9

374 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry
Compare Dialog
Selec t a Loft object. > Modify panel > Modifier stack
display > Sub-object level > Shape > Shape Commands
rollout > Compare button
The Compare dialog lets you compare any number
of cross-section shapes in a loft object for purposes
of making sure their first vertices are properly
aligned. Ifshapes’firstverticesaren’taligned,
unexpected lofting results can occur.
Inter face
Pick Shape—Lets you select shapes to display f rom
the selected loft object. Click the Pick Shape
button in the upper-left corner of the dia log. Then ,
in the viewport, select the shapes to display. S elect
ashapeasecondtimetoremoveitfromthedisplay.
When you posit ion the mouse cursor over a shape
in the loft object, the cursor image changes to
show whether the shape appears in the dialog
window: a + sign appears if the shape isn’t selected
(indicating that if you select the shape, it will be
added to the dialog w indow), and a - sign appears
if the shape is already selected.
With each shape, the Compare dialog displays the
first vertex as a small square. For correct lofting,
the first vertices of al l shapes on the path need to
be in the same position.
Reset—Removes all shapes from the display.
Dialog controls
You can scroll the Compare dialog with the scroll
bars at the bottom and right sides. You can also use
the buttons in the lower-right corner to per form
View Extents, Pan, Zoom, and Zoom Region
functions.
Align group
WhiletheComparedialogisopen,youcanaffect
the shapes’ positions in the dialog w indow with the
Shape Commands rollout > Align group buttons.
Tur n off Pick Shape, select a shape in the viewp ort,
and then click the Align group buttons. S ee Shape
Commands (page 1–373) for further information.
Mesher Compound Object
Create pa nel > Geometry > Compound Objects > Object
Type rollo ut > Mesher
Create menu > Compound > Mesher
The Mesher compound object converts procedural
objects to mesh objects on a p er-frame basis so
that you can apply modifiers such as Bend or
UVW Map. It can be used with any type of object,
but is designed primarily to work with particle
systems (page 2–237).Mesherisalsousefulfor
low-overhead instancing of objects with complex
modifier stacks.