[3ds Max] moving vertices to conform to outline

big_brother

what I have is an array of "leafs" that will rotate around some shape, and as they rotate, they conform to the outline of that shape. I wanted to find a way to automate the process, so I could change/replace the shape and every time the leafs would conform to it.

Here's some examples of what I'm trying to achieve:

I want the top object (leafs) to rotate around some shape



I want the faces to conform to the shape, as seen here in red. Either the faces themselves move, or each individual leaf moves, either will work.

The only other way I was thinking was making an instance of the leafs and get that to conform to the shape while right on top of it, but can't figure out how to get that done either. I was thinking SurfDeform was the way I wanted to go, but that's only for NURBS.

I'll keep experimenting, but any suggestions or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Eric Chadwick

Is this for rendering wholly inside Max? Or do you eventually want to export it?

Don't have Max here on my phone to check, but there are a few ways to do this. Look for Conform space warp, also look for the GlueIt plugin.

big_brother

this is going to stay a Max only scene. I'll look into those, thanks.

Eric Chadwick

Easiest way might be to make a path across the object's surface (Slice, select Edge, Create Shape), then change the position controller to a Path Constraint. This way the rotation is left alone.

.morph3us

doesnt that look like a good opportunity for a good old particle system?
not onehundred percent sure what you want to achieve, though

big_brother

Eric Chadwick wrote: »

Easiest way might be to make a path across the object's surface (Slice, select Edge, Create Shape), then change the position controller to a Path Constraint. This way the rotation is left alone.

That wont work as the the shape is irregular, so slicing it doesn't get the silhouette, which is what I need.

xXm0RpH3usXx wrote: »

doesnt that look like a good opportunity for a good old particle system?
not onehundred percent sure what you want to achieve, though

maybe, if I knew enough about particle systems. I'm self taught and never had an opportunity to learn those.

Eric Chadwick

Can you explain more about what the end result is meant to be?

big_brother

Eric Chadwick wrote: »

Can you explain more about what the end result is meant to be?

the leafs are to be apart of an aperture for a light, so that the rays will conform to the shape from a distance as they go around the shape. it's essentially part of a medical device, and I want to be able to see the leafs moving to follow the silhouette of the shape (there will be a camera behind the leafs to show this) . I've done this before, but I had to manually animate the leafs, and would really like to automate the process.