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Usage
Click the skin active button to activate it. The skin of the spline is shown in wireframe. Click again to deactivate the button. The skin will not be shown, nor will it be used while rendering or simulating.
The skin consists of the control points that define a free-form surface. The uniform skin button determines the distribution of the skin along the spline points. The row closed and col closed buttons determine whether the skin definition is closed or open. The free-form surface is the actual shape of the solid for rendering.
Comments
By default, skin active is on. If the splines are used as a skeleton structure for attaching sculptor objects, it is useful to switch the skin off.
See also
display surface, row closed, col closed, uniform skin, connect solid
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Usage
Click the uniform skin button to activate it. The skin points are distributed uniformly along the spline. The surface defined by the skin is affected as well. Click again to deactivate the button. The skinpoints will be distributed depending on the distance between the spline points.
Comments
The uniform skin affects the position of the skin points. It does not affect the spline curve or the surface basis functions.
See also
surface basis, skin active, display surface.
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Usage
Click the row closed button to activate it. The skin points form a closed shape around the spline along the length of the spline curve. The surface defined by the skin is closed as well. Click again to deactivate the button. The skin now forms an open shape along the spline.
Comments
By default, row closed is off for patch shaped splines, on for spheres and cylinder-shaped splines.
See also
col closed, surface basis, skin active, display surface
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Usage
Click the col closed button to activate it. The skin points form a closed shape between the beginning and end of the spline. The surface defined by the skin is closed as well. Click again to deactivate the button. The skin now forms an open shape between the splines end points.
Comments
By default, col closed is off.
See also
row closed, surface basis, skin active, display surface
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Usage
Click the display surface button to activate it. The control points of the skin are replaced by the free-form surface. Click again to deactivate the button. The surface is replaced by the skin points. The surface forms the actual shape for rendering the solid. This shape is defined by the points in the skin and the basis functions set by surface basis.
Comments
Activating display surface can slow down wireframe display.
See also
skin active, surface basis
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Usage
Click the surface basis button to activate it. A selection box will pop up from which a free-form type can be selected. To see any changes, the display surface button should be activated. The selected basis is displayed below the button.
Comments
Possible basis functions are: degree 1 Bezier (the surface is the same as the bilinear facets formed by the skin points), degree 2 Bezier (a smooth approximation of the skin points), degree 3 B-spline (also known as cubic B-spline, a smooth approximation of the skin points), and degree 3 Cardinal spline (a smooth interpolation of the skin points). The Cardinal spline is the only function that produces a smooth surface through the skin points. It is therefore the best setting when working with a dynamic skin and collision detection.
See also
skin active, display surface, dynamic
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