Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Try modifying the mesh to smooth its corners:
1.
Click the rectangular mesh to select it.
2.
Type
MESHSMOOTHMORE
↵ (or choose Modify
Mesh Editing
Smooth More from
the menu bar). The edges of the mesh become faceted and smoother in appearance.
3.
Repeat the
MESHSMOOTHMORE
command. The mesh becomes smoother still (see
Figure 23.3).
FIGURE 23.3
The mesh after
applying the
Smooth More
tool twice
4.
Now type
MESHSMOOTHLESS
↵, select the object, and press ↵ (or choose Modify
Mesh Editing
Smooth Less from the menu bar). The mesh becomes less smooth.
5.
Press Esc to clear the selection.
DON'T FORGET THE RIGHT-CLICK MENU
The Smooth More and Smooth Less options are also available on the right-click shortcut menu.
As you can see from this exercise, you can smooth a mesh using the Smooth More tool. The
more times you apply it to a mesh, the smoother your mesh becomes. The number of faces of the
mesh determines how Smooth More affects the mesh. The fewer the faces, the broader the appli-
cation of smoothness.
When you apply the Smooth More tool to a mesh, the faces of the mesh become faceted. This
simulates the smooth appearance. If you look closely at a mesh that has only one or two levels of
smoothing applied, you can see the facets.
Editing Faces and Edges
The shape you created earlier demonstrates one of the main features of meshes. In this section,
you'll create a model of a surfboard to see how you can push and pull the subobjects of a mesh
to create a form.
You'll start with the same form, a box shape, but this time you'll modify some of the param-
eters that define the box's structure. You can control the number of faces that a mesh primitive
will have before it is created. The following exercise introduces you to the tools and methods
used to edit meshes.
