Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
You'll use a nonlinear deformer, just as you did in the axe head exercise in Chapter 5,
“Modeling with NURBS, Subdivisions, and Deformers”; but this time, you'll animate the
deformer to create the bending of the catapult arm. Follow these steps:
1. Switch to the Animation menu set. Select the Arm1 group, and choose Create
Deformers
➔
Nonlinear
➔
Bend to create a Bend deformer perpendicular to the arm.
Select the deformer, and rotate it to line it up with the arm, as shown in Figure 8.49.
Figure 8.49
Align the Bend
deformer with the
catapult arm.
Figure 8.50
Orient the Bend
deformer to bend
the arm back and
down.
2. With the Bend deformer selected,
look in the Channel Box for bend1
under the Inputs section, and click
it to expand its attributes. Try
entering
0.5
for Curvature. More
than likely, the catapult arm will
bend sideways. Rotate the deformer
so that the arm is bending back and
down instead. (See Figure 8.50.)
3. You don't want the arm's base to
bend back, just the basket side.
You want it to bend at the brace point, not in the middle where it is now. Move the
deformer down the length of the arm until the middle lines up with the arm's sup-
port brace.
4. To prevent the bottom of the arm from bending, change the Low Bound attribute to
0. To keep the basket from bending, set the High Bound attribute to 0.9.
