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502 Chapter 8: Modifiers
Usi ng t he M odif ier S tack
The modifier stack and its editing dialog are the
keys to managing all aspects of modification. You
use these tools to:
• Find a particular modifier and adjust its
parameters.
• View and manipulate the sequence of modifiers.
• Copy, cut, and paste modifiers bet ween objects,
or sets of objects.
• Deactivate the effect of a m odifier in the stack,
the viewport display, or both.
• Select a modifier’s components, such as gizmo
or center.
• Delete modifiers.
See also
Editing the Stack (page 1–504)
Modifier Stack Controls (page 3–760)
Modifier Stack Right-Click Menu (page 3–766)
Exa mining the Modifier S tack
The modifier stack (or "stack" for short) is a list
on the Modify panel. It contains the accumulated
history of a selected object and any modifiers you
have applied to it.
Internally, the software "evaluates" an object
beginning at the bottom of the stack and applies
changes to the object by moving sequentially to
the top of the stack. You should therefore "read"
the stack from bottom up to follow the sequence
usedbythesoftwareindisplayingorrendering
the final object.
Here is an example of stack entries for a capsule
object (an extended primitive):
• A t the bottom of the stack, the first entry always
lists the object t ype (in this case, Capsule). You
click this entry to display the original object
creation param eters so you can adjust them. If
you haven’t applied any modifiers yet, this is the
only entry in the stack.
• Object-space modifiers appear above the object
type. You click a modifier entry to display the
modifier’s parameters s o you can adjust them,
or to delete the modifier .
Modifiers are preceded by a plus or minus
icon if they have sub-object (or sub-modifier)
levels. See UsingtheStackatSub-ObjectLevel
(page 1–508).
• At the top of the st ack are world-space modifiers
and space warps b ound to the object. (In the
illustration, Displace Mesh is a world-space
modifier.) These always appear at the top, and
are described as "bindings."
Basics of Using the Stack
With the stack feature, no modification has to be
permanent. By clicking an entr y in t he stack, you
can go back to the point where you made that
modification. You can then rework your decisions,
temporarily turn off the modifier , or discard the
modifier entirely by deleting it. You can also insert
a new modifier in the stack at that point. The