Replicates any curve or object along a path or over a surface or on vertices of a polymesh.
How to use
1. Click the Replicate icon or choose the Tools > Transform > Replicators > Replicate menu command.
2. The program console prompts Pick object to replicate.
3. Pick the object you want to replicate in any view. Once picked, the object becomes green.
4. The program console prompts Select replication path/surface.
5. Pick in any view the replication path or surface. If you select a path, you control replication along the U direction only. If you select a surface you control replication along both U and V directions. If you select a polymesh object, replicated objects are positioned on vertices of the polygonal model and U and V parameters are not used. By default, the selected object is replicated three times but the Modeling Tool panel allows you to modify the number of copies as well as numerous other options.
6. The program console prompts Hide source objects (Yes, No)?
7. If you type Y and press Enter , source objects (the object to replicate and the replication path/surface) will be hidden but not deleted. In fact, you can find them in the Hierarchy Browser hidden from both rendering and views. If you type N and press Enter , source objects will be displayed.
Options
Object
To change the object to replicate.
Views / Modeling Tool panel. Switch the Replace check button on and pick another curve or object in the scene. The new object will be replicated instead of the previous one.
Path
To change the replication path/surface.
Views / Modeling Tool panel. Switch the Replace check button on and pick another replication path or surface in the scene. Replication of the object will be accordingly modified.
Hide source objects
To hide or display source objects (original object to replicate and replication path/surface).
Modeling Tool panel. Switch the Yes or No radio button on.
Replication method
To specify the replication method.
Modeling Tool panel. Switch the chosen radio button on:
Copies, if you want to precisely set the number of copies that must be replicated.
Step, if you prefer to set a constant distance between each replicated object. In this case the number of copies will depend on the step you define.
Copies along U
Copies along V
If you have chosen the Copies replication method, this option allows you to change the number of copies to be replicated along U and/or V directions (V direction is enabled only if you use a replication surface).
Modeling Tool panel. Set the value either by moving the slider or by typing it in the data field and pressing Enter.
Step along U
Step along V
If you have chosen the Step replication method, this option allows you to change the distance between each replicated object along U and/or V directions (V direction is enabled only if you use a replication surface).
Modeling Tool panel. Set the value either by moving the slider or by typing it in the data field and pressing Enter.
Objects transformation
To specify how rotation and scaling transformations will be applied to the replicated object.
Modeling Tool panel. Switch one of the following radio buttons on:
Step by step if you want rotation and/or scaling values to be applied to each replicated object with respect to the previous one.
Linear if you prefer for rotation and/or scaling values to be applied to the last replicated object with respect to the first one (rotation and/or scaling values of intermediate objects will be automatically interpolated).
Constant when the same rotation and/or scaling values must be applied to any replicated object.
Rotation
To set the rotation angle on the X, Y, and Z axes.
Modeling Tool panel. Type rotation values in the XYZ data fields and confirm them by pressing Enter.
Scaling
To set the scaling factor on the X, Y, and Z axes.
Modeling Tool panel. Type factor values in the XYZ data fields and confirm them by pressing Enter.
Rotation noise
To apply a random effect on rotation.
Modeling Tool panel. Type values in the XYZ data fields and confirm them by pressing Enter.
Scaling noise
To apply a random effect on scaling.
Modeling Tool panel. Type values in the XYZ data fields and confirm them by pressing Enter.
Noise seed
This parameter affects the sequence of random numbers that determine the noise.
Modeling Tool panel. Set the value either by moving the slider or by typing it in the data field and pressing Enter .
Options
To specify how the curve or object will be aligned with respect to the replication path/surface.
Views. Choose the Edit mode. Click the Origin, X axis, Y axis or Z axis hotSpots and interactively define the orientation by dragging them.
Modeling Tool panel. Switch one of the following radio buttons on:
No alignment. No alignment will be applied.
Frenet frame alignment. Replicated objects are oriented along curve normal if the path is a curve, along surface normal if the path is a surface and along vertices normal if the path is a polymesh.
Dir. preserving alignment. To align the curve or object axes to the replication object normal without any twisting.
Reset axes
To restore the orientation axes
to their original position.
Modeling Tool panel. Press the Reset
axes button.
Starting point
V Starting point
To set the replication starting point on the path or over the surface. V starting point is active only in the second case (in this case Starting point means U Starting point).
Modeling Tool panel. Set the value either by moving the slider or by typing it in the data field and pressing Enter.
End point
V End point
To set the replication end point on the path or over the surface. V end point is active only in the second case (in this case End point means U End point).
Modeling Tool panel. Set the value either by moving the slider or by typing it in the data field and pressing Enter.