Curve piping - Render mesh modifier

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Curve piping constructs a render mesh pipe around a curve. Linetypes are supported to create stitches on leatherware or footwear models.

Steps

  1. Select objects to apply curve piping to.
  2. In the Properties panel, click the Curve Piping button.

    Curves with curve piping in wireframe view (left) and shaded view (right).
  3. Specify the curve piping properties.

Note

  • Curve Piping appears as a property for the curve.
  • Pipes ends can be open or be capped.
  • Curves inside blocks cannot be selected.
  • When a curve with Curve Piping enabled, Material, Texture Mapping, Decals, and Displacement properties will be available.

Curve piping properties

Manages curve piping properties for the selected objects.

On

Switches the curve piping display on and off.

Settings

Radius

The measure from the curve to the surface of the mesh pipe.

Segments

The number of mesh faces that surround the curve. For example with three segments, the cross-section of the pipe looks like an equilateral triangle. The more segments there are, the rounder the pipe is.

Faceted

Toggles between a smoothly shaded pipe and a flat-shaded pipe. This setting only affects the normals of the pipe mesh.

CapType

Assigns one of the following cap types to both ends of the pipe.

None

Leaves pipe ends open.

Flat

Plugs the pipe ends with flat caps perpendicular to the curve at each end.

Flat, Extended

Extends the pipe by length of the Radius value and plugs it with flat caps.

Dome

Plugs the pipe ends with spherical caps centered at the curve end points.

Accuracy Low / High

Changes the visual fidelity of the pipe along the curve. Higher value means that the center of the pipe is closer to the curve. By increasing the accuracy, the mesh will get more faces along the curve.

Note

Render mesh modifiers are applied in the following order:

  1. Curve Piping
  2. Thickness
  3. Edge Softening
  4. Shut Lining
  5. Displacement

See also

Use materials and textures

Snapshots

The Snapshots command saves and restores Named Views, Named Positions, Layer States, as well as rendering settings, object settings including locked/hidden state, display mode, material, position, light settings, curve piping, displacement, edge softening, shutlining, and thickness.

ExtractRenderMesh

Duplicate the render mesh.

ExtractPipedCurve

Duplicate a curve's piping mesh.