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How Instanced Modifiers Work 511
and mod ifies the selection as a whole. For a
Z-axis bend, trees at the end of a line would
deform more than those at the center where the
pivot is located.
Tip: Choose the pivot setting before you apply
the modifier. You can’t change the pivot point
afterward, although you can delete the modifier
and start over without deselecting the selection
set.
Instanced Modifier s
When you apply a modifier to multiple objects,
each object receives an identical version of the
modifier. These are called instanced modifiers.
They are interchangeable. A change to any one of
the instances affects all the other instances. How
Instanced Modifiers Work (page 1–511) covers
instanced modifiers in detail.
Tip: Sometimes you mig ht apply mo difiers to a
selection set, perform some other operations, and
select the set again, only to find its modifier stack
is empty. This happens if you applied another
modifier to an individual object in the original
selection set. When you select the set again, the
modifierstackisemptybecauseallmembersofthe
set no longer have all modifiers in common. You
can still access the instanced modifiers by selecting
asingleobjectintheset.Theindividualobject’s
stacks still contain the modifiers you applied to
the s et as a whole.
How Ins tanced M odif iers Wor k
When you apply a modifier to a selection set, the
same modifier is carr ied on the stack for each
individual object. These are instanced mo difiers:
they are all exactly the same, and a change to the
instanceforanyoneobjectwillchangeallthe
others.
In the stack, the name of an instanced modifier
appears in italic.
Objects sharing a single instanced modifier
Identi f yi ng I nst anced M odif ier s
You can quickly lose track of which objects share
the same modifier. An option on the Views menu
highlights those objects.
To identify objects shar ing instanced modifiers:
1.
Select an object with an instanced modifier.
Choose the i nstanced modifier in its stack.
2. Choose Views menu > Show Dependencies.
Other objects with instances of the same
modifier appear in a distinctive color (purple
by default).
Adjus ting I nsta nced M odifi ers
You can make changes to an entire set of objects
from a single instance. This is a major advantage
of instanced modifiers.
To adjust instanced modifiers:
1.
Selectanyobjectinasetofobjectswith
instances of the same modifier.
2. Choose the instanced modifier i n its s tack.
The single object high lig hts and the appropriate
gizmos appear for the entire selection set.
Adjustmentstothismodifiernowaffectthe
entire set.