the
camera animation, preventing the camera from twisting and turning upside
down (as it would if the Up DAG node was not animated with respect to the
Eye DAG node).
Camera Up creates X, Y, and Z translation animation for the Up DAG node
of a camera. To create the animation on the Up DAG node of the camera, pick
the DAG node above the Eye of the camera. If any translation animation
already exists for the Up nodes, that animation is deleted.
Alternately, you could choose View > Local Move Camera > Twist on page 391
to position the up point. It is easier to position the up point of the camera if
you display the camera using WindowDisplay > Toggles > Cameras on page
585 .
Before choosing Set motion, pick the Up DAG node for the camera you want
to affect and move the Up point to the world space position that describes
the sense of up for the eye point. Then choose Set motion. A NURBS curve
is created that will be assigned as a motion path for the Up DAG node of the
camera.
Bank In/Out Banking In means the object will lean in towards the center of
the curve that it travels along (like a motorcycle going around a corner).
Banking Out means the object will lean away from the center of the curve.
Banking only occurs if Degree is set greater than 0.00.
For Follow and Bank animation to be computed, the active DAG node or
at least one DAG node above it in the hierarchy must have positional
animation.
If Motion Path is toggled on, these DAG nodes will have positional
animation applied.
If Motion Path is toggled off, the objects must have positional animation
as a result of having previously been animated using Animation > Keyframe
> Set Keyframe on page 837 or another animation tool.
You can also have animation in the DAG node above the picked DAG node
that is just rotational animation. In the DAG node below, this appears like a
translation in an arc and Follow and Bank animation can then be computed.
NOTE When using either Follow and Bank, before invoking Set motion you
must orient the object so the system knows which way you think is the objects
up, and which way you think is the objects front (or looking ahead point). The
object should be oriented for the first frame of the animation that will be computed
for Follow and Bank. If Range is set to All, this will be the first frame of the
animation. If Range is set to Option Window, then orient the object for the
Start frame. In either case, choose Transform > Rotate on page 12 to orient the
object and Transform > Local > Set Pivot on page 18 to position the rotation pivot
of the object as the point on the object about which the Bank animation is to
occur.
Maximum Bank The maximum allowable degree of banking. If set to 0.00,
the object will not bank even if the Bank option is toggled on. The object
will bank the amount specified by the Maximum Bank option when it is
at the point on the curve with the highest curvature. It will bank a proportional
number of degrees as the curvature changes. (It will not bank at all where the
curvature is a straight line.)
Range Determines whether the animation is applied to the entire frame range
of the animation (All) or only to the frame range specified by the current
Start and End Frame values in this option window.
Start/End frame Defines the start and end frame values for the animation in
relation to the entire animation. These settings only apply when Range is
set to Option Window.
Sample By Used by the Follow and Bank options to determine how often
to sample the positional animation when computing rotational animation.
A keyframe is created for every Sample By frame.
This option is also used by the Camera Up option to determine how often
to sample the Eye DAG nodes animation of a camera. The motion path curve
that is created for the camera will have one CV for each sample of the eye
DAG nodes animation.
Be careful to choose Start, End, and Sample By values that have a sufficient
number of sample points along the length of the motion path to avoid
sampling errors. As a general rule of thumb, you will encounter sampling
errors if the change in tangency between any two adjacent sample points is
greater than or equal to 90 degrees.
Sampling error can be remedied by increasing the number of samples taken,
either by increasing the frame range or decreasing the Sample By value.
For example, animate an object using a circle primitive as the motion path,
with Start at 0.0, End at 4.0, and Sample By at 1.0. The total sample points
is 5. Since all of these sample points are 90 degrees apart, there are several
chances for sample error to creep in and flip the animated object when you
play back the animation.
Flow When you toggle Flow ON (indicated by a check mark), Flow animation
is applied to the geometry below each of the picked DAG nodes.
Flow Slices When you toggle Flow ON, the Set Motion Options window
expands to display the following slider:
This is used by the Flow option to determine the number of slices, or clusters,
that the object should be divided into for flowing.
Each cluster is animated independently. Unnecessary slices can be expensive
in terms of processing speed. As a rule, the more CVs there are lengthwise on
the object (from front to back as it travels along the path), the more slices you
need. For a simple object such as a cylinder, for example, a few slices is
sufficient.
Animation > Tools > Set Key Shape

Controls the direction, shape interpolation and the placement of the shape of the
object.
See Change the form of original object in an animation.
Set Keyshape Options

Interpolation The Interpolation options determine the type of shape
interpolation that is performed.
Key shape Creates CV animation that interpolates from the original object
to the new shape.
ShapeShifter Creates a group of clusters and control objects that
interpolates from the original object to the new shape.
Shape Center The Shape Center options determine the placement of the
new shape with respect to the current shape of the object.
First CV The First CV on the new shape (represented as a small square)
matches position with the first CV on the original object. The easiest way to
determine which CV is the first one on a object is to pick the object, then use
the pick walker (Shift + down arrow) to walk to the first CV on the object.
Animation > Tools > Set Key Shape | 961
Centroid The volumetric center of the new shape matches position with
the volumetric center of the current shape.
Scale Pivot The scale pivot of the new shape matches position with the
scale pivot of the original object.
ShapeShifter Options
When ShapeShifter Interpolation is selected, several additional options
are displayed in the Set Keyshape Options window.
Control name The Control name options determine how the name of the
control object is displayed. The control object is the object which when
transformed using Transform > Move on page 11 will cause the original object
to change shape.
Prompt A prompt is displayed asking for the name of the control object.
From target The name of the control object is derived from the name of
the target object.
Control parameter The Control parameter options determine which
translation direction of the control object will affect the ShapeShifter
interpolation.
Moving the control object in either of the other two axes has no effect on the
ShapeShifter interpolation.
X,Y,Z Translate Moving the control object in the X, Y, or Z direction
determines the amount of interpolation applied to the original object.
Control range The Control range settings determine the range of translation
of the control object that affects the ShapeShifter interpolation. These
settings also control the placement of translation of the control object on the
axis.
When the control object is positioned at the start point, the ShapeShifter
interpolation has a 0% effect (the original object is not interpolated towards
the target shape).
When the control object is positioned at the end point, the ShapeShifter
interpolation has a 100% effect (the original object assumes the same shape
as the target object).
Limit translate to range When checked ON, the control object cannot be
moved outside of this Control Range and has no effect on the ShapeShifter
interpolation. The default setting is OFF, which allows undershooting and
overshooting of the interpolation.
Add 0% cluster CVs When checked ON, all CVs are added in the original
object as a cluster, whether or not the CV will ever be affected by the
ShapeShifter interpolation.
When checked OFF, only the CVs that need to be transformed are added to
the clusters, reducing the number of CVs being affected by the cluster. The
Create control geometry When checked ON, geometry is created (a small
triangle) and is attached to the control object so that it can be more easily
manipulated. The default setting is ON.
When checked OFF, the control object becomes a NULL DAG node, which
can be picked from the SBD window.
Create slider geometry When checked ON, geometry is created (a slider bar
with the controls name) and is attached to the control object so that the
control range can be more easily identified. The default setting is ON.
Slider position The location, in world space, of the slider geometry can be
set here. This lets you position the object anywhere that is convenient.
NOTE The slider position co-ordinates are only used to position the slider bar.
The Control Range settings override the slider position co-ordinates in the control
parameter axis. For example, with the default settings, the slider bar ignores the
X co-ordinate set for the slider position and instead uses the control range values
for the X co-ordinates.
Limitations
ShapeShifter will yield incorrect deformations if the base object is changed.

Always return the shapeshifter base object to its neutral, undeformed
position before creating the next shapeshifter target pose.
You may also re-order the clusters in the cluster editor so that the new
shape-shifter clusters appear before any existing clusters on the object.
Metamorphosing same-topology items

Set key shape lets you transform one object into another by transforming
CVs.
There are two types of interpolations that can be created:
Keyshape Key shape interpolations are created by animating the CVs of the
base object so that they will match the positions of the target object.
ShapeShifter ShapeShifter interpolations are created by placing the CVs

of the base object into clusters, and then providing a method for the amount
of transformation to be selected interactively. ShapeShifter interpolations also
allow various target shapes to be mixed together.
How to use
1 Choose Anim > Set Key Shape or click its icon.
The system prompts:

Pick the curves or surfaces which are to change shape. Press GO
when ready.
2 Click the curve or surface. The system prompts:

Enter a keyframe value(s) for the picked item(s) current shape
(last frame set is 0):
3 Type a number and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac). The system
displays the message:
Setting keyframes for 4 CVs of object (curve#2)
You are then prompted to pick the curve or surface to match and set
keyframes for these elements.
How to use key shape interpolations

1 Begin with an original piece of geometry and copy it as many times as
you like.
2 Manipulate the shape of each copy by applying Transform
transformations to the CVs or DAG nodes of each copy
3 When you choose Set key shape, you are prompted to select the curves
and surfaces that are to change shape, then to enter keyframe times at
which the objects should maintain their original shape.
You are then prompted to select another shape and enter a keyframe time
at which the original objects should take on this new shape. Selecting
new shapes can continue until all modified copies have been selected
and keyframe times are set for them.
4 When you select another shape for the original geometry to assume, the
original geometry immediately takes that shape during the selection
process and loses its original shape.
TIP If you want to keep the original geometry shapes, copy the original
objects before invoking the function, or set a keyframe time for the original
shape of the objects, so you can return the objects to their original shapes
by viewing that keyframe time.
The key shape animation is created by animating each of the CVs of the
original objects. The interpolation between the CVs (the process that
transforms one key shape into another) is, by default, a smooth interpolation.
You can adjust this interpolation by modifying the tangents of the animation
curves of the CVs in the Action Window.
When you complete the key shape animation, you can delete the animation
and start again if you are not satisfied with the results. However, before deleting
the animation, you may want to restore the original shape of the transforming
object. If you typed a keyframe time for the original shape, this is easily done
by choosing Animation > Show > View Frame on page 983 and typing the time
of that keyframe.
When satisfied with the animation, you can delete the intermediate objects
as their shapes are now recorded as keyframes.
How set key shape works

You can use any number of interpolation shapes. Each shape must have
identical topology. It is recommended that you copy the original geometry
(the geometry shape for the first keyframe), then manipulate the copied
geometry into the desired shape for subsequent keyframes. If you are
interpolating curve shapes, you can use Curves > New Curves > New CV Curve
on page 103 or Curves > New Curves > New Edit Point Curve on page 103 and
set Knot Spacing to Uniform in the option window to ensure that you
create curves with identical topology.
The objects that are used to transform the original object must have the same
topology as the original object. Surfaces with same topologies have the same
number of CVs in the U and V parametric directions. Curves must have the
same number of CVs.
Example
In this example, a sphere is used to create an interpolation animation where
the sphere takes on a diamond shape through 10 keyframes, then reverts to
its original shape through another 10 keyframes, and back to the diamond in
another 10 keyframes.
Place two spheres

1 Choose Surfaces > Primitives > Sphere on page 241 and place a sphere in
the Left window at -5,0,0.
2 Place another sphere at 3,0.0. Both of these pieces of geometry are
identical in topology.
Scale and move the spheres

1 With the second sphere active, choose Transform > Scale on page 13 and
type 4 to scale the sphere to a value of 4 units.
2 Choose ObjectDisplay > Control on page 553 and make sure the CVs is
toggled ON (indicated by a check mark). Press GO.
3 Choose Pick > Nothing on page 3 to ensure that no geometry is active,
then choose Pick > Point Types > CV on page 6 and using the bounding
box technique, select only the first row of CVs along the top of the second
sphere.
4 When the CVs are active, choose Transform > Move on page 11 and use
the right mouse button to move these CVs upwards along the Z-axis to
elongate the top of the sphere into a pointed shape.
5 Choose Pick > Nothing on page 3 to ensure that no geometry is active.
Select the last row of CVs along the bottom of the second sphere.
6 When the CVs are active, choose Transform > Move on page 11 and use
the right mouse button to move these CVs down the Z-axis to elongate the
bottom of the sphere into a pointed shape.
7 Choose Pick > Nothing on page 3 to ensure that no geometry is active.
Select the middle row of CVs of the second sphere.
8 When the CVs are active, choose Transform > Scale on page 13 and use
the left mouse button to scale these CVs up to create a bulge in the middle
section of the shape so that it resembles the diamond shape shown in
the diagram at the right.
The original sphere defines the start shape and the modified sphere defines
the final interpolated shape. Although only two shapes are being used
in this example, several interpolated shapes could be used.
Set a keyshape
1 Choose Pick > Nothing on page 3 to ensure that no geometry is active,
then choose Animation > Tools > Set Key Shape on page 961 . The system
prompts:
when ready.
2 Click the first sphere. Once selected, it is highlighted to indicate the

object whose shape will be changing.
NOTE If you were including other geometry animation, you would continue
to select geometry in response to the prompt.
A small GO icon appears in the lower right corner of the active window,
and the system continues to prompt:
when ready.
3 Click the GO icon to continue, and the system prompts:

Enter a key frame value(s) for the picked item(s) current shape
(last frame set is 0):
4 Type 1 followed by a space, then type 20 and press Enter (Windows) or

Return (Mac).
This indicates that the shape of the initial sphere is to be used for
keyframes 1 and 20. The system prompts:
Pick the curve or surface to match.
5 Click the second sphere. The original geometry changes shape to match
the selected geometry.
If the surface you select to match does not match the topology of the
surface you select to change shape, an error message is displayed and the
system prompts:
Pick the curve or surface to match.
If the topology of the selected surfaces match, the system prompts:

Enter a key frame value(s) for this shape (last frame set is
20):
6 Type 10 followed by a space, then type 30 and press Enter (Windows) or

Return (Mac).
This indicates that the shape of the manipulated sphere is to be used for
keyframes 10 and 30.
7 Choose Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 to view the
interpolation animation.
During playback, the initial sphere shape interpolates into the shape of
the manipulated sphere through frames 1 to 10. It then interpolates back
to the original shape through frames 10 to 20, then back to the
manipulated shape through frames 20 to 30.
How to create ShapeShifter interpolations

With ShapeShifter, an unlimited number of expressions and forms can be
combined to transform objects into a variety of shapes, as well as mixing facial
expressions together.
ShapeShifter transforms (or morphs) one shape into another by transforming
CVs using clusters and expressions. This lets you select how much of the
interpolation should be applied at any particular time, as well as mix several
different target shapes together. Because clusters are used, the underlying
geometry can be polygonal or NURBS. Source and target objects can also be
hierarchical, as long as the hierarchies match.
ShapeShifter greatly simplifies complex facial animation. For example, given

a base (or neutral) face, and other faces that represent a smile and frown, you
can create a face which is 75% smiling and 50% frowning and control the
timing of the interpolation between the various targets.
The interpolation is done by determining the translation which will make a
CV in the source object move to the corresponding CV in the destination
object. Therefore the two objects must share the same topology (that is, they
must have the same number of CVs in both u and v).
The interaction is simple for each target, a control object is created. The
X translation of this object determines the amount of transition from the base
to the target object and, of course, can be animated. For example, to have the
neutral face ease into a smiling face over two seconds, you simply move the
control object to the left of the slider, set a keyframe at 0, then move the
control object to the far right and set another keyframe at 60. Set the animation
interpolation in the Action Window on the control objects X_translation
channel (or use an expression) and youre ready to go.
Example
The following example shows how ShapeShifter is used to combine features
from two separate head expressions.
The middle head combines the features from the other two heads. The head
on the left has been manipulated to exaggerate the chin and horns of a little
devil. The head on the right has a pointier head, as well as some devilishly
handsome ears.
Moving the control object of the top slider causes the middle head to acquire
some of the features of the head on the right. Notice how the middle head is
also pointier, and has begun to sprout its own pair of ears. The amount of
shape-shifting can be controlled by the position of the slider.
As you start to move the control object of the bottom slider, notice how the
middle head begins to acquire some of the characteristics of the left head as
well as retaining the effects of the right head.
NOTE The source and destination objects must share the same topology (they
must have the same number of CVs in both U and V). The interpolation is done
by determining the translation which makes the CV in the source object move to
the corresponding CV in the destination object.
To set the options:
1 Choose Animation > Tools > Set Key Shape on page 961 , then click
ShapeShifter in the Interpolation section of the option box.
2 At the prompt for the source object, select the head at the left.
3 At the prompt for the target object, select the middle head.
4 At the prompt for the control object name, type chin.
A DAG node containing 3 clusters and a DAG node for the control object
are created.
NOTE If Create control geometry is checked, a triangular object is
included in the control object DAG node.
NOTE If Create slider geometry is checked, a DAG node containing the
geometry representing a slider bar and a locator object for its name are also
created.
NOTE This last object is created in a templated state.
Hierarchical ShapeShifter interpolations

ShapeShifter interpolations can also be created between objects consisting
of many grouped geometry nodes.
To create a ShapeShifter interpolation using hierarchical objects, pick the

objects at the base nodes that form them. The geometry topology must
match between the two objects.
To match up the two objects, traverse individual geometry nodes from left
to right in the SBD window. Any non-geometry nodes are ignored during
the matching process.
For grouped objects, the Shape Center is created as follows:
First CV The first CV of the first (left-most) geometry node in each object
is used as the shape center.
Centroid The volumetric center of all grouped objects is calculated.
Scale Pivot The scale pivot of the picked DAG node for the base and target
objects is used.
The following is an example of the SBD view with two diverse hierarchies,
which can still be used for ShapeShifter interpolations. Geometry nodes
are matched up going from left to right through each object.
Animation > Tools > Pose animation

Creates a custom playback sequence for irregular keyframe progressions.
Posing an animation sequence

1 Create an animation using any of the Alias animation tools.
2 To create a custom playback sequence, choose Pose animation from
the Animation menu.
The system prompts:
Enter frames in pose animation:
3 Type the frame times at which you want to view the poses.
For example, if you want to set poses for frames 5, 23, and 40, type: 5 23
40
4 To start the pose animation sequence, open the Playback Options window
(Animation > Editors > Playback Options on page 921 ) and under the
Animation Options heading, set Pose Animation to ON. Close the
window.
5 Choose Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 to view the pose
animation.
6 Change the pose animation by redoing Animation > Tools > Pose
Animation , or temporarily disable the pose animation in the Playback
Options window by setting Pose Animation to OFF.
Pose Animation Options

Choose Animation > Tools > Pose Animation to view or change Pose
Animation Options. The Pose Animation Options window is displayed.
Time Range The method by which the pose animation keyframe times are
chosen.
Option Window Click to display the following sliders:
The Start Frame, End Frame, and By Frames values you specify are used
to create an evenly spaced time sequence (For example: Start = 1.0, End = 10.0,
By = 2.0; creates Pose sequence = 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, 7.0, 9.0)
Prompt You are prompted to type in a sequence of frame numbers to use
as the pose animation (similar to the input in the Animation > Keyframe >
Set Keyframe on page 837 tool).
Key Frames Searches the currently enabled playback channels and sets a
pose sequence frame at every defined keyframe in those channels. This is
useful for showing the defined animation poses. To set playback channels,
use the Animation Options section of the Playback Options window.
Animation > Tools > Pose animation | 973
Pose animation workflow

1 Create an animation sequence using any of the Alias animation tools.
2 Choose Pose animation to open the option box, select Key Frames,
and then click Go. The whole animation is scanned for keyframes and a
new pose sequence is created.
3 To set new keyframes on the pose animation sequence, open the
Parameter Control window (Animation > Editors > Param Control on
page 928 ) and open its Global animation section. Open its Universe section
and toggle the Frame parameter of the object to ON.
NOTE Keyframes in the pose sequence animation should have STEP tangents.
4 Now any Set keyframe operation that you do also adds a keyframe to
the pose sequence.
5 Open the Animation Options section in the Playback Options window
and toggle Pose Animation to ON.
6 Choose Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 . The animation plays,
displaying only the frames for which keyframes are defined.
Animation > Tools > Autofly

Animates a camera view of a scene along a path to effectively simulate a walkthrough
of a scene.
Autofly options
Auto Bank In/Out Indicates whether the camera tilts into the curve or away
from the center of the curvature while traveling along the motion path. The
Auto Bank option has no effect if the Maximum Bank value is set to 0
degrees.
Maximum Bank Degrees Indicates the maximum number of degrees the
camera banks at the maximum curvature of the eye motion path.
Start Frame/End Frame/By Frames Indicate the numbers of the first and last
frames of the animation, and the frame increment respectively.
Create SDL File If toggled ON (indicated by a check mark), the system creates
an SDL file to record the animation for rendering. In this case, you are
prompted to supply an SDL file name in which to store the animation.
NOTE Although the animation is written to the SDL file, rendering of the animation
is not automatic. To render the animation, you need to use the command-line
renderer. For further details, see the description of
renderer/raytracer/powercaster/powertracer, documented in the Utilities section
of the technical documents.
Animating a camera view along a path

Animation > Tools > Autofly lets you animate the camera view of a scene
along a path to effectively simulate a walkthrough of a scene.
Geometry in a scene cannot be animated using the Autofly function.
The camera is animated to travel along any NURBS curve.
Overview
When animating the camera, think of the it as three components: camera
eye, camera view, and camera up vector.
Camera eye The camera eye can be considered the camera unit itself, which
travels along the motion path to which it is assigned. The motion path
determines the position of the camera at any given time in relation to the
scene. For example, the design of the motion path lets you move the camera
closer to or further away from an object in the scene. To visualize, think of
yourself walking along with a camera taking pictures: the route you follow
would be the motion path.
Camera view The camera view can be considered the focus point of the
camera where the camera is looking at any given time. If the camera view
is not assigned to a motion path of its own, then the view is always directly
in front of the camera. Think of yourself walking through a scene without
ever pivoting your head, your view is always directly ahead of your body. By
assigning the view to a motion path of its own, you can change the view point
of the camera at any time in relation to the camera position.
Animation > Tools > Autofly | 975
Camera up vector The camera up vector can be considered the current angle
of the camera at any given time in relation to the camera eye. The camera up
vector is the direction from the cameras eye to the cameras up. If the cameras
up is not assigned a motion path of its own, the camera remains parallel to
the path that the eye has been assigned to at all times. By assigning the camera
up to an independent motion path, the camera can be pivoted to any angle
up to 360 degrees. This can be likened to a camera on a tripod except that the
tripod could pivot a full 360 degrees.
At least one curve is needed to use Autofly. If only one curve is used, it must
be the motion path for the camera eye. The camera view then remains directly
in front of the camera throughout the animation.This might be exactly what
you want. If not, and you want to control the camera view throughout the
animation, you need at least two motion path curves.
How to use
1 In the Tool Palette, choose Animation > Tools > Autofly. (If you want
to specify options such as start and end frames, choose Autofly .)
The following prompt is displayed:
Select the motion path for the camera EYE to follow
NOTE Objects do not have to be active when this function is invoked.

2 Click the curve you want to assign as the motion path for the camera
eye. The curve will change color to indicate that it is now a motion path.
Once the camera eye motion path has been selected, the system prompts:
Select the motion path for the VIEW, or select the GO icon
3 To use a second curve for the camera view, click the curve that you want
to assign as the motion path of the camera view.
If you click the Go icon instead, the system uses a camera view motion
path that is straight ahead along the motion path chosen for the camera
eye.
4 Once you select the camera view motion path and clicked the Go icon,
the system prompts:
Select the motion path for the UP, or select the GO icon
To use a third curve for the camera up, click directly on the curve you
want to assign as the camera up path.
If you click the Go icon instead, the system generates the camera up
motion path. The camera is oriented in the up direction, and banks
around curves according to the current Maximum Bank degree values
set in the Autofly Options box.
5 When you are finished selecting curves, a new perspective window is
created and its camera is animated along the curves.
NOTE Motion paths are invisible during the animation.
6 To halt the animation playback, press the Esc key.
Examples
In the following diagram, only one motion path is used. The camera view is
always directly in front of the camera eye as the camera travels along the
motion path. The camera view loses sight of the objects as it weaves between
them.
In the next diagram, a second curve has been assigned as the motion path for
the camera view. In this case, regardless of the camera position on the eye
motion path, the cameras view is always directed to the cones as it weaves
between them.
Animation > Tools > Autofly | 977
See also:
What happens when you animate a camera on a curve?
Set up a camera to travel along a motion path
Animate a camera
Animation > Tools > Constrain To

Use to control one object by another objects animation.
Constrain to Options
Choose Animation > Tools > Constrain To on page 978 to display the
Constrain To Options window.
Constraint Target The following constraint targets are available:
Object Takes an object as the target of a constraint. For a point/aim
constraint, the destination is the pivot of the constraining object. For an
orientation constraint, the destination is the local axes of the constraining
object. The constraining object can be any object having a node, including
lights and cameras.
The first keyframe coordinate is the constraint position and the second is time.
For example, a curve defined as (2,0) and (6,10) moves from position 2 to 6
during the animation while the time starts at 0 and goes to 10.
UV Takes a UV point on a surface or curve as the target of a constraint. (The
constraining object must be a geometric surface or curve.) For a point/aim
constraint, the destination is the 3D position defined by the UV coordinate
on the constraining surface or curve. For an orientation constraint, the
destination is the normal at the coordinate UV point.
To animate the U and V values of a constraint target:
1 Pick the constrained object and open the Action window.
2 Open the UV constraint node and expand the option.
3 Pick the U or V channel.
4 Choose CurveTools > Append Keyframes, and enter your start point
position.
5 Repeat step 4 for end point position on the grid.
Constraint Type The following types of constraints can be added:

Point Constrains an object (by modifying translation values) so that its
rotate pivot position is at the same position in space as the rotate pivot position
of the object to which it is constrained.
Orientation Constrains an object (by modifying rotation values) to assume
the same orientation as the object to which it is constrained. Choose Transform
> Local > Set Local Axes on page 20 to define the orientation of an object.
NOTE You cannot use the root joint of a single chain IK chain as an orientation
constraint. Use an expression to access the rotation of the root joint.
Aim Constrains the orientation of one of an objects local axes to point at
the object to which it is constrained (by modifying its rotation values).
When Aim is selected, the following additional options appear:
Aim axis The Aim axis specifies which local axis of the object being
constrained will be used to aim at the constraint object.
Up Axis The Up axis defines which of the objects local axes should attempt
to point in the up direction. In Y-up, the chosen axis will try to match the
worlds Y-axis. In Z-up, the chosen axis will try to match the worlds Z-axis.
The Aim and the Up axes cannot be the same. If the object is trying to aim
at an object directly above it, then one of the objects other local axes will
arbitrarily be chosen as the Up direction.
NOTE If an aim constraint is in a configuration where the forward is exactly
parallel with the up direction, there is no unique solution, and the constraint is
not applied.
NOTE Set a keyframe at the trouble spot to force the orientation of the constraining
object to be very slightly away from the problem value.
Weight Weights are useful if you have constrained an object to more than
one object and you want to weight the different constraints so that the
constrained object will tend to meet one constraint more than another.
Animation > Tools > Constrain To | 979
You can change the weight value by either clicking in the field, typing a value
and pressing Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac), or dragging the slider bar.
Weights are animatable.
See also:
Turn constraint display on and off
Animation > Tools > Create Constraint

Constrains an object to another constrained object.
Create Constraint Options

point constraint Constrains an object to the same position in space as the
rotate pivot position of the object to which it is constrained.
orientation constraint Constrains an object node to the same orientation as
the object to which it is constrained. To define the orientation of an object,
use Transform > Local > Set Local Axes on page 20 .
NOTE You cannot use the root joint of a single chain IK chain as an orientation
constraint. Use an expression to access the rotation of the root joint.
create jack Creates a jack primitive at the point of constraint. If this option
is not on, a NULL node is created.
create selection handle Creates a selection handle at the point of constraint.
weight Weights are useful if you have constrained an object to more than
one other object. This way you can weight the different constraints, so that
a constrained object will tend to meet one constraint more than another.
You can change the weight value either by clicking in the field, typing a value
and pressing Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac), or dragging the slider bar.
Weights are animatable.
If two constraints on an object conflict with each other, the system will find
a compromise solution between the two constraints. If one constraint has a
higher weight than another constraint, then the former constraint will have
more influence in the solution.
In general it is not useful to apply a constraint directly to a skeleton joint. For
example, if a point constraint is applied to a joint, moving the constraint
object would cause the bone to stretch. Normally, you should create IK handles
(using Animation > IK > Add IK Handle on page 848 ) and then constrain the
IK handle to an object. To make this easier, if Animation > Tools > Create
Constraint is applied to a skeleton joint, an IK handle is created and a null
node is added in the SBD window.
See also:
Delete Constraints
Animation > Tools > Edit UV Constraint

Edit uv constraint lets you pick and modify any UV constraint assigned to a constraint
target object.
See also:
Edit UV constraints
Animation > Tools > Jack

Creates NURBS curves aligned with the X, Y, and Z axes.
To create three short NURBS curves aligned with the axes, choose Animation
> Tools > Jack on page 981 and click in a view window.
See also:
Animation > Tools > Move Selection Handle

Moves the picked selection handle separate from its target object.
Animation > Tools > Edit UV Constraint | 981
Use this tool to move a selection handle away from its target object/group to
make it more accessible.
See also:
Animation > Tools > Bone Style

Changes the way bones are displayed.
Bone Display Options
Objects Click All to affect all objects, or Active to affect only active objects.
See Draw a skeleton in the Animating manual.
Bone Style Line: draws bones with connecting lines between joints.
Round: draws bones with rounded shapes.
Pyramid: draws bones with symmetric triangular shapes. The bones have a
fixed width, so the longer the bones are, the more slender they appear. (This
style becomes Proportional when the bone length is less than 1.5 units.)
Proportional: draws bones in symmetric triangular shapes, with their width

proportional to their length.
Triangular: draws asymmetric triangular shaped bones. This style makes it
easier to detect 90 or 180 degree rotation or flipping along the bone axis.
Bone Tab Toggle this option ON to attach a tab bar to the bone axis. It also
helps you to detect if the bone is flipped.
See also:
Draw a skeleton
Animation > Show > View Frame

Enter a frame or a list of frames to view.
You can set View frame to walk through a list of key times and see what the
key steps look like.
Use View frame to view any number of frames. When viewing more than
one frame, there is a short pause between each frame that is displayed.
Viewing individual frames of animation

View frame lets you view one or more frames of previously created
animation. You can set View frame to walk through a list of key times and
see what the key steps look like.
Use View frame to view any number of frames. When viewing more than
one frame, there is a short pause between each frame that is displayed.
How to use
1 Create an animation using any combination of the animation tools, for
example Animation > Keyframe > Set Keyframe on page 837 , Auto
keyframe, or Action window, or Animation > Tools > Set Motion on
page 951 .
2 To view a frame of the animation, choose Animation > Show > View
Frame on page 983 or click its icon. The system prompts you to type the
numbers of one or more frames to view (separate a sequence of frame
Animation > Show > View Frame | 983
numbers by spaces). The animated items are evaluated and displayed at

the frames you specified.
The current time is updated to the last frame that was viewed and is displayed
in the current application window, as well as in the Time slider (Animation
> Show > Toggle Time Slider on page 985 ) and the Action Window
(Animation > Editors > Action Window on page 871 ).
Although this function does not have an option box, it uses the Objects,
Parameters, and Hierarchy options from Animation Options in the
Playback Options window. (Choose Animation > Show > Playback on page
984 options and click the arrow beside Animation Options to display that
section of the window.)
NOTE Any optimization settings (for example, lights or cameras) specified in
Animation > Show > Playback on page 984 options are ignored.
See also:
View individual frames of animation
Use Auto keyframe
Animation > Show > Playback

Plays back animation that was previously created.
Playback Options
Use Global Range Uses the range of frames set in Render Globals.
Start Enter the first frame of the animation.
End Enter the last frame of the animation.
By Enter the jump rate: if set to 1, all frames are played; if set to 2, every
second frame is played, and so on. This setting can be useful for previewing
animations without seeing all frames.
Frames Per Second Enter the number of frames to be played. Standard film
rate is 24fps; NTSC video rate is 30fps; PAL video rate is 25fps.
See also:
Prevent collisions in your exploded view animation
Add keyframes
Animate a camera on a motion path
Playback the animation
Use Auto keyframe
Animation > Show > Toggle Time Slider

Provides a group of controls to let you easily play back an animation or view a specific
frame within an animation.
See Playback the animation.
The slider area represents the current animation range. You can specify a start
and end frame for the current animation range using the Start/End options,
or you can view the current range of all animation on all objects using the
Min/Max options.
The individual controls are described below. Note that all frame times must
lie in the range -160,000.00 to +160,000.00, inclusive.
Current time bar

The thick vertical bar represents the current time.
You can change the current time by clicking and dragging on this bar. Notice
how the views of the model are updated dynamically as you move the bar.
Animation > Show > Toggle Time Slider | 985
Current time field

The first number to the right of the time bar indicates the current time. You
can change the current frame by clicking on the number and typing a new
frame time. The current time bar will be moved automatically to that time.
Current time is also displayed in the current application window, as well as
the Action window.
Start/End, Min/Max You can specify the range of animation the time slider
should display by choosing the Start/End or Min/Max popup menu items
to the left of the time slider.
If you choose Start/End, the Start and End values are editable. You can
change these values to alter the range of animation that will be viewed in a
playback. This is useful if you have a long animation, and only want to view
a segment of it.
If you choose Min/Max, the Min and Max values are the minimum and
maximum values over which all current animation is defined.
NOTE You cannot edit the Min and Max fields. They are automatically changed
if you create or delete an animation.
Tips
If any channels are animated by one or more timewarp curves, or if there

are particles present, it may be difficult to determine the range of the
animation in that channel. The Min/Max range for all animation may
be smaller than expected. You can choose the Start/End menu item and
define your own range of animation to play back.
The settings for Start/End (as well as the sync rate and by value) can
be saved using Preferences > User Options > Save Options on page 1094 , and
restored using Preferences > User Options > Retrieve Options on page 1093
.
Using the right mouse button to move the current time bar will set the
current frame, but it does not update the animation for that frame. This
lets you modify an object, then set the frame, and then keyframe at the
current time.
by This field defines the time between frames. When you invoke a playback,
or use the next frame or previous frame button, the by value determines how
much to increment or decrement the current frame to reach the next or
previous frame.
fps (Sync Rate) This value specifies how many frames per second (fps or
frame rate) should be displayed when playing back an animation. Frames are
evenly spaced between the Max and Min values and by the current By value.
For example, if the range is 1 to 200, and the by value is 5, a sync rate of 24
fps attempts to display frames 1, 6, 11 to frame 116 in one second. If it cannot
display all 24 of those frames in one second, it may skip some to reach frame
116 by the time one second has elapsed (for instance, if it can only manage
to display three views in one second, it may show frames 36 and 71 and 116).
If set to 0, the animation plays back all frames as fast as it can.
NOTE With a complicated model, it may not be possible to display the frames
fast enough to play back the requested sync rate. The actual sync rate is displayed
in this field during playback. Use Play Blast to see all the frames at the correct sync
rate.
Preview buttons
first frame
Changes the current time to the Min (minimum) time.

frame backward
Goes to the previous frame. The previous frame is the current frame less the
by value.
keyframe backward
Animation > Show > Toggle Time Slider | 987
Goes to the previous keyframe. The previous keyframe is the first keyframe
found for all active objects prior to the current frame.
play backward
Plays the animation in reverse.

stop
Stops the playback. If the playback is using the Play Blast window, the first
click pauses the animation so you can use the other play buttons. The second
click stops the playback.
NOTE For best performance during playback, close all unnecessary windows.
play forward
Plays back the animation starting from the current frame.

keyframe forward
Goes to the next keyframe. The next keyframe is the first keyframe found for
all active objects following the current frame.
frame forward
Goes to the next frame. The next frame is the current frame plus the by value.
last frame
Changes the current time to the Max time or End time, depending on current
time slider settings.
Animation > Show > Skeletons

Displays skeleton type, IK handles or constraints.
Tgl Skeletons Options

Toggle Type All Windows The display of the skeletons are toggled in all
windows.
Current Window The display of the skeletons are only toggled in the
current window. The current window is the one that has three asterisks (***)
in its title bar. To make a window current, click its title bar or in the window
itself.
Toggle IK handles If this option is toggled ON (indicated by a check mark),
no IK handles are displayed in the window(s).
Toggle Constraints If a joint in a skeleton is constrained to another object,
a line is drawn between the skeleton joint and the rotate pivot point of the
object to which it is constrained. A skeleton joints constraints are displayed
only if the skeleton joint is active.
Click to toggle ON (indicated by a check mark) or OFF. If toggled OFF, no
constraints are displayed in the window(s).
NOTE For a point constraint, if the point constraint is satisfied, the joint and the
objects pivot point occupy the same position, so you dont see any line drawn.
See also:
Draw a skeleton
Display skeleton bones
Animation > Show > Selection Handles

Toggles the display of selection handles.
Toggle Selection Handles Options

Toggle Type All Windows Toggles the selection handles in all modeling
windows.
Current Window Toggles the selection handles in the current window.
Animation > Show > Skeletons | 989
Annotation The Annotation option enables you to turn off the display of
annotation text while the selection handlesare still visible.
Picking the annotation works in the same way as picking the selection handle
itself.
See also:
Animation > Show > IK Handles

Displays IK handles by type views.
Toggle IK Handles Options

Toggle Type All Windows The display of IK handles is toggled for all
windows.
Current Window The display of IK handles is toggled only for the current
window. To make a window current, click in it or on its title bar.
Single-chain display Toggles the display of the single-chain handle control
information (that is, the plane indicator, pole axis, and so on).
You can see this control information only when the Control Type for a
handle is Plane Rotation or Plane/Pole Rotation. You can see the
control type in the Information Window.
Animation > Show > Constraints

Displays constraints in current or all windows.
Toggle Constraint Options

Toggle Type All Windows The display of the constraints is toggled in all
windows.
Current Window The display of constraints is only toggled in the current
window. The current window is the one that has three asterisks (***) in its
title bar. To make a window current, click its title bar or in the window itself.
See also:
Animation > Show > FCheck

A utility which allows you to display, edit and render your image.
display a single image or a sequence of images
display the intermediate results of a rendering in progress
do color correction and image editing, including luminance, gamma, and

bump values
display looping animations - ones that play over and overview images in
a variety of image formats, including Maya IFF.
See also:
View images with fcheck (Windows only)
Animation > Turntable

Lets you rotate selected objects 360 degrees.
Turntable Options
Axis Determines the axis about which the active objects are rotated for
animation display. You can rotate the objects about any of the three axes. The
default is to rotate about the Z-axis.
Direction Determines whether the objects rotate in a Positive
(counter-clockwise) or Negative (clockwise) direction.
Rotate About Determines the point of origin about which the objects will
rotate.
Origin The active objects rotate about the point of origin 0, 0, 0 (where the
three world axes cross).
Average The active objects rotate about a center that is the calculated
average point of each objects rotation pivot point.
Animation > Show > FCheck | 991
Frames/Rev Determines the number of frames to be created for each 360

degree revolution. Increasing this value slows down the animation and
decreasing the value speeds up the animation.
Create SDL File If toggled ON, the system creates an SDL file to record the
animation for rendering. In this case, you are prompted for an SDL filename
to specify where to store the animation. The recorded SDL file will contain
all shader information as well.
NOTE Although the animation is written to the SDL file, rendering of the animation
is not automatic. To render the animation, you need to use the command-line
renderer. For further details, see the description of
renderer/raytracer/powercaster/powertracer, documented in the Utilities section
of the technical documents.
Limitations
Animation > Turntable does not rotate about the origin when grid snap
is on. It ignores the Rotate About Origin setting, in the Turntable
Options box, and rotates around the pivot point.
To avoid this problem, make sure that grid snap is turned off when you
invoke Turntable.
See also:
Create a turntable animation
Animate a camera
Windows menu
27
Windows > Palette

Shows or hides the Palette window.
Windows > Shelves

Shows or hides the Shelves window.
Windows > Control Panel

Shows or hides the control panel.
See also:
Control Panels on page 1121
Adjust the mesh display
Set up Alias for sketching
Customize brushes and paint
993
Windows > Information > Information Window

Shows or hides the Information window, which lets you view and edit various properties
of the picked objects.
The information windows displays information about the currently picked
objects, and allows you to edit different properties.
To keep the information for an object visible even if the object becomes
unpicked, click the pin icon next to its name in the information window.
See also:
Find information on IK handles
Spline handle information
View or change the properties of objects and locators
Edit a label or measurement object
Measure the length of a curve
Draw keypoint lines parallel or at an angle to existing curves
Draw keypoint tangent or perpendicular to existing curves
Draw keypoint arcs in relation to existing curves
Edit keypoint curves
Rename an object
Shade a surface with its draft angles
Construction > Vector on page 405
994 | Chapter 27 Windows menu
Windows > Information > Layer Stats

Shows or hides the Modeling Layers Editor window, which shows information about
the layers in the scene.
This window displays statistics on the number of objects in each layer, along
with other miscellaneous information.
NOTE Click the small arrowhead button above the Layers column to collapse the
window so that only that column is visible. Click the button again to expand the
window.
Edit layer attributes
Click a layer name to select that layer.
Drag down the names or hold down the Shift key to select multiple layers.
You can also Select All and Unselect All through the Select popup
menu.
Click a cell to turn a checkmark on or off, or edit the value. If you have
multiple layers selected, the change will apply to all of them.
Click the small box to the left of the layer name to make that layer the
creation layer. That box also displays the layers color.
See Change the wireframe color of a layer.
Right-mouse click a layer name to display a menu allowing you to perform

actions on that layer without having to select it first (for example Assign,
Pick Objects, and so on).
Columns
You can sort the layers based on the values in any of the columns by clicking
on the column title. Clicking again sorts in reverse order.
Windows > Information > Layer Stats | 995
Number The number of the layer. This is useful when working with external
CAD packages that expect certain objects on specific numbered layers.
To display layer numbers instead of names in the Layer Bar, choose Preferences
> General Preferences on page 1076 , go to the Modeling section and set
Modeling Layers mode to Number.
Visible Whether the layer is shown in the view windows.
Pick State The layers state: Pickable, Reference, or Inactive.
Symmetry Whether Alias displays a symmetrical half for the objects on this
layer.
See Automatically create symmetrical geometry.
Objects The type of objects contained in this layer (Curve, Surface, Locator,
and so on). Trimmed surfaces and regular surfaces are both referred to as
Surface. If a layer contains more than one type of objects, then this column
displays Mixed.
Layer Bar Whether the layer is shown in the layer bar. Turn this off to remove
the layers button from the layer bar.
Playback Whether animation on this layer plays when you click Play on the
animation bar.
Windows > Information > Layer Categories

If you often apply commands to one or more specific groups of modeling
layers, you can group them together as a category to make it easier to select
them.
Do one of the following to open the Layer Categories editor:
Choose Windows > Information > Layer Categories
Click the Category button at the left end of the Layer bar and choose
Editor from the popup menu.
Layer Categories Editor
There are three predefined categories which are always listed at the top of the
Categories Editor. These categories cannot be deleted.
All Layers This category automatically includes all the layers.
Reference Layers This category automatically includes all reference layers.
Selected Layers This category automatically includes all the currently
selected layers. Consequently, its content will vary.
Categories you create are added below the predefined categories.
You can:
Click a category to select it.

You can select more than one category by holding down the Shift key.
Double-click a user-defined category name to change it.

The number of layers in a category appears to the right of its name.
Buttons
There are two buttons that appear before each category's name:
Pick Selects all the layers in the category.
Eye Turns on or off the visibility of all layers in the category as well as
all objects on those layers. The visibility state of a category is automatically
passed down to all of its layers.
If the icon is:
Eye open open eye All layers in the category are visible.
Windows > Information > Layer Categories | 997
Eye half closed half closed eye Some layers in the category are visible.
Eye crossed out closed eye All layers in the category are invisible.
Category menu
New Category Creates a new (empty) category and adds it to the list in the
Layer Categories editor.
Delete Category Deletes the selected category in the Layer Categories
editor.
Add Layers Adds the selected layers in the Modeling Layers Editor to the
selected category in the Layer Categories editor.
Remove Layers Removes the selected layers in the Modeling Layers Editor
from the selected category in the Layer Categories editor.
Isolate Shows only the layers and objects of the currently selected category.
To show all the layers and objects, choose Isolate for the All Layers category.
Listing: Shows only the layers of the currently selected category in the Layer
Bar and Modeling Layers Editor. It does not affect the visibility of objects.
Layer stat... Opens (or close) the Modeling Layers Editor.
NOTE Right-mouse clicking on a category name will display a similar menu,
allowing you to perform actions on that category without selecting it first.
Category popup menu

Click and hold the Category button at the left end of the Layer bar to see
this menu.
Choose Editor... to open (or close) the Layer Categories editor.
Choose All Layers (default) to show all the layers.
Choose Reference Layers to show all the reference layers.
Choose Selected Layers to show the layers currently selected in the Layer
bar or Modeling Layers Editor.
Choose a category name to display only the layers in that category. This
has the same effect as choosing Isolate from the Layer Categories editor.
Windows > Information > Deviation Table

Shows or hides the deviation table window, which shows a numerical table
of all the sample values of the picked deviation locator object.
NOTE The deviation table only lists information from existing deviation locators.
If you do not have a deviation locator object in your scene this command will not
work.
See also:
Windows > Information > History View

Shows or hides the history view window, which lets you view and edit the construction
history of the picked objects.
Windows > Information > Deviation Table | 999
The history window shows operations you have performed that are maintaining
construction history.
Icons
Arrow Click the arrow to show/hide the list of constructors (objects that were
used in this operation) and the result (the object created by this operation,
marked by an = sign).
Icon Click to edit the tool options used in this operation.
Name Click the name of an operation to select it for use with the windows
menus.
Hold the left mouse button on the name of a constructor or result to highlight
it in the view windows.
List menu
All Show all objects with history.
Active Show only the picked objects with history.
Affecting Active Show the objects contributing to the history of the picked
objects.
Affected by Active Show the objects which were created from the picked
objects.
Sort by Type Group operations together on the list by the tool used.
Rebuild menu
Global Suspend Suspend construction history updates for all objects.
Suspend Selected Suspend construction history updates for the picked objects.
Resume Resume construction history updates for all objects.
Delete menu
Selected History Items Deletes the selected construction history. This does
not delete the actual objects, only the construction history being maintained
(the same as picking the object and choosing Delete > Delete Construction
History on page 537 ).
Pick menu
Constructors Pick the object(s) used to create the selected operations.
Targets Pick the object(s) created by the selected operations.
See also:
Windows > Editors > Construction Plane Editor

Opens the Construction Plane Editor window and allows you to manage canvases
and construction planes.
To make a canvas active

Click a canvas in the editor to make it active. It becomes highlighted in yellow.
Only one canvas can be active at once. This is the canvas on which new layers
are created.
NOTE Sketching on a canvas will also make that canvas active.
Only the layers of the active canvas are displayed in the Canvas Layer
Editor. (See Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor on page 1006 ).
Windows > Editors > Construction Plane Editor | 1001
To pick canvases
Click the Pick icon (to the left of the canvas name). To pick more than
one canvas, hold down the Shift key.
Choose Pick > Object on page 3 and click the canvas.
To transform canvases
1 Pick one or more canvas(es)
2 Choose Move, Rotate, Scale or Non-p scale from the Transform tab
of the Palette.
To delete canvases
1 Pick one or more canvas(es)
2 Choose Delete > Delete Active on page 537 or press the Delete key.
Construction Plane editor icons

Icon
Meaning
Plane visibility
Visible
Invisible
Active canvas for paint

This canvas is active
Icon
Meaning
Painting is locked to this canvas
Plane type
Construction plane is unset. Click to set
construction plane
Construction plane is set. Click to unset

construction plane
Other icons
Layer opacity
Look at plane: changes display of current

perspective window to show plane normal
to view.
Pick this plane. Icon turns red when the

plane is picked.
The following icons are used in the editor:
Construction Plane editor menus

Display menu
Items in the Display menu affect the display of planes in all modeling windows.
To change the display of planes on a per-window basis, see WindowDisplay
> Toggles > Canvas Planes on page 584 .
All planes Show all planes (Construction, Canvas, and Overlay).
Only current canvas plane Show only the canvas plane or overlay canvas
plane that is selected in the Construction Plane Editor. Hide all other
planes (including construction and overlay planes).
Only construction planes Shows only construction planes.
Only canvas planes Shows only canvas planes.
Only overlay canvas planes Shows only overlay canvas planes.
For more information on overlay canvas planes see Canvas > New Overlay
Canvas on page 596 .
DisplayTgl menu
Canvas plane Toggle the visibility of all canvas planes except the currently
active one.
All plane borders Toggle the visibility of the borders on all planes.
Canvas menu
Canvas Layer Editor Opens (or close) the Canvas Layer Editor window.
This window lets you control the arrangement of image (paint) layers and
mask layers.
See Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor on page 1006 .
Canvas General Info Opens (or close) the Canvas General Information
window. This window displays context-sensitive information about the
properties of the canvas layers. See below for details.
Canvas General Information window
NOTE This window is also available through the info icon in the Canvas Layer
Editor.
Canvas name The name of the currently active canvas plane.
Pixels The width and height of the canvas plane measured in pixels.
mm (cm, inches, etc) The width and height of the canvas plane measured
in the current linear units.
Marquee Display Opacity The opacity of the Marquee Color that marquees
(selection regions) are shown in.
Marquee Color The color that marquees (selection regions) are shown in.
Mask Display Opacity The opacity of the Mask Color that masked regions
on mask layers are shown in.
Mask Color The color that masked regions on mask layers are shown in.
Warp Feedback Opacity The opacity of the non-warped area when you turn
on Feedback in the Shape Warp Options in the Paint Panel.
Warp Feedback Color The color of the non-warped area when you turn on
Feedback in the Shape Warp Options in the Paint Panel.
See Paint Edit > Make Warp Shape on page 80 .
Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor

Opens the Canvas Layer Editor window and allows you to control the arrangement
of image layers, mask layers and shape layers on the current canvas.
Only the layers on the currently active canvas are displayed. Drag the mouse
over an icon to see a tool tip describing its purpose.
The editor shows the different types of layers on the current canvas. Image
layers and Mask layers are displayed separately inside a split window. This
allows you to associate one or more mask layers with any image layer, and
re-use the same mask layers for different image layers.
It is also possible to create Invisibility Mask layers in the bottom section
of the window. These are similar to mask layers, except that the hidden paint
can be shown again.
The window has a set of menus and icons for control over the layers. Some
functionality can be accessed from either a menu item or an icon.
All the functions accessible through the menus can also be associated to a
hotkey through the Special:Canvas Layer Editor section of the Hotkeys
editor (Preferences > Interface > Hotkeys/Menu Editor on page 1073 ).
NOTE Construction planes and canvas planes are managed in a different editor
window. (See Windows > Editors > Construction Plane Editor on page 1001 ).
To change your active canvas

1 Click the small arrow next to the canvas name in the Canvas Layer Editor.
2 Choose another canvas from the Canvas Lister.
The content of the Canvas Layer Editor updates to show the layers on
the new active canvas.
To see the properties of the active canvas

1 Click the info icon at the bottom of the Canvas Layer Editor.
The Canvas General Information window opens.
2 Click the info icon again to close it.
To make a layer active

Click the layer name in the Canvas Layer Editor. The active layer is the one
you paint on.
Violet highlighting indicates the active layer.
Lavender indicates the mask or image layer(s) associated with the active
layer.
Yellow indicates the active shape
To change the name of a layer

1 Double-click the layers name.
2 Type a new name.
3 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac)
Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor | 1007
To turn off the display of the layer thumbnails

The layer thumbnails are turned on by default. To turn off the thumbnails
(in order to provide more space for the layer names):
1 Choose Preferences > General Preferences on page 1076
2 In the Paint section, remove the check mark in Show thumbnails in

Canvas Layer Editor.
To associate image layers and mask layers

1 Create new image and mask/invisibility layers by choosing the appropriate
tool from the Layer menu or by using the icons at the bottom of the
editor.
2 Select the image layer.
3 Associate and disassociate mask/invisibility layers from the active image
layer by clicking the small box to the right of the mask/invisibility layers
name. The icon turns to a chain link.
NOTE To temporarily disable a mask while retaining the link between the
mask and image layer, click the small box disable mask next to the visibility
icon to remove the check mark. Click it again to re-enable the mask.
To see the relationships between image and mask layers
Click an Image layers name to determine which mask/invisibility layers

affect it.
The associated Masks and Invisibility Masks names are highlighted in
lavender. A small icon next to the current image layers name (in the top
part of the window) shows how many masks are associated with it.
Click the Mask or Invisibility Mask layers name to determine which Image
layers are affected by it.
The affected Image layers names are highlighted in lavender.
To disable, hide or filter mask layers

The three toggle buttons on the separator bar between image and mask layers
let you affect mask layers in the following ways:
Click mask disable to disable all the masks linked with the active layer.
Click it again to re-enable the masks.
Click mask visible to make all the masks linked with the active layer
invisible, but keep them enabled. Click it again to make the masks visible.
Click mask filter to show only the mask layers linked with the active layer
in the Canvas Layer Editor. Click it again to show all the mask layers.
To change the order of layers on a canvas

When a canvas plane contains more than one image layer, you can arrange
the image layers in any order. For example, you can move an image layer in
the Canvas Layer Editor so that it appears behind or in front of another image
layer.
You can move any number of image layers, mask layers, and folders at once.
1 Choose Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor on page 1006.
2 Click a layer to make it active.
The layer appears blue.
3 Use the Shift and Ctrl (Windows) or Shift and Control (Mac) keys to add
other layers or folders to the selection.
The new selected layers/folders appear in white.
4 Click the left or middle mouse button and drag the layers to the desired
location.
A small pink arrow points to the location.
5 Release the mouse button to insert the layers at the indicated location.
To organize layers into folders

To help categorize and group image layers, you can create folders in the Canvas
Layer Editor. The folders are collapsible and expandable, to provide better
viewing.
Create a new folder by clicking the New Folder icon at the bottom of the
editor.
Create a new layer inside a folder, by clicking an existing layer inside the
folder then choosing Layer > New image layer.
Drag and drop selected layers inside a folder.
Expand and collapse the content of a folder by clicking the small arrow
to the left of the folder name.
Drag and drop a folder to change its position within the Canvas Layer
Editor.
NOTE Folders must always contain at least one layer. When a folder is first
created, it will contain a default layer.
To copy and paste layers into another canvas

1 Choose Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor on page 1006.
2 Click a layer to make it active.
The layer appears blue.
3 Use the Shift and Ctrl (Windows) or Shift and Control (Mac) keys to add
other layers or folders to the selection.
The new selected layers/folders appear in white.
4 Choose Edit > Copy layers from the Canvas Layer Editor.
5 Select another canvas from the Canvas Layer Editor, or create a new
one with Canvas > New canvas.
NOTE The canvas can be located on a different stage.
6 Choose Edit > Paste layers from the Canvas Layer Editor.
The selected layers are pasted into the active canvas, above its original
active layer, and remain selected. The names and relative positioning of
the pasted layers is preserved.
NOTE If the canvas is on a different stage, the pasting operation must occur
while in that stage.
To convert layers into other layer types

You can convert an image, mask, or invisibility mask layer into a different
type of layer (for example convert an image layer into a mask layer) by using
tools from the Convert menu.
1 Select a layer
2 Choose the appropriate tool from the Convert menu.
A copy of the layer is made and converted to the proper type. The original
layer is kept.
NOTE Convert > Marquee to Mask operates on the currently selected
region (created from the Magic Wand or Marquee tools under Paint >
Select in the Palette).
To see the content of only one layer in the view window

Instead of turning off the visibility of all layers but the one you want to see,
you can isolate it more quickly with this method:
1 Click the image layer you want to isolate.
2 Click the show current layer button at the top of the Canvas Layer Editor.
Only the content of the selected layer is displayed in the view windows.
3 To restore the display of all layers, click the show all layers button at the
top of the Canvas Layer Editor.
Canvas Layer Editor icons

Icon
Meaning
Layer visibility in view window

Visible
Icon
Meaning
Invisible
Active layer opacity value
Layer opacity slider
Display all layers
Display current (active) layer only
Layer type
Image (Paint)
Mask
Invisibility mask
Image (Paint) shape
Icon
Meaning
Mask shape
Invisibility mask shape
Image layer has hidden paint
Text layer
Ability to move layer on canvas

Layer can be transformed
Layer cannot be transformed
Mask icons on divider bar (toggles)

Show/hide all masks linked with the active
layer (but keep enabled)
Enable/disable all masks linked with the

active layer
Icon
Meaning
Show all masks/Show only masks linked
with the active layer in lister
Other mask icons

This mask layer is associated with the active
layer
If the check mark is off, this mask layer is

disabled but retains its link to any image
layer
Number of mask layers associated with the

active image layer.
Canvas Plane icons

See Construction Plane editor icons on
page 1002.
Tools (at bottom of editor)
Open/Close Construction Plane Editor
Open/Close Canvas General Information

window.
New folder
Icon
Meaning
New image layer
New mask layer
New invisibility mask layer
Duplicate layer
Clear layer
Delete layer
The following icons are used in the editor:
Canvas Layer editor menus

Layer menu
New image layer Create a new image layer on the selected canvas or overlay
plane.
New image layer (import) Create a new image layer by importing an existing
image. If you are using the Windows browser, you also have the choice to
import the image as a mask layer.
TIP The type of browser can be changed by choosing Preferences > General
Preferences on page 1076
and going to the System section
New image layer (capture current window) Create a new image layer
containing the snapshot of the current window.
New mask layer Create a new mask layer. The layer will appear in the bottom
section of the Canvas Layer Editor.
New invisibility mask layer Create a new invisibility mask layer (previously
called stencil). The layer will appear in the bottom section of the Canvas Layer
Editor.
Duplicate Makes a duplicate of the currently selected image layer, shape layer,
or mask layer. The new layer is placed above the original layer. Duplicate layers
are named by adding -1, -2, -3, etc, to the layer name.
Merge below Merges the current paint layer and the paint layer directly
beneath it, and uses the name of the lower layers name.
Merge visible Merges all paint layers that are visible. To retain some layers,
turn their visibility off by clicking the eye icon before performing a merge.
Merge all Merges all paint layers on the selected canvas or overlay plane and
discards layer masks.
Edit menu
Clear layer Removes paint from the active image layer and retains the blank
image layer.
Clear hide show Restores (shows) hidden paint on the active layer.
Rasterize layer Converts the vector-based shape or text layer into a bitmap.
Invert layer When applied to an image layer, it inverts the RGB colors in the
image. For example, red (255,0,0) becomes cyan (0, 255, 255).
When applied to a mask layer, or invisibility mask layer, it swaps the masked
and unmasked regions.
This tool does not affect Shape layers.
Invert mask Swaps the masked and unmasked regions on the active mask
layer.
When applied to an image layer, this operation inverts all the masks linked
to that layer.
Invert invisibility mask Swaps the masked and unmasked regions on the
active invisibility mask layer.
When applied to an image layer, this operation inverts all the invisibility
masks linked to that layer.
Invert marquee Inverts a marquee by making the region outside the selected
area the new selection area.
Marquees are created by using the Magic Wand and Marquee tools under
Paint > Select.
Horizontal Flip Flips the active image layer from right to left.
Vertical Flip Flips the active image layer from top to bottom.
Transform layer Moves or scales an image layer, mask layer or invisibility
mask layer. Shape layers cannot be transformed. All layers that have the layer
moveable icon turned on will be transformed.
Delete active shape Deletes the currently active shape (highlighted in yellow).
If this was the only shape on the shape layer, then the shape layer is also
deleted.
Delete active layer Deletes the currently active image layer, shape layer, mask
layer, or invisibility mask layer. The active layer is highlighted in dark purple.
Delete all invisibility mask layers Deletes the invisibility mask layers, and
gives you the option to restore the hidden paint. If you choose not to restore
the hidden paint, it will be lost.
Delete all layers in transform group Deletes all the layers that have the layer
moveable icon turned on. This is a quick way to delete several layers at a time.
Delete all invisible layers Deletes all layers that have their visibility turned
off (through the visible icon)
Delete all layers Deletes all layers on the current canvas, regardless of their
type or visibility.
Copy layers Copies all the currently selected layers to the Alias clipboard.
Paste layers Pastes the layers from the Alias clipboard into the active canvas.
Convert menu
All these tools convert a layer into a different type of layer. A copy of the layer
is made and converted to the proper type. The original is kept.
Converting a layer into its own type is equivalent to using Layer > Duplicate.
Copy layer to image Converts a mask or invisibility mask layer into an image
layer.
Copy layer to mask Converts an image, or invisibility mask layer into a mask
layer, using the image's opacity values as the mask. Areas that are fully opaque
are fully masked.
Copy layer to mask (luminance) Converts an image, or invisibility mask
layer into a mask layer , using the image's luminance values as the mask. Areas
that are 100% white are fully masked.
Copy layer to invisibility mask Converts an image, or mask layer into an
invisibility mask layer, using the image's opacity values as the invisibility
mask. Areas that are fully opaque are fully masked.
Copy layer to invisibility mask (luminance) Converts an image, or mask
layer into an invisibility mask layer, using the image's luminance values as
the invisibility mask. Areas that are 100% white are fully masked.
Marquee to mask Converts a marquee to a mask layer. The selected region
is unmasked and all other regions are masked.
Paint > Select.
Toggle menu
Hide non-current layers Allows you to see only the currently active layer on
the canvas. All other layers are made invisible.
Show all layers All layers (on the current canvas) are made visible.
Tgl marquee Lets you toggle the visibility of the marquee (selection area) on
or off.
Paint > Select.
Project menu
Project sketch Lets you project a sketch onto one or more objects. The object(s)
must be active. All visible layers from the current canvas are projected.
See also:
Use canvas planes
Organize a sketch using image layers
Protect areas using masks
Windows > Editors > Shape Editor

Shows or hides the Shape Editor, which lets you modify the parameters of a shape
(both the outline and fill) as well as copy and paste the parameters from one shape
to another.
This window opens automatically when one of the Paint > Shape tools is
selected.
The same options are contained in the Paint control panel on page 1155 and
the values are kept synchronized between the two.
Windows > Editors > Shape Editor | 1019
The values the Shape Editor displays depend on whether a Shape tool or an
existing shape is active.
If a Shape tool is active, the settings for that tool are shown.
If an existing Shape is selected (picked), the settings for that Shape are
shown.
If many Shapes are selected, the settings for the first Shape picked are
shown
If neither a Shape tool nor a Shape is active, the editor is empty.
Shape Options
Shape Outline When this option is turned on (checked), the shapes outline
is visible and the Shape Outline properties are displayed. When it is off
(unchecked), the outline disappears and the Shape Outline properties are
hidden. The Shape Outline properties control how the shapes outline looks.
Style Click to choose whether the outline is Solid Brush (highly defined)
or Airbrush (a softer, more undefined brush).
RGB Color Click the color swatch to set the color, or drag the slider to change
the color's brightness.
Opacity Slide to control the outlines opacity. Opacity is a way of representing
how see-through a brush's paint is. (Opacity is the opposite of transparency.)
You cannot see anything underneath paint that has an opacity of 1. The lower
the opacity, the more you can see through the paint. Paint that has an opacity
of 0 is invisible.
Width Defines the width of the brush in pixels from 0.01 to 50.
Aspect and Rotation Aspect controls how flat or circular the brush stamp is.
An aspect ratio of 1 means the brush stamp is circular. The lower the aspect
ratio, the flatter the brush stamp. The angle of a flat stamp is based on the
brush Rotation.
Rotation is the angle (measured in degrees) of the brush stamp. If Aspect is
less than 1, changing Rotation makes the brush stamp more horizontal (0) or
more vertical (90). The range is 0 to 360.
Spacing Brushes apply paint to a canvas plane in strokes. A stroke consists of

a series of closely spaced stamps. If you click a brush onto a canvas plane,
instead of dragging the stylus, you apply a single stamp of paint. You can
control how strokes are generated from stamps.
Windows > Editors > Shape Editor | 1021
The Spacing slider controls the space between stamps in a stroke. Low values
strokes that appear as a series of dots. The valid range is 0 to 255.
Shape Fill When this option is turned on (checked), the shape fill is visible
and the Shape Fill properties are displayed. When it is off (unchecked), the
shapefill disappears and the Shape Fill properties are hidden. The Shape Fill
properties control how the interior of the shape looks.
RGB Color Click the color swatch to set the color, or drag the slider to change
the color's brightness.
Map Click the Map button to select a texture.
Opacity Slide to control the outlines opacity. Opacity is a way of representing
how see-through a brush's paint is. (Opacity is the opposite of transparency.)
You cannot see anything underneath paint that has an opacity of 1. The lower
the opacity, the more you can see through the paint. Paint that has an opacity
of 0 is invisible.
Quality Select high, medium or low to define a textures quality.
A high-quality texture takes more time to display, while a low-quality texture

takes less time. The default is medium.
Fill Click to create shape regions with Fill set to Inside or Outside. Selecting
Outside fills the areas outside of the shape. Selecting Inside fills the areas
inside the shape.
Copy Parameters
These options let you copy and paste properties (both outline and fill) between
shapes.
Option Choose what parts of the shape are copied and pasted: Outline and
Fill, just Fill or just Outline.
Copy Click this button to copy the shape parameters from a shape, or Shape
tool instance, to the Alias clipboard.
Paste Click this button to apply the shape parameters previously copied using
the Copy button to the currently selected shape, or Shape tool instance.
Windows > Editors > Stages

Opens the Stage Editor.
To change the stage name in the Stage Editor

1 Double-click the files name in the name field of the Stage Editor.
2 Type the new stage name and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac). The
new stage name appears.
To change the order of stages in the Stage Editor

1 Hold down the middle mouse button over the name of the stage that you
want to move. The stage name appears as a label under the cursor.
2 Drag the cursor towards the new location. A red arrow shows the direction
of movement, and a red border is drawn around the stage that the label
is over.
3 Release the middle mouse button when the label is where you want to
put the stage. The stage appears in its new location.
To open a stage set in the Stage Editor

1 Click Open stage set; The File Requestor appears. Either:
Type the name of the stage set in the File field and then click the
Retrieve StageSet button.
Click the Show List button. Click to select a stage set from the list,
Select one or more stage sets from the file list. (To select more than
one item, hold down the Shift key and click again. The picture shows
an example.)
Windows > Editors > Stages | 1023
2 Click the Retrieve StageSet button.

3 If a stage set is already loaded, Alias asks if you want existing stages to be
deleted before the new stage set is loaded:
To remove the stages from the Stage Editor, leaving them unchanged
as files, Click YES.
To add the new stage set to the existing stages, click NO.
To stop retrieving stage sets, click CANCEL.

NOTE Selecting File > Open stage set in the Stage Editor is the same as
selecting File > Open Stage Set on page 454 from the Alias main menu.
To edit stage sets in the Stage Editor

1 Click Open stage set; The File Requestor appears.
2 Click the Show List button. Select one or more stage sets from the file
list. (To select more than one item, hold down the Shift key and click
again.)
3 In the file Browser, select .
A special version of the Stage Editor appears, as shown in the next
diagram. The File, Edit, and Delete menu buttons have been replaced
by Save and Exit buttons.
If more than one stage set was selected, you can click the arrows in the
top left corner of the editor to browse through the stage sets. The browser
field shows the name of the stage set currently displayed in the Stage
Editor.
4 You can change the status of the columns by toggling the check marks
ON or OFF.
5 To save the changes, in the Stage Editor click the Save button.
6 To retrieve the stage set with the new settings, click the Retrieve
StageSet button in the File Requestor.
To retrieve a wire file as a new stage in the Stage Editor

Use File > Open on page 453 to retrieve a wire file as a new stage, making the
wire file the reference for that stage.
A File Requestor appears to select a file (stage) to retrieve:
Type a file name in the File field or click the Show List button to list
your saved wire files and double-click to select one from the list.
To retrieve the file as a new stage, select the Retrieve New Stage button.
NOTE Selecting File > Open Stage in the Stage Editor is the same as selecting
File > Open on page 453 from the Alias main menu.
To save the stage set under a different filename

1 Specify a name in the File Requestor. Do one of the following:
Type a new file name in the File field.
Click Show List and double-click a stage set icon in the list. Any
existing file that you select is overwritten with the current file.
2 Click the Save StageSet button.

Each stage is saved to its referenced wire file, if its Wire Store option is
checked in the Stage Editor. If Wire Store is not checked for a stage,
that stage is not saved.
If a stage does not have a referenced wire file, the File Requestor appears.
NOTE If you have not named the stage, the File Requestor supplies a default
name for the wire file.
To rename a wire file

1 Double-click in the File field and type a new name.
2 Click the Save Wire button.
To delete stages in the Stage Editor

1 Select the Delete button to display the Delete pop-up menu.
2 Select Delete > All Stages or Delete > Selected Stage.
3 A dialog box appears asking you to confirm the deletion.
To delete, click YES.
To cancel the deletion and close the dialog box, click NO.
To create a new stage in the Stage Editor

1 Select Edit > New in the Stage Editor.
A new stage appears in the list as NewStage.
2 Double-click in the name field and type a name for the new stage. The
new stage is the working level, and all objects that you create are now
placed in this stage.
To use a wire file as a new stage

To use a wire file as a stage:
1 Select File > Open Stage in the Stage Editor. The File Requestor appears.
2 Click the Show List button to display the File Lister and select the first
stage wire file.
3 Click the Retrieve New Stage button to load the file into Alias. The
name of the wire file is used as the stage name.
4 Continue opening stages using File > Open Stage until all the required
stages are loaded. Stages are listed in the order in which they are created.
Alternatively, from the main Alias menu use File > Retrieve Stage.
To create stages
1 Create a wire file that includes some of the geometry for an object (for
example, the body of a car).
2 Create another stage that includes a different set of the objects geometry
(for example, the wheels of a car).
3 Create a third stage that includes an alternate set of the objects geometry
(for example, an alternate set of wheels).
4 Create a fourth stage that includes an environment background and
camera view (for example, use the Ramp texture as a background with a
blue to white ramp).
5 Select File > Save Stage Set to make a set of all the stages. You will be
prompted for file names for each of the new stages. Later, you can select
Open stage set and all the wire files associated with the stage set will be
retrieved.
Stage Editor icons

When a stage is referenced to a wire file, it displays the wire files icon next
to the reference path or stage name. The icon is updated each time that the
stage is saved or retrieved:
If the stage is not referenced to a wire file, the icon is labeled UNDEFINE.
If a file is retrievable but has no picture icon associated with it, the icon is
labeled NO ICON.
To change the size of the icons in the Stage Editor, click the round buttons in
the title bar of the Stage Editor.
Save and the padlock icon

If you see a padlock icon instead of a check mark or dash, you do not have
write permission for the wire file.
A white padlock means that there are no write permissions and you cannot
save this stage.
A red padlock means that even though you can not save the file to that
reference, you might have made changes to it. However, you can save the
stage to a new name.
NOTE On Windows systems, the stage editor does not inform the user that
files belonging to different owners are locked.
NOTE If you are sharing files between users, establish ownership and permission
methods that give users read and write permissions for the shared files.
The difference between selected and working stages

Selected stage The stage that is highlighted across all six columns is the
selected stage. It can be saved using File > Save (selected) Stage in the Stage
Editor or merged with the working stage.
Working Stage The stage that has a check mark in the Working Level
column (which appears in yellow) is the working stage. Its wireframe model
is accessible for the changes you want to make. Its geometry appears, in the
regular colors, in the modeling windows.
Columns
Working Level You can make changes to a wireframe model only if the
Working Level stage is checked ON for its stage. The Working Level stage
is highlighted in yellow. This helps you to organize your scene, especially if
it contains a lot of information or library objects that are used in a number
of different scenes.
NOTE Some tools may make it impossible to change the working level. (The name
fields of all the stages are grayed out.) This prevents Alias from switching levels in
the middle of geometry operations, such as building a curve or creating a patch.
So that you can switch your working stage, choose a neutral function such as Pick
> Object.
Window Source The modeling window source can be any stage. If Keep
Windows is ON in the Open File Options window and you open a file, Alias
imports the wire file and its windows to the working stage. It does not matter
which stage is selected. You can use File > Open, File > Open Only or File
> Open Always.
If you create a perspective or orthographic window, it belongs to the stage
that is the current Window Source, which might not be the working stage.
Each stage can have its own set of modeling windows.The windows that are
displayed always belong to the current Window Source stage. If that stage is
stored, its windows are also stored.
NOTE You store a stage by making it the current Working Level and using File >
Save or by clicking the stage name in the Stage Editor, then selecting File > Save
(selected) Stage in the Stage Editor.
The stored windows do not have to match the visible ones, just as the current
Working Level does not have to match the current Window Source.
NOTE Only one stage at a time can be the window source. The statistics windows
and SBD window are derived from the Working Level stage. The application
windows (perspective and orthographic) belong to the window source stage.
Background Source You use Background Source to choose which
background (environment shader) you want when you render a scene. To edit
the Background Source, set the Working Level to the same stage as the
Background Source and open the Multi-Lister.
Visible This toggle shows which stages are visible. Making a stage invisible is
like making objects invisible (ObjectDisplay > Invisible on page 554 ). The
entire stage and all its objects become invisible.
To make a stage visible or invisible without affecting other stages, click in its
Visible box.
All stages can be invisible except for the Working Level. You can remove
the Visible check mark, but the stage remains visible.
If you render a scene when all its stages are invisible, the image produced is
completely black.
Visible Menu The header at the top of the Visible column is also a button.
Click the Visible button to make all the stages at once either visible or
invisible.
To make all the stages visible, select ON.
To make all the stages invisible, select OFF.
In the following example, all stages are visible.
Auto Retrieve If you check Auto Retrieve ON beside a stage name, when
you retrieve a stage set, its wire file is retrieved. If you remove the check mark,
the file will not be retrieved.
This takes effect only when the stage set is saved. That is, if you click Auto
Retrieve during a session but you have already changed the file, it is not
retrieved.
Auto Retrieve lets you control which of the files listed in the stage set file
are loaded when the stage set file is retrieved.
More than one user can be working on a common stage set, each one owning
one or more of the referenced wire file and their own copy of the stage set
files. They can not use everything at once, but multiple users likely want to
retrieve a combination of their own files and a few from other users as reference
files.
TIP You can retrieve a referenced file at any time during a session, even if it has
already been retrieved. You get the last saved version.
Auto Retrieve Menu The header at the top of the Auto Retrieve column is
also a button. To set all stages to be retrieved automatically, click this button
and select ON.
Wire Store If you place a check mark in the Wire Store column beside a
stage name, this stage is saved when the stage set is saved. If you remove the
check mark, the stage is not saved. Therefore, it will not be overwritten
accidentally, and any changes made to the stage are not saved.
More than one user can be working on a common stage set, so if you make
changes to one of your own stages and want to use it as a default each time
you start (such as reference geometry or windows), turn the Wire Store
column OFF for that stage.
Wire Store Menu The header at the top of the Wire Store column is also a
button. To set all stages so that the wire files will be stored, click this button
and select ON.
Menus
Three menus are included at the bottom of the Stage Editor: the File menu,
the Edit menu, and the Delete menu.
File
File > Reload (selected) stage You use File > Reload (selected) stage to
replace the selected stage with its the last saved version. You can use it to
change a stage reference and update your model to the latest copy of someone
elses file or go back to an earlier, saved version of a file. If you use this option,
it writes over any changes you have made in your current work.
For instance, if you want to update someone elses file information for a stage,
you can return to the last saved version of that stage, make the updates, and
save the stage. Anyone retrieving that file now sees the new version.
A File Requestor appears so that you can select a file (stage) to retrieve:
Type a file name in the File field or click Show List and double-click an
icon to select it.
To retrieve the stage again, click the Select Stage Reference button.
File > Save stage set You use File > Save stage set to save a single stage set.
A File Requestor appears to let you save the stage set under a different name
if you wish. To save the file, click the Save StageSet button.
File > Save (selected) stage You use File > Save (selected) stage to save a
stage as a wire file. If you create a new stage and it has no wire file, the File
Requestor shows only the new file.
If you have not named the stage, the File Requestor supplies a default name
for the file. To change its name, in the File field double-click the name and
type a new one.
If there is a referenced file, the File Requestor shows the referenced file.
To save the stage, Select the Save Wire button. Notice that the icon in the
Stage editor is updated to display the icon saved with the wire file.
Edit
Select the Edit button to display the Edit pop-up menu.
Edit > Merge All You use Edit > Merge All to merge all the stages in the
Stage Editor into the working level stage.
Edit > Merge You use Edit > Merge to merge the selected stage into the
working level stage.
Edit > New You use Edit > New to create a new, empty stage called NewStage.
Delete
Delete > All Stages Select Delete > All Stages to delete all stages, including
the root stage.
NOTE Selecting Delete > All Stages in the Stage Editor is the same as selecting
File > New on page 453 from the Alias main menu.
Delete > Selected Stage Select Delete > Selected Stage to delete only the
highlighted stage.
When you delete a stage, you delete all objects, windows, shaders, lights,
cameras, and anything else that it contains.
Because there must always be a stage in Alias, when you delete all stages, a
new stage is created. It is called Stage# and includes a sequential number
indicating how many stages you have opened during your current session.
Hints and tips
All files are saved as wire files only (for example, IGES files can not be saved
as stages).
If your referenced file is a data transfer file (for example, IGES) but does
not have a suffix such as .iges or .igs, the system adds the suffix
.wire before prompting for a name.
If the referenced file has no write permissions, the stage can not be saved
and you are not prompted to save it.
To create a rendered icon for the wire file, click the Create Icon button
in the File Browser. A small representation of the stage appears instead of
the Store icon. This thumbnail sketch icon also appears in the Stage
Editor.
Selecting File > Save stage set in the Stage Editor is the same as selecting
File > Save stage set from the Alias main menu.
Lights from all visible stages illuminate the scene.
Lights cannot be linked across stages.
Image planes are associated with the window source stage and, as such,
work across stages.
When you render a scene composed of several stages, one SDL file is created
for each stage. The SDL files are named according to the name of the stage
set in the Stage Editor. Object names are prefixed with the stage name in
the SDL file.
Objects on inactive stages are displayed in pale green.
Stages are not templates but may include templates.
If you save a new stage that has no associated windows, the icon beside
its name will not be displayed.
Windows > Editors > Cameras

Provides adjustable settings to change the properties of orthographic cameras,
perspective cameras (used for rendering), and image planes.
Camera Editor subsections
Camera Editor Options on page 1033
Film Back Properties on page 1034
Predefined Film Backs on page 1040
Camera/Window Properties on page 1038

Digital Properties on page 1038
Image Plane properties on page 1041
Camera Editor subsections

Image Plane Parameters on page 1041
Output image properties on page 1042
Output mask properties on page 1045
Image Placement on page 1047
Camera Editor Options

The camera parameters control the cameras view. Perspective cameras have
more parameters than orthographic cameras.
Camera The camera whose parameters are currently displayed in the Camera
Editor: Paint, Front, Bottom, Right, Top, Left, Back window cameras,
or Camera (the perspective windows camera). If you have additional cameras
in your scene, they will also be listed in this menu, including cameras that
are not used by any windows.
The Camera Editor window contains a number of subsections. Please select a
subsection for more information about the options contained in that
subsection.
Camera Properties
The Camera Properties control the position and orientation of the current
camera. The Twist and Perspective Gain parameters are only available for
perspective cameras.
Name The name of the current camera. You can type in this field to change
the name of the camera. If you change the name of a camera, the name in
the cameras window (in the title bar) also changes.
Camera Lock Locks the camera in place so that you are not able to dolly,
track, or move the camera in any way. This can be useful when working with
image planes. The default setting is OFF (the camera is not locked).
Windows > Editors > Cameras | 1033
Auto Render Clip Makes the renderer automatically compute the near and
far clipping planes (based on the bounding boxes of the objects in your scene)
so that they include all visible objects in the current view frame.
By turning on Auto Render Clip, you can prevent certain types of image
quality problems that can be caused by inappropriately set clipping planes.
Do not turn on Auto Render Clip when you are using shadow maps or if
you are outputting depth files during rendering.
You can also produce this auto clipping behavior by editing the SDL file and
setting the near clipping plane value to 0.
Clipping planes are ignored during raytracing.
Position, Look At, Up Determines the cameras view by defining the cameras
position (Position), view point or focal point (Look At), and up vector end
point (Up). Each parameter has three fields, corresponding to the XYZ
coordinates for that parameter.
Positioning a camera by editing these parameters may be difficult, and is not
recommended for positioning orthographic cameras. If you do edit these
parameters, display the camera in the orthographic windows to help visualize
the changes (see Display camera icons).
Twist The tilt of the camera (from side to side) in degrees. The Up and Twist
parameters define the same camera property in different ways. Changing one
alters the other. For example, if you change the X Up value to 2, the Twist
value automatically changes to -63.435. The slider range is -180 to 180. The
default value is 0.
Perspective Gain Controls the speed at which you can dolly a perspective
camera. For example, doubling the Perspective Gain value will double the
speed at which you can dolly the camera. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The
NOTE If the cameras point of interest is active, the Perspective Gain value has
no effect. Alias automatically determines the speed at which you can dolly the
camera based on the distance between the camera and its point of interest.
Film Back Properties

The Film Back Properties let you set the film size of the current camera
by entering numeric values. You can also select a standard film size from the
Predefined Film Backs list.
Film Back (inches) The horizontal and vertical size of the film format (in
inches). The default values are 0.4 and 0.285.
Be careful when setting these values because they are related to the cameras
Focal Length and Angle of View values.
Film Offset (inches) The horizontal and vertical offset of the film center from
the lens axis center (in inches). The default values both 0.
Make sure the Film Offset values are less than the Film Back values, or the
rendered image may appear incorrect.
Lens Properties
The Lens Properties define the properties of the current cameras lens.
Focal length and angle of view

Focal length and angle of view are two different methods of defining the same
lens property:
A long focal length represents a narrow angle of view (for example, a

telescope, or a camera zoom lens). Objects that are far from the camera,
appear large or close to the camera.
A short focal length represents a wide angle of view (for example, a camera
wide angle lens). Objects that are close to the camera appear small or far
away. Objects that are very close to the camera may appear
disproportionately large relative to objects that are only slightly farther
away from the camera.
Focal Length (mm) Lets you set the cameras focal length either from a list
of standard, real world focal lengths (between 15mm and 200mm), or by
entering a value in the User Focal Length field (user). If you set Focal
Length to user, the User Focal Length parameter becomes available. The
default setting is user.
User Focal Length (mm) Lets you set the cameras focal length by typing in
any value. The valid range is 1 to infinity.
Angle of View The horizontal angle of the view seen by the film. The
valid/slider range is 0.2 to 179.
NOTE The angle of view is also known as the lens angle. It represents the width
of the film back as seen through the lens, expressed as an angle.
The Angle of View value is related to the focal length value (either the Focal
Length setting or the User Focal Length value), and the Film Back value:
If you change the Angle of View value, the Focal Length value
automatically changes (and switches to user defined if it is not already).
The Film Back values do not change.
If you change the Focal Length value, the Angle of View value
automatically changes. The Film Back values do not change.
If you change the Film Back values, the Angle of View value
automatically changes. The Focal Length value does not change.
Depth of Field Makes the renderer perform a depth of field calculation to

vary the focus of objects based on their distance from the camera. If Depth
of Field is ON, the following parameters become available: F-Stop, User
F-Stop, and Scaling Factor. The default setting is OFF (no depth of field
calculation is performed; all objects are in focus).
The depth of field calculation is a post-rendering process, and can take from
tens of seconds to a few hours, depending on the size of the image, the camera
parameters, and the depth values, but not the complexity of the scene.
Because depth of field changes with depth, your scene must reflect its real
world size and the Main Units must be set properly in Preferences
> Construction options (under Units : Linear).
F-Stop Lets you set the cameras f-stop either from a list of standard, real world
f-stops (between 1.4 and 32), or by entering a value in the User F-Stop field
(user). The default setting is user.
Small F-Stop values (such as 1.4) tend to give a very small depth of field. That
means that the region at the specified distance from the camera that is in
focus (the region between near and far) is small. Large F-Stop values (such as
32) tend to give a larger depth of field.
User F-Stop Lets you set the cameras f-stop by typing in any value. The valid
range is 0.5 to infinity.
NOTE The Scaling Factor parameter is the same as the SDL variable
units_to_feet.
Scaling Factor A scaling factor applied to the Focal Distance value. This
parameter lets you define the Focal Distance value in units other than feet
(for example, meters) by setting the Scaling Factor value to the number of
units in one foot. For example, if you wanted to define the Focal Distance
value in meters, you would set the Scaling Factor value to 0.3048 because
there are 0.3048 meters in one foot. The slider range is 0 to 100. The default
value is 1.
Auto Focus Automatically focuses the camera on the cameras Look At point.
If Auto Focus is OFF, the Focal Distance parameter becomes available, and
the camera focuses at the Focal Distance value. The default setting is OFF.
If the Look At point is not between the near and far clipping planes, Auto
Focus will focus the camera either at the near clipping plane or at the far
clipping plane (whichever is closer to the Look At point). See ClippingNear/Far
on page 1038
Focal Distance The distance from the camera at which the camera focuses.
The valid range is 0.001 to infinity. The slider range is 0.001 to 100. The default
setting is automatically set to the Auto Focus value (based on the Look At
point) when you set Auto Focus OFF.
If the Focal Distance value is not between the near and far clipping planes,
the Focal Distance value will be automatically set to either the near clipping
plane distance or the far clipping plane distance (whichever is closer to the
Focal Distance value). See ClippingNear/Far on page 1038.
Camera/Window Properties
The Camera/Window Properties control how the cameras view appears
in the cameras window.
Aspect Ratio Fit Controls how the cameras window displays the cameras
view. If the shape of the cameras window is not the same as the shape of the
cameras Film Back, then the windows display can fit the cameras view in
one dimension only (Horizontal or Vertical). The default setting is Fill
which automatically fits the camera view in the camera window (in either the
horizontal or vertical direction) so that the camera view fills the window
Offset Offsets the camera view in the camera window. The direction of the
offset is determined by the padding created by the Aspect Ratio Fit setting,
either horizontally (if Aspect Ratio Fit is Vertical or Fill), or vertically (if
Aspect Ratio Fit is Horizontal or Fill). The valid/slider range is -1 to 1.
The default setting is 0 (no offset).
Digital Properties
ClippingNear/Far The distance to the cameras near and far clipping planes.
The default values are 0.1 and 200.
For orthographic windows, the ClippingNear/Far values are distances along
the axis that points into the screen. For example, if the Top window shows
the XZ plane, then the ClippingNear/Far values are distances along the Y
axis.
For perspective cameras, the Clipping Near/Far values are distances from
the camera.
You cannot enter a ClippingNear/Far value less than 0.1 within Alias.
However, you can enter a value less than 0.1 by editing the SDL file.
Make sure the ClippingNear/Far values are set so that the clipping planes
just barely contain the contents in your scene (see Auto Render Clip on page
1034). Setting the ClippingNear value very low or the ClippingFar value very
high may produce image quality problems during rendering.
Stereo View Creates a stereo pair of images of your scene during rendering.
The two image files are named <filename>_left and <filename>_right. If
Stereo View is OFF, only a single image of your scene is created during
rendering. If Stereo View is ON, the Parallel Offset and Eye Offset
parameters become available. The default setting is OFF.
NOTE Turn on the Stereo View parameter to control interactive stereo viewing.
Parallel Offset Offsets the Look At points of the two cameras used to generate
a stereo pair of images so that the two cameras point in parallel directions.
The default setting is OFF (the two cameras share the same, non-offset, Look
At point).
Eye Offset The distance between the two cameras used to generate a stereo
pair of images (when Stereo View is ON). Eye offset is also known as ocular
separation, and represents the distance between the viewers two eyes. The
two cameras are offset perpendicular to the Look At vector and the Up vector.
Objects that are closer to the camera than the focal point will appear to
protrude from the screen when the stereo pair of images is viewed. Objects
that are further from the camera than the focal point will appear to recede
into the screen.
The greater the Eye Offset value, the greater the stereo effect, but the narrower
the effective depth of the scene. If the Eye Offset value is too large, or the
focal point is too close to the camera, your eyes will not be able to converge
the two images into a stereo pair.
The Eye Offset value is measured in the same units that your scene uses. The
NOTE When you are using interactive stereo viewing, adjust the Eye Offset value
to produce the best stereo view for your eyes
Motion Blur Blurs the entire rendered image when the camera is moving (as
opposed to blurring an object when the object is moving), for example, when
you are performing a flyby. The default setting is OFF.
Predefined Film Backs

The Predefined Film Backs are standard film sizes that you can select for
the current camera. Each predefined film back has a Film Back, Film Aspect,
and Squeeze Aspect parameter; however, you can only edit the Film Back
value (Alias does not use the Film Aspect and Squeeze Aspect values).
To select a predefined film back, simply click it. When you select a predefined
film back, the Film Back values (under Film Back Properties)
automatically change. To add a new predefined film back, click the Add
button. To delete a predefined film back, select the film back from the list and
click the Delete button. To edit a predefined film back, double click the field
you want to edit, type in the new value, and press Enter (Windows) or Return
(Mac).
Film Back The horizontal and vertical size of the film format (in inches).
Film Aspect The ratio of the horizontal and vertical size of the film format.
Squeeze Ratio A scaling factor applied to the horizontal and vertical size of
the film format (to represent non-symmetric lenses).
Image Plane properties
The Image Planes section of the Camera Editor contains a list of image
plane swatches for the current camera, and buttons that let you add a new
image plane to the camera or delete an existing image plane.
By default, a camera has no image planes, and no image plane swatches are
listed. You can add one or more image planes to a camera using the Add
button. The image planes are then listed in the Image Planes section of the
Camera Editor, and the Image Plane Parameters for the active image
plane become available. The active image plane is highlighted in white in the
image plane swatch list. You can select an image plane by clicking on its
swatch.
See Add or delete an image plane.
Add Lets you add a new image plane to the current camera by selecting an
image file with the File Requestor.
You can also add an image plane to the active windows camera by selecting
File > Import > Image Plane on page 460 (see Importing Image Planes in the
Alias Interface section of the Basic Tools book).
Delete Deletes the selected image plane.
Image Plane Parameters
The Image Plane Parameters represent the parameters for the active image
plane (the image plane that is selected in the Image Planes list).
Name The name of the selected image plane in the Image Planes list.
Sketch Layers If Sketch Layer is ON, the image plane is a sketch image
plane. If Sketch Layers is OFF, the image plane is an animation image plane.
See the Sketching book for more information on sketch image planes.
NOTE The Sketch Layers parameter is only available in Alias for Windows.
Display Mode Controls how the image plane is displayed in the modeling
windows and in the SBD window. The image plane will only render when
Display Mode is either Rgb or Off. The default setting is Rgb.
Outline
A rectangle with diagonals.
Rgb
Full 24 bit color image.
Off
No display.
See RGB Mult on page 1042.

RGB Mult A scaling factor applied to all colors in the image plane. That is,
all colors in the image plane are multiplied by the RGB Mult color. For
example, you can color correct an image plane that appears too green by
setting the RGB Mult color to a shade of blue. The default color is white (no
effect).
See RGB Offset on page 1042.
RGB Offset An offset factor applied to all colors in the image plane. That is,
all colors in the image plane have the RGB Offset color added to them. For
example, you can brighten an image plane that appears too dark by setting
the RGB Offset color to a shade of grey. The default color is black (no effect).
Output image properties

NOTE In Alias for Windows the Image File parameter is called Image Output
File when Sketch Layers is ON.
Image File, Image File Output The image planes source image file name. If
this file is part of a sequence (for example, image.1, image.2,...), then only
the base file name is displayed (for example, image). Image File may be an
absolute path (for example, /usr/3DCD/pix/image), or it may be a file name
relative to the current project (for example, image).
Frame Type Determines whether the image plane will use an animated
sequence of image files (Regular or Keyframe), or a single image file (Off).
The default setting is Off.
Off
the image plane uses a single image file,

even if the image file is part of a sequence
Keyframe
the image plane uses an irregular sequence

of image files (see Keyframe Frame Type
on page 1043 below)
Regular
image plane uses a regular sequence of

image files (see Regular Frame Type on
page 1044)
NOTE In Alias for Windows the Frame Type parameter is only available when
Sketch Layers is OFF.
Keyframe Frame Type

If you want to use an irregular sequence of image files as an animated image
plane (for example, if the sequence only includes image files for frames 1, 7,
11, 14, 18, and 33), set Frame Type to Keyframe. The Frame and Offset
By keyframing (Animation > Keyframe > Set Keyframe on page 837 ) the Frame
parameter, you can create an animation curve for the image plane which you
can edit in the Action Window. If you do not have an image file for every
frame of your animation, then use the STEP tangent type when animating
the image files (see Animation > Editors > Action Window on page 871 ).
You can also use the Read button to automatically create keyframes for all
available image files.
Frame The image file frame number that you want to use for the current frame
of your animation. The slider range is 0 to 100. The default value is 0.
Offset The frame of your animation at which the image plane displays the
first image file of the sequence. The slider range is 0 to 100. The default value
is 0.
For example, if the image plane files are named image.1, image.7, ..., image.33,
and the Offset value is 7, then image.1 is displayed at frame 1 + 7 = 8 of the
animation, image.7 is displayed at frame 7 + 7 = 14, ..., and image.33 is
displayed at frame 33 + 7 = 40. In addition, image.1 is displayed at frames 1
to 7 because it is the first image of the sequence, and image.33 is displayed at
frames 41 to the end of the animation because it is the last image of the
sequence.
Read Scans your image file directory for images of the form image.# (where
# is the images frame sequence number), and automatically keyframes those
images at the correct frames. You can press the Read button again at any time
to include any new image files in the animation. You can also edit the
animation curve for the image planes Frame parameter in the Action
Window.
For example, if image files exist for frames 1, 7, 11, 14, 18, and 33, and the
Offset value is 7, clicking the Read button will automatically keyframe these
images at frames 8, 14, 18, 21, 25, and 40.
The Read button is very useful if you do not know which frames you have
available (for example, if someone else is generating keyframe pose images
for you at the same time that you are building the animation).
Regular Frame Type

If you want to use a regular sequence of image files as an animated image
plane (for example, if the sequence includes image files for frames 1, 2, 3, 4,
5,..., 30), set Frame Type to Regular. The Start/End and By/Offset
By setting these parameters, you automatically create an animation curve for

the image planes Frame parameter which you can edit in the Action
Window.
Start/End The first and last frame number of the image file sequence.
By/Offset The increment of each image file frame number (By), and the frame
of your animation at which the image plane displays the first image file of
the sequence (Offset).
For example, if the image plane files are named image.1, image.2, ..., image.30,
and the Offset value is 7, then image.1 is displayed at frame 1 + 7 = 8 of the
animation, image.2 is displayed at frame 2 + 7 = 9, ..., and image.30 is displayed
at frame 30+7 = 37. In addition, image.1 is displayed at frames 1 to 7 because
it is the first image of the sequence, and image.30 is displayed at frames 38 to
the end of the animation because it is the last image of the sequence.
Output mask properties
NOTE Image plane masking is similar to label masking (see Mask a label using an
image file mask).
The Mask parameters let you mask the Image File so that only portions of
the image are visible.
NOTE In Alias for Windows the Mask parameters are only available when Sketch
Layers is OFF.
Mask Type The method used to mask the image planes Image File. The
default setting is Off (no mask).
Off
no mask; the entire rectangular Image

File is displayed
Image
the mask is taken directly from the Image

File (for example, if the image contains
transparency information)
File
the mask is taken from a separate image:

the Mask File (see File Mask Type on page
1046 below)
Chroma-Key
the mask is based on a certain color, or a

certain range of colors, in the Image File
(see Chroma-Key Mask Type on page 1046)
Invert Mask Reverses the effect of the mask so that masked areas become
unmasked, and vice-versa. The default setting is OFF.
File Mask Type

If you want to use a separate image file to mask the image planes Image File,
set Mask Type to File. The Mask File and Frame Type parameters become
available.
Mask File The name of the image file used as a mask by the image plane.
Where the Mask File is white, the Image File will be visible. Where the
Mask File is black, the Image File will not be visible. Where the Mask File
is grey, the Image File will be partially visible. The Mask File is automatically
positioned in the same location as the Image File.
Frame Type Determines whether the image plane will use an animated
sequence of mask files (Regular or Keyframe), or a single mask file (Off).
The default setting is Off. The Mask parameter Frame Type is identical to
Image parameter Frame Type (see Frame Type on page 1043).
One use of animated Image File and Mask File is to view a pre-rendered walk
cycle for a character and evaluate the characters interaction with other
characters.
Chroma-Key Mask Type

See Mask a label using an image file mask.
If you want to mask certain colors, or a certain range of colors, in the Image
File, set Mask Type to Chroma-Key. The Key Color, Hue Range, Sat
Range, Value Range, and Threshold parameters become available.
One use of chroma key masking is to mask out the blue background of live
action that was filmed against a blue screen.
Key Color The color to be masked in the Image File. The default color is
RGB 0,0,255. To mask a range of colors, you must also set the Hue/Sat/Val
Range parameters.
Hue Range The range of hues (H) centered on the Key Color which will also
be masked. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Sat Range The range of saturations (S) centered on the Key Color which will
also be masked. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Val Range The range of values (V) centered on the Key Color which will also
be masked. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Threshold The point at which the color state changes. The slider range is 0
to 1. The default value is 0.5.
Image Placement
See Sizing and positioning an image plane.
The Image Placement parameters control how the Image File covers the
camera view. For example, you may not want to display any bad edges that
may be in your Image File, or you may want the image to occupy a very
specific region of the screen.
Depth Determines whether the image plane appears in front of or behind
your scene, and in front of or behind other image planes. If Depth is Priority,
a numeric field becomes available.
The value of the Priority numeric field determines the order the image planes
appear in. Image planes with Priority greater than 0 will appear in front of
the rendered scene. Image planes with Priority less than or equal to 0 will
appear behind the rendered scene.
In Alias for Windows, when Sketch Layers is ON, the Depth options are
Background (the image plane appears behind 3D objects) and Foreground
(the image plane appears in front of 3D objects).
Image XY Ratio Lock Maintains the image planes proportions by keeping
the Bottom Left and Top Right values at a constant ratio. The default
setting is OFF.
NOTE In Alias for Windows the Image XY Ratio Lock parameter is only available
when Sketch Layers is OFF.
Bottom Left, Top Right The position of the bottom left corner and top right
corner of the image plane measured in world units.
Size The horizontal and vertical size of the image plane measured in world
units.
Extend/Crop Right If Add Right is on and you increase/decrease the X

Pixels value, the right side of the sketch image plane is extended/cropped.
If Add Right is off, the left side of the sketch image plane is
extended/cropped.
NOTE The Add Right parameter is only available in Alias for Windows when
Sketch Layers is ON.
Extend/Crop Top If Add Top is on and you increase/decrease the Y Pixels
value, the top of the sketch image plane is extended/cropped. If Add Top is
off, the bottom of the sketch image plane is extended/cropped.
NOTE The Add Top parameter is only available in Alias for Windows when Sketch
Layers is ON.
Pixels The horizontal and vertical resolution of the image plane measured in
pixels per world unit.
Wrap Horiz, Wrap Vert (Wrap Horizontally, Wrap Vertically) Tiles (repeats)
the image horizontally (Wrap Horiz) or vertically (Wrap Vert) when the
coverage area is larger than the size of the image. The default setting is OFF.
NOTE In Alias for Windows the Wrap Horiz and Wrap Vert parameters are
only available when Sketch Layers is OFF.
Offset XY The origin of the image plane relative to the origin of the Image
File.
NOTE In Alias for Windows the Offset XY parameter is only available when
Coverage XY The horizontal and vertical dimensions of the image plane
relative to the Image File.
NOTE In Alias for Windows the Coverage XY parameter is available only when
See also:
Cameras
Animate an image plane
Open the Camera Editor
Change a cameras view
Cameras Auto Render Clip parameter
Motion blur does not work
Windows > Editors > Cross Section Editor

Creates visual cross sections on selected surfaces or meshes. Those can be promoted
to section data geometry.
Cross Section Editor Control Window

The Cross Section Editor control window contains all the needed tools to
define, organize, edit and apply cross sections.
It lets you create and view different groups of cross sections on a surface, a
trimmed surface, a mesh or a shell. The cross section groups are maintained
and automatically updated with any change to the object. They are also saved
with the model.
The Cross Section Editor features an interface that makes it easy to switch
between cross section groups. You can create many cross section groups at
once and apply them to any, or all, geometry.
The editor contains three preset cross-section groups, perpendicular to the X,

Y, and Z axes at 100 mm intervals.
Windows > Editors > Cross Section Editor | 1051
To the right of each cross-section groups name is a check box that lets you
view or hide curvature combs on the cross-sections when the objects are
selected.
The editor includes the following menus:
New This menu lets you define sections in five different ways: Axis
Increment, Axis Discrete (choice of X, Y or Z), Picked Reference, Planar,
or True (Radial).
Choosing one of these options creates the cross section group, applies the
cross section group to the selected geometry (or all geometry if Global is
turned on) and opens the appropriate option window. See Cross Section Types
on page 1053 below for details.
Delete Delete the Selected cross-section group(s) only, or All cross-section
groups (except the preset groups which cannot be deleted).
Tools The only choice is to Promote the selected cross-section groups on
the selected objects, to section data geometry. You can also pick individual
sections after you enter the Promote tool.
These three controls lie below the menus:
Global Turn on Global (check mark) to apply the selected section groups to
all visible geometry (surfaces and meshes). If you turn off Global (no check
mark), any new section group you select is only applied to the picked (active)
geometry.
Apply Click the Apply button to apply the selected cross-section groups to
newly selected geometry (surfaces and meshes).
Clear Click the Clear button to remove the display of cross-sections from
either the selected objects (if Global is off) or all objects (if Global is on).
If nothing is selected, all cross section groups are cleared from all geometry.
NOTE The cross sections are removed from the geometry, but their definition
remains in the editor, so they can be re-applied.
Cross Section Types

Choosing one of the five types of cross-sections from the New menu opens
a control window. All control windows share the following options:
Name Shows the name of the cross section group that appears in the Cross
Section Editor. Double-click this field to change the name.
Store as default Check this option to create a default section group (in addition
to the X, Y, and Z section defaults). The cross-section group can then be applied
across stages or across sessions. It remains in the Cross Section Editor until
explicitly deleted.
The following three options only appear in the control window if the
Curvature comb is checked on in the Cross Section Editor.
Lock curvature Turn on this option to prevent accidental modification of

the cross sections curvature combs when using the global Comb Scale or
Samples sliders from the Control Panel. (See Control Panel > Curvature on
page 1152).
Curvature scale Scales the length of the curvature combs.
Curvature samples Specifies the number of equally-spaced quills that appear
on the curvature combs.
Each type is described below along with the options that are specific to it.
Axis Increment
These cross sections are perpendicular to the X, Y, and Z axes and are evenly
spaced. They start from the origin and extend in both directions.
When selecting this option from the New menu, the following control window
appears.
X/Y/Z Turn on or off to view various combinations of cross sections

perpendicular to the X, Y and Z axes.
Step The spacing between cross section lines along the X, Y, and Z axes.
Auto range If this option is checked, we use the bounding box of the picked
objects to determine where to compute the cross sections, so that they show
over the whole geometry independently of its position in space.
Start/End These options are only available when Auto Range is off.
The three fields represent the X, Y, and Z coordinates for the start and end of
the range over which the cross sections are drawn.
If Start equals End, a single cross section line is created.
Axis Discrete
These are individually-created cross-sections that lie in a plane perpendicular
to the X, Y or Z axis at a specific location. That X, Y or Z location is specified
through the control window or by clicking the mouse.
appears.
Section location Use this field to enter the location for a discrete cross-section.
The new value is added to the list below and the field is reset to 0.0. A locator
corresponding to the location is created on the model.
Double-click a value in the list to change it.
Delete Click on a location in the list (the field turns blue and the locator is
selected). Then click the Delete button to remove the corresponding
cross-section.
Picked Reference
These cross sections are created at the intersection between the geometry and
selected section data or construction planes.
NOTE Section data can be created from degree 1 NURBS by using the
crvToSection plug-in.
appears.
Number of references This field displays how many planes or sections have
been selected as references.
Planar
These cross sections are created at the intersection between the geometry and
a (temporary) construction plane generated on the fly. You can also select an
existing construction plane.
appears.
Number of planes The number of cross sections created. The first one
corresponds to the intersection of the construction plane with the surfaces.
Additional cross sections are created in the direction of +Z axis of the
construction plane, at Step size intervals.
Step size The spacing between the cross sections.
Mirror planes If checked, cross sections are created on both sides of the
defining plane. (For example, if Number of planes is set to 3, and Mirror
planes is on, the total number of sections will be 5).
True (Radial)
These cross-sections are created based on a driving curve you specify. Points,
equally spaced by arc length, are placed on the curve to correspond to a given
number of sections. A plane is then defined perpendicular to the tangent of
the curve at each of these points. The cross-sections are created where the
planes intersect the geometry.
NOTE The driving curve can be a free curve, a curve-on-surface, or a surface edge
or isoparm. If all curves are tangent continuous, more than one driving curve can
be selected.
appears.
Number of planes Number of planes to define along the driving curve(s).

The cross-sections are created where the planes intersect the geometry. The
default is 10.
Chain selection If this option is checked, selecting a driving curve also selects
all other curves that are tangent continuous with it.
Promoting visual cross sections to geometry

You can create section data from visual cross-sections by choosing Promote
from the Tools menu in the Cross Section Editor. The following options
are available.
Sort sections If this option is checked on, the X, Y, and Z sections are placed
in separate color-coded layers. All other sections are assigned to a layer called
Other sections.
Merge sections If this option is checked on, cross-sections that are position
(G0) continuous, and belong to the same intersecting plane, are merged into
a single section curve. The Topology Distance tolerance from the
Construction Options is used to determine if sections should be merged.
Tolerance Fitting tolerance used to rebuild the internal NURBS curves as

section data.
NOTE To create NURBS geometry from the section data, you must use the Curve
Edit > Fit Curve on page 155
tool.
See also:
Create or view cross sections
Windows > Object Lister

Opens the Object Lister. The Object Lister provides a structured view of the components
of the scene.
The object lister organizes your scene based on either modeling layers (By
Layer), or in the following order: Canvases, Construction Entities, Group
Nodes, followed by all other geometry (By Object). Choose which view you
want from the Show menu.
When you first open the Object Lister, the hierarchy structure is closed. To
open a section, click the plus (+) icon. To expand all groups in a layer or object,
Shift-click a plus icon. To expand all layers or groups, click the +/- All button.
Click it again to collapse all.
Hold Shift to pick several adjacent objects, or Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac)
to pick several non-adjacent objects.
Any objects picked in the scene can be easily located by clicking on the small
up and down arrows.
If there are several items picked, each one will be scrolled to in turn in the
direction you have picked. When the end of the list is reached, the display
scrolls to the start.
To pick an object, curve, layer, selection of layers or other item in the

Object Lister, click it with the left mouse button. When ordering By Layer,
clicking on a layer also makes it the construction layer.
To change the visibility of a layer, click the layer icon, or click a layer name
with the right mouse button to display a pull-down menu of layer operations
(such as Visible, Symmetry, Assign, and so on).
To change a layer color, hold the left mouse button on the layer icon or click
with the right mouse button on a layer color swatch to open the layer color
palette.
Click an object (curve, surface, and so on) with the right mouse button to display
a pull-down menu containing the following choices:
Visible Makes picked objects visible or invisible. When visible objects

are picked, right-clicking shows the check mark turned on. When turning
the check mark off, these objects become invisible in the view window,
and are grayed out in the Object Lister.
NOTE To avoid errors, you cannot pick invisible objects. To make an invisible
object visible, right-click it and select Visible to turn on the check mark. The
object becomes visible.
Properties Brings up the Information Window for the object.
If sorting By Object, the following choices also appear:
Group Creates a new group node and places the picked objects inside.
Place Inside This choice becomes active only when right-clicking on

a group node. It places the picked objects into this group node.
Windows > Object Lister | 1059
Insert Before, Insert After Right-clicking on any object and selecting

one of these options places the already picked object(s) before or after the
specific object.
NOTE These two choices are only active when it is possible to insert into the
current position. They are grayed out if, for example, you try to insert geometry
between group nodes.
Object lister menus

Show
By Layer Shows all objects, geometry, cameras, planes and so on, grouped
inside their geometry layer.
NOTE If you set Modeling Layers mode to Number in your General

Preferences, then the Object Lister displays the layer numbers instead of the
layer names, for example, #L1, #L2, and so on
By Object Lists all items in the following order.
Two envelops for Canvases and Construction Entities
Group nodes
All other geometry
If By Layer is chosen, the following menu appears.
Categories
All layers All layers in the scene are shown in the object lister.
Reference layers Only modeling layers that have been set to Reference are
displayed in the Object Lister and scene.
Selected layers Only modeling layers that have been picked are displayed in
the Object Lister and scene. To pick layers, click their names. To pick a number
of layers, Shift-click to pick layers that are contiguous, or Ctrl -click (Windows)
or Control-click (Mac) to pick layers that are separated from each other.
Search and Pick

The Search & Pick field at the top right of the Object Lister window helps
you dynamically sort and arrange objects. For example, if you have a large
model, and want to group all the Rail surfaces, type Rail in this field, then
press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac). All objects whose names start with
Rail (case insensitive) are picked in the Object Lister, as well as the modeling
window. You can scroll up and down in the Object Lister to check the picked
objects and can cross-check in the modeling window.
Hold the Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac) key and click to unpick any rail object
that is not required for the group. Then create a new group node or put the
rail objects in an existing group node.
If a collapsed group node has a picked Rail object, the group node expands,
to make it easier to find the picked geometry.
You can also use the * character as a wildcard. For example, *shell* will find
all objects whose names contain the string shell, and *30 will find all objects
whose names end with 30.
Object lister icons

Icon
Meaning
Camera
Camera eye
Icon
Meaning
Camera up
Camera view
Canvas
Info button. Click to bring up information

about the number of curves, surfaces,
trimmed surfaces, and canvases
Cloud
Construction plane
Curve on surface
Curve
DAG (directed acyclic graph) node
Icon
Meaning
Instance
Light
Mesh
Null node
Overlay plane
Point
Scanned data
Shell
Surface
Icon
Meaning
Target
Texture projection
Trimmed surface
Unknown object
Vector
Windows > Bookmark Lister

Shows or hides the Bookmark Lister, which lets you create, edit, recall, and save
bookmarked views.
Windows > Bookmark Lister | 1065
The Bookmark Lister contains the tools necessary to create, edit, delete,
view and publish bookmarks.
The tools are followed by a list of icons representing your bookmarks. (There
will not be any bookmarks until you create them). The current bookmark has
a green outline. You make a bookmark current when you click it to view it.
Selection
You select a bookmark icon by clicking it with the left mouse button. You can
select multiple bookmark icons on the current shelf (for moving, deletion or
publishing) by holding down the Ctrl key and selecting the bookmark icons.
A highlighted white border surrounds each selected bookmark. If the current
bookmark is selected, it is surrounded by a lighter green border (a mixture of
green and white pixels). The current bookmark is selected by default but can
be deselected by clicking it while holding the Ctrl key.
Shelves
You can also add and manage shelves using the standard shelf interaction
conventions.
To create a new shelf, click the right mouse button in an empty part of the
Bookmark Lister, and choosing New shelf from the drop down menu.
Enter a Shelf Name in the confirm box that appears. If two shelves are given
the same name, a sequential number is appended to create unique names (for
example, Shelf, Shelf#2, Shelf#3 and so on).
If you do not create any shelves, your bookmarks are placed on the default
shelf called BookMarks.
Tools
Put the cursor over a tool to see its name.
Delete Bookmark
Remove the selected bookmark(s) from the list.
NOTE You can also use the middle mouse button to drag selected bookmarks, or
an entire shelf tab, to the Delete tool icon (trash can).
New Bookmark
Create a new bookmark and add it to the list. The bookmark includes model
orientation (camera view), shading attributes, and sketched annotations (drawn
using tools from the Paint palette).
Prev Bookmark
View the previous bookmark in the list.
Next Bookmark
View the next bookmark in the list.
Toggle Camera Only Mode

Display bookmarks either with the camera view only, or with both the view
and display attributes (default).
Bookmarks capture the current camera view and settings as well as a selection
of display attributes and diagnostic display values.
Clicking this button toggles on the camera-only mode. In this mode, the
current display (diagnostic shading, hardware shading, and so on) does not
change when a bookmark is selected. Only the view (camera) is set. Clicking
the button again toggles off camera-only mode.
Three bookmarked views with Toggle Camera Only turned Off
After viewing the first bookmark, Toggle Camera Only is turned On. Display attributes remain the same
when viewing the other two bookmarks.
The Toggle Camera Only Mode option is also available as a hotkey from
the Hotkey Editor.
Cycle Bookmark
View the bookmarks in a slide show fashion. The slide show starts at the
current bookmark and displays the following bookmarks in order, all the way
to the end of the shelf. It then loops around to the first bookmark.
To stop the slide show, click anywhere in the window.
Double-clicking on the Cycle tool opens its option box:
Bookmark cycle time Specifies how long each bookmark is displayed.

Repeat cycles If turned on (check mark), the slide show repeats indefinitely.
Publish bookmark
Save one or several bookmarked view(s) as image file(s) on your local disk.
Double-clicking on the Publish tool opens its option box:
Image File Type Specifies the file format of the published image.
Bookmark Publish Selected publishes all selected bookmarks.
Current Shelf publishes all the bookmarks on the current shelf.
All publishes all bookmarks from all shelves.
Specify Image Size If checked, two sliders enable you to set (in pixels) the
dimensions of the output image.
Maintain Aspect Ratio If this option is checked, changing the horizontal or
vertical size will automatically adjust the other slider so that the aspect ratio
of the image is preserved.
This option only appears when Specify Image Size in on.
Horizontal / Vertical Size Size (in pixels) of the output image.
These options only appear when Specify Image Size in on.
Quality Level This option only appears when the Image File Type is jpeg.
Use the pull-down menu (Maximum, High, Medium or Low) or the slider
(values from 1 to 100) to adjust the quality of the jpeg image. A higher quality
will result in a larger file size.
See also:
Use the view panel
Bookmark an annotated model
Bookmark workflows
Preferences menu
28
Preferences > Workflows > Default

Shows the full Alias interface without workflow tailoring.
Choose Default to be exposed to the full application for general work, or for
animation purposes.
Default shows all menus and palettes, and uses the Modeling control panel.
(See Preferences > Workflows > Modeling on page 1072 .)
Preferences > Workflows > Paint

Customize the Alias interface for sketching.
The following UI elements are affected by this mode.
Menu Shows only sketching-related menus and tools.
Turn off Grid Hides the grid in all views (the same as choosing WindowDisplay
> Toggles > Grid on page 583 ).
Colors Sets the interface colors (including the default view background color)
to the default modeling colors (None), the default sketching colors (Default),
or to an interface color file (Specified) created from Preferences > Interface >
User Colors on page 1075 .
Marking Menu Turns on the sketching-specific marking menus (the same as
choosing Preferences > Interface > Marking Menus on page 1073 ).
Control Panel Shows the Paint Panel (the same as choosing Windows >
Control Panel on page 993 ).
1071
See Paint control panel on page 1155 for details.

See also:
2D best practices
Preferences > Workflows > Modeling

Customize the Alias interface for 3D modeling.
Menus Reduces the number of menu items by hiding those operations specific
to painting, animating, or visualizing.
Turn on Grid Shows the grid in all views.
Colors Sets the default view background color to gray.
Marking Menu Turns on the standard marking menus.
Control Panel Shows the Modeling control panel.
See Modeling control panel on page 1123 for details.
See also:
Set up for sketching
Preferences > Workflows > Visualize

Customize the Alias interface for rendering.
Menus Reduces the number of menu items by hiding those operations specific
to painting, animating, or modeling.
Colors Sets the default view background color to gray.
Marking Menu Turns on a shorter version of marking menus for use with
rendering.
1072 | Chapter 28 Preferences menu
Turn on Grid Shows the grid in all views.

Control Panel Shows the Visualizing control panel.
See Visualization control panel on page 1173 for more details.
Preferences > Menus > Short Menus

Shows only the menu items you have marked for short menus in the Hotkeys window.
See also:
Customize the menus
Preferences > Menus > Long Menus

Shows all menu items.
Preferences > Interface > Hotkeys/Menu Editor

Allows you to edit the shortcut keys (hotkeys) for tools, menu items, and various
functions, and mark which menu items are included in the short menus.
See also:
Customize Alias for maximum efficiency
Customize the menus
Create and edit hotkeys
2D best practices
Preferences > Interface > Marking Menus

Opens a special shelf window allowing you to edit the tools/menu items included on
the marking menus.
Preferences > Menus > Short Menus | 1073
Preferences > Interface > Toggle Single Hotkeys

Switches between allowing single key hotkeys (hotkeys without modifiers), and allowing
typing directly to the prompt line.
Alias allows you to select two different behaviors when begin typing while
using a tool:
Prompt line mode Any typing goes directly to the prompt line. You can
only use hotkeys that have a modifier key (Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac),
Shift, Ctrl (Windows) or Control (Mac)).
Single key hotkeys mode Any key presses are interpreted as hotkeys first.
To type in the prompt line, you have to click it first. Single key hotkey
mode allows you to work more efficiently by assigning tools and menu
items to single key presses.
Use this menu item to switch between the two modes.
Preferences > Interface > Palette/Shelves Layout

Tiles the Tool Palette, Shelf, and Alias windows.
TIP If you close the Tool Palette or Tool Shelf, use the items in the Windows
menu to open them again.
Palette/Shelves Layout Options

Palette Position/Shelf Position Click a radio button to change the default
display of the Tool Palette and Shelf. You can choose either the Left, Right,
Bottom, or Top of the screen.
Icons Per Row If your Palette or Shelf position is vertical (either Left or
Right), click to display the popup menu from which you can select to display
the icons three or four across.
TIP When bringing icons onto your shelf from File menu tools, most will contain
the picture of a file folder with a colored tab. The colored tab makes it easier to
distinguish between the various types of files handled by these tools.
NOTE For example, the icon for File > Import > Cloud on page 457 has a folder
with a purple tab drawn on it.
Keep Alias Window Size Maintain the current Alias window size and position
in the vertical format.
See also:
Manage shelves
Change the layout of the palette and shelf windows
Preferences > Interface > Shelf Extras

Inserts dividers, spacers, or brackets in your custom shelves to help organize them.
A new shelf opens:
Use the middle mouse button to drag one of these spacers or dividers into the
appropriate place on a custom shelf. These are useful for visually grouping
items, which makes it easier to scan for the right tool.
Preferences > Interface > User Colors

Lets you set colors for the Alias interface. You can set colors for active (picked) models;
inactive (unpicked) models; elements in the modeling windows, such as grids; and
elements in the user interface, such as text entry fields.
The colors are divided into sections:
The Active modeling colors and Inactive modeling colors sections

control the colors of different types of objects when they are picked or
unpicked.
NOTE For Active and Inactive states, the System element will define the
colors for all elements that do not have a specific color in the User Colors panel.
The Modeling window colors section controls the colors used to draw
the view windows, including the background.
Preferences > Interface > Shelf Extras | 1075
The User interface section controls the colors used to draw other
miscellaneous elements in the user interface, such as buttons.
To change the color of an interface element, do any of the following:
Drag the slider to choose a color from a preset list (not available in the
User interface section).
Click the color swatch to set the color using the color editor.
See also:
Customize colors
Preferences > General Preferences

Lets you customize various settings and options of Alias.
Interface
Tool icons Click one of these radio buttons to customize the display of your
icons. This option is saved when you exit. Choose one of
Text
Small
Medium
Large
Icon labels A check mark in the check box turns on icon labels, which show
text labels beneath icons. This option is saved when you exit from Alias.
Tooltips Turn off or on text hints that appear in the interface when the mouse
cursor hovers over a tool icon for longer than 1 second.
Title bar info Turn off or on the units and grid size information on the top
of the active modeling window.
Status bar Use to turn on or off the appearance of the status bar at the bottom
of the Alias window.
Input
Default keyboard entry mode Choose either Absolute or Relative. Specifies
whether the numbers that you type for Transform functions are absolute
(ABS) or relative (REL) addresses. ABS uses the origin for placement (0, 0, 0),
and 0 degrees along the X, Y, and Z axes for rotation. REL uses the objects
current placement and rotation.
Use pick chooser Check the Pick Chooser on or off. If it is on (the default),
a small box appears under the mouse when more than one object is picked
by a mouse click. This box contains a list of all pickable items under the mouse
and allows you to choose the one you want.
Mouse mapping for perspective move

On ground plane Choose one of the following to determine the way the
mouse buttons enable you to move objects in the perspective view:
Left=X Mid=Y Right=Z
Left=Free Mid=X Right=Y
On construction plane Choose one of the following to determine the way

the mouse buttons enable you to move objects in the perspective view when
you have set a construction plane:
Left=X Mid=Y Right=Z
Left=Free Mid=X Right=Y
Viewing
View control Select the view control to display when you enter camera move
mode in the Perspective view (Shift + Alt (Windows) or Shift + Option (Mac)).
None Displays no view control.
View panel Displays the Viewing Panel. See Using the Viewing Panel.
ViewCube Displays the ViewCube.
View transition time Specifies the time (in seconds) it takes for one view to
smoothly rotate into another. Choose a value between 0.0 and 4.0 by typing
in the numeric field or dragging the slider.
Alt/Shift Action Specifies the behavior of the mouse buttons while navigating
in the perspective view, when the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and Shift keys
are held down.
Preferences > General Preferences | 1077
This option only appears if View control is set to View panel. When using
the ViewCube, the option is part of the NavBar.
Azimuth/Twist The mouse buttons behave as follows:
Left Moving the mouse horizontally controls the azimuth. Moving the
mouse vertically controls the elevation.
Middle Tracks horizontally and vertically.
Right Moving the mouse vertically dollies in and out. Moving the mouse
horizontally twists.
Tumble/Zoom The mouse buttons behave as follows:
Left Tumbles horizontally or vertically around the cursor position, or

the point of interest, if present. (Click and release to position the point of
interest.)
Middle Tracks horizontally and vertically.
Right Dollies in and out.
View step angle Specifies the angle increment when using the arrow keys to
change the azimuth (left/right arrows) or elevation (up/down arrows).
Allow axis constrained tumble Forces tumbling to happen around one axis.
Tumbling is constrained about an axis that is perpendicular to the line
described by the initial mouse movement, and once the tumble has been
started, the mouse needs to deviate substantially off the initial line in order
for the camera to no longer tumble about the initially described axis.
Constraint sensitivity Larger values make it easier for the tumbling to get
constrained to an axis. Smaller values make it more difficult.
Dolly to mouse Check on to set the dolly-in or dolly-out point to be the
mouse cursor. If not checked, the dolly-in or dolly-out point will be the origin
(0, 0, 0). If Dolly to Point is also checked, Dolly to Point takes
precedencethe point of interest will be the dolly focus if it is visible in the
active window.
Use point of interest Check on or off the visibility of the Point of Interest
Manipulator. The default is off.
Dolly to point Check on to set the dolly-in or dolly-out point to be the point
of interest on screen. If checked off, the dolly point will be the mouse cursor
if Dolly to Mouse is checked, or the origin if neither Dolly To Point nor
Dolly To Mouse is checked.
Non proportional scaling box Check on if you want the View > Set Non
Proportional View on page 398

tool to use a selection box to determine
the extent and center of the scaled view.
If checked off, the tool squishes and stretches the view interactively as you
drag the mouse.This is the default.
Model Windows
Transform guides Check on or off the guidelines and numerical box that
appear when you use the Transform > Move on page 11 tool.
Show axis triad Check to show the red, green, and blue XYZ axis marker in
each modeling window.
Titlebar transparency Specifies the level of transparency of the window title
bars. A value of 0.0 is completely opaque, and a value of 1.0 is completely
transparent (letting you see the grid and model through the title bars).
NOTE Although you can see the model through the title bars, you cannot pick it
in that location.
Background gradient style None The window background displays with
no gradient.
Linear The window background displays with a gradient that is darker at
the top than the bottom. This is the default.
Centered The window background displays with a centered gradient that
is lighter in the middle.
Restart required for these values

Coordinate system Controls which axis is up and down, that is,
perpendicular to the ground plane. Different computer graphics industries
sometimes use different conventions for whether Z or Y is up. Generally, Z
is used for the up axis in industrial design.
Modeling
Maximum number of guidelines Set to a value between 0 and 10. This option
used to be found under Delete > Delete Guidelines on page 538 .
Modeling Layers mode Choose either Name or Number. Choose Name to

assign any name to the modeling layers; choose Number to name layers L1,
L2, L3, and so on.
Paint
Paint display quality Choose Low, Medium, or High.
Show brush stamp preview Check on or off to display or hide the brush
preview. When the Brush Stamp Preview is turned on, the cursor displays
a preview image of how the brush will apply paint to the sketch.
Show paint cursor Check to show white crosshairs centered on the brushs
midpoint.
Show brush cursor outline Select one of the following options to display or
hide the brush outline:
Off Do not display brush outline
Off During Stroke Display brush outline except when creating a stroke
of paint
On Always display brush outline
Hide windows during stroke Sets the amount of time (in seconds) that it
will take before the windows reappear. Choose a value between 0.00 and 10.00
seconds.
Brush curve snap tolerance The distance in pixels within which a brush will
snap to a curve when curve snapping is on, from 4 to 128. The default is 25.
Default canvas width Sets the size (in pixels) of any new canvases that are
created. The default width is 842 pixels.
Default canvas height Sets the size (in pixels) of any new canvases that are
created. The default height is 595 pixels.
Default canvas on persp Specifies what type of canvas is created when you
start sketching in a Perspective window with no canvases.
Always prompt me The New Canvas option window appears so that
you can choose the type of canvas and canvas parameters. This is the default.
Standard canvas A standard canvas of default width and height is always
created.
Overlay canvas An overlay canvas of default width and height is always
created.
Show thumbnails in canvas layer editor Check this option to see the image
layer thumbnails in the Canvas Layer Editor.
Visualization
Shader sample size Relative size of the shader sample thumbnails in the
Visualize Control Panel.
SMALL Fits three thumbnails across the panel.
LARGE Fits two thumbnails across the panel.
Library location The location of the library of shaders that will appear in the
Visualize Control Panel.
This location can also be specified by using the Shader Library > Change
Library menu at the top of the Visualize Control Panel.
If this field is blank, a default library is used.
Animation
Draw bone style Choose one of
Line
Round
Pyramid
Proportional
Triangular
Bone tab Check this option to attach a tab bar to the bone axis. It also helps
you to detect if the bone is flipped
System
Type of file browser (Windows only) Choose Windows or Alias, depending
whether you want to search for files using the default Alias Browser or the
Windows Browser. The Windows file browser lets you store up to eight
frequently used paths in the GO menu. This option only appears in the
Windows Interface Options window.
Create .ICON files Check if you want to include a snapshot of the current
window with any saved file. If checked OFF, then no .ICON preivew snapshot
will be created, but any previous files with .ICON files will still show their
preview snapshot in both Alias and Windows dile browsers.
Checkpoint file location Set the directory for CheckPoint files to be stored.
For more information about CheckPoint files, see File > Checkpoint on page
455 . If this string is left blank, the directory defaults to
current_project/wire/Checkpoints.
MSave file location Set the directory for files to be stored in the event of
Alias terminating abnormally. If this string is left blank, the default is
current_project/wire/_M.SAVES.

Help location The location of the Alias online help. This can be a file system
path or a URL. For example:
/CDROM/html
file:///c:/Docs/Alias/Help
http://webserver/docs/Alias/Help
You must set this option to open the online help from the Help menu.
Browser library location The location of a library of digital resources, such
as shaders or wire files. This path is available as the Library menu item in
the file browser.
Browser dumpster location The directory deleted files are moved to. If you
do not type an absolute path, the path is relative to your user_data directory.
In Windows, this defaults to the Recycle Bin.
Use default temp directory for scratch disk space This option specifies the
location that Alias will use as scratch disk space. If it is checked (default), the
users temporary directory is used. If it is unchecked, you can choose another
location using the field below. The files that Alias creates in the scratch
directory are automatically cleared when you exit the software.
Scratch Disk Space Directory Type the path to the location that you want
to use as scratch disk space, or use the Browse button.
Miscellaneous
General Undo
Limit undos Check if you want to reduce the amount of memory used to
keep track of actions that can be undone. If checked, the Maximum undos
slider becomes available.
Limit memory used Check to limit the operations that can be undone based
on RAM. If checked, the Maximum memory slider becomes available.
Maximum undos If you have chosen to limit the number of undo operations
that can be performed, choose a number between 0 (no undo operations) and
100.
Maximum memory (Mbytes) Allows you to limit the amount of RAM that
will be allocated for Undo operations. The available range is 0 megabytes (no
memory allocated for Undo operations) to 500 megabytes. The default is 300
megabytes.

These next two options contain the search path(s) that are used to locate and
load plug-ins into Alias.
Plugin verbose output Print Brief or Full messages to the error log (Utilities
> Errlog on page 1104 ) while loading/unloading plug-ins.
Plugin search path The path(s) that are searched for plug-ins. Separate paths
on the lines with colons (:). Paths are searched in order.
See also:
Export SDL files
Show the online help
Find the location of a tool or menu item in the interface
Use the view panel
Tool Basics
Paint and erase
Customize brush display
Bookmark an annotated model
2D best practices
Preferences > Selection Options

Lets you assign different behaviors to the mouse buttons, as well as set the method
by which surfaces are selected.
The Selection Options settings can be saved and placed on a shelf, or
assigned to a hot key (using Preferences > Interface > Hotkeys/Menu
Editor).
Face selection If this option is checked on, surfaces can be selected by clicking
inside the wireframe. Choose one of:
Closest On mouse down, the object under the cursor that is closest to the
camera is selected. This is the default.
If any edge or curve is under the cursor, that edge selection takes priority over
the selection of a surfaces interior. When multiple edges are selected, the pick
chooser appears.
Select through On mouse down the objects under the cursor selection are
evaluated for location relative to the camera. If there are multiple surfaces
selected, the pick chooser appears and lists the objects in order from the camera.
If any edge or curve is under the cursor, that edge selection takes priority over
the selection of a surfaces interior. When multiple edges are selected, the pick
chooser appears.
NOTE Face selection behavior is the same for shaded geometry. If the edge of
an obscured surface is selected, x-ray highlighting is turned on for that surface to
show that it is picked.
NOTE If Face selection is turned on, and you are using the Transform > Move
on page 11
tool, you need to hold down the Shift key to select a surface
by clicking inside the wireframe. This is to avoid inadvertently selecting a surface
while moving.
Face Selection is off by default.
Selection behavior
Left mouse button / Middle mouse button / Right mouse button Use the
drop-down menus to assign one of the following selection modes to each
mouse button.
NOTE The selection mode assigned to a mouse button also applies when using
a selection box, as well as when using the lasso option in Pick > Point Types >
CV
or Pick > Edit Point
Toggle Picking an unselected object selects it. Picking a selected object

deselects it. This is the default for the left mouse button.
Add Picking an unselected object selects it. Picking an already selected object
has no effect. In other words, this mode can only add to the selection list,
never remove from it. This is the default for the middle mouse button.
This mode is useful for composing a collection of objects to be used for a

variety of operations including grouping, assigning materials and transforming.
Unpick Picking a selected object deselects it. Picking a deselected object
has no effect. In other words, this mode can only remove from the selection
list, never add to it. This is the default for the right mouse button.
Pick Only the objects you pick are selected. Everything else is deselected.
Clicking in empty space deselects everything.
Preferences > Selection Options | 1085
This mode is useful when picking controls for direct manipulation as we only
want one control to be picked at a time.
Preferences > Performance Options

Controls updates of animation expressions, constraints, construction history and
locators.
Update Options
These controls determine when updates occur to various items: expressions,
constraints, IK handles, clusters, construction history and locators.
Each of these item updates shares the following toggles (construction history
updates share only the second one):
After Modification When After Modification is OFF, the display of expression,
constraint, IK, cluster, and locator updates is suppressed. When set to ON (the
default), updates are displayed as they happen.
NOTE Updates are stored, so if After Modification is set to OFF for a long time
and then turned ON, all the stored updates are done immediately.
During Transform When During Transform is ON, updates of the expression,
constraint, IK, cluster, construction history and locators occur as you drag the
mouse in any Transform operation (such as Transform > Scale on page 13
). When During Transform is OFF, updates occur when you release the
mouse after an Transform operation. By default, it is ON for constraint, IK,
cluster and locator and OFF for expressions and construction history.
During Playback When During Playback is ON (the default), updates of
locators, expressions, constraints, IKs, and clusters occur for each frame during
playback. When it is OFF, the updates occur at the end of the playback
operation.
Note that:
Even though construction history can update for each frame of a playback,
it may not do so for a rendering of a playback because SDL does not support
all construction history operations.
Constraint animation can be updated during playback. However, to render

constraint animation, pick the skeletons with animating constraints and
select Animation > IK > Run IK on page 856 to capture the constraint
animation of the skeleton with keyframe animation.
IK Updates
Sync Geom After Write SDL The IK Updates section has this option. If there
is Single Chain IK in your model, Write SDL steps through your skeleton
animation internally, and then does a viewframe at the end to restore the
skeletons state to the current frame.
If the Sync Geom After Write SDL option is OFF, it will assume that your
geometry was up to date for the current frame, and will not recompute the
deformations (recomputing the deformations could take several minutes for
heavily clustered models).
If youre doing a lot of tweaking on the model, and you dont usually do a
viewframe/playback immediately before Write SDL, you may wish to turn
the Sync Geom After Write SDL option ON, so that the geometry and
skeletons will be in sync after Write SDL completes.
Playback Other History The IK Updates section has this option. It lets you
specify that ALL construction history (not just blend surfaces) are updated
during playback. Normally only blend surfaces can be animated within the
renderer, and other construction history is held static.
Trim Surface Boundary Updates

When trimmed surfaces are animated so that their shape changes, the system
slows down. You can speed it up by disabling the display of trimmed
boundaries.
When trimmed boundaries are disabled, trimmed surfaces only display their
interior curves, not their boundary curves. The display of trim boundaries can
be disabled in two ways:
Draw Trim Boundaries If toggled OFF, trim boundaries are not displayed in
the system at all. This speeds up operations such as Animation > Keyframe >
Set Keyframe on page 837 .
Preferences > Performance Options | 1087
During Playback If toggled OFF, the trim boundaries will not be displayed
during playback and playback will operate faster.
NOTE The benefit of these two options is only apparent when the trimmed surfaces
are being deformed. Animation at the transformation level does not benefit from
this optimization.
Action Window Updates

After Modification Lets you choose whether or not transforming keyframes
or curves within the Action Window should update the modeling windows.
If toggled ON, the During Transform options are displayed. You can choose
between updates just after the transform (After Modification), or during the
transformation (During Transform).
See also:
Suspend and resume construction history updates
Preferences > Construction Options

Sets the options that control the modeling of NURBS curves and surfaces, including
tolerances and units of measure.
Notes
If you are using a CAD software preset, you cannot change the tolerances.
They are locked to the factory settings for the CAD software.
You cannot edit or delete the original CAD package presets.

If you want to change a set of presets, use the Copy button to create a
copy of the set you want to edit, then edit the copy.
Changes to the settings in this panel are always saved automatically. You
do not have to click a Save button or choose Preferences > User Options
> Save Options on page 1094 .
Construction Presets
Copy Copy the highlighted settings profile to a new profile.
If you want to change some of the settings in one of the presets (for example,
Inventor), make a copy of the preset profile, then edit the copy.
Delete Delete the highlighted settings profile.
You cannot delete the preset settings profiles.
List of settings profiles Click a profile to use the settings in that profile.
The preset profiles (for example, Inventor) contain the settings needed for
best compatibility with various CAD systems.
Units
Linear Unit options
Scale Factor checkbox/sliders Check this box to show Scale Factor sliders
for the unit choices (Main Units, Sub Units, and Pos Units).
Use the scale factor sliders to change a unit from whole to fractional or multiple
units. For example:
Set the Sub Units to Inches.
Set the Scale Factor slider below the Sub Units box to 0.125.
The sub unit is now eighths of an inch rather than whole inches.
Main Units The unit of measurement for all linear measurements (in locators,
on the prompt line and in windows).
Sub Units The intermediate level of linear units.This is the unit of the second
number when you type numbers using the m:s or m:s:p form on the prompt
line. This unit is only used in keyboard input.
Pos. (positional) Units The smallest level of linear units. This is the unit of
the last number when you type numbers using the m:s:p form on the prompt
Reset Grids Set the grid spacing to 1.0 of the current Main Unit (taking into
account the scaling factor, if set).
Preferences > Construction Options | 1089
Angular Unit options

Scale Factor checkbox/sliders Check this box to show Scale Factor sliders
for the unit choices (Main Units, Sub Units, and Pos Units).
Use the scale factor sliders to change the different units from whole to
fractional or multiple. For example:
Set the Sub Units to minutes.
Set the Scale Factor slider below the Sub Units box to 0.5.
The sub unit is now half minutes rather than whole minutes.
Main Units The unit of measurement for all angular measurements (in locators,
on the prompt line and in windows).
Choose Deg (degrees), Min (minutes), Sec (seconds), or Rad (radians). The
default is degrees.
Sub Units The intermediate level of angular units.This is the unit of the second
number when you type numbers using the m:s or m:s:p form on the prompt
default is minutes.
Pos. (positional) Units The smallest level of angular units. This is the unit of
the last number when you type numbers using the m:s:p form on the prompt
default is seconds.
Tolerances
Fitting
Curve Fit Distance The value and units of the maximum distance allowed
between two points for the system to consider them coincident (occupying
the same space).
For surface creation tools such as Rail Surface and Square, this value
controls the accuracy of the fit of the surface edge to the construction
curves.
For fillet surfaces, this value controls the positional accuracy of the fillet
surface.
For the Stitch tool (used to stitch surfaces into a shell), this value
determines which sides to check for gaps. However, the gap is actually
checked against the Maximum Gap Distance tolerance (see below). If
the gap is within the tolerance, the sides are joined.
Curve Fit Checkpoints The sampling rate for curve fit constraints such as
Continuity Angle and Curve Fit Distance.
Max Surf Spans The maximum number of spans to create when building
surfaces.
If a rebuild operation on a curve or surface requires adding more than the

Max Surf Spans, the operation is cancelled.
If maintaining continuity requires adding more than the Max Surf Spans,
the continuity will not be achieved.
Continuity
Maximum Gap Distance The maximum distance allowed between two curves
or two surfaces for the system to consider them contiguous (touching).
For the Stitch tool, this value controls whether two edges will be joined
when stitching surfaces into a shell.
For the Surface continuity tool, this value controls whether common
edges pass the check for gaps.
Continuity Angle The maximum angle allowed between two surface normals
for the system to consider the normals pointing in the same direction.
A smaller value gives better continuity, but usually requires tools to add more
spans to the surface.
Continuity Curvature The maximum deviation allowed in curvature.
A smaller value gives better continuity, but requires tools to add more spans
to the surface.
Topology
Topology distance Used to calculate which surface is adjacent to which surface
when a tool needs to know the topology of the model. This is used by Object
Edit > Dynamic Shape Modeling > Transformer Rig on page 190 , Evaluate >
Continuity > Surface Continuity on page 421 , and Evaluate > Check Model
on page 437 .
Preferences > Construction Options | 1091
NOTE This should be set to a value greater than Maximum Gap Distance.
Curve on Surface/Trim
Trim Curve Fit The maximum deviation allowed between the original
curve-on-surface and trim edges.
Max Gap Between Curves
The maximum distance allowed between endpoints of different

curves-on-surface for the system to consider them continuous for the purposes
of defining a trim region.
In example A, the gap between the two curves-on-surface is greater than Max
Gap Between Curves, so the curves do not define an area.
In example B, the gap between the curves-on-surface is within Max Gap
Between Curves, so the curves define an area for the purpose of trimming.
Rational Flags
NOTE Do not turn these options on unless you understand what rational geometry
is and why you need it. In most cases, rational geometry is slower and harder to
model with.
Primitives Create new primitives using rational geometry.
Fillets/Round Create new fillets and rounds (that is, surfaces created by the
Fillet and Round tools) using rational geometry.
Curves/Surfaces Create all other new curves and surfaces (that is, all curves
and all surfaces that are not primitives, fillets or rounds) using rational
geometry.
Fonts
Default Modeling Font Size Choose a value from the pop-up menu to adjust
the size of the font used in the modeling windows for annotations and such
text.
Text Display Mode Choose either Scale or Fixed Size. Fixed size will display
at a constant size; Scale will change based on Dollying and Zooming.
See also:
Use the tolerances required by a specific CAD package
Set up construction options
Unify the orientation of a number of surfaces
Trim a surface
Check continuity between curves
Check the deviation and continuity on surface edges
Preferences > User Options > Retrieve Options

Loads previously saved user options into Alias.
Use this menu item to restore option box settings saved during a previous
Alias session. The options file contains the values of most Alias option boxes.
When an options file is loaded, the settings of these option boxes are restored
to the previous values.
Preferences > User Options > Retrieve Options | 1093
A special file named Alias_options can also be loaded. Loading this file causes
Alias to set its option box contents to the default settings shipped with the
software.
To retrieve options
1 Choose Preferences > User options > Retrieve options from the
menu bar. The file browser appears.
2 If using the Alias browser, click the Show List button to display the list
of files.
3 Click the filename or double-click its icon in the file lister. If you prefer,
you can type the filename and/or the path in full, without selecting
anything in the file lister.
4 Click the Open or Restore Options button.
Preferences > User Options > Save Options

Saves the current settings in Alias option boxes to a file.
The options file contains the values of most Alias option boxes. When an
options file is loaded, the settings of these options are restored to the values
saved in the options file, or to the system defaults, if the file Alias_options is
loaded.
To create a set of options that will automatically load when you start Alias,
set the options boxes to the values you want, and create an options file named
<product_name>_user_options. For example, if you are running Automotive,
call the file Automotive_user_options. This file loads automatically whenever
you run the corresponding Alias product, and sets the initial values of the
option boxes.
To save options
1 Choose Preferences > User options > Save options from the menu
bar. The file browser appears.
2 If using the Alias browser, click the Show List button to display the list
of files.
By default, the filename is set to <product_name>_user_options.
3 To change the filename, type a new name in the field. You can also click
an existing filename or double-click its icon in the file lister.
NOTE You cannot replace the system default file named Alias_options. You
must provide a different name.
4 Click the Save or Save Options button.
Preferences > User Preferences > Load Preference Set

Loads up a Preference Set file, containing all the user preferences such as Shelves, hot
keys, and so on.
For a complete list, and instructions on how to save a set of preferences, see
Preferences > User Preferences > Save Preference Set on page 1095.
To load a Preference Set

1 Choose Preferences > User Preferences > Load Preference Set .
2 In the option box, ensure that the components you wish to load have
check marks.
3 Click Go.
The file browser opens.
4 Select the Preference Set that you want to load.
5 Click Open.
Your preferences are set. You do not have to restart Alias for them to take
effect.
Preferences > User Preferences > Save Preference Set

Saves all user preferences in a custom file called a Preference Set.
These preferences can be loaded up later using Preferences > User Preferences
> Load Preference Set on page 1095.
Preference Set files are kept in C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application
Data\Autodesk\Alias\UserPrefs2011\Preference Sets (Windows) or
Preferences > User Preferences > Load Preference Set | 1095
<username>/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/Alias/UserPrefs2011/Preference Sets (Mac).

They have file extension .aps (Alias Preference Set). They contains the following
components:
Shelves
Marking Menus
User Options
Colors
Hotkeys
Workflows & Menus
Construction Options
To save a Preference Set

1 Set up your menus, shelves, hotkeys, etc, the way you want them.
2 Choose Preferences > User Preferences > Save Preference Set
The file browser opens.
3 Type in a name for your Preference Set.
4 Click Save.
Your settings are saved in the specified file.
Utilities menu
29
Utilities > Plug-in Manager

Allows you to load and unload plug-ins that add functionality to Alias.
Documentation for specific plug-ins is provided as text files, located in
ODS/OpenAlias/plugins/ under the specific category of plug-ins (DataTransfer,
Gifts, Miscellaneous, Modeling, Paint, or Rendering) in the help subdirectory.
By organizing the plug-ins into separate subdirectories, the plug-ins are similarly
organized in the Plug-in manager.
To add a new search area
1 Select Preferences > General Preferences on page 1076 .
2 In the Preferences window, open the General section.
3 In the Search path field, type the directory path to the plug-ins:
$YOURPATH/plug-ins/lib
4 Click the Save button at the bottom of the Preferences window.

5 To open the Plug-in Manager window, select Utilities > Plug-in Manager
on page 1097 .
Options
Messages Specifies whether the Plug-In manager displays brief (short) or
verbose (long) information messages.
Search path There is a default library for plug-in utilities. However, you can
specify a different directory for the Plug-in Manager to search in.
1097
See also:
Create or edit a reference vector
Managing plug-ins
Utilities > SBD > Open SBD Window

Shows or hides the SBD window, which lets you view the internal structure of objects
and groups in the scene.
The SBD window is like a view window, except instead of showing a visual
representation of your scene, it shows a graph of the internal structure of the
scene in the computer.
Alias keeps track of every aspect of the scene in a data structure equivalent to
a graph. Curves, surfaces, groupings, transformations, components, lights,
and everything else in the scene is represented by nodes in the graph. This
graph is called the Scene Block Diagram.
Nodes in the graph (sometimes called DAG nodes) represent the main objects
in the scene: curves, surfaces, curves on surface, lights, locators, and so on.
Many things you can manipulate in the view windows, such as CVs, do not
have their own DAG nodes. They are stored as part of an objects internal
information.
The SBD window

To...
Do This
Navigate around the SBD window.
Use the same camera move techniques as

in orthographic view windows: middle
mouse button tracks, right mouse button
dollys in and out.
See the names of objects.
Dolly in close enough that the labels will

fit on the nodes.
Pick objects and components from the SBD

window.
Use the same pick tools as in the modeling

windows.
1098 | Chapter 29 Utilities menu
Types of nodes
Positioning node The brown positioning nodes contain the

transformations applied to the geometry nodes below it in the graph.
Geometry node The blue geometry nodes contain the internal structure
of a piece of geometry (edit points, CVs, and so on).
Different types of geometry are indicated by different icons in the blocks.
Top-level objects vs components

Top-level objects are top-level nodes in the SBD hierarchy. Components are
nodes grouped beneath top-level objects. The Pick > Object on page 3 tool
picks top-level objects. The Pick > Component on page 4 tool picks objects
from anywhere within the hierarchy.
The SBD window shows the difference between the Pick > Object on page 3
and Pick > Component on page 4 tools. For example, consider this SBD
representation of a cube object:
You can see that the cube is constructed from six planes which are grouped
together.
If you choose Pick > Object on page 3 and pick the cube in a view window,
the windows will show that the grouping node is picked.
If you choose Pick > Component on page 4 and turn on the Surfaces filter
button, then pick the cube in a view window, both the windows will show
that only one face plane of the cube is picked.
Utilities > SBD > Open SBD Window | 1099
Instead of picking the entire group, the Pick > Component on page 4 tool
picked one of the sub-nodes.
See also:
Create clusters
Utilities > SBD > Compress SBD

Hides all nodes under the picked node in the SBD window.
This item, together with Utilities > SBD > Expand SBD on page 1100 , lets you
make the SBD window more readable by showing or hiding the nodes under
the picked node. This has no effect on the actual model.
See also:
Utilities > SBD > Open SBD Window on page 1098
The Object Lister window
Utilities > SBD > Expand SBD

Shows all nodes under the picked node in the SBD window.
This item, together with Utilities > SBD > Compress SBD on page 1100 , lets you
make the SBD window more readable by showing or hiding the nodes under
the picked node. This has no effect on the actual model.
See also:
Utilities > SBD > Open SBD Window on page 1098
The Object Lister window
Utilities > Command Stepper

Allows you to create a shelf containing a frequently-used sequence of tools, then step
through the set, selecting each tool in sequence.
The Command stepper is comprised of the following menu items: Command
set, Step forward, Step backward, Restart
Command set Opens the command set shelf window. See Customize
shelves.
Step forward/Step backward Selects the next/previous tool on the
command set shelf. You can assign hotkeys to these functions. See Create and
edit hotkeys.
Restart Selects the first tool in the command set.
NOTE If you select another tool or menu command from outside the Command
Stepper, the last used Command Stepper tool has green ring to remind you
where you left off in your sequence of commands.
Utilities > Licensing Information > Borrow License

NOTE Only available if you are using a Network (or floating) license.
Allows you to borrow a license from the license server. This removes a license from
the server and places it exlusively on your workstation. Contact your licensing and
systems administrator before attempting this.
The Borrow a License dialog is presented for your product. For more additional
information on network license borrowing, see Borrow a License
Utilities > Licensing Information > Return License Early

NOTE Only available if you are using a Network (or floating) license, and are
using a borrowed license.
Allows you to return a license to the license server before your borrowing expiration
date. This returns a license to the server, so that it is available to other workstations,
and no longer exclusive to your workstation.
Utilities > Command Stepper | 1101
The Return Borrowed License dialog is presented for your product. For more
additional information on network license borrowing, see Return a License.
Utilities > Licensing Information > Product License

Information
Allows you to view, save, and edit your product license information. Your product can
be Activated from this menu as well.
The Product License Information is presented for your product. Some additional
features of the dialog include updating and activating your license (if
standalone), reading the license agreement, and saving the license information
to a text file. These features are explained below.
For Standalone (node-locked) licenses
Serial number: Update... Opens the Update the Serial Number

window. See Update Your Serial Number.
Activate... Opens the Autodesk Licensing utility for Registration and

Activation. If you modify your license information, you must activate it.
See Activate Your Product.
For Network (floating) licenses
Borrow License... Opens the Borrow a License window. See Borrow a

License.
Return License... (if a license is currently borrowed) Opens the Return

Borrowed License window. See Return a License.
Save As... Saves your license information to a text file, to assist support
and other activities. See Save License Information as a Text File.
Utilities > System Information

NOTE This feature is only available in the Windows version of Alias.
Alias now automatically runs a system check to compare your hardware to
the qualified hardware needed to run the application successfully. This happens
the first time you launch the product, or if no System Diagnostics log file is
found. The check then runs automatically every month, and updates the log
file.
If a problem is found, a diagnostic message appears.
Click the Show Log button in the diagnostic window to show the System
Diagnostics Log, a text file containing information on your current hardware
and driver (OS, CPU, graphics card, tablet, 3D peripherals), along with a
description of the problem and a link to the online Qualification Charts.
You can also run a manual check by choosing Utilities > System
Information > System Diagnostics. This will update the diagnostic log
file.
To see the diagnostic log file at any time, choose Utilities > System
Information > System Diagnostics Log.
Utilities > System Information | 1103
System Diagnostics Log. in this case, everything checks out fine.
Utilities > Errlog

Shows any errors logged during file operations.
See also:
Viewing IGES log files
Help menu
30
Help > Alias Help

Shows the online help.
Choose this menu item to go to the home page for installed documentation for
this release of Alias. The preference for the location of this page is available to
be set or changed under Preferences > General Preferences on page 1076 in the
System section as Help Location.
Alias documentation can be used either as files installed locally on your
hardware, on an intranet, or it can be accessed from
http://www.autodesk.com/alias2011-docs.
Documentation should be installed as part of the software installation. If it has
not been installed, insert the Alias DVD into your drive, and follow the product
installation instructions to install it.
Documentation in languages other than English is provided on a separate DVD.
To install this documentation, use the documentation installer or unzip the
files into a location where you want the help system to be accessed.
If the documentation installer is used, you need to link the documentation to
Alias by typing the pathname (without the terminal slash) in Preferences >
General Preferences on page 1076 , under the System tab.
If installing the Help system locally on the users file system, the pathname
must be prefixed by file:/// for example,
file:///C:/Program Files/Alias/Alias 2011/Help
If installing the Help system on an intranet, the pathname must be prefixed by

http:// for example,
1105
http://local.intranet/Alias2011/Help
If the user will be accessing the Help system from Autodesks web, the
pathname should be set to
http://www.autodesk.com/alias2011-docs
IE Settings for Windows XP SP2

To run the new Autodesk Alias help system, computers that have been updated
with XP Service Pack 2 need to have some settings changed.
Changes to default security settings are made when an upgrade to Windows
XP Service Pack 2 is performed. These changes can result in unexpected popup
messages requiring you to explicitly allow the help system to be viewed.
When you first open the online help system, youll get the following message:
To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted
this file from showing active content that could access your com
puter.
You can then click for the option to Allow Blocked Content. If this is done,
youll receive a Security Warning that says:
Allowing active content such as script and ActiveX controls can
be useful, but active content might also harm your computer. Are
you sure you want to let this file run active content?
To allow this content to run without getting blocked, please follow the
following steps:
1 Open Internet Explorer.
2 Go to Tools > Internet Options > Advanced Tab.
3 Scroll down to the section labeled Security.
4 Check the box labeled Allow active content to run in files on My
Computer.
5 Click OK and then close the Internet Options window.
See also:
Show the online help
Use the Contents tab in online help
Use the Index tab in online help
1106 | Chapter 30 Help menu
Use the Search tab in online help
Get Help on a particular tool or menu item
Use breadcrumbs to navigate the Help system
Display modifier key and mouse button functions
Show help on a tool or menu item
Help > Modifier Keys, Marking Menu Keys, and Hotkeys

Quick reference of modifier keys and mouse button combinations.
See Show the online help.
Camera move keys

Hold Shift + Alt (also Shift + Command on the Mac):
To...
Drag
Tumble (in the perspective view)
Track
Dolly
Help > Modifier Keys, Marking Menu Keys, and Hotkeys | 1107
Marking menus
Hold Shift + Ctrl (Windows) or Shift + Control (Mac) and press one of the mouse
buttons.
Ctrl + Shift + left mouse button(Windows) or Control + Shift + left mouse button
(Mac)
Ctrl + Shift + middle mouse button (Windows) or Control + Shift + middle mouse
button (Mac)
Ctrl + Shift + right mouse button (Windows) or Control + Shift + right mouse
button(Mac)
See also:
Use marking menus
Customize marking menus
Picking
To...
Click or drag
Toggle between picked and unpicked
Pick only
Unpick
TIP Hold Shift within a non-picking tool to temporarily switch to picking mode.
Transforms
To transform in...
Click or drag
Move, scale, rotate, or flip

Snap to...
Hold
Curves, isoparametric curves, surface

edges, or curves-on-surface.
Ctrl + Alt (Windows) or Control + Command (Mac)
Grid intersections.
Alt (Windows) or Command

(Mac)
CVs, edit points, pivot points, locators.
Ctrl (Windows) or Control

(Mac)
Or
click
Snapping
TIP Use the middle mouse button to snap only in the horizontal direction. Use the
right mouse button to snap only in the vertical direction.
See also:
Hotkeys
These are the default settings.
Menu/Tool item
Hot key (Windows)
Hot key (Mac)
File > Save As...
Alt + S
Shift+ Command + S
File > Import > File
Alt + R
Command + R
File > Show Image
Ctrl + 7
Control + 7
File > Exit
Alt + E
Command + E
Edit > Undo
Ctrl + Z
Command + Z
Edit > Reinvoke Last
Alt + 1
Option + 1
Edit > Cut
Ctrl + X
Command + X
Edit > Copy
Ctrl + C
Command + C
Edit > Paste
Ctrl + V
Command + P
Edit > Cut Image
Shift + Ctrl +X
Edit > Copy Image
Shift + Ctrl + C
Edit > Paste Image
Shift + Ctrl + V
Menu/Tool item
Hot key (Windows)
Hot key (Mac)
Edit > Ungroup
Ctrl + U
Command + U
Edit > Group
Ctrl + G
Command + G
Delete > Delete Active
Alt + A
Option + A
Delete > Delete Active Image

Layer
Alt + X
Option + X
Layouts > User Windows
F9 (Windows)
F4
Layouts > Perspective
F8
Layouts > Left
F6
Layouts > Back
F7
Layouts > Top
F5
Layouts > Paint
F3
Display Toggles > Model
F12
Render > Globals
Ctrl + 6
Control + 6
Animation > Set Keyframe
Alt + K
Option + K
Animation > Playback
Alt + P
Option + P
Windows > Information Window
Ctrl + 5
Control + 5
Preferences > Workflows > Default
Ctrl + 1
Control + 1
Preferences > Workflows > Paint
Ctrl + 2
Command + 2
Menu/Tool item
Hot key (Windows)
Hot key (Mac)
Preferences > Workflows > Modeling
Ctrl + 3
Control + 3
Preferences > Workflows > Visualize
Ctrl + 4
Control + 4
Pick > Nothing
Ctrl + N
Control + N
Pick > Object
Ctrl + O
Control + O
Pick > Edit Point
Ctrl + E
Control + E
Transform > Move
Alt + M
Option + M
Paint > Clear Canvas Layer
Ctrl + K
Control + K
Paint > Toggle Marquee
Alt + H
Option + H
Paint Edit > New Image Layer
Ctrl + L
Control + L
Paint Edit > Merge Below
Ctrl + M
Control + M
View > Look At
Alt + L
Option + L
Display All, Off
Alt +O
Option +O
Display All, Current
Alt + C
Option +C
Display Active, Off
Shift + Alt + O
Shift + Option + O
Display Active, Current
Shift + Alt + C
Shift + Option + C
When in Paint mode:
Menu/Tool item
Hot key (Windows)
Hot key (Mac)
Paint > Cycle through brush

mode
Brush mode: paint
Brush mode: eraser
Brush mode: show
Brush mode: hide
Brush mode: smear
Brush mode: blur
Brush mode: sharpen
Size
Radius
Opacity
Rotate
Aspect
Grab color
Cycle through brush snap
Reset brush options
Reset clone
Menu/Tool item
Hot key (Windows)
Hot key (Mac)
Twist canvas
Marquee add
Marquee subtract
Help > Why Alias Design

(Alias Design only) Displays a series of ten short Flash movies that describe 10
compelling reasons for using Alias Design.
Help > Learning Movies

Displays a series of seven short Flash movies that take you through some of the basics
of Alias.
Help > Tutorials

Opens the online documentation directly to the Learning Alias tutorials.
Help > Whats New

Displays a summary of the new features available in this release.
Choose this menu item to view the Whats New document, which describes
new and changed features.
Help > Support Center

Opens the Autodesk Alias Services & Support web page.
Help > Why Alias Design | 1115
From this page, you can search the Knowledge base, participate in discussion
forums, access FAQs (frequently asked questions) and tutorials, and contact
Customer Support.
Help > Alias Design Community

Opens the Alias Community web page.
This enhanced online community gives you the opportunity to benefit from
new features and enhanced functionality, and we encourage you to use the
site as a resource for learning and sharing. In the Alias Design Community,
you can participate in discussion groups, view tutorials, download textures,
shaders, and environments, and post your portfolio to the galleries.
Help > Sample Files

Opens the Alias Community web page where you can download sample Alias files,
courseware files needed to complete the Learning Alias tutorials, and PDF versions of
the Alias documentation.
Help > Customer Involvement Program

You are invited to participate in helping guide the direction of Autodesk design
software.If you choose to participate in the Customer Involvement Program,
Alias will automatically send Autodesk information about what features you
use most, any problems that you encounter, and other information helpful
to the future direction of the product.Here is the complete list of the
information that would be automatically sent to Autodesk:
Installed Autodesk applications
CPU/OS settings
Display-related settings
Input-related settings
Output-related settings
Storage-related settings
Software environment
Internet settings
License server
List of tools the user selected
What the CIP program cannot do

The Customer Involvement Program is committed to protecting your privacy.
It cannot do any of the following:
Collect any drawing or design data
Collect any identity information such as name, address, or phone number
Send you email or contact you in any other way
For additional information, click the Privacy Statement link in the Customer
Involvement Program dialog box.
Why you should consider participating
The Customer Involvement Program involves you directly in telling Autodesk:
The commands and features that Autodesk should focus on
The commands and features that are hardly ever used
The most common problem areas
The hardware typically used with Alias
You can start or stop your participation in this program at any time. Access
to the controls is available from the Alias Help menu.
How to use
1 Choose Help > Customer Involvement Program.
2 The CIP dialog window appears.
NOTE The CIP dialog window appears automatically the first time Alias is
launched
3 In the dialog window, select either:
Participate Anonymously
Participate with Contact Information
Help > Customer Involvement Program | 1117
Do Not Participate
4 If you selected Participate with Contact Information, fill in your

e-mail address (and, optionally, your company name) in the appropriate
fields.
5 Click OK.
Help > Report a Problem

Opens an Autodesk webpage that enables you to list the details of the bug you have
found.
Help > Suggest a Feature

At Autodesk we want your input into our next-version and next generation
products. Click this menu item to go to the member area of the website, and
suggest a feature for Alias.
Help > Autodesk DirectConnect Help

Opens the documentation page for DirectConnect.
Autodesk DirectConnect is a family of products that let you import CAD
data into Autodesk software. Each DirectConnect product enables youto import
a specific format of CAD file into Autodesk ImageStudio, Autodesk Alias,
and Autodesk Maya software.
If you purchased DirectConnect translators, install them, then click Help >
Autodesk DirectConnect Help for information on how to use them.
If DirectConnect translators have not been installed, Help > Autodesk
DirectConnect Help will not launch a webpage.
Help > Autodesk Online Store

Opens the online store of the Autodesk web site.
http://www.autodesk.com/store/storeselect.htm
Help > Tool Locator

Finds tools or menu items in the interface that match your search phrase.
Find Function Options

Case sensitive Whether the use of upper and lower case letters must match.
You should normally leave this option unchecked.
Find Type part of the name of the tool or menu item you want to find. You
can use regular expression matching.
When you press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac) the window will show a list
of all tool and menu item names that contain the text you typed.
See also:
Help > Whats This?

Shows the online help for the next tool or menu item you click.
To show the online help for a specific tool or menu item, choose Help >
Whats This?, then click the tool or menu item you want help with.
Help > About Alias

Displays various statistics about the running version of Alias.
Help > Tool Locator | 1119
1120
Control Panels
Autodesk Alias has three control panels:
Modeling control panel on page 1123
Paint control panel on page 1155
Visualization control panel on page 1173
These control panels can, in conjunction with the Preferences > Workflow menu items, reduce
visual clutter and help you work more effectively.
You can switch between these control panels by using the menu at the very top of the panel.
1121
1122
Modeling control panel
31
1123
1124 | Chapter 31 Modeling control panel
Trash
The Trash icon lets you remove tool icons or shelves from the shelf area. To get rid of an
unwanted item, drag it into the trash while holding down the middle mouse button.
The shelf area

The shelf area contains shelves, which are sets of tools you can customize to help with your
workflow. You can change the contents and number of shelf sets in this area, and compress
them or expand them by clicking the tabs.
This area also lets you have more window real estate by offering a compact alternative to
the main shelf window. For example, you can put all the symmetry tools in the shelf set
area and then close the main shelf and palette windows for a larger view of your model.
Shelf Options
Click the Shelf Options tab for a drop-down menu that lets you add, save, clear, and replace
shelf sets in the shelf area.
New Deletes all default shelf sets and creates a shelf.

New Tab Creates a shelf tab.
Save Saves the customized shelf set.
Replace Replaces one customized shelf set with a second customized shelf set.
| 1125
This enables you to create and change shelf files.
Pick list
The Pick list isolates a single curve or surface from a collection of curves and surfaces. The
white text field displays the name of the picked component.
You can pick more than one object in Alias. The gray text box tallies all picked (and active)
components in the modeling space. To view a drop-down list of all selections, and to switch
between components, click and hold on the gray text box.
As you move the mouse pointer over an item, the object is highlighted in the view windows.
Release the mouse button over an object to pick only that one.
To rename a picked object, type the new name into the white text field.
Rebuild
The rebuild tool works with only one curve or surface at a time. Use the Pick list or the
Pick > Component tool to choose one curve or surface from a collection of curves and
surfaces.
The Rebuild options let you quickly change the degree (from 1 to 9) and the number of
spans of the picked curve or surface.
If the degree or spans of a curve or a surface are modified, this tool maintains the original
distribution of spans while creating additional ones as needed, and does not change the
parameterization of the geometry.
Surface with 3 spans in the U direction (top) is rebuilt

with 6 spans in U (bottom).
For a surface, changing the degree or number of spans in one direction (U or V) does not
affect edges running in the other direction.
After modifying the degree or span values, three buttons appear in the modeling window.
Click the Check Deviation button to view the maximum deviation in the prompt line
and check if the deviation from the original geometry is acceptable. If so, click the Accept
button, otherwise click the Cancel button.
Display
For a better view of your design, the Display options let you display or hide the following
items on the picked geometry:
Deviation locators
Cv/Hull
Edit points
Blend Points
Isoparametric curves
Curvature locators
| 1127
Transparency
This set of options lets you control the level of transparency of geometry and other items
such as locators and canvases.
Transparency is achieved by blending the object color into the background color.
NOTE These sliders are also available from WindowDisplay > Transparency on page 577 .
A value of 0.0 means the item is completely opaque. A value of 1.0 means the item is
completely transparent and invisible.
Quality
This set of options lets you adjust the display of your curves, surfaces, and meshes.
However, it only affects the visual display of the geometry, not the geometry itself.
Draw Precision Use this slider to control the drawing smoothness of all curves and surfaces.
The slider value goes from 0.0 (rough approximation) to 1.0 (very smooth). The default is
0.5.
This value applies to all existing curves and surfaces, as well as all new curves and surfaces
created from this point on.
Mesh Density Use this slider to control which percentage of the triangles are displayed. By
default, the slider is set to 1.0 (all the triangles are drawn). Drawing less triangles increases
performance speed.
| 1129
Flat Shade Meshes When this option is turned on (check mark visible), flat shading is
applied to the mesh when using one of the diagnostic shading modes. Each triangle is
rendered in a single color, producing a faceted effect.
For more information on meshes, see Meshes.
Diagnostic Shading
The icons under Shading shade your geometry so you can view and evaluate your surfaces.
The various shading modes provide different diagnostic information about surfaces.
Some tools in diagnostic shading, such as Horizontal/Vertical, simulate light reflecting
against the surface of your model. Reflecting light on a surface is a good way to check for
any bumps, dents, or other irregularities. Reflections also point out any surfaces that do not
meet smoothly.
Curvature Evaluation tools color-code the curvature of your surfaces. Color-coding the
curvature is useful when, for example, your model will eventually be made in a material
that only bends a certain amount before breaking.
Surface Evaluation contains a draft angle map. This diagnostic tool is useful for products
produced through injection molding. If the sides of a mold are too steep, an object cannot
part with its mold. Draft Angle evaluation shows which parts of an object are in-draft and
which are out-of-draft.
Finally, Surface Evaluation includes a way to map mesh deviations. If you have scanned an
object, and are trying to match the scan data with your model, mesh deviation lets you
know where the two surfaces are not the same.
You can continue to adjust CVs while diagnostic shading is on.
Tolerance This slider controls how accurately surfaces are triangulated when the Tessellator
is set to Fast. The slider range is 0.01 to 1.
The picture shows a surface with the tolerance slider set to 1. The portions where the shading
does not entirely meet the wireframe show the triangulation has been quick but not perfectly
accurate. This effect is called nickeling. If the slider is set to 0.01, the surfaces of the model
become completely shaded because the triangulation is more accurate, however, the process
takes longer. Choosing a tolerance value means balancing time versus appearance.
| 1131
Tessellator When the tessellator is set to Fast, models are triangulated more quickly and
less accurately. When the tessellator is set to Accurate, models are triangulated more
accurately and slowly.
When set to Accurate, a check box is added for Limit Edge Length. If this box is checked,
a slider is added for Max. Edge Length. Max. Edge Length is the maximum length (in
current units) of a triangle created by tessellation.
Shading Off
The wireframe model appears with no shading. This icon clears the wire model of its current
shading. No options are available with this shading mode.
Multi Color
The Multi Color icon shades all the picked surfaces with a single color that you can choose.
Use this shading mode to see how your model looks as a finished product, and detect any
bumps, dents or other surface irregularities.
You can control the shading qualities with the Light options.
Multi Color Options

By default, Diagnostic Shading uses a point light located at the eye position of the camera.
You cannot see or pick this light as an object, but you can change its parameters through
the following options.
Show Orientation When this option is checked, surfaces or mesh components that are
facing away from the camera are shaded in yellow.
(This option is only available in Multi Color mode, and only when Highlights is set to
Fast.)
Color Click the color swatch to set the color, or drag the slider to change the brightness of
the color. This option only appears with the Multi Color Icon.
Specularity Slide to change the size and intensity of highlights on the surface.
Transparency Slide to change the transparency of the shaded surfaces, from 0.0 (totally
Light Intensity Slide to change the brightness of the light source.
Highlights When set to Fast, the highlights are calculated more quickly and less accurately.
When set to Accurate, the highlights are calculated more accurately, but more slowly.
This option is only available in multi color mode.
Lock Light Position Normally the light source for the shading comes from the camera (like
a headlight). Turn on this option to lock the light source in its current position.
Normally, the highlights move over the model as you tumble around it. Turn on this option
to lock the light source in its current position. The highlights remain stationary as you
tumble.
| 1133
Reflections If Reflections is checked, the following Reflections options are displayed.

Scene Choose a reflection map by clicking Scene for a drop-down menu.
Sky environments images copyright 2004 Dosch Design GmbH. For more textures, 3D
models and HDRIs, please visit http://www.doschdesign.com.
Reflectivity Use this slider to control how much your model reflects the scene.
Random Color
Random color mode shades the surfaces with random colors. As a result, adjacent surfaces
show up in different colors, making it easier to see the patch structure, and how the patches
align with one another.
Random Color Options

You can control the qualities of the shading with the Random Color options. These options
appear in the Modeling panel when you click the Random Color icon. For the most part,
they are the same as the options documented for the Multi Color icon. However, instead
of a Color slider, there is a Color saturation slider.
Color Saturation This slider sets the common saturation, or the vividness, of the color.
Curvature Evaluation
This mode includes nine ways to view curvature. The tools color-code the curvature of your
surfaces. Color-coding curvature is useful for evaluating the curvature of your model. You
can see where the curvature changes either abruptly or subtly. You can also find potential
flaws.
Curvature Evaluation Options
The Curvature Evaluation Type settings listed in the image calculate the curvature of surfaces
on each point. This calculation measures the diameter of a circle that touches the surface
at each point. Points that have a circle with the same diameter are displayed with the same
color. Each point can have several circles. The Curvature Evaluation Type settings specify
which circles are used for the calculation.
| 1135
The Crv U and Crv V settings orient the circle of each point in the U/V direction.
The Crv X, Crv Y, and Crv Z settings orient the circle of each point in the X, Y, and Z
direction.
The Gaussian setting, as demonstrated in the image, multiplies the value of the smallest
circle and the value of the largest circle. The Mean setting takes an average of the two
principal curvatures and displays average curvature.
Areas where the surface has inflections or holes can be easily detected by examining the
accompanying color bar for negative radius values. The Radius Ramp button in the Surface
Evaluation options controls the color bar.
Both the Princ. Min and Princ. Max settings measure radii size. To meet manufacturing
requirements, it is necessary to evaluate a surface model for the maximum or minimum
radii size. All radii that fall above or below a defined value must be detected. A slider can
be used to enter the value.
In the image below, the surfaces, or areas of surfaces that fall below the defined radius limit
are highlighted in red through the Princ. Max setting.
The following list summarizes the Curvature Evaluation types:

Crv V, Crv U Displays the curvature in the V or U parameter direction of the surface at
each point.
Crv Z, Crv Y, Crv X Displays the curvature in the Z, Y, or X direction at each point.
Mean Uses the average of the two principal curvatures to approximate the average curvature
through each point.
Gaussian Uses the product of the two principal curvatures.
Princ. Min Uses the minimum curvature valuesthat is, the curvature of the flattest curves
that pass through each point.
Princ. Max Uses the maximum curvature valuesthat is, the curvature of the steepest
curves that pass through each point.
Other Curvature Evaluation Options
Curvature Color Scale Slide to scale the radius ramp to show finer details of curvature
variation.
This option is not available when Min. Radius Limit or Max. Radius Limit are turned
on.
Radius Ramp
| 1137
Click to show the range of colors that can be applied to the curvature map and their
corresponding curvature radius values in the active modeling window.
If you adjust the Curvature Color Scale slider, the radius ramp updates interactively.
Min. Radius Limit One color indicates surface regions having a radius less than the Min.
Radius Limit value, and a different color indicates surface regions having a radius greater
than the Min. Radius Limit value.
This option is only available for the Princ. Max evaluation type.
Max. Radius Limit One color indicates surface regions having a radius larger than the Max.
Radius Limit value, and a different color indicates surface regions having a radius less
than the Max. Radius Limit value.
This option is only available for the Princ. Min evaluation type.
Transparency Sets the transparency of the shaded surfaces, from 0.0 (totally opaque) to 1.0
(totally transparent).
Iso Angle
Highlighting helps you find surface flaws. A common use for highlighting is to identify
adjacent surfaces with mismatched tangentsin other words, surfaces that do not meet
smoothly. You can also use Surface continuity for this purpose, but highlighting gives you
a clearer view of the surfaces.
Through a light source manipulator, this mode lets you sweep a single beam across a surface.
You can see where the reflected light does not move smoothly. A jump in the reflection
indicates flaws in either the surface or its boundary with a second surface.
Multiple beams colored red, black, and white can also be used.
To control the reflection through the Iso Angle options in the Modeling panel, the reflection
must be turned on. Select the object and click the Evaluate > IsoAngle tool in the Evaluate
palette.
Iso Angle options

The Iso Angle options appear in the Modeling panel when you click the Iso Angle icon.
| 1139
Single, Multiple Click to control whether a single black and white iso-angle line is displayed
(Single) or multiple colored iso-angle lines are displayed (Multiple).
Blur Slide to change the blurriness of iso-angle line edges.
Transparency Slide to change the transparency of surfaces with iso-angle lines.
Horizontal/Vertical
This mode shows horizontal or vertical highlights on the surface.
This mode lets you sweep a multiple black and white highlights across a surface. You can
see where the highlights do not move smoothly. A jump in the highlight flow indicates
flaws in either the surface or its boundary with a second surface.
Horizontal/Vertical options
The Horizontal/Vertical options appear in the Modeling panel when you click the
Horizontal/Vertical icon.
Vert., Horz. Click to set whether the highlights are vertical or horizontal.
Lock Texture Normally the highlights are projected from the camera, so the projection
changes as you move around the surface. This is the unlocked mode. You can turn on this
option so that the texture remains locked relative to the surface.
Repeats Slide to set the rate at which the texture repeats. Increasing this number increases
the number of highlight lines on the surfaces.
Transparency Slide to set the transparency of the shaded surfaces, from 0.0 (totally opaque)
to 1.0 (totally transparent).
Ambient Light Slide to set the level of ambient light, an illumination that comes from all
directions and lights all objects uniformly. The slider ranges from 0.0 (no illumination) to
1.0 (maximum illumination).
Diffuse Light Slide to set the ability of objects to reflect light in all directions. The slider
ranges from 0.0 (no light is reflected) to 1.0 (all light is reflected).
Surface Evaluation
This mode includes three ways to evaluate different aspects of your surfaces: Draft Angle,
Deviation Map, and Contact Analysis.
| 1141
Draft Angle Evaluation

Some manufacturing procedures, like injection molding, require objects to be designed with
the molding process in mind. Molding imposes restrictions on the shape of an object. If the
sides of the mold are too steep, the object cannot leave the mold.
The mold parts are pulled away from the object in a straight line known as the pull vector.
The draft angle is the minimum allowable angle between the sides of the mold and the pull
vector. If part of a surface has an angle less than the draft angle, the object cannot part with
its mold, and the angle is said to be out-of-draft. The opposite of out-of-draft is called in-draft.
The Draft Angle evaluation mode colors in-draft parts of the surface blue and out-of-draft
parts of the surface red. You can also display a tolerance region in pink.
In the pictures above, the draft surface is angled in to the pull direction by 5 degrees. This
angle allows the model to be withdrawn from the injection mold.
The Draft Angle Type works best when each normal of the selected surface set points in the
same direction, either inwards, or outwards.
To gain more functionality, use the Draft Angle Type setting in the Control Panel in
conjunction with the options from the Evaluate > Parting Line on page 433 tool.
Draft Angle options

These shading options display which parts of a surface are in-draft and out-of-draft for a
specified pull vector and draft angle. These options appear when you select Draft Angle
through the drop-down menu for the Type button.
Draft Ramp In-draft points are shaded blue, while out-of-draft points are shaded red. You
can also display a tolerance region in pink through the Tolerance number field (see
Tolerance).
Show pull direction as Rotation Displays values for the X, Y, and Z rotation of a vector
that defines the pull direction.
Vector Displays values for the X, Y, and Z coordinates of a vector that defines the pull
direction.
In the three entry fields following Show pull direction as, enter 3D coordinates to define
a direction in which the object would be removed from its mold. For example, if you want
the pull vector to run along the Z axis, enter 0, 0, 1.
Update From Selection Click this button to set the pull direction to be that of an already
selected (picked) vector or plane. In the case of a plane, the direction perpendicular to the
plane is used.
The X, Y, Z fields are automatically set to the coordinates of the picked vector.
Draft Angle This entry field defines the boundary between in-draft (blue) and out-of-draft
(red).
Enter the draft angle. If the angle between a surface point and the pull vector is less than
this value, the surface point is out-of-draft, and is colored red.
If the angle between a surface point and the pull vector is more than this value, the surface
point is in-draft, and is colored blue.
Tolerance Displays a pink tolerance region between the in-draft and out-of-draft regions.
The Tolerance value represents an angle measured in degrees. If the Tolerance value is 0,
no tolerance region is displayed.
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Transparency Sets the transparency of the shaded surfaces, from 0.0 (totally opaque) to 1.0
(totally transparent).
Deviation Map
If you have scanned an object, and are trying to match the scan data with your NURBS
surfaces, the Deviation Map mode lets you know where the two objects deviate. It calculates
the distance between a set of meshes and a set of NURBS surfaces, and displays it as a
color-coded map, for a quick assessment of the severity of the gap.
Deviation Map can also show the deviation between two sets of surfaces, or two sets of
meshes.
This mode acts as a toggle. It only displays the shading once it has been calculated once
through the use of Evaluate > Deviation Map on page 441 .
See also Visualize the deviation between mesh-surface, surface-surface or mesh-mesh
Deviation Map options

These options appear when you select Deviation Map through the drop-down menu for the
Type button.
Transparency Sets the transparency of the shaded surfaces or meshes, from 0.0 (totally
Contact Analysis
This type of surface evaluation provides you with an ability to analyze the safety of a model.
It is especially useful with car interior surface design work.
Equally capable of working with meshes and NURBS surfaces, this shading mode enables
you to examine a collection of surfaces for potential impact points with a head (represented
by a sphere).
The tool internally creates a sphere, to judge where the head could contact the surface
model. For example, some spaces, like between the steering wheel and the dash board, are
too small for the head to fit into. Only the areas where a head can actually fit in the case
of an accident are examined for sharpness and safety issues.
Before analyzing the model, ensure that normals are unified. If they point in different
directions, results will be unreliable.
This mode acts as a toggle. It only displays the shading once it has been calculated once
through the use of Evaluate > Contact Analysis on page 442 .
User-defined texture
This mode shows a texture map with a Showroom, Photo-Horizon, Diffuse, Shade-Sky,
Double-horizon, or User Defined image, depending on the setting of the Map Type
option.
This mode lets you sweep a texture reflection across a surface. You can see where the
reflection does not move smoothly. A jump in the reflection indicates flaws in either the
surface or its boundary with a second surface.
Showroom The abstract Showroom ramp resembles lacquer paint with a clearly defined
horizon.
Photo-Horizon The abstract Photo-Horizon ramp produces a high contrast effect often used
in stylized sketching.
Diffuse The abstract Diffuse ramp provides low contrast reflections appropriate for studying
overall form and volumes.
Shade-Sky This shading mode uses the reflection of a sky.
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Double-Horizon The abstract Double-Horizon ramp uses two reflective highlights, as though
the model was reflecting a double-horizon.
User Defined This shading mode shows one of your own textures reflected on the picked
surfaces.
Options
These options appear in the Modeling Panel for all Map Types.
Lock Texture Normally the highlights are projected from the camera, so the projection
changes as you move around the surface. This is the unlocked mode. You can turn on this
option so that the texture remains locked relative to the surface.
Repeats Slide to set the rate at which the texture repeats. Increasing this number increases
the number of highlight lines on the surfaces.
Transparency Slide to set the transparency of the shaded surfaces, from 0.0 (totally opaque)
to 1.0 (totally transparent).
Ambient Light Slide to set the level of ambient light, an illumination that comes from all
directions and lights all objects uniformly. The slider ranges from 0.0 (no illumination) to
1.0 (maximum illumination).
Diffuse Light Slide to set the ability of objects to reflect light in all directions. The slider
ranges from 0.0 (no light is reflected) to 1.0 (all light is reflected).
In additions to the options defined above, the User Defined map type has an additional
text field and browser button.
Change texture to Enter the name of a texture file to use instead of the default horizon
texture. You can use Alias PIX, SGIs, RGB, TIF, and various other image file formats. (The
GIF and JPEG file formats are not supported.)
Click the arrow button to choose the texture from a file requester.
Visual States
Click one of the three Visual State buttons to turn on hardware shading and shade the
model using the environment and shading settings associated with the button.
You can change the settings associated with each of these buttons by clicking the button
preset you want to change and using the Visual State options. The settings for the three
Visual State buttons are stored with your user preferences.
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Visual State Options
Shade Settings Click this button to adjust the hardware shading settings in the Hardware
Shade dialog box.
Environment Editor Click this button to adjust the environment settings in the
Environment Editor.
Save To Prefs Click this button to save your changes to your user preferences.
File State
The settings for the last active environment are stored with the File State button when
you save your file. The settings are saved with the file, so anyone opening the file can set
the environment to your last active environment using this button.
You can change the settings associated with the File State button by clicking the button
and using the File State options. Save the file to save the new settings with the button.
File State Options
Shade Settings Click this button to adjust the hardware shading settings in the Hardware
Shade dialog box.
Environment Editor Click this button to adjust the environment settings in the
Environment Editor.
Tools
Clicking on one of the tools in the bottom row of the Modeling Control Panel opens
up an option sub-panel for that tool. These options are described on the following pages.
Control Panel > Move CV
Moves CVs and hulls subject to different constraints.

The CV move options appear in the Modeling Panel when you click the Move
CV
icon. These options let you move CVs and hulls relative to their
curve or surface, as well as along a given vector or reference plane, or in the
X, Y, or Z direction.
NOTE While you are in the Move CV tool, clicking an object temporarily turns
on its CVs. You can then select one or more CVs (using the Shift key) to act upon.
Mode Left Menu Click the left mode menu to switch between XYZ, PROJ,
SLIDE, and NUV. The left mode menu controls the action and the right mode
menu controls the object that the action affects.
XYZ This mode moves CVs along the X, Y, Z world axes. The mouse buttons
operate the same as in the Transform > Move tool.
PROJ This mode moves CVs in the direction of a hull line, a vector, or
constrains the movement to a reference plane.
SLIDE This mode moves CVs along their respective hull.
Control Panel > Move CV | 1149
NUV This mode moves CVs along the normal, or in the U or V direction on
a surface, using the left, middle and right mouse buttons respectively.
Mode Right Menu Click the right menu to select CV or HULL. The right
mode menu controls the object that the action affects and the left mode menu
controls the action.
CV Lets you select and move individual CVs. Hold down the Shift key to
select more than one CV while within the tool.
HULL Lets you select a hull line as a way of selecting and moving all CVs
on that hull line at once. You can still add other hull lines to your selection
by holding down the Shift key.
(Lock) X, (Lock) Y, (Lock) Z Click the boxes to lock the movement of the
CV along the X, Y, and/or Z axes.
When you click the check box, a small lock icon is displayed, to show that
the CV is locked in that direction.
This option only appears when Mode is set to XYZ.
Mouse Sensitivity This slider controls the effect that dragging the mouse has
on CV movement.
The slider values range from 1 to 100 (but values larger than 100 can be typed
in the number field). This number represents the ratio between the distance
the cursor moves and the distance the CV moves, on the screen. Hence, the
default of 1 means that a CV moves the same distance as the mouse cursor.
A value of 2 means that the CV moves half the distance of the cursor, and so
on. The higher the sensitivity value, the smaller the effect that the mouse
movement has on the CV.
Step Size Check this box if you want to move the CV in increments of a given
size, for example 10.0 units. Enter the step size value in the text field.
When clicking and releasing the mouse in a given location, the CV jumps by
the chosen step size (in linear units) in the direction of the mouse click. The
step size is also applied when using the arrow keys, but not when dragging the
mouse (see Mouse Sensitivity above).
Pick Box Size This slider increases the size of the selection area, making CVs
easier to pick. The drawing of the cursor remains unchanged.
The default size is 4, meaning a pick box that is 4 pixels wide by 4 pixels high,
centered on the CV. Clicking anywhere within this box selects the CV. Pick
box size can be increased up to a value of 32 pixels.
Parallel Check this box if you want the CV(s) to move parallel to a vector or
hull line without snapping to it, when using PROJ mode.
This option only appears when Mode is set to PROJ.
Control Panel > Show deviations
Measures scan data to surface deviation.

This tool lets you create and change deviation combs. It also displays the
minimum, maximum and mean deviation between either a curve and a surface,
or a mesh and a surface.
NOTE You only see the deviation comb display if both a curve (or mesh) and a
surface are selected and Deviation is turned on in the Display section of the
Control Panel.
This tool is a combination of Locators > Deviation > Curve to Surface on page
417 and Locators > Deviation > Mesh to Surface on page 417, but provides
additional options.
Check or uncheck the Deviation button in the Display options section of

the Modeling Panel to display or hide the deviation comb quickly. Hiding the
deviation comb reduces the clutter on the screen and improves the interactive
performance. To display the comb once more, you do not have to set up the
deviation again.
NOTE If a surface and a mesh are selected, the Show deviation tool displays
the minimum and maximum deviations only.
Control Panel > Show deviations | 1151
Deviation options
The Deviation options appear in the Modeling Panel when you click the Show
deviations
icon.
Pick the curves or surface to enable the Deviation options. Only deviation
combs with picked curves or surfaces are modified.
Min, Max, Mean Click the check boxes to turn on or off the Minimum,
Maximum, and Mean deviation locators.
Scale Scale applied to the quills of the comb. To get a scale higher than the
one given by the slider, type the value in the adjacent text field.
Min / Max Threshold Only display the deviation where it is higher than the
Min. Threshold value and lower than the Max. Threshold value. The Min,
Max, and Mean locators are adjusted accordingly.
Use these values to eliminate rogue points from scan/section data, or to
highlight values in a specific range.
Precision Number of decimal places used for the Min, Max, and Mean values.
The default is 4.
Control Panel > Curvature
Checks curvature on curves and surfaces with combs and min/max locators.
Use the curvature icon to view and modify curvature combs. You can view a
curvature comb on a curve, or on a surface in the U and V directions.
NOTE You only see the curvature comb display if either a curve or a surface is
selected, and Curvature U and/or V is turned on in the Display section of the
Control Panel.
Curvature combs can also be displayed on a surface cross sections through

the Cross Section Editor options. See Windows > Editors > Cross Section
Editor on page 1051.
To view a surface curvature as a color map on the surface, use the Curvature
Evaluation mode under Diagnostic Shading on the Control Panel.
See Curvature Evaluation on page 1135.
Curvature options
To see the curvature options (at the bottom of the Control Panel), first select
a curve or surface, then click the Curvature

Control Panel.
icon in the Modeling
NOTE These options also apply to curves or surface curves selected while using
the Locators > Curve Curvature on page 418 tool (in addition to options located
in the tools own option box).
Control Panel > Curvature | 1153
Comb Scale This option scales the length of the curvature combs.
It also applies to the curvature combs on cross sections.
Samples The sampling density per curve, that is the number of quills on a
curvature comb. Increasing the samples results in a finer curvature comb.
This option also applies to the curvature combs on cross sections.
Spacing This option only applies to surfaces.
Length Evenly space the curvature combs along the length of the surface
(in U or V direction). The numbers of combs (for U and V respectively) are
given by the values typed in the Number text fields.
Parameter Place the curvature combs only on isoparametric curves (in U
and V direction).
Number Set the number of curvature combs on the surface in each direction.
Radius Min/Max Click the check boxes to turn on or off locators displaying
the points of Minimum and Maximum radius of curvature. These correspond
to the points of maximum and minimum curvature respectively.
Paint control panel
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1156 | Chapter 32 Paint control panel
The shelf area

The shelf area contains shelf sets, which are sets of tools you can customize to help with
your workflow. You can change the contents and number of shelf sets in this area, and
compress them or expand them by clicking the tabs.
area and then close the main shelf window for a larger view of your model.
Shelf Options
New Deletes all default shelf sets and creates a shelf.

New Tab Creates a shelf.
Save Saves the customized shelf set.
Replace Replaces one customized shelf set with a second customized shelf set.
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Pick list
The Pick list isolates a single shape from a collection of shapes. The white text field displays
the name of the picked shape.
You can pick more than one shape in Alias. The gray text box tallies all picked (and active)
shapes in the modeling space. To view a drop-down list of all selections, and to switch
between shapes, click the gray text box.
To rename a picked shape, type the new name into the white text field.
Display
For a better view of your design, the Display options let you display or hide the following
items on the picked geometry:
CVs/Hulls
Edit points
Blend Points
Shapes
To display or hide all shapes, put a check mark in the All check box, to the right of Shapes.
Transparency
This set of options lets you control the level of transparency of geometry and other items
such as locators and canvases.
Transparency is achieved by blending the object color into the background color.
NOTE These sliders are also available from WindowDisplay > Transparency on page 577 .
A value of 0.0 means the item is completely opaque. A value of 1.0 means the item is
completely transparent and invisible.
Shape Options
The Shape options define shape properties. You can also set them through the Shape
Editor. The values are kept synchronized between the two.
See Windows > Editors > Shape Editor on page 1019.
Shape Outline When this option is turned on (checked), the shape outline is visible and
the Shape Outline properties are displayed. When it is off (unchecked), the outline disappears
and the Shape Outline properties are hidden. The Shape Outline properties control how the
shape outline looks.
Style Click to choose whether the outline is Solid Brush (highly defined) or Airbrush
(a softer, more undefined brush).
RGB Color Click the color swatch to set the color, or drag the slider to change the brightness
of the color.
Opacity Slide to control the opacity of the outline. Opacity is a way of representing how
see-through the brush paint is. (Opacity is the opposite of transparency.) You cannot see
anything underneath paint that has an opacity of 1. The lower the opacity, the more you
can see through the paint. Paint that has an opacity of 0 is invisible.
Width Defines the width of the brush in pixels from 0.01 to 50.
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Aspect and Rotation Aspect controls how flat or circular the brush stamp is. An aspect ratio
of 1 means the brush stamp is circular. The lower the aspect ratio, the flatter the brush
stamp. The angle of a flat stamp is based on the brush Rotation.
Rotation is the angle (measured in degrees) of the brush stamp. If Aspect is less than 1,
changing Rotation makes the brush stamp more horizontal (0) or more vertical (90). The
range is 0 - 360.
Spacing Brushes apply paint to a canvas plane in strokes. A stroke consists of a series of
closely spaced stamps. If you click a brush onto a canvas plane, instead of dragging the
stylus, you apply a single stamp of paint. You can control how strokes are generated from
stamps.
The Spacing slider controls the space between stamps in a stroke. Low values produce smooth
strokes with no spaces between stamps. Higher values produce strokes that appear as a series
of dots. The valid range is 0 - 255.
Shape Fill When this option is turned on (checked), the shape fill is visible and the Shape
Fill properties are displayed. When it is off (unchecked), the shape fill disappears and the
Shape Fill properties are hidden. The Shape Fill properties control how the interior of the
shape looks.
RGB Color Click the color swatch to set the color, or drag the slider to change the brightness
of the color.
Map Click the Map button to select a texture.
see-through the brush paint is. (Opacity is the opposite of transparency.) You cannot see
Quality Select high, medium, or low to define texture quality.
A high-quality texture takes more time to display, while a low-quality texture takes less
time. The default is medium.
Fill Click to create shape regions with Fill set to Inside or Outside. Selecting Outside
fills the areas outside of the shape. Selecting Inside fills the areas inside the shape.
Copy Parameters
These options let you copy and paste properties (both outline and fill) between shapes.
Option Choose what parts of the shape are copied and pasted: Outline and Fill, Fill or
Outline.
Copy Click this button to copy the shape parameters from a shape, or Shape tool instance,
to the Alias clipboard.
Paste Click this button to apply the shape parameters previously copied using the Copy
button to the currently selected shape, or Shape tool instance.
Global Auto-Shape
You can automatically create a shape, invisibility mask, or mask as you create a curve using
the Type drop-down list in the Global Auto-Shape section in the Paint Panel.
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Invisibility mask Creates a mask from curves that hides the paint on that image layer.
Invisibility masks hide portions of the image layer, and paint applied on top of an invisibility
mask becomes invisible. However, Invisibility masks do not block paint like a mask. When
the Invisibility mask is removed, the revealed image layer is painted. More frequently, you
use invisibility masks to hide portions of a layer that you do not want to erase.
As shown above, the invisibility mask hides paint, but does not block brush tools.
Mask Creates a mask from curves.
A mask is way of protecting areas of an image layer from brushes, erasers, and from certain
image layer operations (for example, clearing an image layer, blurring an image layer, and
so on).
Like invisibility masks, masks hide a portion of the image layer. Unlike invisibility masks,
masks block brush tools.
Image (fill) and Image (outline) Creates a shape from a curve or set of curves.
You cannot create a shape in the perspective view. If the curves of a shape do not form a
closed region, then the end points of the curve ends connect by a straight line segment that
does not have any outline properties. Different properties can be assigned to the fill area
and the outline curve.
Off No shape, mask, or invisibility mask is created.
The Interactive check box controls how your shape shows changes when you modify the
curve(s).
Interactive off Modifies only the curve. The shape remains unchanged.
When the mouse button is released, the shape snaps to the new curve. If you do not like
the new shape, press Ctrl +Z (Windows) or Command +Z (Mac) to undo.
Interactive on The whole shape updates interactively as you modify the shapes curves.
Brush Options
The Brush Options are visible on the Paint Panel when you have a tool from the Paint palette
selected, or a tool from the Sketch#2 shelf selected.
This section displays frequently modified attributes of a brush.
When a brush tool is active, the cursor becomes a crosshair with the letter P (for paint) or
E (for eraser).
When you hold the cursor over the canvas, the cursor also displays a preview image of how
the brush will apply paint to the sketch.
In the Paint Panel or Brush Options box, adjust the Min Radius and Max Radius sliders or
enter values in the Min Radius and Max Radius fields. These values are measured in pixels
(of the sketch image plane). The maximum brush size is 255. Max Radius is displayed in a
solid line and Min Radius is displayed in a dotted line.
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Snap Defines whether the brush follows the center or edge of the curve.
The Crv button in the right-hand side of the Alias main menu bar must be clicked (white)
for this feature to work.
Center Snaps the brush directly onto the curve, so it follows the center of the curve.
Edge Snaps the brush to the nearest side of the curve. Depending on which edge the brush
is nearest to, the brush follows the upper or lower edge of CV.
Brush Mode
Click Mode to select a brush function.
These options control whether the brush will:
apply paint as a brush (Paint)
sharpen paint (Sharpen)
blur paint (Blur)
smear paint (Smear)
hide paint (Hide)
erase paint (Erase)
Profile Controls the softness or hardness of the brush stamp edges. Select one of Regular,
Solid, Hard Solid, or Buzz from the pop-up menu to obtain the following brush profiles.
To use a brush profile you have customized, select the Custom menu item. Double-click
any brush icon in the Sketch#2 shelf to open the brush editor for customization.
the color.
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Min and Max Opacity You can make the brush opacity change based on how hard you
press the stylus on your tablet. The Min Opacity is the minimum opacity for the brush
(when you press lightly with the stylus) and the Max Opacity is the maximum opacity for
the brush (when you press hard with the stylus). If you do not want the opacity to vary
with stylus pressure on the tablet, set the Min Opacity and the Max Opacity to the same
value.
Min and Max Radius The size of a brush is based on its Min Radius (when you press lightly
with the stylus) and its Max Radius (when you press hard with the stylus). If you do not
want the size to vary with stylus pressure on the tablet, set the Min Radius and the Max
Radius to the same value. Small brushes are more responsive than large brushes.
Aspect and Rotation Aspect controls how flat or circular the brush stamp is. An aspect ratio
of 1 means the brush stamp is circular. The lower the aspect ratio, the flatter the brush
stamp. The angle of a flat stamp is based on the brush Rotation.
Rotation is the angle (measured in degrees) of the brush stamp. If Aspect is less than 1,
changing Rotation makes the brush stamp more horizontal (0) or more vertical (90). The
range is 0 - 360.
Wetness This slider is only available when the Marker tool is used. Controls the wetness or
dryness of the marker. The range is 0 (very dry like a very old marker) to 1 (very wet like a
brand new marker).
Brush Stamp Options

The Brush Options are visible on the Paint Panel when you have a tool from the Paint palette
selected, or a tool from the Sketch#2 shelf selected.
Capture Mode
The Brush Stamp Options let you capture a snapshot of an image to use as a brush. You can
capture just the shape, or the shape and its texture (color) as well. The capture drop-down
takes the snapshot, and immediately reverts to Off. The Stamp drop-down menu then
controls the brush. The Stamp menu lets you choose whether to paint with only shape, or
both shape and texture.
When the capture tool is active, the cursor becomes a small camera with the letter S if shape
is selected, or S,T if shape and texture is selected.
Off No capture takes place.

Shape The next click of the mouse on the image captures a snapshot of the shape directly
beneath the cursor to use for a brush.
Shape and Texture The next click of the mouse on the image captures a snapshot of both
the paint and the shape directly beneath the cursor to use for a brush. Any transparency
on the image layer is captured, as well as the colors and textures.
Stamp
When a brush tool is active, the cursor becomes a crosshair with the letter P (for paint) or
E (for eraser)
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Off No stamp is used. The current setting in Brush Options is used.

Shape Uses the captured shape (alpha channel) for the brush.
Shape and Texture Uses the captured shape (alpha channel) and texture (color) for the
brush.
Flood Fill
These options appear only when the Flood Fill tool is selected. Flood a consistently colored
area of an image layer with paint.
the color.
"see-through" the brush paint is. (Opacity is the opposite of transparency.) You cannot see
Tolerance Controls the range of colors that are filled. A low value fills pixels having a color
very similar to the color you click. A high value fills pixels having a broader range of colors.
The valid range is 0 - 255.
Text Options
These options appear only when the Text Image tool is selected. Use to add text to your
image. When you create text, it is created on its own layer of the canvas, which allows
greater leeway for moving and manipulating the text.
Multi-byte languages, like Japanese, Korean, or Chinese, are not supported with the text
tool.
Font Click to choose a font from your installed system fonts.

Style Click to choose from italic, bold italic or regular.
the color.
Size Slide to adjust the text size.
Tracking Slide to adjust the space between letters.
Underline Click to underline all text in the text box.
StrikeOut Click to strikeout all text in the text box.
Magic Wand
These options appear only when the Magic Wand icon is chosen. Selects a consistently
colored area of an image layer.
Magic Wand Selection Mode Allows you to create a selection area (New), add to the selection
area (Add), or subtract from the selection area (Subtract).
Tolerance Controls the range of colors that are selected. A low value selects pixels having
a color very similar to the color you click. A high value selects pixels having a broader range
of colors. The valid range is 0 - 255.
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Marquee
The Marquee options appear only when one of the four marquee icons are selected: Marquee
(polyline), Marquee (lasso), Marquee (rectangle), and Marquee (ellipse).
See Paint > Select > Marquee on page 67.
Mode Allows you to create a selection area (New), add to the selection area (Add), or subtract
from the selection area (Subtract).
Control Panel > New Canvas
Creates a canvas plane.

Create a canvas plane for a specific view (for example, the Top view). You can
create more than one canvas plane within an Alias wire file.
If you select a brush and click in a view that does not contain a canvas plane,
Alias automatically creates a canvas plane. The canvas plane depends on the
setting of the option box.
Control Panel > Canvas Layer Editor
Allows you to edit image and mask layers in the same editor window.
The editor shows the different types of layers and shapes. It also has a set of
menus and icons for control over the layers.
Control Panel > Pan
Moves the view up, down, left or right, but does not change the direction in which the
camera is pointing.
This type of movement is also called tracking. When the Pan tool is active,
the cursor displays white arrows indicating the direction you can move the
view in.
Holding down the mouse buttons allows greater control over the type of
movement.
left mouse button moves up, down, left or right
middle mouse button moves left or right
right mouse button moves up or down
Control Panel > Zoom
Lets you zoom in and out of the view, but does not change the direction in which the
camera is pointing. This type of movement is also called dollying.
When the Zoom tool is active, the cursor displays a magnifying glass.
In the Perspective view, the Zoom tool acts differently than in the other views.
Hold down the left mouse button to zoom in, and the middle or right mouse
button to zoom out. Release the mouse button to halt the action.
In the top, side or back views, the Zoom tool draws a square before magnifying
or minimizing. Click any mouse button and draw a square from the top left
Control Panel > Pan | 1171
corner down to the bottom right corner (top-down) to zoom in. Draw a square
in the opposite direction to zoom out.
Visualization control panel
33
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1174 | Chapter 33 Visualization control panel
Shader Library
The Shader Library options let you customize the shelf sets and the shaders on the shelves.
Click the Shader Library tab to display its drop-down menu. The library location is defined
in Preferences > General Preferences > Visualization > Library location.
New Library Tab Creates a shelf.

Change Library Browse to select a new shader library.
Default Library Restores the default shader library.
Refresh If you have modified your shader library, choosing refresh updates Alias.
The shelf area

The shelf area contains shelf sets, which are sets of tools you can customize to help with
your workflow. You can change the contents and number of shelf sets in this area, and
compress them or expand them by clicking the tabs.
area and then close the main shelf window for a larger view of your model.
The visualization panel default shelves include:
Glass
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Metal
Paint
Plastic
Rubber
Resident Shaders
Shaders determine what surfaces look like (for example, color, reflectivity, roughness). Once
you create a shader, you can assign it to one or more surfaces. You can also layer more than
one shader onto a single surface.
The shaders in resident shaders are specific to the open file, so they change from file to file.
The initial defaults are a black environment shader and a gray DefaultShader. Double-click
any shader in the shelf sets to add it to the Resident Shader shelf.
In order for a surface to have the properties of a shader, you must assign the shader to the
surface. You can assign a single shader to several different surfaces. You can also layer several
shaders onto a single surface. By default, all surfaces have the DefaultShader assigned to
them.
Double-click a sphere to open its Shader window. Through this window, the shader properties
can be changed.
Pick list
The Pick list isolates a single shape from a collection of shapes. The white text field displays
the name of the picked shape.
You can pick more than one shape in Alias. The gray text box tallies all picked (and active)
shapes in the modeling space. To view a drop-down list of all selections, and to switch
between shapes, click the gray text box.
To rename a picked shape, type the new name into the white text field.
Assign Current Shader
Assigns the active shader to all picked objects. This tool allows you to shade objects or switch
between shaders.
Choose an object, select a shader, and click this tool. Then choose the Toggle Shade tool at
the bottom of the Vizualization Panel to apply the shader to the object.
If a shader is already assigned to an active object when you select Assign Shader, the active
shader replaces it. If you assign a shader to the wrong object or overwrite an existing shader
assignment, you must re-assign the original shader to the object.
Pick Objects by Current Shader
This tool picks objects on a wire frame model by the current shader. Choose a shader in
Resident Shaders and click this tool to highlight where the shader is assigned to the wire
frame model.
Copy Current Shader
Creates a copy of the currently active shader or light. Note the following when using Copy:
If a texture is active when you select Copy, the shader or light that the texture is assigned
to is copied.
You cannot copy the environment.
| 1177
When you copy a light (including glows), the new light appears in the scene in the same
location as the original light.
Create Layered Shader
Layers the active shader onto all active objects in your scene, on top of any shaders previously
assigned or layered. Adjusting the transparency of the second layer ensures the first layer is
seen.
Shader Parameters
The Shader Parameters options control your shader color, texture, transparencyin short,
how the shader looks.
Model Click for a drop-down menu listing Shading Models. A shading model is a
representation of how light bounces when it hits a surface. Different models simulate
different types of materials.
Blinn Provides highlights appropriate for metals

Phong Provides highlights appropriate for plastics
Lambert Provides highlights appropriate for matte surfaces, like plaster walls or
blackboards
Light Source Makes an object look like it is emitting light, like an incandescent bulb or
flame
RGB Color Click the color swatch to set the color, or drag the slider to change the color
brightness.
Transparency The Transparency setting of a shader layered on top of another shader
determines the visibility of shaders beneath it.
Diffuse The ability of the surface to reflect light in all directions. The Diffuse value acts like
a scaling factor applied to the Color setting: the higher the Diffuse value, the closer the
actual surface color is to the Color setting. The slider range is 0 (no light is reflected in all
directions) to 1.
Specular The color of shiny highlights on the surface. A black Specular produces no surface
highlights.
For glossy plastic surfaces, use a whitish Specular color. For metallic surfaces, use a Specular
color similar to the surface color.
Spec. Rolloff The ability of the surface to reflect its surroundings (the environment, other
surfaces), or the Reflection map, if any, when viewed at oblique angles. This parameter
appears only when Shading Model is BLINN. To help visualize the effect of Spec. Rolloff
in the shader swatch, temporarily assign a Reflection map to the shader.
Use a Spec. Rolloff value of 0.7 to simulate a wet surface (for example, wet paint).
| 1179
Eccentricity Controls the size of shiny highlights on the surface. This parameter is only
available when Shading Model is BLINN. The valid range is 0 (no highlight) to 0.999 (broad
highlight, not very shiny surface). A value of 0.1 produces a small highlight (very shiny
surface). The default value is 0.3.
Reflectivity The ability of the surface to reflect its surroundings (the environment, other
surfaces), or the Reflection map, if any. Reflectivity values for common surface materials
are: car paint (0.4), glass (0.7), mirror (1), chrome (1). To help visualize the effect of
Reflectivity in the shader swatch, temporarily assign a Reflection map to the shader.
The slider range is 0 (no reflections) to 1 (clear reflections).
Reflections are calculated only during raytracing.
Use Environment Turn on this option to have your model reflect a background environment.
Several preset cube map environments are provided in the shelf sets under environments,
or you can create your own in the Multi-lister.
The reflections are applied only to shaders that have Use Environment turned on in the
Multi-Lister, and a non-zero Reflectivity value.
Control Panel > Hardware Shade
Toggles between wireframe and shaded view. Displays a progress bar during
triangulation, indicating the approximate time to completion.
For a description of options, see WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade on page
567.
Control Panel > Toggle model
Turns the wireframe display on or off.

Once the model is shaded, click Toggle model for a view without the wire
frame, giving you a better idea of what the finished product will look like.
For a description of options see WindowDisplay > Toggles > Model on page
581.
Control Panel > MultiLister: List All

Displays the Multi-lister.
The Multi-lister is the primary interface that you use to create, edit, manage
and display shaders, textures, lights, and the environment. You also use the
Multi-lister to access the Control Window and the Color Editor.
The Multi-lister consists of a title bar, five menu buttons, and a swatch display
area. The swatches represent the environment, shaders, textures, and lights
contained in your scene. The title bar contains tools to control the display of
swatches in the Multi-lister. The menu buttons contain tools to create, edit,
manage, and display shaders, textures, lights, and the environment.
Control Panel > MultiLister: List All | 1181
Control Panel > Delete Unused Shaders
Deletes shaders that are not referenced by any objectsin other words, shaders you
have not used.
Index
2D glow noise
lights 825
3D placement
environment texture 753
solid texture 791
3D Trimming
projection direction options
342
A
absolute
addressing with keyboard 896
Absolute Value Ramp
for Mesh Collar deviation map
for Mesh Reduce deviation map
for Mesh Smooth deviation
map 373
Accept button
in Align tool 179
Acceptable Distance
for Mesh Collar deviation map
for Mesh Reduce deviation map
map 372
action curves
behavior outside range 900
copying segment 885
editing 881
evaluating 918
modulating 919
moving with the mouse 895
pasting and reusing 886
pasting segments 885
picking 881
reducing number of keyframes
smooth transition 904
speeding into/out of keyframe
action graph editor
in action window 881
action lister
hiding global parameters 876
381
375
380
375
891
906
hiding invisible DAG nodes 876

hiding local parameters 876
hiding non-animated channels 876
pinning an object 880
selecting channels 875
action timeview
action tools menu
action window
action curves 877
action lister 874
action timeview 882
action tools menu 900
actions outside defined range 900
adding keyframes 904
animated channel range 882
animation menu 871
appending keyframes 890
assigning mouse buttons 908
buttons 875
changing display of items 899
changing item names 878
changing tangents 904
changing view 898
closing 909
comments on actions 903
controls 873
copying animation 884
curvetools menu 890
DAG nodes 879
defining actions 901
defining functions 920
deleting animation 884
deleting items 886
description 872
DispTools menu 899
Edit menu 884
editing action curves 881
editing channels 881
evaluating curves 918
1183 | Index
expanding selected items 877

expression examples 916
expressions for parameters 909
filter control panel 875
global parameters 876
graph editor 881
green arrow in 881
highlighted curve names 881
icons 875, 878
insert keyframes 890
keeping channel visible 880
keyframe stats 887
limits on undo 887
listing objects 883
ListMode menu 883
local parameters 876
making objects active 875
marking menus 907
modulating animation curve 919
moving 894
objects 879
pasting 885
pick menu 892
picking keyframes 881
picking tangents 881
preferences menu 907
randomize 897
redoing actions 887
removing animation 883
returning to modeling views 909
scale time 896
scale values 897
shared actions 886
simplify 891
summary bars 882
tangent type menu 904
tangent types 904
time slider 874
timeview 877
toggle keyframe lock 892
transform menu 894
undoing actions 887
undoing deletion 884
use result 890
viewing channels action curves 880
1184 | Index
viewing items animation

parameters 879
views menu 898
yellow X in 881
actions 881
adding comments to 903
adding keyframes to 890, 904
adjusting timing 882
compressing 890
copying 884
creating 881
defining time range 901
deleting 884
pasting 885
randomizing 897
redoing changes 887
shared 886
simplifying 891
timing with motion paths 882
undoing changes 887
viewing timing of 882
active effects
on lights 810, 815
Add 1085
Add button
Per Object Images 773
add clampers tool 196
add constraints tool 196
add flexible targets tool 194
add free modifiers tool 195
add IK handle
options for spline handle 852
solver options 848
add predefined modifiers tool 195
add rigid targets tool 194
adding
links to lights or surfaces 628
Airbrush
paint brush 33
aliasing
reducing 750
align
curves 181
isoparametric curves 181
isoparms 181
surfaces 181
Align tool 166
Accept button 179
Alignment Type option 169
Attach Point option 178
Blend factor 175
Blending option 172
Continuity Check option 179
Continuity option 169
Explicit Control 173
Explicit Control Settings 176
Extra CV Rows 175
options 167
Outer Edge options 176
Partial option 173
Partial sliders 177
Position Influence 174
Restore button 179
Revert button 179
Tangent and Curvature options 177
Tangent Balance 171
using the manipulators 179
Vector option for surfaces 170
Vector options 175
aligning
blend curves at surface corners 106
curves and surfaces 166
outer edges 176
Alignment Type
for Align tool 169
all
link editor 628
multi-lister list 696
ambient lights 659
options 661
ambient occlusion
self shadow correction 642
angle of camera
yaw/pitch 396
angles
editing locators 414
anim sweep 273
animate
function in expressions 914
animated curves
sweeping 273
animated sweep (anim sweep) 273

animating 930
camera lookat point 958
camera view along path 975
camera views of scene 975
cameras along a path 975
cameras along motion path 958
lookat point of camera 958
modulating 919
random movement 897
shaders 918
animation
bank 952
camera up 952
copying 884
copying segments 885
custom playback sequences 972
deleting 542, 884
deleting actions 886
flow 952
follow 952
gradually revealing object 740
motion path 952
motion path type 951
options for importing 457
output filename extensions 606
picking curves 881
scaling time 896
slowing down 896
speeding up 896
time slider 985
using flow 955
using spline IK 955
viewing frames 984
animation curves
copying segment 885
pasting 885
pasting and reusing 886
reusing 886
animation effects
banking turns 951
deformation 951
Index | 1185
fingers, example 916

flow 951
following a curve 951
gears, example 917
natural movement 956
objects following each other 918
pendulum, example 919
puffs of dust 918
school of fish 897
animation menu
action window 871
autofly 975
param control 928
pose animation 972
set key shape 963
set motion 951
animation parameters 932
attaching expressions 883
controlling display of 875
examples of 928
global 929, 932
global, settings 928
hiding 879
local 931932
names of 932
shading, global 930
viewing 879, 928
anti-aliasing
in convert to pix 752
levels 609
shaded model 576
wireframe 575
anti-aliasing levels
render globals parameters 609
append keyframes
to actions 890
application windows
source stage 1028
Apply button
in Cross Section Editor 1053
apply Function plug-in 920
arc (three point) 115
arc (two point) 117
arc tangent to curve 119
1186 | Index
arcs
drawing concentric 120
drawing tangent 119
area lights 662
decay 831
options 665
assigning
shader to surface 698
assume rest pose
options 855
atmospheric settings
sky texture 760
attach objects together 159
insert spans option 160
keep originals option 160
position option 160
Attach Point
when aligning curves 178
aurora, simulating 742
Auto Align at Surface Corners
option for blend curves 106
auto button
in link editor 628
Auto Ramp
for Mesh Collar deviation map 380
for Mesh Reduce deviation map 375
map 372
auto update
pick list in link editor 628
autofly tool 975
camera eye 975
camera up vector 975
camera view 975
axis discrete
type of cross sections 1054
axis increment
azimuth
perspective view 393
B
backgrounds
color 721
environment parameters
721
specifying image files 721

using background color 740
ball projection 793
mapping a surface 795
ball texture 753, 755
ball environment parameters 753
projection geometry 754
balls
of light 812813
Bartlet filter
for anti-aliasing 613
Beeres law
for transparent objects 615
bend rig
axis line tool 224
bend tool 224
commit dynamic shape modification
tool 225
revert to original geometry tool 225
show pick mask tool 225
bend rig options
apply trim-shrink to output 227
axis respects surface normals 226
control options 226
mesh output 227
minimum degree (u,v) 226
minimum spans (u,v) 226
NURBS control 226
scale target to full axis length 226
warp
automatic recalculation 226
Bessel functions
in expressions 914
bzier surfaces
as fillet flanges 304
as freeform blends 297
as multi-surface drafts 324
as profile blends 301
as surface fillets 293
as tube flanges 313
as tubular offsets 318
blend control
for curve fillets 140
blend curves
aligning at surface corners 106
snapping with continuity 106
Blend factor
in Align tool 175
BLEND filter 772
blend objects together 159
blend bias 160
blend points
showing and hiding 553
blending
boundaries to create surfaces 275
Blending option
for Align tool 172
Blinn shader 731
parameters 732
specular rolloff 736
Blur brush
effect brush 50
blurs
blur effects parameters in render
globals 613
blur in texture parameters 750
Bookmark Lister
tools 1066
bookmarks
camera only mode 1067
selecting 1066
shelves 1066
boolean
operators (in expressions) 915
values, animating 907
BOX filter 772
brightness
modifying in image 84
browse button
in control window 703
Brush Options 1163
Brush Stamp Options 1167
brushes
Airbrush 33
blur 1165
Blur brush 50
brush mode 1165
Burn brush 61
capture a snapshot 1167
center 1164
Clone brush 56
color 1165
Index | 1187
cursor 1163
Dodge brush 58
edge 1164
erase 1165
Eraser 44
hide 1165
Marker 30
opacity 1166
paint 1165
Pastel soft 37
Pencil 27
profile 1165
radius 1166
rotation 1166
sharpen 1165
Sharpen brush 47
show 1165
size 1166
smear 1165
Smear brush 53
snap 1164
Solid brush 40
wetness 1166
bulge texture
parameters 769
bumps
bump maps 737
creating 738
simulating appearance of 737
special effects 737
Burn brush
effect brush 61
buttons
in skeleton editor 940
in surface evaluation 425, 427, 429
430, 435
C
C4 formats
save options 496
Cache toggle 772
calculation quality
sky texture 764
1188 | Index
camera depth files

formats 616
camera parameters
camera properties 1033
camera/window properties 1038
digital properties 1038
film back properties 1034
predefined film backs 1040
camera projection 794
cameras
animating 975
animating along motion path 958
animating lookat point 958
animating view along path 975
camera eye 975
camera up vector 975
camera view 975
changing field of view 396
clipping plane 401
parameters 1033, 1040
properties 1033
revolving 392
rotating viewpoint using cursor
keys 393
star filter effects 726
using cursor keys to rotate
(yaw/pitch) 395
viewpoint positioning 393
Canvas > New canvas 1170
Canvas > New Overlay Canvas 597
Canvas > Resize Canvas 598
Canvas General Information
window 1005
Canvas Layer Editor 1006, 1171
assigning hotkeys 1007
description of menus 1015
meaning of icons 1015
canvas planes
properties 1004, 1007
canvases
creating as overlay 596
cropping, expanding, scaling 600
printing 517
resizing 598
car safety
determining impact zone 444
cartoons
shading 738
CATIA V5
import options 470
center of interest
identifying in perspective view 393
changing
action curves 877
resolution of swatches 687
channels
animated channel range 882
copying 884
deleting 884
deleting, options 542
displaying animated or all 876
displaying in action window 875
editing in graph editor 881
editing whole channel 890
hiding action curves 880
pasting 885
picking 881
result curves 881
sharing action curves 886
sharing an action 886
viewing action curves 880
Check Deviation
when rebulding 1127
Check Model tool
options 437
checker texture
parameters 769
chordal distance
in surface fillet 293
chroma key mask type
image plane properties 1046
image planes 1046
chromatic aberration 746
chrome texture 757
floor parameters 756
grid placement 756
light placement 755
circle primitive
adjusting spans and degree 101
circular arc 113
circular fillets
between curves 137
clampers, in transformer rig 192
Claymate
control window 355
options 355
Clear button
clearcoat
settings in shaders 742
clearing
cross sections 1053
Clip Offset
Dynamic Section option 432
clipping planes
in Dynamic Section tool 431
setting positions of 401
Clone brush
effect brush 56
closing
curves 237
surfaces 237
cloth texture 770771
parameters 770
cloud parameters
sky texture 762
Cloud to mesh
options 366
clouds
minmax deviation from a
surface 418
simulating 739
simulating billowing 775
simulating depth of 739
sky texture parameters 762
clusters
copying 862
copying members 862
notes and limitations 862
color
common shader parameters 736
in multi-lister 696
ramps 780
Index | 1189
specifying for shaders 704

color balance
texture parameters 748
color correction 81
Color correction > Brightness &
contrast 87
Color correction > Saturation & value 89
color editor
opening 688, 696
color manipulation 81
Color Manipulation Editor 82
color map
shading maps 738
colors
affecting all 82
changing individual 84
for textures 748
mapping to texture 704
of surfaces 736
remapping 751
replacing 85
specifying 704
Combine surfaces tool
how it works 334
tolerances 334
comments
adding to actions 903
adding to files 498, 501
commit tool 197
Commit tool 22
common shader parameters
color 736
incandescence 736
transparency 737
components 1099
light link editor 627
of joints 937
composite rendering options
render globals 610
compressing
display of action curves 880
display of animation
parameters 879
concentric
drawing circles 121
drawing keypoint arcs 120
1190 | Index
concentric arc 120

concentric projection 793
concentric ring location
sWood texture 808
concentric ripples
water texture 786
conform rig 227
tool 234
conform tool 234
contact tool 234
conform rig options
control options 236
mesh output 236
NURBS control 235
parallel normals mode 236
warp
connected lines
drawing 122
connecting
objects together 159
constrain to
options 978
target 978
type 979
weight 979
constraints
in transformer rig 192
on/off in animation 870
spline handles 853
Construction > Plane 406
Construction > Set Construction
Plane 409
Construction > Toggle Construction
Plane 409
construction history
evaluating models 425, 427428,
430, 435
n-sided surfaces 286
rail surface 256
square surfaces 278

using query edit 238
construction palette
plane 406
set const plane 406
tgl const plane 406
construction planes
alternate coordinate system 407
creating and setting 406
in perspective window 408
moving in perspective window
with 408
overview 406
setting 409
toggling 409
construction presets
for Check Model 437
continuity
G3 curvature in freeform blends 297
G3 curvature in profile blends 301
G3 curvature in surface fillets 289
maintaining while blending
boundaries 275
rail surface 260
snapping blend curves with 106
using tangent angle
manipulator 277
Continuity
for Align tool 169
Continuity Check
in Align tool 179
contrast
control objects
example 917
in expressions 917
Control Panel
rebuilding objects 1126
Control Panel > Move CV 1149
control window
browse button 703
color editor 699
color fields 704
environment 699
file name fields 703
for rail surface 249
for swatches 687

group names 704
map buttons 704
menu fields 703
name fields 703
numeric fields 704
on and off buttons 703
opening 687, 696
overview 704
parameter groups 704
parameters 702
texture 699, 704
toggle fields 703
controls
displaying and hiding 553
displaying on new curves 553
converting
image layers to other types 1011
mask layers to other types 1011
solid textures 694
surface textures to pix 752
coordinate system
construction planes 407
world space 406
coordinating
movement 882
copying
animation 884
animation segments 885
cluster members 862
clusters 862
image layers 1010
parameters in multi-lister 694
shader or light in multi-lister 694
correcting
colors 81
creating
end-effectors 851
history for surface evaluate
options 425, 427428,
430, 435
holes in surface 740
link in link editor 628
new keyframes 890
SDL file in autofly 975
shapeshifter interpolations 968
Index | 1191
soft, fuzzy objects 740

stages 1026
cropping
canvas planes 601
canvases 600
Cross Section Editor 1051
cross sections
aligned with axes 1054
applying 1053
axis discrete 1054
axis increment 1054
clearing 1053
curvature combs on 1053
deleting 1052
global setting 1052
merging 1057
naming 1053
picked reference 10551056
presets 1051
promoting to geometry 1057
radial 1056
sorting 1057
storing as default 1053
types of 10521053
cube texture
cube environment parameters 757
cubic projection 793
current links
curvature
geometric 111
implied 261
on fitted curves 155
options 1153
parametric 110
curvature combs
on cross sections 1053
Curvature options
in Align tool 177
curve break connection
when offsetting 187
Curve Edit > Create > Combine
Curves 136
Curve Edit > Create > Fillet Curves 137
Curve Edit > Fit Curve 155
1192 | Index
Curve fit
projection mode 339
curve loop cutting
when offsetting 189
Curve to Curve Continuity
option for blend curves 106
curves
closing 237
extruding 269
minmax deviation between 416
minmax deviation from a
surface 417
moving action 894
sweeping animated 273
templates in action window 899
curves-on-surface
creating at surface intersections 340
scaling 14
undoing 133
curvetools menu, in action window 890
custom playback
sequences 972
custom projection 794
customer involvement program 1116
customizing
window layouts 547
cutting
animation in action window 884
CVs
names in expressions 911
parameters in expressions 912
Cycle Bookmark
options 1068
cylindrical projection 792
D
D.O.F.
definition 942
displaying 942
DAG nodes
and expressions 910
animating cameras 958
animating visibility 907
changing name 937

changing to joint nodes 936
creating and modifying 935
parameters in expressions 911
pick conflict 943
referring to 910
relative references 911
tenth animation parameter 876
visibility 876
data transfer
options for importing CATIA V5
files 470
with vendors system 501
default
cross section, storing as 1053
deforming
lattice rig 203
transformer rig 190
degree
changing 1126
degrees of freedom
see D.O.F. 942
Delete > Delete Locators 537
Delete button
Per Object Images 773
delete menu
in multi-lister 697
delete menu stage editor
all stages 1025
selected stage 1025
deleting
actions 886
channels,options 542
cross sections 1052
lights 697
locators 537
shaders 697
textures 697
unused shaders 697
deletion
protecting locators from 537
density
of fog 722
of meshes 1129
DES format
save options 494
desk lamp
example of skeleton 941
Detach tool 161
detaching
objects 161
deviation
when fitting curves 155
when rebuilding 1127
deviation combs
between curve and surface 417
between curves 416
between surface and point
cloud 418
between surfaces 417
deviation map
in Mesh Collar 380
in Mesh Reduce 374, 380
in Mesh Smooth 372
diagnostic shading 558, 564, 1130
highlights 561
surface evaluation 559
diameter
adding locators 415
measuring 415
diffuse light
from below a surface 738
reflecting 733
digital properties
camera 1038
dimensions
changing 13
direct render 629
example 630
options 630
Direct render 629
direction vectors
volume light 673, 834
directional lights
options 657658
dirty
metal, simulating 698
displacement
special effects 738
displacement map
converting to mesh 367
Index | 1193
Displacement Map to mesh

options 367
displacement maps
of surfaces 738
display mode menu
texture placement 719
Display options
blend points 1158
CVs 1158
edit points 1158
hulls 1158
in Control Panel 1127
shapes 1158
displaying
controls 553
controls on new curves 553
image planes 1042
texture placement objects 690
DispTools menu, action window 899
distance locators
editing 414
distances, simulating 721
Dodge brush
effect brush 58
dollying
view in action window 898
double sided
draft surfaces 328
draft angle
definition 434
displayed as green 435
displayed as pink 435
draft properties
concepts 433
draft surfaces
double sided 328
Draft tool
vector options 328
draw precision 1129
Draw precision 556
drawing
geometry 1129
polylines 122
single key lines 121
three-point arcs 115
two-point arcs 117
1194 | Index
drawing precision
of geometry 556
duplicate geometry
options in Model Check 438
Duplicate Place tool 21
commit changes 22
option window 23
revert to original geometry 22
show pick mask 22
toolbox 21
dust, simulating 721
Dynamic Section
options 431
dynamic section plane
translations and rotations 432
dynamic shape modeling
conform rig 227
lattice rig 203
transformer rig 190
dynamics properties
shader parameters 747
E
eccentricity
environment glow 726
edge rolloff
sCloud texture 798
edit
in Multi-lister 696
edit comment 238
edit expression
edit file comments field 498, 501
edit menu
in multi-lister 693
edit menu (stage editor) 1031
edit points
editing
channels 890
distance and angle locators 414
joints and joint nodes 937
keyframes 884
radial locators 415
several elements in skeleton

editor 945
swatches 688
effect brushes
Blur brush 50
Burn brush 61
Clone brush 56
Dodge brush 58
Sharpen brush 47
Smear brush 53
effects 750
aurora 742
bright light on camera lenses 726
bumpy surfaces 737738
camera star filter 726
cartoon shading 738
clouds 739
clouds, billowing 775
clouds, translucent 739
dirty metal 698
distances 721
dust 721
explosions 825
fiery bubbles 725
flames 825
flames, billowing 775
floor 740
flower petals 739
fog 721, 814
for textures 751
frosted glass 746
frosted light bulbs 739
fur 739
gases 742
glass 744
globular clusters 825
glossy plastic 733
gradually revealing object 740
hair 739
haze 721
holes in surfaces 740
jade 739
lava 736
layered fog 825
leaves 739
lichen on stone 698
light through eyelashes 726

living vegetation 736
marble 739
metallic 733
mist 721
non-photorealistic 738
paper 739
phosphorescence 698
rain 825
rainbow flare 822
realistic surfaces 737
rear-projection screen 739
rough surfaces 737738
rusty metal 698
smog 721
smoke 721, 814, 822, 825
snow 825
soft, fuzzy objects 740
starburst 726
tall flames 825
wax 739
wet paint 736
effects parameters
projection texture 796
textures 751
ellipse 114
emiting forces 667
emiting particles
shaders 741
end-effectors
creating 851
environment parameters 720, 727, 755
background 721
fog 721
pix file backdrop 721
environment textures 753, 766
ball 753, 755
chrome 757
cube 757
parameters 753
reflecting 735
sky 758, 765
sphere 766
swatches for 690
environments
background image files 721
Index | 1195
background parameters 721

browsing 692
changing color 705
control window 721
controlling appearance 702
definition 686
editing 699
editor 699
halo parameters 726
halos\
radial effects 727
layered fog 722
max/min fog 723
parameters 720, 727, 755
shader glow 724
shader glow\
glow parameters 725
shader glows\
radial effects 727
textures 766
Eraser
paint brush 44
error functions
in expressions 914
Evaluate > Check model 437
Evaluate > Surface Evaluate >
Contour 427
expand channel button
expanding
canvases 600
display of action curves 880
display of animation
parameters 879
Explicit Control
for Align tool 173
in Align tool 176
explosions
simulating 825
exporting
Granite version used when 493
VRML2.0 484
expressions
and DAG nodes 910
animate function 914, 918
1196 | Index
Bessel functions 914

boolean operators 915
control objects 917
control objects example 917
creating 883884
CV parameters 912
CV references 911
DAG node parameters 911
defining functions 920
definition 909
deleting 542
editing 883884
examples 916
for parameters, using 909
for shaders 918
logical operations 915
mathematical functions 912
modulating animation 919
other functions 914
relative references 911
short names 912
trigonometric functions 913
viewing 883
extend and merge surfaces 163
extending
geometry 162
surfaces 162
extending curve
extrapolate option 163
linear option 162
extending surface
extrapolate option 163
linear option 162
Extra CV Rows
in Align tool 175
extrude 269
extruding
curves 269
eyelashes
light seen through 726
F
face selection
1084
field of view
changing 396
field render
compensation 859
fiery bubbles, simulating 725
File > Export > VRML2.0 484
File > Import > Canvas image 462
file formats
camera depth files 616
mask or matte files 618
rendered files 616
file mask type
image planes 1046
file menu
in multi-lister 692
file name fields 703
File Texture Parameters 772
filenames
in animation output 606, 927
files
adding comments 498, 501
header information 501
saving header information 501
fillet curves
between two points on curves 139
with specific radius 137
fillet surfaces
Section Type option 289
Surface Type option 291
variable 291
film back properties
camera 1034
film grain 727
Filter menu
File texture 772
filters
photo effects 727
fingers
animation example 916
Fit Curve
options 155
fitting
to a projected curve 339
flames
simulating 825
flames See also fire 825
flames, simulating 825

flat shading
on meshes 1130
flipping
vertices 718
Flood Fill 65
color 1168
opacity 1168
shapes 1168
tolerance 1168
floor parameters
chrome texture 756
sky texture 761
floors
simulating 740
flower petals, simulating 739
focal planes
setting for cameras 401
focusing of light 745
fog
definition 813
environment parameters 721
glow 814
illumination (lights) 820
on or off 813
parameters 721
parameters for layered fog 722
parameters for max/min fog 723
shadows 653, 829
simulating 721, 814
simulating layered 825
types 721, 813
force emitters 667
forces
definition 686
strength of 646, 651, 658, 662, 665,
670, 676, 815
formats
descriptions for common files 501
fractal
finer pattern 790
fractal texture 774775
parameters 774
Frame exten. field 772
frames
viewing 984
Index | 1197
freeform blend
different continuity on each
side 296
freeform fillet
creating between curves 139
frosted light bulbs
simulating 739
fullscreen view 551
functions
in expressions 914
funnel
creating surface like a 256
fur, simulating 739
fuzzy objects, simulating 740
G
G3 curvature continuity
in freeform blends 297
in profile blends 301
in surface fillets 289
gamma functions
in expressions 914
gases
simulating 742
GAUSS filter 772
gears
animating example 917
General Preferences option box
rotating camera 393
generation curves
rail options 259
geometric curvature
on blend curves 111
geometry
flipping 854
making cross sections into 1057
glare
reducing or removing 646, 651,
658, 662, 665, 670, 676, 815
removing 667
glass
frosted, simulating 746
simulating 744
global animation parameters
definition 928
1198 | Index
Global Auto-Shape
mask 1162
global cross sections 1052
global parameters
animation, toggling on/off 933
in animation 928
in rendering 605, 621
global quality parameters 607
globular clusters, simulating 825
glossy surface, simulating 731732
glow parameters
lights 818
shader 741
glows
camera star filter effects 726
color 725
definition 686, 811
fiery bubbles 725
light parameters 811
light through eyelashes,
simulating 726
listing 696
options 724
spectral 812
starburst effects 726
types of 811
grain parameters (spots)
sWood texture 808
Granite
version option for export 493
granite texture 804, 806
parameters 804
graph editor
display of locked keyframes 892
grid buttons
grid placement
chrome texture 756
grid texture 775776
parameters 775
ground height
in Pedestrian Protection tool 445
H
hair
simulating 739
simulating depth of 739
halos
definition 812
lens flare 726
lights 819
on or off 812
on shaders 726
options 724
radial effects 727
types of 812
handles
haze, simulating 721
helical surface
creating a 254
help
customer involvement
program 1116
hidden line rendering
line color 736
render globals 620
hiding
controls 553
surfaces 741
hierarchy
example 941
highlights
adjusting 84
diagnostic shading 561
reflecting 733
shiny 734
horizontal
changing camera view 395
rotating camera about azimuth 393
rotating camera around center of
interest 393
hot spots
reducing or removing 646, 651,
658, 662, 665, 670, 676, 815
removing 667
hotkeys
for Canvas Layer Editor 1007
HSV color key
stencil texture 783
HSV color noise
ramp texture 781
hue
Hue Adjustment 83
hues
adjusting 83
hulls
hybrid models in STEP 492
I
icons
padlock in action window 880
showing Renderer type 631
IGES entities
for keypoint curves 112, 118, 122
IGES export
generation of logfile 503
IGES files
export version 503
exporting trimmed surfaces 502
IGES format
export options 502
import options 464
IGES import
generation of logfile 465
IGES/VDAIS
environment variables 503
IK chains
modifying properties 935
IK handles
limitations 853
names of parameters 932
picking 847
IK types
Image field
File Texture 772
Index | 1199
image file
masking 1045
image file output
render globals 616
image files
automotive showroom 740
importing as image or mask
layers 462
image layers
converting to other types 1011
copying into another canvas 1010
importing 1015
moving, scaling, rotating 77
transformations 77
image parameters
image plane 1043
image placement
image planes 1047
image planes
display option 1042
image 1043
image placement 1047
keyframes 1043
parameters 1041
picking 8
properties 1041, 1050
scaling 13
scaling non-proportionally 15
impact curve
creating 444
impact curve samples
impact zone
determining 444
implied curvature
in rail 261
implied tangency
in rail 261
import anim options box 457
importing
animations 457
importing image files 462
incandescence
1200 | Index
Initial Graphics Exchange Specification

see IGES formats 502
injection molding
concepts 433
inserting
edit points into curves 161
isoparametric curves into
surfaces 161
keyframes into action 890
inside
selecting surfaces on the 1084
intensity
master lighting control 727
textures 749
interpolating
key shapes 964
shapeshifter 968
interpolation
in animation, example 969
intersections
creating curves-on-surface at 340
of surfaces 340
inverting
texture colors 751
invisibility masks
as shape 70
invisible
objects 740
isoparametric curves
changing number of, on a
surface 238
isoparms
changing number of on a
surface 238
J
jade, simulating 739
joint DAG nodes
and IK handles 937
joint nodes
changing to DAG nodes
editing 937
936
joints
collapsing 937
editing 937
expanding 937
seeing joint components 937
seeing limits 937
specifying range of motion 938
K
key shapes
interpolations 964
setting 963
setting, example 967
Keyframe Edit
Keyframe Edit command 887
keyframe stats window 887
opening 884
selecting multiple keyframes 889
keyframes
adding 904
adding to actions 890
changing tangents 904
computing tangents 838
deleting 884
editing 884, 887
editing tangents 887
editing values 887
for animation parameters 928
image planes 1043
locking and unlocking 892
moving 894
picking in action window 881
position of 888
randomizing 897
redoing changes 887
reducing number of 891
scaling values 897
smooth transition 904
tangent types 904
undoing changes 887

viewing 887
viewing attributes of multiple
keyframes 889
viewing tangents 887
viewing values 887
keypoint arcs
drawing concentric 120
drawing tangent to curves 119
Keypoint curve toolbox 112
Arcs > Arc (three point) 115
Arcs > Arc (two point) 117
Arcs > Arc tangent to curve 119
Arcs > Concentric arc 120
Circular arc 113
Ellipse 114
Line Tangent & Perp > Line
perpendicular 127
Line Tangent & Perp > Line tangent
from/to curve 126
Line Tangent & Perp > Line tangent
to curve 126
Line-arc 129
Lines > Line 121
Lines > Line at an angle 124
Lines > Parallel line 123
Lines > Polyline 122
keypoint curves 112
exported as IGES 112, 118, 122
keypoint lines
creating perpendicular 127
drawing tangent to curve 126
keypoints
keys
modifier keys 391
knots
matching to another surface 352
L
label mapping
surface texture parameters
labels 698
Lambert shader 731
parameters 732
768
Index | 1201
lattice rig
center lattice pivot tool 209
tool 210
delete lattice edge tool 209
fitting method 211
lattice clear selection tool 210
picking lattice points 207
split lattice edge tool 208
target geometry 206
toggle lattice engage state tool 206,
208
turning on 206
lattice rig options
mesh output 213, 218
NURBS control 211, 217
show all geometry 211
show original geometry 211
warp
automatic recalculation 212,
218
scale tangent 212
warp control 212, 218
lava
simulating 736
layered fog
parameters 722
layered shaders 698
layering
shaders on objects 698
layers
duplicating during paste 527
turning off thumbnails in Canvas
Layer Editor 1008
Layouts
All windows 547
leather texture 803804
parameters 803
leaves, simulating 739
lens angle
definition 1036
1202 | Index
lens flare 813

environment halo 726
lights 822
on or off 815
lichen on stone, simulating 698
light
diffusing 738
transmitting 738
light links 626
light placement
chrome texture 755
lighted surface, simulating 731732
lights 696
2D glow noise 825
active effects 810, 815
ambient 659
animating shadows 907
area 662
ball glow 812813
browsing 692
changing color 705
color, master lighting control 727
common parameters 815
creating in multi-lister 693
definition 686
deleting 697
directional 658
editing 699
editor 699
exponential drop-off 813
exponential glow 811
fog 813
fog illumination 820
glow on or off 811
glow parameters 818
halo 812, 819
illuminating scenes with 1032
lens flare 815, 822
light options 646, 650, 657, 661,
665, 669, 676
light type parameters 816
linear 673, 834
linear glow 811
link editor 626, 628
linking to surfaces 699
listing 696
listing objects linked to 698
manipulators 644, 649, 656, 660,
664, 668, 674
non-exclusive 697
on or off 810
opening link editor 627
parameters 809, 826
picking objects linked to 699
point 646
radial glow effects 824
rainbow glow 812
ray tracer soft shadows 817
removing link to surfaces 699
shadow parameters 817
shadows 810
simulating focusing 745
spectral glow 812
spot 648, 654, 827, 831
spotlight 650
swatches for 691
type setting 810
volume 667, 669, 673, 834
lightsource shader 731732
line 121
Degree option 123
line at angle 124
line perpendicular 127
line tangent from/to curve 126
line tangent to curve 126
linear lights 673, 811, 834
options 676
parameters 834
linear waves
water texture 784
lines
drawing tangent 126
link button
link editor 628
link editor 626, 628
opening 627
link lights command 699
linked lights 697
picking objects 699
linking
lights to surfaces 699
links
adding 628
creating 628
removing 628
removing between light and
surfaces 699
selecting 628
updating 628
list menu
multi-lister 696
list mode menu
anim stats window 950
render stats 622
skeleton editor 940
list objects 698
list type menu, skeleton editor 942
listing 697
forces 696
lights 696
linked lights 697
non-exclusive lights 697
picked lights 697
shaders 696697
ListMode menu, action window 883
local animation parameters 931
changing many items 933
definition 928
locators
deleting 537
diameter 415
protecting from deletion 537
radial, editing 415
Locators > Measure > Diameter 415
locking
keyframes 892
logfile
for IGES export 503
for IGES import 465
logical operations
in expressions 915
Look at
excluding lights 398
excluding texture objetcs 398
in Action window 898
including symmetric objects 398
Index | 1203
lookat point
animating 958
luminance
modifying in image
83
M
Magic Wand
select area 1169
selection mode 1169
tolerance 1169
magnet snap
to bounding box 679
manipulating
colors 81
manipulator
on lights 644, 649, 656, 660, 664,
668, 674
manipulators
for Align tool 179
map buttons 704
mapping
texture to a parameter 704
texture to color field 704
texture to environment 703
texture to light 703
texture to shader 703
marble
simulating 739
Marker
paint brush 30
marking menus
displaying in action window 907
editing in action window 907
marquee
circle and ellipse 67
cropping to 601
polyline and lasso 67
selection area 67, 1170
selection mode 67, 1170
square and rectangle 67
mask files
formats 618
masks
converting to other layer types 1011
image file 1045
1204 | Index
shape 69
mass properties
options 436
master lighting control 727
Match original
projection mode 339
matching knots
with another surface 352
material, realistic looking 737
mathematical functions
in expressions 912
matte files
formats 618
matte planes
uses of 460
matte surface
matte transparency 740
simulating 731732
max/min fog
parameters 723
Measure > Diameter 415
measuring
diameter 415
memory options
render globals 611, 613
menu fields
control window 703
merge 1031
merge all 1031
merging
geometry cross sections 1057
Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Weld
Vertices 377
Mesh > Mesh Offset 382
Mesh > Mesh Repair 377
Mesh Collar
options 380
Mesh cut
options 369
mesh display
density 1129
flat shaded 1130
transparency 1130
Mesh Extract Theoretical Intersection
options 370
Mesh Hole Fill

options 376
mesh offset
output type 382
Mesh Offset
options 382
Mesh Patch
options 386
Mesh Positioning
options 383
Mesh Reduce
options 374
Mesh Repair
options 377
Mesh Smooth
options 371
Mesh Stitch
options 382
Mesh subset
options 368
meshes
automatic repair 378
creating from displacement
map 367
flat shading 1130
offsetting 382
stereolithography validation
checks 379
topology checks 379
metal, simulating 698
metallic surface, simulating 731732
metamorphosing 963
midtones
adjusting 84
minmax deviation
between a curve and a surface 417
between a surface and a cloud 418
between curves 416
between surfaces 417
mirroring
reference data 511
miscellaneous parameters
render globals 614
mist, simulating 721
model pick menu, skeleton editor 943
model view menu

modeling
guides using image planes 460
modifier keys
using with world move camera 391
modifiers
transformer rig 190, 192
Modify Target
option in Fit Curve 155
modifying 238, 881
molds
terminology 433
morphing
illustration 969
with shapeshifter 968
motion
using flow 955
using spline IK 955
motion blur
compensation 859
problems with IK 853
motion paths
actions 882
animation 951
behavior before and after 901
camera 958
creating natural movement 956
lookat point 958
of camera 975
with bank and follow 952
with flow 955
mountain texture 776, 778
parameters 776
recursion depth 778
roughness of features 776
snow levels 777
mouse
using to change camera view 395
using to rotate camera about center
of interest 393
mouse buttons
assigning in action window 908
mouse sensitivity
in Move CV 1150
Index | 1205
Move CV
mouse sensitivity 1150
pick box size 1150
step size 1150
moving 894
image layers 77
keyframes 894
tangents 894
Multi Color
diagnostic shading 1132
multi-chain
IK animation 857
multi-handle
solver options 848
multi-lister 686, 699
definition 683
delete menu 697
edit menu 693
file menu 692
interface 686
list menu 696
menus 686, 691, 699
shading menu 697
swatches 686
title bar 686
Multi-lister
Title bar 686
multi-processor machines
for rendering 631
multi-surface draft
vector options 324
multiple knots
deleting on a surface 352
N
n-sided surfaces
construction history 286
creating 284
name fields
control window 703
naming
cross sections 1053
new stages 1023
new
light 693
1206 | Index
shader 693
new curves
displaying controls on 553
New menu
New Overlay Canvas 597
noise
sCloud texture 799
sMarble texture 801
sWood texture 809
noise parameters
noise texture 778779
parameters 778
Non proportional scaling box
viewing option 1079
non-exclusive lights
listing 697
non-photorealistic effects 738
non-proportional
view scaling with a box 1079
non-proportional scaling 15
non-rational
rebuilding surface as 352
normal
projecting along 340
normals
reversing direction options 363
numeric fields
control window 704
O
Object Edit > Align > Align 166
Object edit > Attach > Detach 161
Object Edit > Extend 162
Object edit > Insert 161
Object Edit > Offset 187
Object Edit > Symmetric Modeling 164
Object Editor 237
object lister 1058
controlling visibility 1059
grouping and re-arranging 1059
organizing your scene 1058
scrolling 1058
search and pick 1061
object properties
text comments 238
object rendering parameters
render stats 623, 626
object types
icons in action window 878
ObjectDisplay > Control 553
ObjectDisplay > Draw precision 556
ObjectDisplay > Toggle Visibility 555
objects
and components 1099
appearing invisible 740
coordinating movement 882
following each other, example 918
listing 698
making active 875
moving with keyboard 896
projecting textures on 680
scaling 13
scaling non-proportionally 15
soft, fuzzy 740
objects window
multi-lister 698
occlusion textures, smoothing 642
off button
control window 703
Offset tool
options 187
offsetting
curve break connection when 187
curve loop cutting when 189
curves 187
images in File > Show image 523
meshes 382
surfaces 187
on button
control window 703
opacity
of objects 739
opening
color editor 688
link editor 627
orientation
checking 363
reversing, for surfaces 363

showing reversed 1133
orthographic windows
and Cameras 397
clipping planes in 402
out-of-draft
definition 434
Outer Edge options
in Align tool 176
output file
customized to vendor 501
overlay canvases
creating 596
options 597
overlaying
textures 751
P
Paint > Flood fill 65
Paint > PaintSymmetry > Modify canvas
brush symmetry 73
paint brushes
Airbrush 33
Eraser 44
Marker 30
Pastel soft 37
Pencil 27
Solid brush 40
Paint control panel
Canvas layer editor tool 1171
New canvas tool 1170
Pan tool 1171
Zoom tool 1171
Paint Edit > Color correction > Brightness
& contrast 87
Paint Edit > Color correction > Color
manipulation 81
Paint Edit > Color correction > Saturation
& value 89
pan
tracking 1171
paper, simulating 739
parallel line 123
param control
in animation menu 928
Index | 1207
parameter control window

animation 928
applying mass changes 933
global animation parameters 929
local animation parameters
window 931
parameter curve actions
viewing timing 882
parameter curves
parameterization
maintain when rebuilding 352
parameters
animation, keyframes for 928
camera 1033, 1040
control window 702
copying in multi-lister 694
environment textures 753
groups 704
light 809, 826
playing back animation 687
rendering 623, 626
setting on or off in control
window 703
solid texture 790, 792
parameters U/V
reversing (options) 364
parametric curvature
on blend curves 110
partial alignment 173, 177
Partial option
for Align tool 173
Partial sliders
in Align tool 177
particle emitters
volume lights 667
particles
emitting from surface 741
parting line
in tube flange 314
paste
duplicating layers 527
Pastel soft
paint brush 37
pasting
actions 885
1208 | Index
animation channels 885

animation segments 885
tangents 885
patch precision 238
on new surfaces 554
pedestrian height
pedestrian protection 444
assumptions 445
ground height 445
impact curve samples 446
impact zone 445
pedestrian height 446
Pencil
paint brush 27
pendulum
slowing down, example 919
Per Object Images section 773
performance
optimizing playback 925
performance options 391
perpendicular
creating keypoint lines 127
perspective window
clipping planes in 402
placing objects with construction
planes 408
zooming in and out 396
Phong shader 731
parameters 732
phosphorescence, simulating 698
photo effects 727
Pick 1085
Pick > Pick reference 5
pick box size
in Move CV 1150
pick buttons
for texture placement 714
pick conflict
definition 943
pick IK handle 847
pick list
auto update in link editor 628
linking in link editor 628
list objects 1126

pick object 1126
pick shapes 1158
rename object 1126
rename shapes 1158
switch between shapes 1158
unlinking in link editor 628
updating in link editor 628
pick menu
pick mode 1085
pick modes 1084
pick-walking
in the action window 893
picked lights
listing 697
picked reference
picking
animation curves 881
by shader 9
channels 881
IK handles 847
image planes 8
objects 699
reference data 5
tangents in action window 881
vector in Project tool 340
pivot points
and scaling 14
and Transform > Non-p scale 15
pix
conversion parameters 752
pix file backdrop
environment parameters 721
place projection 680
planar projection 792
planes
clipping 401
construction 406
planetary surface
sky texture 761
plants
simulating living 736
playback
animation of swatches 687
sequences, creating 972

playback options
animation options 923
optimization options 925
output filename extensions 927
playblast options 922
plotting 517
plug-ins
apply Function 920
point clouds
checking fit with surfaces 418
point lights
options 646
parameters 826
point parameters
point light 826
points 405
polygons
selecting vertices 715
transforming vertices 715
polylines
drawing 122
polyset surface (U,V) definition
polyset vertices
transforming 715
pose animation 972
options 973
Position Influence
for Align tool 174
predefined film backs
camera 1040
predefined resolutions
render globals 620
Preference Set files 10951096
content of 1096
Preferences > Selection Options 1084
Preferences > User Preferences > Load
Preference Set 1095
Preferences > User Preferences > Save
Preference Set 1096
preferences menu, action window 907
presets
for cross sections 1051
preview window
for printing 518
Index | 1209
printer
setting up 511
printing
canvases 517
modes 517
plot mode 517
preview window 518
window content 517
profile blend
different continuity on each
side 300
Project tool
options 339
projecting
along picked vector 340
curves onto surfaces 339
normal to a surface 340
texture placement objects 680
vector options 340
projection
direction of 340
updating view direction 340
projection direction
for 3D Trim Convert 345
for 3D Trimming 342
projection geometry
ball texture 754
projection options
effects 796
noise parameters 794
options 679
polyset surface (U,V) definition 795
solid noise frequencies 794
projection textures
converting to surface texture 795
projection tools 792
Promote tool
proportional scaling 13
PTC Granite
version option for export 493
Publish Bookmark
options 1068
1210 | Index
puffs of dust, simulating

pull vector
definition 434
918
Q
QUADRATIC filter 772
quality
shader glow 725
QUARTIC filter 772
query edit 238
transformer rig 198
R
radial
radial glow effects
lights 824
radial noise
glow 726
radius
adding locators 415
creating curve fillet with
constant 137
measuring 415
rail surface 249
continuity 260
continuity options 267
control options 268
control window 249
curve segments 266
editing construction history 256
example 249
explicit control 266
fixed curve 265
generation curves 259
offset 257
options 259
rebuild interior generation
curves 262
rebuilding 257
spine sweep mode 257
surface degree controls 267
sweep mode 262
sweep pivot 263
sweep projection 262

sweeping a curve 249
sweeping a funnel 256
sweeping a helix 254
sweeping along one rail 249
sweeping along two rails 252
transform control 264
transform options 265
rails
using to create surfaces
249
rain
simulating 825
rainbow
lens flare 822
simulating 812, 825
Ramp Distance
map 372
ramp texture 779, 782
ramp textures
HSV color noise 781
value noise 781
ramps
color 780
Random Color 1134
randomize
keyframe values 897
randomizing
actions 897
ray tracer soft shadows
lights 817
raytrace
raytrace effects
shaders 745
raytracing maximum limits
render globals 609
raytracing memory options
render globals 611
realistic motion
along a path 952
rear-projection screen 739
rebuild options 351
changing degree 1126
changing spans 1126

Rebuild Surface
options 351
rebuilding
check deviation 1127
maintain span distribution 352
span distribution 1126
surface as non-rational 352
surfaces 351
recursion depth
mountain texture 778
solid texture 790
red
arrow button 704
redo
action window 887
reducing
aliasing 750
spans on a surface 352
reference data
mirroring 511
picking 5
Reference Manager 508
menus 508
picking 5
Re-tessellate Reference Options 510
right mouse button menus 510
show symmetry 511
Translate Reference Options 509
reflecting
environment texture 735
surroundings 736
reflections
of windows on surfaces 662
on surface 754
simulating 735
refraction 744
raytrace parameters 743
refractive index
for common materials 743
Refresh View Vector
projection option 340
relative
addressing with keyboard 896
remapping
colors 751
Index | 1211
remove button
in link editor 628
remove from rig tool 197
removing
link in link editor 628
links to lights or surfaces 628
renaming
swatches 687
wire files 1025
Render > Direct render 629
render globals
anti-aliasing levels 609
blur effects 613
composite rendering options 610
hidden line rendering 620
image file output 616
memory options 611, 613
miscellaneous parameters 614
predefined resolutions 620
raytracing maximum limits 609
raytracing memory options 611
texture caching memory
options 612
render stats 623
rendered files
formats 616
rendering
anti-aliasing technique 772
direct render 629
on multi-processors 631
parameters 623, 626
seam/hard line at top of star 727
selecting type 631
sketch render 602
testing 631
rendering on fields
problems with IK 853
rendering options 632
repairing
automatically from inside Mesh
tools 378
Resize Canvas 598
resizing
canvases 598
1212 | Index
resolution
how displayed in Show > Show
image 522
rest pose
options 854
Restore button
in Align tool 179
result curves
definition 881
Reverse Surface Orientation
options 363
Reverse Surface UV
options 364
reversed orientation
showing 1133
reversing
normals direction (options) 363
orientation of surfaces 363
parameters U/V (options) 364
Revert button
in Align tool 179
revert to 9.0 607
revert tool 197
Revert tool 22
reverting
align operation 179
revolving
cameras about center of interest 392
rig, transformer
workflow 191
ripple center
water texture 788
ripple reflections
water texture 789
ripple wavelets
water texture 788
rotating
cameras about center of interest 392
dynamic section plane 432
image layers 77
rotoscoping
using image planes 460
rough surfaces
creating 738
simulating appearance of 737
roughness of features
run IK
single/spline IK options 858
rust on metal, simulating 698
S
S value 712
setting 717
safety guidelines
tool to help meet 444
saturation
save
in multi-lister 692
save as
in multi-lister 692
save options
edit file comments 501
edit file header 501
SBD window 1099
stage editor window, using
with 1028
texture placement object 753
scaling
canvases 600
image layers 77
non-proportional 15
objects and image planes 13
skeletons with IK handles 853
time 896
value 897
vertices 716
views non-proportionally with a
box 1079
scenes
illuminating with lights 1032
rendered as SDL files 1032
school of fish, simulating 897
sCloud texture 797, 799
edge rolloff 798
noise 799
parameters 797
screen resolutions list 620
SDL
rendering stages 1032
SDL files
creating in autofly 975
section type
for surface fillets 289
sectioning plane
in Dynamic Section tool 432
select all button
link editor 628
link editor (components list) 628
select menu
render stats 623
select menu, anim stats window 950
selecting
bookmarks 1066
inside surfaces 1084
links 628
polyset vertices 715
swatches 687
type of rendering 631
vertices 715
selection area
in Move CV 1150
on image layer 67, 1170
selection modes 1084
selection options 1084
self shadow correction
in ambient occlusion 642
spot light 830
set key shape 963
example 966
how to use 964
limitations 963
shapeshifter options 962
using 965
set keyframe
options 837
set menu, skeleton editor 943
set motion
example 953
setting
key shape 963
position of vertex 717
Index | 1213
sFractal texture 799

parameters 799
shaded wire
display of texture 719
shader parameters
clearcoat settings 742
common 736
dynamics properties 747
glow 741
hidden line rendering 747
raytrace 743
special effects 737
shaders 930
animating 930
assigning to surfaces 698
Blinn 731732
browsing 692
changing color 705
changing name 703
checkered background 737
creating in multi-lister 693
creating labels 698
definition 686
deleting 697
diffusing light 738
editing 688, 699
editor 699
expressions for 918
glow 724725
glow options 724
halo 726
Lambert 731732
layering 698
layering onto surfaces 698
lens flare 726
lightsource 731732
listing 696697
listing objects linked to 698
Phong 731732
picking all objects with same 9
picking objects assigned to 699
radial effects 727
shader name 730
shading model 730
swatches for 688
1214 | Index
transmitting light 738

shading maps
special effects 738
shading menu
in multi-lister 697
Shading Off 1132
shading parameters
parameter control window 930
shadow casting
spot light 829
shadows
adjusting 84
animating presence/absence 907
lights 817
shape change 190
Shape Editor 1019
Fill option 7071
outline and fill options 69
Shape Fill Options
color 1022, 1160
fill inside 1022, 1161
fill outside 1022, 1161
opacity 1022, 1160
texture 1022, 1160
texture quality 1022, 1161
visibility 1022, 1161
Shape Options
fill 1022, 1160
outline 1159
Shape Outline Options
aspect 1021, 1159
color 1021, 1159
opacity 1021, 1159
outline 1021
rotation 1021, 1159
style 1021, 1159
width 1021, 1159
Shape Update
changing shapes 1162
Interactive off 1162
Interactive on 1162
previewing changes 1162
shapes
change 1162
fill inside 1022, 1161
fill outside 1022, 1161
flood fill 1168

Flood Fill 1168
image (fill and outline) 1162
interactive update 1162
invisibility mask 70
mask 69, 1162
pick list 1158
preview changes 1162
rename 1158
switch 1158
visibility 1022, 1161
Shapes
creating 68
shapeshifter 963
example 969
illustration 969
interpolations 968
interpolations in a hierarchy 971
limitations 963
options 962
Sharpen brush
effect brush 47
shelf area
shelf sets 1157
shelf sets
shelf area 1157
Shell stitch
options 347
shelves
in Bookmark Lister 1066
Show
options 579
show D.O.F. menu, skeleton editor 942
Show deviations tool
options 1152
Show pick mask tool 22, 198
simplify
single key lines
drawing 121
single model representations in
STEP 492
single-chain IK handles
single-chain solver
options 848
single/spline IK
run IK options 858
size
brush 1166
size of objects
changing 13
skeleton editor 935
buttons 940
description 935
global editing 945
list mode menu 940
list type menu 942
lister for handles 936
lister for joints 936
model pick menu 943
selecting 945
set menu 943
show D.O.F. menu 942
spreadsheet 937
skeleton editor window 945
skeleton hierarchies
skeletons
hierarchies 935
options 989
scaling IK handles 853
sketch render 602
sketching
with symmetry 73
sky
defining location 754
environment textures 758, 765
sky environment parameters
sky texture 758
sky texture 765
atmospheric settings 760
calculation quality 764
cloud parameters 762
floor parameters 761
planetary surface 761
sky environment parameters 758
sun parameters 758
SLC formats
format options 479
sMarble texture 800801
parameters 800
Index | 1215
Smear brush
effect brush 53
smearing
textures 752, 796
vertices 717
smog, simulating 721
smoke
simulating 721, 814, 822, 825
smooth drawing
of geometry 1129
smoothing of occlusion textures 642
smoothness
when drawing geometry 556
snake
animating 955
snapping
blend curves 106
texture to surface 713
snow
snow levels 777
texture 796797
snow levels
snow texture
parameters 796
snow, simulating 825
soft objects, simulating 740
Solid brush
paint brush 40
solid noise frequencies
solid texture 791
solid textures 809
converting 694
parameters 790, 792
swatches for 690
types 809
solver
add IK handle 848
sort by menu
render stats 622
sort by menu, anim stats window 950
sorting
geometry cross sections 1057
span distribution
maintain when rebuilding 352
1216 | Index
when rebuilding 1126

spans
changing number of 1126
reducing number of 352
special effects
shaders 737
specular highlights
reflecting 733
specular rolloff 735
speed
of redrawing screen 391
redrawing performance
options 393, 395
sphere environment
sphere texture 765
sphere texture 766
sphere environment 765
spherical projection 792
spline handle
options for add IK handle 852
spline handles
solver 853
with rotation 854
spline-handle
solver options 848
splitting
objects 161
spot lights 648, 654, 827, 831
options 650
parameters 827
self shadow correction 830
shadow casting 829
spot view window 828
spot view
spot lights 828
spotlights
options 650
spread
sprite animation
using image planes 460
square 275
square surfaces
construction history 278
sRock texture 802

parameters 802
stage editor
edit > merge 1031
edit > merge all 1031
edit > new 1031
stages
creating new 1026
in Stage Editor window 1028
naming new stages 1023
using wire files as new 1026
stagger
solid texture 791
star level
star points
radial effects 727
starburst effects 726
statistics windows
in stage editor window 1028
stencil texture 782, 784
HSV color key 783
parameters 782
step size
in Move CV 1150
stereolithography
validation checks on meshes 379
STL format
export options 480
store as default
cross section option 1053
Store as default
option for cross sections 1053
summary bars
definition 882
sun parameters
sky texture 758
supertexture 773
surface color 736
surface deviation
in Mesh Collar 380
Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface >
Intersect 340
Surface Edit > Create CurvesOnSurface >
Project 339
Surface Edit > Orientation > Reverse

Surface Orientation 363
Surface Edit > Rebuild Surface 351
Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Convert 344
Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Surface 342
surface evaluate 426427, 429430, 435
buttons 425, 427, 429430, 435
control options 425, 427428, 430,
435
surface evaluation 559
Surface Evaluation 1135
surface placement
surface texture parameters 766
surface texture parameters
label mapping 768
surface placement 766
surface textures 790
cloth 770771
convert to image file texture 752
fractal 774775
grid 775776
mountain 776, 778
noise 778779
parameters 766, 769
ramp 779, 782
stencil 782, 784
swatches for 688
types 790
water 784, 790
surfaces
becoming invisible 741
boundary 275
building extruded 269
building rail 249, 252
building using tangency 277
changing display 719
closing 237
color of 736
creating a funnel shape 256
creating a helical shape 254
creating holes 740
emitting particles 741
from blended boundaries 275
glossy 731732
glossy plastic 733
illuminated 731732
Index | 1217
intersecting 340
linking to light 699
matte 731732
metallic 731732
minmax deviation between 417
minmax deviation from a cloud 418
minmax deviation from a curve 417
rebuilding 351
reducing spans 352
reflecting diffuse light 733
reflecting environment texture 735
reflecting shiny highlights 733
reflecting surroundings 736
removing link to lights 699
reversing orientation 363
rough or bumpy 737738
selecting inside 1084
shading maps 738
translucent 738
transparency of 737
trimming 342
with more than four sides 284
Surfaces > Swept surfaces > Extrude 269
surfaces palette
boundary surfaces > square 275
combine surfaces 334
swept surfaces > anim sweep 273
swept surfaces > extrude 269
swept surfaces > rail surface 249
surfaces, realistic looking 737
swatches
commands for 687
control window 687
editing 688
in multi-lister 686
sweeping
an animated curve 273
swept surfaces
animated curve 273
curves along two rails 252
funnel 256
helix 254
one curve along one rail 249
rail, construction history 256
Swept surfaces > Extrude 269
1218 | Index
sWood texture 806, 809

concentric ring location 808
grain parameters (spots) 808
noise 809
parameters 806
symmetric modeling 164
modifying controls 165
selecting geometry 164
symmetry plane 164165
undoing 166
symmetric objects
used in Look at 398
symmetry
when sketching 73
symmetry plane
for symmetric modeling 164
symmetry plane align 187
T
T value 712
setting 717
tangency
implied 261
tangency at an angle
for rail surfaces 261
tangent
drawing keypoint arcs 119
drawing lines 126
Tangent Balance
for Align tool 171
tangent length
in surface fillet 293
Tangent options
in Align tool 177
tangent type menu, action window 904
tangent types 888
changing 889
displaying 889
when moving 896
tangents
angles between 888
changing 904
changing values with keyboard 896
copying 884
Fixed 904
maintaining relationship
between 888889
moving 894
of new keyframes 838
pasting 885
picked in action window 881
redoing changes 887
rules for moving 895
smooth 904
types 904
undoing changes 887
target geometry
lattice rig 206
target geometry, in transformer rig 192
telephoto lenses
and cameras 397
templates
in stages, 1032
templating curves 899
tessellation
fast versus accurate 1132
test rendering 631
text comments associated with
objects 238
Text Options
color 1169
font 1169
size 1169
strikeout 1169
style 1169
tracking 1169
underline 1169
texturable values
texture procedures 748
texture caching memory options
render globals 612
texture map
in multi-lister 696
dimensions 712
display of surface and texture 719
flipping vertices 718
grid buttons 713
model view 719
pick buttons 714

transform 718
vertex 715, 718
wrap 719
texture placement object
3D placement 753
texture placement objects
displaying 690
SBD window 753
solid texture 791
texture placement window 712
texture procedures 748
texturable values 748
texture procedures window
opening 696
texture space editor
See texture placement window 712
textures 809
blur in eyespace 750
blurring 750
browsing 692
changing color 705
changing display 719
changing name 703
color 748
color balance 748
convert to pix 752
definition 686
deleting 697
displaying 719
editing 699
editor 699
environment 753, 766
intensity 749
mapping to a parameter 704
mapping to color field 704
opening control window 704
overlaying 751
parameters 752
selecting parent swatch 703
selecting what its mapped to 703
sharpness 750
smearing 752, 796
smoothing 750
solid 809
Index | 1219
super 773
surface 790
swatches 687
three-point arcs
drawing 115
threshold
shader glow 725
thumbnails
turning off in Canvas Layer
Editor 1008
time
scaling 896
time slider
controls 986
current time bar 985
current time field 986
playback buttons 987
playing back animation 985
preview buttons 987
tips 987
timeview
display of locked keyframes 892
timing
adjusting 882
scaling 896
slowing down 896
speeding up 896
viewing for actions and
channels 882
Toggle 1085
Toggle Camera Only Mode
for bookmarks 1067
toggle fields 703
toggle textures options
Toggle Visibility 555
toggling
visibility 555
tools
topology
checks on meshes 379
torsion
showing 419
total internal reflection 744
1220 | Index
tracking
transform
Transform > Modify > Rotational
Scale 18
Transform > Non-p scale 15
Transform > Scale 13
Transform Layer
options 78
transform menu
transformations
restricting joint motion 938
transformer rig 190
add clampers 196
add constraints 196
add flexible targets 194
add free modifiers 195
add predefined modifiers 195
add rigid targets 194
clampers 192
commit changes 197
constraints 192
draw clamp visualization 202
draw modifier sampling 201
fitting effort 200
fitting method 200
general workflow 191
mesh output 202
modifiers 190, 192
NURBS control 199
options
options window 198
remove item from rig 197
revert to original geometry 197
sampling density 202
scale tangent 201
show pick mask 198
target geometry 192
transformer rig tool 193

visualization 201
warp control 200
transforming
polyset vertices 715
textures 718
translate
translating
dynamic section plane 432
translucence
special effects 738
transmitting light
translucence 738
transparency
in control windows 1128, 1158
raytrace 743
Transparency
options 577
transparency, attenuating 615
transparent
objects 737
trigonometric functions
in expressions 913
trimmed surfaces
created by n-sided surface tool 284
trimming
3D option 342
surfaces 342
triplanar projection 793
troubleshooting
faint grid-like artifacts 739
IK handles 853
seam/hard line at top of star when
rendering 727
time slider 987
tube flange
vector options for parting line 314
tube surface
options 337
twist rig
add twist handles to rig 216
tool 216
remove twist handles from rig 216

twist tool 215
twist rig options
two-point arcs
drawing 117
U
undercut
definition 434
undo
action window 887
in multi-lister 696
undoing
align operations 179
curves-on-surface 133
unlink button
link editor 628
unlink lights from surfaces 699
unlocking
keyframes 892
Unpick 1085
unused shaders
deleting 697
update button
link editor 628
updating
pick list in link editor 628
view direction when projecting 340
Use Bands
map 373
Use Extension toggle 772
use result
user preferences
loading 1095
saving 1096
Index | 1221
using
background color
740
V
value noise
ramp texture 781
Variable Fillets 291
VDAFS
save options 495
VDAIS
save options 499
vector
picking in Project tool 340
Vector option
for Align tool 170
vector options
for 3D Trim Convert 345
for 3D trimming 342
for Draft 328
for Multi-surface Draft 324
for Parting Line in Tube Flange 314
Vector options
in Align tool 175
vectors 405
vegetation
simulating living 736
vertex 715, 718
vertex menu
texture placement 715, 718
vertical
changing camera view 395
rotating camera 393
rotating camera around center of
interest 393
vertices
flipping 718
scaling 716
selecting 715
smearing 717
view
animating camera along path 975
local move camera 392, 395
non-proportionally scaling with a
box 1079
viewpoint positioning 395
1222 | Index
View > Local move camera >

Azimuth/elevation 392
View > Local move camera >
Yaw/pitch 395
View > Set Non Proportional View 398
View > Toggle Non Proportional
View 399
View > Zoom 396
view frame 984
options 984
viewing
action curves 877
animation frames 984
rotating camera horizontally about
azimuth 393
rotating camera vertically 393
specifying yaw/pitch angle 396
timing 882
views menu, action window 898
visibility
toggling 555
volume lights 667, 669, 673, 834
direction vectors 673, 834
options 669
parameters 831
volume texture
parameters 809
solid texture 809
voxel 612, 793
VRML2.0
exporting 484
W
walking
through a scene 975
walls
defining location 754
water texture 784, 790
concentric ripples 786
linear waves 784
ripple center 788
ripple reflections 789
ripple wavelets 788
wave frequencies 785
wind direction 786

waves
frequencies 785
wax, simulating 739
wet paint, simulating 736
white diamond icon
whole action curves 894
wide angle lenses
and cameras 397
wind direction
water texture 786
window source
in stage editor 1028
WindowDisplay > Anti-Alias > Shaded
Anti-Alias 576
WindowDisplay > Anti-Alias > Wireframe
Anti-Alias 575
WindowDisplay > Show
options 579
WindowDisplay > Transparency
options 577
windows
and stages 1028
creating custom layouts 547
printing content 517
reflections on surfaces 662
standard configurations 547
Windows > Bookmark Lister 1065
Windows > Editors > Cross Section
Editor 1051
Windows > Editors > Shape editor

windows menu
edit > light links 626
wire files
renaming 1025
using as new stages 1026
wireframe
display of texture 719
working level stages 1028
world move camera
combining functions 390
world space
coordinate system 406
wrap menu
1019
Y
yaw/pitch
angles 396
entering angles from keyboard
icon 395
yellow
X in action window 881
395
Z
zoom
in perspective window
Zoom
dollying 1171
396
Index | 1223
1224

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Autodesk Alias 2011

Tools, Menus, and Control

Transform > Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paint Edit palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Paint Edit > Modify Layer > Vertical Flip . . . . . . . . . . .

Curves palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Keypoint Curve Tools > Arcs > Arc (Three Point) . . . . . . . . . . .

Object Edit palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Curve Edit palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Object Edit > Align > Symmetry Plane Align . . . . . . . .

Surfaces palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

CrvNet Tools > Reset Sculpt Curves Mapping . . . . . . .

Surface Edit palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

Mesh palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Smooth . . . .

Construction palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

View palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Locators palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Locators > Annotate . . . . . . . . . . . .

Evaluate palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

Point Clouds palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

File menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453

File > New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Edit > Undo . . . . . . . .

Delete menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

Delete > Delete Locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Layouts menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547

Object Display menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553

WindowDisplay menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567

Layers menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587

Canvas menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

Render menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605

Render > Multi-lister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683

Checker texture parameters . .

Animation menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 837

Animation > Create > New Scale Warp . . . . . . . .

Windows > Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993

Windows > Editors > Shape Editor . . . . .

Utilities menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1097

Preferences > Workflows > Default . . . . . . . . . . .

Help menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1105

Help > Why Alias Design . . . . . . . . .

Control Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1121

Modeling control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1123

Paint control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1155

Visualization control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1173

Describes the purpose and options of all tools in the palette.

Pick > Nothing

Pick or unpick all objects

Center the view on specific objects

Pick > Object

Pick Object Options

Pick section data

Pick or unpick objects

Work with camera objects

Pick > Component

Pick Component Options

4 | Chapter 1 Pick palette

Pick section data

Pick or unpick objects

Pick special object types

Group and ungroup objects

Pick > Template

Use objects as templates