We have added new functionality to the Move CV tool (located in the Control Panel) and provided a Hot Spot interface to reduce mouse movement when doing direct surface manipulation.

Given the tool's expanded functionality, we have renamed it Transform CV. The new name is used in the descriptions below.

When the Control Panel > Transform CV tool is selected, holding down the space bar displays the Hot Spot interface under the cursor.

The transform tools are available in the horizontal ribbon, and the different modes that apply to the selected tool are displayed on the wheel. The center spot is divided into two halves: CV and Hull. Roll-over an icon to see a description of what it does.

To use the Hot Spot interface

1. Choose the Control Panel > Transform CV tool.
2. Press and hold down the space bar.

   The Hot Spot interface appears

3. Click on a tool (on the ribbon) to select it.
4. Click on a mode (if available on the wheel) to select it.
5. Click on the CV or Hull icon, depending on what you want to manipulate.
6. Release the space bar.

   The Hot Spot interface disappears.

7. Pick the CV(s) or hull(s) and drag. If the CVs are not visible, clicking on a curve or surface displays them.

New tools added to Transform CV in this release are: Rotate, Scale, Non-p scale, Pivot and Prop mod. Having these additional transformations available from within Transform CV also saves you mouse mileage when modifying surfaces by direct CV manipulation.

The Move tool has a new mode called VIEW. This mode moves CVs in the plane of the current view.

• = Unconstrained movement in the current plane defined by the direction of the view.
• = Movement constrained to the horizontal axis of the screen.
• = Movement constrained to the vertical axis of the screen.

The PARA mode behaves like the old Parallel option (check box) of the PROJ mode, so it is not really a new tool.

The Prop mod tool has modes: XYZ, NUV, SLIDE, ROT (Rotate), and NPSCL (Non-p scale).

The Rotate, Non-p scale and Pivot tools do not have any modes.

Below is a description of the new tools:

Rotate

This tool behaves like the Transform tool of the same name, rotating CVs around the object’s rotation pivot point.

Scale

This tool behaves like the Transform tool of the same name, scaling CVs proportionally along all 3 axes, with respect to the object’s scaling pivot point.

Non-p scale

This tool behaves like the Transform tool of the same name, scaling CVs by different amounts along each axis, with respect to the object’s scaling pivot point.

Pivot

This tool behaves like the Transform tool of the same name, positioning the object’s pivot points. Currently, it uses the options from Set Pivot to determine which pivot(s) to move (Rotation, Scaling, or both).

Prop mod

This tool behaves like the Transform > Modify > Proportional Mod tool, but its user interface has been enhanced to be more intuitive and easily allow experimentation with falloff values.

See the next section for details.

Integration of Proportional Mod tool into Transform CV

The Prop Mod tool available from Transform CV is an improved version from its namesake in the Transform tab. Using this version of the tool provides the following advantages:

• If the CVs are not visible, they are displayed when selecting a surface (or curve).
• Mouse Sensitivity and Step Size can be used with the tool.
• Modes can be changed without having to reselect the CVs
• The range of CVs affected by the modification can be interactively modified using the mouse.
• The falloff values (in U and V) are now more intuitive and can be locked to stay synchronized. They are displayed in a floating window that remains in sight while the tool is active.
• The modification can be applied across multiple surfaces.

Specifying the selection range

You must first select the primary CV by clicking on it. The primary CV defines the point from which falloff is calculated and applied to the range of CVs. It is indicated by a green jack locator.

If only one CV is selected when the Prop Mod tool is invoked, it becomes the primary CV.

Note

If the CVs are not visible on the object, clicking it first will turn on the hull and CVs.

Small blue arrows appear around the primary CV, allowing you to select/deselect additional rows of CVs to define the range that will be affected by Prop Mod.

• Click an outward pointing arrow to add CVs to the range in the given direction.
• Click an inward pointing arrow to remove CVs from the range in the given direction.

If you keep the mouse button depressed, rows of CVs are continuously added/removed to/from the selection. if you click and release, rows are added/removed one at a time.

A numeric label shows how many CVs/rows of CVs have been selected for each direction.

Selecting and de-selecting CVs always maintains a “rectangular” selection.

Instead of using the blue arrows, you can also select the range of CVs by holding down the key, and:

• Box selecting the entire range.
• Selecting the CVs at the extent of the range. The intermediate CVs are added to the range.
• Selecting already selected CVs to de-select them along with all CVs on the same hull lines and those further away.

NoteThe CV selection is retained when changing modes within the Prop Mod tool. However, changing tools deselects all the CVs.

Choosing a transform mode

There are still five modes, but Smooth has been replaced by SLIDE in the Transform CV version of the tool. Modes XYZ, NUV, ROT (Rotate), and NPSCL (Non-p scale) remain the same.

The mode can be changed from the Mode drop-down in the Control Panel, or by using the Hot Spot interface. The Hot Spot interface appears under the cursor when you hold down the space bar. See To use the Hot Spot interface above.

Note

In SLIDE mode, the arrows only appear around the primary CV.

Adjusting the falloff

As with the Transform > Modify > Proportional Mod tool, we use a range-based modification. That is, the greater the number of CVs between the primary CV and the boundary of the defined region, the less effect the transformation has on each CV.

The falloff window appears as soon as the Prop Mod tool is selected.

By default the U and V falloff sliders move in sync. To decouple them, click the chain link icon on the right hand side of the window. A value of 0.0 means that all CVs move by the same amount. A value of 1.0 (default) corresponds to a linear falloff. The higher the falloff value, the less effect the movement of the primary CV has on the surrounding CVs.

The slider settings are maintained between applications of the tool.

Applying Prop Mod across multiple surfaces

Under certain conditions, it is possible to select CVs on surfaces adjacent to the surface containing the primary CV and apply the modification across several surfaces.

• The surfaces must share an edge (that is, have positional continuity).
• The surfaces must have the same number of CV rows in the same locations.
• The surfaces must line up in the direction across which you are selecting CVs, as shown in Figure A below.
• The surfaces must form a rectangular grid if you want to expand the selection to adjacent surfaces in both directions, as shown in Figure B below.

Figure A: Four adjacent surfaces.

Figure B: Six adjacent surfaces forming a rectangular grid.