Use the Soft Modification Tool

The Soft Modification Tool is a deformer with variable falloff attributes that lets you push or pull 3D geometry much like a sculptor would push or pull on a piece of modeling clay to change its form. Color feedback lets you see the area of influence of the deformer on the component or surface.

By default, the amount of deformation is greatest at the center of the push/pull, and gradually falls off further away from the center. You can control the falloff of the deformation to create various deformation effects.

To deform objects or components with Soft Modification

1. Select the objects or components you want to deform.
2. Select the Soft Modification Tool from the Deformation shelf or select Create Deformers > Soft Modification from within the Animation menu set.
   Note

   When you set options for the Soft Modification Tool it will affect the next soft modification you perform, not the current soft modification. It is recommended that you set the options prior to using the tool. If you want to edit options for the currently selected soft modification you can adjust the attributes on the softMod node in the Attribute Editor.

3. Use the manipulator to create a deformation.

   When Color Feedback is turned on you can view the area of influence of the Soft Modification tool.

4. Adjust the softMod attributes to interactively modify the deformation.
   Tip When you turn on Click Drag Select in the Selection preferences, you can simply select the Soft Modification Tool, and click-drag on the object to modify it. This lets you quickly perform several modifications on an object. See Example 2: Soft modification without history.

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