Advanced deformer options

Deformation Order

Select one of the following options.

Default

Maya places the deformer before (as an Input) the deformed shape.

Default is the same as Before unless the deformer is going to act on a shape node with no history. In this case, the order will be the same as After.

When you create a number of deformers for an object with Default, the result is a deformation chain whose order is the same as the order in which you created the deformers.

Before

Maya places the deformer immediately before of the deformable object’s deformed shape. In the object’s history, the deformer will be placed right before the deformed shape.

After

Maya places the deformer immediately after the deformable object. You can use After to create an intermediate deformed shape somewhere in the middle of the object’s history. With After, the original shape of the object is not hidden.

Split

Maya splits the deformation into two deformation chains. You can use Split to deform an object in two ways at the same time, creating two final shapes that originate from the same original shape.

Parallel

Maya places the deformer in parallel with the existing input nodes in the object’s history, and then blends the effects provided by the existing input nodes and the deformer. A parallel blender node (default name: parallelBlendern) that blends the effects of the existing input nodes and the new deformer is placed before the final shape.

Parallel is useful when you want to blend the influences of several deformers acting on a single object. For example, if you create a bend deformer with Default placement for an object, and then create a Sine deformer with Parallel placement, you can directly control how much influence each deformer has on the object by blending the influence of each deformer. The parallelBlender node provides a weight channel for each deformer. You can edit the channels of the parallel blender node.

Front Of Chain

Front Of Chain is only available for blend shape deformers. Blend shape deformers are typically used to create deformation effects on a skinned character. Front Of Chain assures that blend shape deformation effects occur before the deformation effects provided by the skinning. If the effects occur afterwards, undesirable double transformation effects occur when the skeleton is posed.

Front Of Chain places the deformer in front of all the deformer and skinning nodes in the deformable object’s shape history, but not before any of the tweak nodes. Tweak nodes let you point tweak objects being deformed. See Point tweaking objects.