Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 5.15
The spanning
loft between the
existing surfaces
snakes from the
first isoparm to the
curves to the second
isoparm.
Surface History
In Chapter 3, “The Maya 2011 Interface,” you learned that clicking the History icon ( )
toggles History on and off.
History
has to do with how objects react to change. Leaving
History on when creating primitives, as you did in Chapter 2, allows you to access an
object's original parameters.
Leaving History on when creating NURBS surfaces allows the surface to update when
any of its creation pieces change. For example, the loft you just created will update when-
ever the two original surfaces or curves you used to create the loft move or change shape.
If you were to move the original loft on the left and rotate it back a bit, the new loft would
adjust to keep its one side attached to the same isoparm. If one or more of the input
curves were to change, the loft would bend to fit.
You must toggle History on before you create the object(s) if you want History to be on for
the object(s).
By lofting using isoparms and with History toggled on, you can keep the new sur-
face permanently attached to the original loft, no matter how the isoparms move, as in
Figure 5.16. This technique works with all surface techniques, not just with lofting, as
long as History is turned on. History is useful for making adjustments and fine-tuning
a surface, and it can be handy in animation if several surfaces need to deform but stay
attached.
