the sculptor edit menu

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Section contents

Edit sculpt
Edit sculpt activates the Sculptor edit menu. Click confirm to leave the edit sculpt submenu.

S evaluate and transformation functions
The wire frame of the sculpted model can be evaluated and displayed in real time while transforming individual parts of the model. S evaluate allows you to select a tag from the tree in order to evaluate the S operations in that part. The last selected tag will be evaluated in real time. It is now possible to select a sub part of this tag (use get solid tag or the keyboard short cuts "u", "l", "r"), then transform it using the transformation functions in the edit sculpt submenu :

The wire frame of the selected tag will be evaluated in real time while using the transformation or blending curve buttons and input boxes in the edit sculpt submenu. Wire frames will only be evaluated in the edit sculpt submenu. At any time another tag can be selected with S evaluate. The last selected tag will be evaluated in real time. Previous selected tags will remain evaluated but will not be updated in real time.

S unevaluate
This function allows you to unevaluate the active part of the tree.

S facets
This function allows you to set the number of facets for the evaluated wire frames. A higher number of facets will result in a more accurate wire frame but will also slow down the evaluation of the wire frames.

Note: (S evaluate and transformation functions)

convert solid
Models built with normal solid primitives and Boolean operations can be converted to S primitives with S operations. Convert solid allows you to convert the active part of the tree to a Sculptor model. Only models consisting of ball, cone, cube, cylinder or torus can be converted into Sculptor primitives. The default range and blending curve will be used for all S primitives.

deconvert
This function allows you to convert Sculptor models to normal primitives with normal Boolean operations. All Sculptor information (range,level etc.) will be lost.

mix attributes
Attributes of S primitives within a Sculptor model can be blended (mixed). Use mix attributes to toggle between "attributes mixed" and "attributes not mixed" for the active part of the Sculptor model. When parts of the model in the active part of the tree have different settings for mix attributes, the input box cannot display the setting and will display a "?".

blending curve
The blending curve determines the size and the transition of the density of the s primitive. The blending curve can be changed in order to change the blending shape of the S primitives in relation to other S primitives.

show curve
This function allows you to display the blending curve for the active s primitive in the top left window. The curve will be colored cyan for the inside of the S primitive and yellow for the outside.

show ranges
This function allows you to display the size of the density area for S primitives in yellow colored wire frames. Use it in combination with the show ranges input box.

show ranges input box
This function allows you to switch between show and hide ranges for the active part of the tree. When switched to 'range hidden', the ranges for this part will not be shown when show ranges is activated.

fix event
To animate the Sculptor parameters: range, weight, attack, decay, release, bevel, width and height. Press to fix event fix the Sculptor parameters at a certain frame number. This generates timecurves which can be edited in the animation menu.

reset
Resets miscelaneous isosurface settings to their default values.

bevel
To change the bevel radius of SB cylinders and SB cubes. The radius of the bevelled edges of SB cylinders and SB cubes can be interactively changed.

width
To change the width of SB cubes. The width of SB cubes can be changed with this function without affecting the shape of the bevelled edges. Changing the width of an SB cube using x-y-z size does change the shape of the bevelled edges.

height
To change the height of SB cylinders and SB cubes. The height of SB cylinders and SB cubes can be changed with this function without affecting the shape of the bevelled edges. Changing the height of an SB cylinders or SB cube using x-y-z size does change the shape of the bevelled edges.

range
This function allows you to change the size of the density area around the S primitive. A higher range results in a larger density area. The S primitive will then blend more with other S primitives. Default value: 1.718.

weight
This function determines the value for the density in the center of the S primitive. When this value is lower then 1, the S primitive will be hollow. Default value: 2.

attack
This function allows you to change the tangent for the starting of the blending curve inside the S primitive.

decay
This function allows you to change the tangent for the blending curve at the edge of the S primitive.

release
This function allows you to change the tangent at the end of the blending curve. Use the mouse to change the value for range, weight, attack, decay and release (or use keyboard when keyboard is active). Absolute values can be entered in the corresponding input boxes.

Note (blending curve): In most circumstances it is not necessary to change the values for weight, attack, decay, and release.

All blending curve buttons and input boxes can be used for single S primitives or for a group of an S primitives by activating a part of the tree. When a part of the tree consists of S primitives with different blending curves, the values cannot be printed in the input boxes. In this case the input boxes will display a "?".

blending curve examples
In these examples two S balls are used. Default blending curve values are used unless specified. To see the shape of the blending curve change, build the models below and select show curve. Then change the blending curve values as specified in the examples.

Default S union of an S ball with an S ball.

S union of an S ball with an S ball; range for left S ball is raised to 2.5.

Default S subtraction of an S ball from an S ball.

S subtraction of an S ball from an S ball; weight of left S ball is lowered to 1.2.

S subtraction of an S ball from an S ball; attack of left S ball is lowered to -5.

S union of an S ball with an S ball; decay of left S ball is raised to 7.

S union of an S ball with an S ball; release of left S ball is lowered to -2.

Levels and sublevels
Normally all S primitives will blend with one another when the densities of those primitives overlap. In some situations this is not wanted. For example, when building a hand, the fingers should not blend with one another, but only with the hand. To overcome this problem, place each finger in a separate level; S primitives will not blend with S primitives in other levels. An exception is level 0: S primitives in level 0 will blend with all primitives in all levels. Therefore when placing the hand palm in level 0, it with blend with all the fingers placed in other levels.

Example:
palm of hand
level 0
finger 1
level 1
finger 2
level 2
etc.
The palm of the hand is placed in level 0 and will therefore blend with S primitives in all levels. Finger 1 is placed in level 1 and will therefore blend only with S primitives in level 1 or 0. In this case it will blend only with the palm of the hand.

Sublevels can be used for more complex situations. For example, when the hand is making a fist, the top of the fingers will blend with the palm of the hand (the palm is placed in level 0 and will therefore blend with all other S primitives). To overcome this problem, place the top of the fingers in a sublevel and the the palm of the hand in another sublevel. Leave the middle part of the fingers which are connected to the palm in sublevel 0.

Example:
palm of hand
level 0 sublevel 1
middle part of finger 1
level 1 sublevel 0
top part of finger 1
level 1 sublevel 2
middle part of finger 2
level 2 sublevel 0
top part of finger 1
level 2 sublevel 2
etc.
The palm of the hand will now blend with S primitives placed in any level which are in sublevel 1 or 0 (sublevel 0 will blend with all other sublevels). Therefore it will blend with the middle part of all fingers. It will not blend with the top of the fingers as they are placed in another sublevel. The middle part of finger 1 will blend with all S primitives in level 1 and level 0. Therefore it will blend with the palm of the hand and the top of finger 1.

The top of finger 1 will blend only with S primitives placed in:
level 1, sublevel 2 or 0, or in level 0, sublevel 2 or 0.

Therefore it will blend only with the middle part of finger 1 which is placed in level 1, sublevel 0.

level
This function assigns a level to the active part of the tree. S primitives will blend only with S primitives at the same level and with S primitives in level 0. Default level: 0.

sublevel
This function assigns a sublevel to the active part of the tree. S primitives will blend only with S primitives in the same sublevel and with S primitives in sublevel 0. Default sublevel: 0.

Note: (levels and sublevels)
Level and sublevel are only useful for S union operations.