Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
However, there is a slight downside to this technique as you probably must have
noticed from the previous screenshot. The disadvantage is that we don't have control
over the area where the 3D models are scattered and the distance between them;
some of the 3D models may intersect with each other. With smaller 3D models, this
technique is useful because the 3D models tend not to be far from each other, and
with bigger 3D models, we can use the
Ctrl
key to place the 10 copies and then
adjust accordingly.
Another shortcut that is worth keeping in mind is the
Z
key. If you press and
hold the
Z
key and then click to place the 3D model and then click again, the
next 3D model will have a different size. Consequently, a powerful combination is
Ctrl
+
Z
+ the left mouse button to place 10 copies with different sizes, as shown in
the following screenshot:
Why is this useful? This is a fair question. The best answer is to take some time to look
away from the screen to outside and observe that we are surrounded by randomness.
We hardly could find two trees with the same size and shape, even from the same
species. Our eyes are a perfect mechanism to spot things that look repetitive.
However, we don't have the time and possibilities to create each tree different from
the other, but we can cheat. Cheating is OK in 3D because it helps us gain time to
concentrate our attention in other areas equally important to accomplish the perfect
image still or movie. One way of cheating is by using the same tree, but changing the
rotation, scale, and color. With the combination of
Ctrl
+
Z
+ the left mouse button,
we have the opportunity to at least change the scale of each copy placed in the scene.
If you look at the previous screenshot, the plants presented when arranged and
placed in the correct location will look much more natural than using the same scale
for the 3D model. However, how can we manipulate and control the 3D models
placed in the scene?
