L3Deformer - Collision Deformer For Maya - Part 2!

L3Deformer – Surface Deformer (3/4)
The Curve Deformer can be used to project geometry from a user defined axis (cylinder) onto a nurbs or bezier curve. Typical applications include character animation, path animation, particle flows, text and logo effects, geometry shaping, motion graphics effects, architectural design, visualization and many more.

The deformer supports an optional alignment curve that is used to compute normal and binormal vectors and thus controls rotation of deformed components about the position curve's tangent vector. The alignment curve can also be used to scale geometry individually along normal and binormal using the distance between points on the position and alignment curve.

The Curve Deformer supports a host of placement options. This includes wrapping across the ends of a curve, linear curve extension, rotating, twisting and twirling around the curve, curve length equalization, scaling in normal and binormal curve space and more.

You can apply 2D/3D textures and animation curves to control component placement along and around the curve. These options provide very precise methods for radial/normal/binormal scale/displacement and twist/twirl effects. Both textures and animation curves are excellent detailing tools, even if the underlying nurbs/bezier curve does not provide that amount of detail.

Using remap curves the linear mapping from the original axis to the nurbs/bezier curve can be modified in tangent/normal/binormal space. This allows for very precise positioning of geometric components without the need to rebuild or modify the original nurbs/bezier curve. Remap curves can also be used to control effects such as particle acceleration.

The tool provides a set of display options to ease both setup and tuning. It can draw a marker at the position/alignment curve’s origin, draw the curve’s extension vectors, draw lines that show the linkage between position and alignment curve and display the original, non deformed input points.

L3Deformer – Surface Deformer (4/4)

We are completing the L3 previews with the announcement of the Surface Deformer, the fourth tool contained in the L3Deformer bundle. The following video shows some features of this deformer.

The Surface Deformer projects objects from a user defined plane onto a nurbs surface. Typical applications include text and logo animation, motion graphics effects, geometry shaping, procedural liquid surfaces, particle flows and many more.

When using the Surface Deformer as modelling tool you can combine the advantages of smooth, parametric nurbs surfaces with few control points and detailed polygon surfaces without topological restrictions. Thus modelling of complex shapes can be done easily on a world plane and is projected into final form using the Surface Deformer. Revolved objects like tires with complex tread pattern are a good example.

You can use 2D/3D texture networks and paint maps using Artisan to control geometry or particle placement and movement on the surface. Thus you can e.g. adjust thickness and displacement locally on the surface. You can also control the surface normal by modifying polar/inclination values or applying a bend effect. Textures and paintable maps are excellent detailing tools even if the underlying nurbs surface does not provide that amount of detail.

You can also use an optional second surface to control position and alignment of geometry/particles between primary and secondary surface.

Using UVN remap curves you can modify coordinate mapping from projection plane to nurbs surface which has a linear 1:1 correlation by default. Thus you can easily squash or stretch parts of an object or control acceleration when moving particles along a surface. These remap curves can also be used to even out (equalize) local nurbs surface regions without the need to modify or rebuild the nurbs isoparm/control vertex layout.

The tool provides a set of display options to ease both setup and tuning. It can draw colored lines to highlight the UV start isoparms of the nurbs surface and display the original, non deformed input points. When painting maps using Artisan the Surface Deformer uses an internal display method including drawing precision settings and automatic display switching depending on the map you currently paint on.