What’s an Object in Softimage?
There are several different types of objects found in an Softimage scene. While you don’t model or render all of them, they all have specific purposes.
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When you create an object in Softimage, you can give it a name in its property editor. To rename objects, however, it’s often easier to use the explorer than going back into the object’s property editor. For more information on doing this, see Renaming Scene Elements in the Explorer. |
Geometric objects are objects that have points (geometry) and can be modeled and rendered. There are several different types of geometric objects in Softimage.
See Geometric Objects for a full description of each available type.
Nulls are simply locations in space that cannot be modeled or rendered. However, they have many uses, such as for setting constraints and organizing objects in hierarchies. Nulls are sometimes called locators or point objects.
Implicits are basic shapes defined by a mathematical formula. By themselves, they are not renderable but can be used, for example, to define bounding boxes when setting weights for envelopes, or as control objects for a character rig. Implicit objects are sometimes called helper objects or dummies.
You can scale, rotate, and translate implicit objects, but you cannot deform them because they have no points. Note that implicit objects are not exported to the IGES format.
Control objects are the objects that represent waves and natural forces like gravity and wind that are used to affect particles and other simulations. The control objects themselves do not render; instead, they exist to define the properties of deformations and other effects.
Chain Elements: Roots, Bones, and Effectors
Roots, bones, and effectors form kinematic chains that you can use to create and animate characters. You can animate chains using inverse kinematics (IK) or forward kinematics (FK).
For more information on kinematic chains, see the Character Animation guide.
Lattices
Lattices are like a three-dimensional scaffolding that can be used to deform objects.
They are described in more detail in Lattices [Modeling and Deformation Basics].
Waves
Waves define an animated deformation that you can use to create ripples in geometric objects.
They are described in more detail in Waves [Modeling and Deformation Basics].
Texture Controls
Texture supports (sometimes called texture controls) are 3D objects that define and control how a texture is projected onto a geometric object.
They are described in more detail in Projections and Supports [Texturing].
Forces
Forces are control objects that define natural effects like gravity, turbulence, and wind. You can use them to influence simulations like particles, hair, cloth, and soft bodies.
Forces are described in Forces for Simulations [Simulation Basics].
Volume Deformers
Volume deformers are 3D objects that you can use to shape and sculpt geometric objects. They influence the points inside their volume, with a proportional falloff from their center to their limit.
They are described in more detail in Manipulating Points by Volume [Modeling and Deformation Basics].
The camera in Softimage is analogous to a physical camera in the real world. It defines the view that you can render. You can add as many cameras as you want in a scene.
For more information on cameras, see Cameras [Lights and Cameras].
As in the real world, lights make everything in your 3D scene visible. Each light in a scene contributes to the scene’s illumination and affects the way all objects’ surfaces appear in the rendered image. You can dramatically change the nature and mood of your images by modifying lights and their properties.
For more information on using lights, see Lights and Shadows [Lights and Cameras].
Autodesk Softimage v.7.5