3ds Max partally twist or rotate a spline

Boyordo

I have a issue with control over path-deformed (WSM) objects along splines in 3Ds max. I all comes down to when I can not utilize rotate and twist along the whole spline, using the pathdeform twist and rotate, but I need to twist/rotate only a specific section of the spline.

Here is an current example:



As you can see in the image above I have used the pathdefomer settings to get all but the end of my object rotated and twisted correct along the spline. What I want to do ist to rotate back only the last section of the object.

I can not find any way to rotate spline vertices at a local level, nor does rotating the sections fix this.
Anyone here that have a solution to this?

The spline path will be used to bend many different objects in the same way, so a local solution affecting the spline itself would be the best, but any solution is welcome.

Thanks in advance.

SuperFranky

Splines in 3ds max do not support rotation

armians

Maybe it's not what you're trying to achieve here, but simple shapes like these could be easily created with Loft (in Compound Objects).


You would have a lot more control over Twist, Scale and a few other things.

Mark Dygert

You can adjust the spline handles to control the twist. It can seem a bit confusing at first but to move the spline handle along a set direction you click that axis on the move gizmo, so say you wanted to move the handle up, you click Z and then when you click the spline handle it will move up and down. Select another axis and it will move along those.

So basically the spline handles move on the last axis clicked.

Boyordo

Thanks for the replies.
The lofting will not work as I need to path-deform a series of objects to the spline.

Mark: As for moving, adjusting the handles, I guess you are talking about the bezier handles? I know how to move them around but how ever i try to manipulate them I jut can not get the kind of rotation around the spline that I want.
Here below I have tried to illustrate this. I can move around the bezier handles all i want in all directions but I just can get the twist shown to the left to happen by modifying the spline at any level...




If this can not be done by modifying the spline, any other option out there that is still rather nondestructive?

cptSwing

Those bezier handles.. the bane of my existence..

Boyordo

Hehe I think they are just fine, at least for drawing out curves etc, just like illustrator... BUT if they could only rotate around themselves as well.....

Mark Dygert

The handles will work for some things but not all, you're right it's not as simple as grab a spline knot and rotate it, I wish it was that simple... But for those cases where the handles won't do what I want, I end up hand editing a copy of the mesh, destructively. Trying to come up with a non destructive way gets pretty complicated pretty fast and the setup and testing takes longer than just doing it by hand.

You can "TRY" to apply a SplineIK modifier to the path, which will place dummies at each spline knot (if you click create helpers), then you can skin a copy of your mesh to those dummies and rotate them. But that is destructive and you have to adjust the skin weights to actually get good results.

With a lot more setup you can probably set up some kind of bone chain that is constrained to the path and has helper objects position constrained to the bones but have their rotations free? OR something similar... I remember doing something like this years ago with straight sections of tunnels but they didn't really make hard twists like what you're attempting to do.

But yeah for as cool as splines can be, it would be awesome to have a simple rotation parameter to tweak. Maybe someone else knows something I don't...

poopipe

People dont often know more than you mark...

I got around this recently in a hacky fashion by using an ffd modifier under the path deform recently - its hardly precise but i guess you could use a twist modifier instead

Id probably use a loft for this as you have control over the twist.
Theres nothing stopping you referencing the path spline and deleting segments you dont need for each of your other objects

If that didnt work id bite the bullet and rig it properly

Neox

armians wrote: »

Maybe it's not what you're trying to achieve here, but simple shapes like these could be easily created with Loft (in Compound Objects).


You would have a lot more control over Twist, Scale and a few other things.

this would also be my method, on top if yo do not like the twist panel, you can add the same shape a couple of times and twist every added shape by hand.

Boyordo

Thanks for the answers. I went ahead and created some loft sections and cut up all the other pieces that will have to conform to the spline as well. It works ok.
A final questions though: Any other 3D app, modo or maya for example, that could do this simpler - like just having rotation control on the spline segments - without lofting? I know how to do it in Zbrush but that will not do for this project.

IxenonI

If you would model a flat geo strip of that shape and unwrap it, you could use this method aswell:

https://simonfuchs.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/tutorial-adding-detail-to-your-highpoly-objects-using-the-slideknit-script/

Boyordo

Thanks Ixenoni, that does look like a great solution. I will try it out tonight.
I tried something similar a few years back when using a uv-plugin in max... maybe it was textools. Anyway tat plugin does notwork well with my current version of max.

GutiRRs1

Boyordo said:

Thanks for the answers. I went ahead and created some loft sections and cut up all the other pieces that will have to conform to the spline as well. It works ok.
A final questions though: Any other 3D app, modo or maya for example, that could do this simpler - like just having rotation control on the spline segments - without lofting? I know how to do it in Zbrush but that will not do for this project.

Cinema 4D has a start and end angle on the sweep modifyer