Chapter 18: Working with Compound Objects

So far, we have covered a variety of modeling types, including shapes, meshes, polys, patches, and NURBS. The Compound Objects subcategory includes several additional modeling types that don't seem to fit anywhere else. As you will see in this chapter, these modeling types provide several new and unique ways to model objects, such as working with Boolean objects, scattering objects across the surface of another object, or lofting a cross section along a spline path.

Understanding Compound Object Types

The Compound Objects subcategory includes several unique object types. You can access these object types with the Create Compound menu or by clicking the Geometry category button in the Create panel and selecting Compound Objects in the subcategory drop-down list. All the object types included in the Compound Objects subcategory are displayed as buttons at the top of the Create panel. They include the following:

• Morph: Consists of two or more objects with the same number of vertices. The vertices are interpolated from one object to the other over several frames.

• Scatter: Randomly scatters a source object about the scene. You can also select a Distribution object that defines the volume or surface where the objects scatter.

• Conform: Wraps the vertices of one object onto another. You can use this option to simulate a morph between objects with different numbers of vertices.

• Connect: Connects two objects with open faces by joining the holes with additional faces.

• BlobMesh: Creates a metaball object that flows from one object to the next like water.

• ShapeMerge: Lets you embed a spline into a mesh object or subtract the area of a spline from a mesh object.

• Boolean: Created by performing Boolean operations on two or more overlapping objects. The operations include Union, Subtraction, Intersection, and Cut.

• Terrain: Creates terrains from the elevation contour lines like those found on topographical maps.

• Loft: Sweeps a cross-section shape along a spline path.

• Mesher: Creates an object that converts particle systems into mesh objects as the frames progress. This makes assigning modifiers to particle systems possible.

• ProBoolean: Replaces the original Boolean compound object with the ability to perform Boolean operations on multiple objects at a time.

• ProCutter: Cuts a single stock object into multiple objects using several cutter objects.

Note 

When two or more objects are combined into a single compound object, they use a single object material. The Multi/Sub-Object Material type can be used to apply different materials to the various parts.