3ds Max® 2012 Bible

CHAPTER 42

Using Space Warps

IN THIS CHAPTER

Creating and binding Space Warps to objects

Understanding the various Space Warp types

Working with Space Warps and particle systems

Space Warps sound like a special effect from a science fiction movie, but actually they are nonrenderable objects that let you affect another object in many unique ways to create special effects.

You can think of Space Warps as the unseen forces that control the movement of objects in the scene such as gravity, wind, and waves. Several Space Warps, such as Push and Motor, deal with dynamic simulations and can define forces in real-world units. Some Space Warps can deform an object's surface; others provide the same functionality as certain modifiers.

Space Warps are particularly useful when combined with particle systems. This chapter includes some examples of Space Warps that have been combined with particle systems.

Creating and Binding Space Warps

Space Warps are a way to add forces to the scene that can act on an object. Space Warps are not renderable and must be bound to an object to have an effect. A single Space Warp can be bound to several objects, and a single object can be bound to several Space Warps.

In many ways, Space Warps are similar to modifiers, but modifiers typically apply to individual objects, whereas Space Warps can be applied to many objects at the same time and are applied using World Space Coordinates. This ability to work with multiple objects makes Space Warps the preferred ...