User Guide > Rigging > Deformers > Cluster deformer > Edit deformation effects > 
Edit cluster deformers
 
 
 

To edit cluster channels with the Channel Box

  1. Select a cluster deformer node (default name: clustern).

    One quick way to select the cluster deformer node is to select the object being deformed, and then select the cluster deformer node in its history from the Channel Box (under INPUTS). Another way is to select the cluster deformer handle (the C icon).

    Note that you can control which attributes are listed as keyable attributes (channels) in the Channel Box with the Channel Control editor (select Window > General Editors > Channel Control).

  2. In the Channel Box, the following channels are listed by default:
  3. Click the name of the channel you want to edit.
  4. In your scene, -click and move the mouse to the left or right. By moving the mouse, you interactively change the value of the selected channel. As you move the mouse, note that pressing the key gives you finer control, and pressing the key gives you less control.

To edit cluster deformer attributes with the Attribute Editor

  1. Select the cluster deformer node (default name: cluster).
  2. Open the Attribute Editor by selecting Window > Attribute Editoror by using the default shortcut +a.
  3. Edit the attributes.

    See cluster.

To prune deformer set membership

  1. Select deformable objects whose currently unaffected points you want to prune from the deformation.
  2. Select Edit Deformers > Prune Membership > Cluster.

    Maya removes the deformable object’s points currently unaffected points from the cluster deformer set.

    NotePrune Membership only removes points from the deformation if they are currently not affected by the deformer. Therefore, if you try to prune the membership of an object whose points are all controlled by the deformer, you will receive the error message “No components could be pruned.”

To query cluster weights

  1. Select the points whose cluster weights you want to edit.
  2. Select Window > General Editors > Component Editor.

    The Component Editor appears.

    The Component Editor displays the component data for currently selected components in the workspace.

    By default, the Component Editor updates dynamically as you select components in the workspace. Also, as you select components in the Component Editor, the workspace updates dynamically.

  3. Click on the Weighted Deformers tab. The Weighted Deformers section lists the weights assigned to CVs, vertices, or lattice points by cluster deformers (default names: clustern).

To modify a point’s cluster weight

  1. In the Component Editor’s spreadsheet, click the component data box you want to edit.

    Only the component whose box you’ve selected is now selected in the workspace.

  2. Enter a new value.

To modify several cluster weights at once

  1. In the workspace, select the points whose weights you want to edit.
  2. In the Component Editor’s spreadsheet, drag through the component data boxes you want to edit.
  3. Enter the value you want all the boxes to have.

To modify an entire row or column (Linux and Mac OS X only)

  1. In the workspace, select the points whose weights you want to edit.
  2. In the Component Editor’s spreadsheet, click one of the boxes in the row or column.
  3. Click the row or column heading.

    Now all the boxes for the row or column are selected.

  4. Enter a value for all the boxes in the row or column.

To modify an entire row or column (Windows only)

  1. In the workspace, select the points whose weights you want to edit.
  2. To change all the entries of a row or column, in the Component Editor’s spreadsheet, select the row or column heading.
  3. -click any of the boxes in that row or column.
  4. Enter a new value to update the entire row or column.

    For more information about the Component Editor, see the Basics guide.

To paint weights on a cluster

  1. Select the surface with the cluster you want to paint weights on.
  2. Select Shading > Smooth Shade All or press the default hotkey 5 to switch to smooth shading mode.
  3. Select Edit Deformers > Paint Cluster Weights Tool > .

    In the Paint Attributes Tool, the Paint Cluster Weights Tool settings appear. See Paint Cluster Weights Tool.

    NoteThe Paint Cluster Weights Tool automatically detects clusters on the surface and selects one for painting.
  4. In the Display section, Turn on Color Feedback. Color feedback helps you identify the weights on the surface by representing them as grayscale values (smaller values are darker, larger values are lighter).
    TipYou can use the default hotkey +c (Linux and Windows) or +c (Mac OS X) to turn Color Feedback on and off outside the Paint Attributes Tool.
  5. Select the cluster you want to paint. In the Paint Attributes section of the Paint Attributes Tool, click the clustern.weights button and select the appropriate cluster weights name from the pop-up menu.

    Note that you can only paint weights on one cluster at a time. If you select more than one cluster, you can only paint weights on the active one (the one that provides color feedback).

    If the surface has only one cluster, you can select the surface alone.

    The selected cluster turns white, representing a weight value of 1, the default.

    TipIf you are painting on a single surface, you can skip step 3 and select the cluster without opening the Tool Settings window by -clicking the surface and selecting the appropriate cluster weights name from the Paint command submenu.
  6. Select a brush, paint operation, and value and define other settings as required.
  7. Drag the brush across the cluster.
    TipYou can quickly pick weight values from one cluster and paint them on another cluster or the same cluster using hotkeys.
    • Select the cluster with the weight values you want to pick.
    • Hold down the Pick Color Mode hotkey (default hotkey: /), click on the area of the cluster with the weight you want to pick, then release the hotkey.
    • If you are painting the picked weight on the same cluster, drag the brush across the cluster.

    If you are painting the picked weight on another cluster, select that cluster, then drag the brush across it.

To delete a cluster deformer

  1. Select the cluster deformer node.
  2. Select Edit > Delete or use the default shortcut (Linux and Windows) or (Mac OS X) key.

    The deformer nodes are all deleted. However, the object still has the tweak node as an input node, so any tweaks you might have made are preserved.

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