Select Patch?

[pming]

Hiya.

 

A couple of Q's regarding workflow stuff...

1. Just wondering if there is a way or a plugin that allows the selection of a patch straight away? Basically, I want to select a patch or series of patches and have the CP's attached to that patch selected. Thinking in polygon terms, it would be like selecting a polygonal face, but using hash patches.
   
2. Is there a way to us "raytrace selection" or "only front-facing" selection? Say I have a simple vase. I want to move a few patches outward. If I drag a rectangle selection box around the CP's I want, it selects the CP's 'behind' the ones I want. I don't want those ones in the back. Is there an option for this somewhere?
   
3. Is there a "falloff" setting for selection of CP's? Lets say I have a dense mesh. I want to select a couple of CP's and pull them out to create a 'bump'. Is there a way to pull out those CP's and have the surrounding ones (within a certain radius) also get pulled out, gradually fading outward to nothing?
   

That's it for now.

 

Paul L. Ming

[robcat2075]

1 Yes! The pink looking icon on right. "Patch Group Mode (Shift-P)

 

2 hmmm... No. Simple work around... go to a side view to select the half you want to work with and (H)ide the rest

 

3 Yes! Magnet mode. top toolbar.

[Fuchur]

2 hmmm... No. Simple work around... go to a side view to select the half you want to work with and (H)ide the rest

 

Or use the patch group mode. Only visible once will be selected. In most cases robs answer is better so.

 

*Fuchur*

[Fuchur]

- double post -

[brainmuffin]

Some notes on magnet mode:

 

To begin with, turn on magnet mode and select a single cp. The yellow circle around it is the falloff zone. You can adjust it with the little handles on the circle.

 

You can use it to tweak one cp at a time (and affect the surrounding cps) OR, and this is my favorite part, you can select multiple cps, and affect adjacent ones to the group! Very useful for moving a spline ring, or a body part around.

 

Best example I can give is this: (and it's incidentally how I accidentally found out about this) Let's say you're modeling a head, and you realize that the eyes need to be closer together, or set further back. If you select the entire eyeball, and turn on magnet mode, you can drag the eyeball around, and the eyelids will move with it!

[John Bigboote]

Answer to Q 3... Distortion Mode!

 

Distortion Mode is one of the cooler and more powerful of the newer A:M features! Select the CP's in question, go in to Distortion Mode and experiment. There are ways to customize the DM grid under 'Tools, Options (Cntrl-P) Modeling Tab, Distortion Grid Resolution. I would suggest entering values of 2,2 and 2 to go about what you are asking about... and then it's just a matter of selecting and moving the appropriate Distortion handles.

[pming]

Hiya.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Paul