Alias - Wavefront Fundamentals

An SGI Company
StudioTools
Fundamentals
StudioTools Fundamentals
© 1999 Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Ltd.
Printed in the U S A, All rights reserved.
Documentation Team: Mona Albano, Pat Anderson, Matt Chaput, Stephen Gaebel, Karen Hoogsteen,
Adam Kozyniak, Joanne MacPhail, Margot Meijer. Special thanks to Chris Nichol.
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About This Book 7
How To Use This Book 8
Learning About 3D 11
Points 12
Lines 13
NURBS Curves 14
NURBS Surfaces 16
Advanced NURBS Properties 19
Simple Transformations 23
Construction History 24
Rendering 25
Animation 28
Starting and Exiting 31

Starting Studio 32
Minimizing and Shutting Down 33
Using the Interface 35

Using Tools 36
Getting Feedback 40
Picking and Unpicking 41
Changing Your View of the Model 44
Visualizing Surfaces and Surface Properties 48
Changing the Display of Objects 51
Using Marking Menus 53
Using Manipulators 54
3
Getting Help 56
Saving, Loading, and Organizing Files 57

Loading and Saving Files 58
Using Small-scale Organization 61
Using Layers 63
Working on Separate Projects 65
Understanding the Scene Block Diagram 66
Modeling 71
Creation and Editing Conventions 72
Snap Modes 74
Creating Geometric Primitives 75
Drawing Curves 76
Creating Surfaces 78
Creating Transition Surfaces 81
Transforming Objects 82
Showing and Hiding Control Features 86
Editing CVs 88
Editing Objects 89
Trimming Surfaces 92
Rendering 95
Introducing the Multi-lister 96
Shading the Scene 98
Lighting the Scene 101
Positioning the Camera 106
4
Working With the Shaded Scene 107
Creating the Background Environment 109
Rendering the Scene 111
Troubleshooting the Rendered Image 112
Animating 113
Controlling the Animation 114
Using Keyframes 115
Making Motion Paths 118
Editing Animation Curves 119
Rendering and Viewing the Animation 122
Customizing the Interface 123

Using Shelves to Hold Commonly Used Tools 124
Customizing the Marking Menus 126
Creating Custom Tools 127
Creating and Editing Hotkeys 129
Customizing for Your Work Style 130
Changing the Look of the Interface 131
Going Beyond This Book 133

Other Documentation 134
Alias|Wavefront Assistant 135
Alias|Wavefront Training 136
Six Suggestions 137
5
6
About This Book
In This Section: How To Use This Book 8
7
How To Use This Book
What’s Inside This book contains basic, useful information for new users of
Studio. In other words, quick answers to common questions.
You can use this book in three ways:

● As a crash course for beginners who want to learn by
playing around in Studio before starting the tutorials.
● As a companion to the tutorials. This book covers basic
tools that are used throughout the tutorials.
● As a quick reference resource to remind yourself of how to
accomplish basic tasks in Studio.
This book does not replace the tutorials or the reference books. This
book only skims the surface of sometimes complex subjects
and powerful tools. To go deeper, you should complete the
tutorials, and look up tools and commands in the reference
books.
Where to Begin This book is intended primarily for new users unfamiliar with
Studio. Experienced users and experts will probably not find
any new information here.
New users, depending on their experience level, may be able

to skip some material:
User Level Start Here
Absolute novice. Learning About 3D on page 11.

Familiar with 3D Starting and Exiting on page 31.
packages.
Familiar with the host Using the Interface on page 35.
operating system.
Familiar with the Studio Saving, Loading, and Organizing
interface. Files on page 57.
8
About Different Products This book describes tools and features available in the general
Studio product line. Depending on which product and
platform you are using, your software may not include some
of the features described.
Page Layout
Major topic
Sub-topic
Information Table:
• Read across rows.
• Split cells represent
alternatives:
To do this...Do this.
Or do this.
Name of
chapter
Page
Name of topic number
on this page
Feedback We are eager to hear your responses to our documentation:

what you liked, what you didn’t like, what was hard to find,
and how we can do better. Help us improve future books by
giving us constructive comments about this one.
Please email any feedback about this documentation to:

aliasdocs@aw.sgi.com
9
10
Learning About 3D
In This Section: Points 12

Lines 13
NURBS Curves 14
NURBS Surfaces 16
Advanced NURBS Properties 19
Simple Transformations 23
Animation 28
Rendering 25
11
Points
The most basic visual entity is the point. The point has no size,
but it has a location.
To determine the location of points, we first establish an

arbitrary point in space as the origin.
We can then say a point’s location is so many units left (or

right) of the origin, so many units up (or down) from the
origin, and so many units higher (or lower) than the origin.
These three numbers give us the 3D coordinates of the point in

(7,4,3) space. For example, a point 7 units right, 4 units down, and 3
Origin units above the origin has the 3D coordinates (7,4,3).
(0,0,0)
7 3
4 To specify points on the opposite side of the origin, we use
negative numbers. In the example, a point at (-5, -2, -1) would
be 5 units left of the origin, 2 units up, and 1 unit below.
In computer graphics, we don’t really say the point is “left/

Z axis
right”, “up/down”, or “higher/lower”. Instead we call the

three dimensions the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis.
X axis
axis
Y
12
Points
Lines
Imagine two points in space. We can place more points along

the route between the points. The more points we add, the
denser the straight path between the end points becomes, until
we add an infinite number of points between the end points,
and create a line.
We call either point at the end of a line a vertex. Vertex is often

used to refer to special points associated with lines, curves,
surfaces, and polygons.
Like the point, a pure line isn’t very useful for modeling. There
aren’t many real-world things you can build with single
straight lines. Curves are much more useful for modeling.
The line is very useful, however, as a vector. A vector is a kind

of line that indicates direction. Several tools in Studio let you
a vector specify directions by creating reusable vector objects.
13
Lines
NURBS Curves
We created a line by drawing points along the straight path

between two end points. Of course the path doesn’t have to be
straight. We can bend the route between the two end points to
create a curve. In many ways, the curve is the fundamental
data type of a Studio model.
Studio uses a very powerful type of curve called a NURBS

curve. NURBS stands for quite a mouthful: Non-rational
Uniform B-Splines. But everyone just calls them NURBS.
CVs
CV To control how the curve bends, we add a new type of point:
CV
2nd CV the control vertex, or CV. Control vertices (CVs) aren’t part of
st CV the drawn curve. Instead, they control the shape of the curve:
moving the control vertices bends the curve toward them.
Studio draws CVs differently to let you tell the difference

between the start and the end of a curve. The first CV (at the
start point of the curve) is drawn as a box. The second CV is
drawn as a small “U”, to show the increasing U dimension
from the start point. All other CVs are drawn as small X’s.
Spans and Edit Points Multiple Spans
Longer and more complex curves require more than a single

span curve. As you draw what appears to be a single long
curve, Studio is actually adding several curve spans together.
The last CV of the previous curve span become the first CV of
the next curve span, creating very smooth transitions between
the curve segments.
14
NURBS Curves
Edit Points
You can tell when a curve is made from multiple spans in

Edit Points several ways. One is to look for edit points on the curve. Edit
points mark the connection point between two spans. Studio
draws edit points as small crosses.
Unlike the on-curve control points of Bezier curves (used in

many 2D illustration programs), NURBS edit points are not
usually used for editing curves. CVs control the shape of a
NURBS curve, and edit points are just indicators of how many
spans a curve has.
There are, however, a few tasks that use edit points:

● If you want more control in a curve, you can insert an edit
point to increase the number of spans in the curve and
give you more CVs to work with.
● You can also delete edit points to decrease the number of
spans in a curve (and probably change the shape of the
curve).
● It is possible to move edit points to change the shape of a
curve, but you should avoid doing this except for minor
adjustments.
Studio does not actually move the edit point itself, but
instead moves the CVs to reshape the curve so the edit
point is where you specified.
Hulls
As a curve gets more spans/edit points, you might lose track

Hull of the order of the CVs. To show the relationship between CVs,
Studio can draw lines between them. These lines are called
hulls.
(Studio also provides other feedback to show the order of CVs.

For example, when you pick a CV, Studio highlights its span
within the curve.)
15
NURBS Curves
NURBS Surfaces
Surfaces are curves with an extra dimension. A curve has one

dimension: length (or the U dimension). A surface has two
dimensions: length and width (or U and V).
Surface Edge
Edit Point Isoparm
Descriptive Isoparm
Patch
Isoparms Studio draws a NURBS surface as a mesh of curves, called

isoparms, running in the U and V directions.
Isoparm is short for isoparametric curve. Unfortunately, the

term “isoparm” is used to describe two related but subtly
different features of a surface:
● Descriptive isoparms: any line of constant parameter in
either U or V. For example, if you join together every point
on the surface where U=1.5, the resulting line is a U
isoparm:
◆ You can increase the number of this type of isoparm
that is drawn for a surface with the Patch precision tool.
◆ A surface has an infinite number of this kind of
isoparm, just as a curve or line is made from an
infinite series of points.
You can use these isoparms to help you understand the
surface shape, but the system doesn’t use them to
represent the surface internally.
16
NURBS Surfaces
● Edit point isoparms: lines of constant parameter at an edit
point. The isoparms at edit points are special, since they
represent the boundaries between “patches.” These
isoparms represent actual geometric information.
◆ This is the type of isoparm created by the Insert tool.
Adding this type of isoparm increases the number of
CVs available to shape the surface.
◆ You can only delete an isoparms of this type.
◆ Using this definition, a surface has the same number
of isoparms in the U and V directions as it has edit
points.
By default, Studio draws edit point isoparms using solid lines,

and descriptive or “patch precision” isoparms using dotted
lines.
Tools that accept curves as input can also use isoparms and
surface edges.
Patches The four-sided regions between adjacent edit point isoparms

or edges are called patches.
You rarely need to think about patches, but the term is

sometimes used when describing surfaces. One important tool
that works with patches is the Patch precision tool, which sets
how many U and V isoparms are drawn for each patch.
Curves-on-Surface Normal curves exist in the 3D space of the scene. But it is often
useful to have curves that are defined on a surface (or
technically, in the parameter space of the surface), as if you took
a pen and drew the curve right on the surface itself.
These curves are called curves-on-surface. You will often use

them to trim surfaces or form edges of new surfaces.
Curves-on-surface are mathematically different from NURBS

curves. They do not have CVs. Instead, you draw and edit
them by moving on-curve control points.
It is possible to create curves-on-surface manually, but you

will usually create curves on surface by projecting existing
17
NURBS Surfaces
curves onto a surface, or by intersecting existing geometry with
a surface.
Trimming Since NURBS surfaces are intrinsically four-sided and do not

allow holes, you need a way to visually simulate irregular
shapes and holes when using NURBS. The answer is trimming.
Trimming lets you visually cut or divide a surface along a

curve-on-surface so it appears to have holes or missing pieces.
The trimmed surface, however, is not actually cut. It exists in a
hidden form that does not render or affect modeling. You can
recover the trimmed part of a surface using the Untrim tool.
Creating curves-on-surface and then trimming is the most

common way to combine NURBS surfaces in industrial
design.
For information on the trimming tools, see Trimming Surfaces

on page 92.
18
NURBS Surfaces
Advanced NURBS Properties
Ideally, you wouldn’t have to know about the “under-the-

hood,” geometric representation of curves. Unfortunately, in
return for the power of NURBS, you must sometimes deal
with exactly how a curve or surface is being represented
mathematically. The following information will let you use
NURBS curves to their full potential.
Degree
3 The number of CVs for each curve span is controlled by the
2 degree of the curve. The default curve type in Studio is degree 3,
4
which has four CVs for the first curve span.
1
You can choose to have fewer CVs per span, or, if you have an
advanced version of Studio, you can create curves with more
than four CVs per span.
● Degree 1 creates curves or surfaces with straight lines.
● Degree 2 curves or surfaces do not automatically have
smooth transitions between spans or patches.
● Degree 3 is the default degree for new curves and
surfaces.
● Degree 5 and degree 7 curves are generally used in
automotive design. They are slower, but give you
smoother curves, better internal continuity, and more
control.
The degree of your curves can affect data transfer to CAD

packages. Some other packages cannot accept curves with
degree higher than 3.
Surfaces can have different degrees across their width and

length. So, for example, a surface could be degree 3 along its
width, and degree 5 along its length.
19
Parameters Remember that we formed the line and curve from an infinite
number of points. Each of the points that make up a curve has
a number, called its parameter. Parameters let you refer to
specific points along the length of a curve. The higher the
parameter, the further is the point along the curve.
Just as points in space have three dimensions, called X, Y, and

Z, the parameter of a point along a curve can be thought of as
the dimension of the curve. We call this dimension U.
Since surfaces are “curves with an extra dimension,” we need

another parameter in addition to U to specify a point on a
surface. We call this parameter V.
Just as every point along the length of a curve has a U

parameter, every point across a surface has a pair of (U,V)
parameters.
Parameterization
The method Studio uses to number the points along a curve is

called the curve’s parameterization. Studio has two
parameter = 2.3 parameterization methods: uniform and chord-length.
parameter = 0.0 Each method has advantages and disadvantages depending
on how the curve will be used. You can choose which
parameterization method to use when you create a new curve,
and you can rebuild existing curves to use a specific
parameterization.
Uniform
1.5 Uniform parameterization assigns integral parameter values

1.0 2.0 to the edit points, and evenly distributes parameters along the
spans between edit points. So the first edit point is always
0.0 3.0
parameter 0.0, the second edit point is always 1.0, the third is
always 2.0, and so on.
A bonus feature of uniform parameterization is that the

parameter value of the last edit point is the also the number of
spans in the curve. However, unlike chord-length
parameterization, the parameters of a uniform curve have
nothing to do with the actual length of the curve.
20
Chord-length
3.8
Chord-length parameterization assigns parameter 0.0 to the
2.1 5.7 start of the curve, then increases the parameter value
proportionally to the chord length, or the shortest linear
0.0 7.7
distance, between the surrounding edit points.
Unlike uniform parameterization, the parameters of a chord-

length curve are irregularly spaced between the edit points,
and the edit points do not have integral parameters.
Comparison
Each parameterization method has advantages and

disadvantages, depending on how you will use the curve or
surface.
Type Pros Cons
Chord- • Parameter value • Parameters are not

length gives some obvious.
indication of the • Surfaces built from
point’s relative chord-length curves
position along the can be more complex
curve. because of cross-knot
• Minimizes insertion.
stretching and
squeezing of
textures.
Uniform • Easy to reckon • In many cases,
parameters (for interpolation between
example, 1.5 is edit points is not as
about half-way good.
between edit points • Can lead to
at 1.0 and 2.0). unpredictable
stretching of textures
during rendering.
Just as with degree, surfaces can have different

parameterization methods for their U and V dimensions. For
example, the U isoparms of a surface can be degree 3 with
uniform parameterization, while the V isoparms are degree 1
with chord-length parameterization.
21
Normals Normals are imaginary lines perpendicular to each point on a
curve or surface.
The direction of U and V isoparms on a surface determines the

direction of the surface’s normals.
Normals are a mathematical side-effect of NURBS.They are

often used as a way of specifying which side of a surface
points “inside” or “outside” (for example, when creating
shells).
Normals are also an indirect indicator of the shape of a curve

or surface. Since they are always perpendicular to the curve or
surface, the way normal lines point toward or away from each
other can reveal subtle curvature.
22
Simple Transformations
About the Pivot Point When you pick objects in the view windows,
you can see a small blue-green dot associated
with every object. This is the pivot point of the
object.
Pivot points allow you to control how objects

rotate and scale, and also represent the exact locations of
objects in space.
All transformations to an object are relative to the pivot point:
Transformation Relationship to Pivot
Move Moves the pivot point (and the object

travels along with it).
Scale Scales object out
from or in toward
the pivot point.
Rotation Rotates object

around the pivot
point.
Moving, Rotating, and Moving, rotating, and scaling are the three simplest and most
Scaling common transformations, or ways of changing objects. In
Studio they are pretty straightforward.
See Transforming Objects on page 82 for information on the

Move, Rotate, and Scale tools.
23
Simple Transformations
Construction History
For almost every tool, Studio gives you the option of saving
the history of how an object was constructed. This means you
can edit the curves, surfaces, and/or manipulators that were
used to create an object, and the object will automatically
update.
For example, when you use the Revolve tool to create an object
with construction history, you can:
● reshape and edit the curves you revolved...
● re-display the construction manipulator that created the
revolved surface...
...and the surface(s) will update automatically.
To create construction history when working with tools, turn

on the Create History option in the option window. This option
is on by default in all tools.
Objects that have construction history are drawn in green in

the default color scheme.
24
Construction History
Rendering
The renderer works by simulating the operation of a real-

world camera. Illumination from lights in the scene bounces
off the surfaces and reaches the virtual camera’s lens. The
color of the light hitting the lens at each point of a grid is
combined to create an image.
The Rendering Workflow Rendering your scene in Studio uses a similar workflow to
photographing a scene in the real world:
1 First you must create and lay out the scene, placing objects
in position for the shot.
2 Next you assign shaders to your model. This is somewhat

analogous to painting objects in the real world, except that
shaders control much more than just the color of the
objects. They control what kind of material the object
appears to be made of: plastic, chrome, leather, smoke,
water, and so on.
If you do not add shaders to the model, objects will render
using the default matte blue color.
3 Next, you must light the scene. Without light, the scene will
be completely dark and the camera will simply
photograph pitch black.
4 Next, you position the camera to get the angle you want on
the scene. The camera in Studio is a near-perfect
simulation of a real camera.
5 Next you can preview the shot. In the real world this might
involve looking down the viewfinder. In Studio, it means
checking the shaded view, and making quick test renders
to make sure the scene is set up correctly.
6 Finally, you render the scene. In the real world, you snap the
shutter, rendering the picture on film. In Studio, you use
the Render command to pass the scene to the renderer,
which saves the picture in an image file.
25
Rendering
Shaders To render a surface, you need a description of what the surface
is supposed to look like. Is it gray or red? Smooth or bumpy?
Shiny or matte? Should it look like gold or gravel? This
description of what a surface should look like is called a shader.
Shaders have literally hundreds of parameters that let you

simulate virtually any material you can imagine. But this
infinite variety is based on two basic decisions: what shading
model to use, and how to set or apply textures to the parameters
of that shading model.
Shading Models
A shading model is a representation of how light bounces

when it hits a certain type of material. Different models
simulate different types of materials:
Model Used For Example
Lambert Matte materials (chalk, matte paint,

unpolished surfaces).
Phong Glassy or glossy materials (plastic,

glass, chrome).
Blinn Dull metallic materials (brass,

aluminum).
Lightsource A special lighting model that has no

shading. Can be used to represent,
for example, the surface of a
switched-on lightbulb.
Objects shaded with this model do
not actually cast light into the
scene.
These shading models and their parameters (for example,

color, shininess, and reflectivity) determine the base look for a
shader. You can then modify the base look by mapping
different types of textures onto the shader parameters.
26
Rendering
Textures
The basic shaders have properties that can be measured at

each point on a surface: color, shininess, displacement, and so
on. In a new shader these values are uniform, so for example
the entire surface has one color.
To create more interesting materials, you can map a texture

onto the properties of the shader. There are many different
types of textures available: color ramps, checkerboard
patterns, fractal noise, and more.
For example, you could map a blue-to-green ramp to a

shader’s color parameter, and a checkerboard pattern to a
shader’s reflectivity parameter, to create a material with a
smooth transition from blue to green across the surface, and
that alternates between reflective and dull in a checkerboard
pattern.
Rendering Methods Raycaster
Raycasting produces smooth shaded renderings that include

shadows. Raycasting is faster than raytracing, but does not
produce reflections or refraction (although you can simulate
these using clever shaders).
Raytracer
Raytracing produces smooth shaded renderings that include

optical effects such as reflections and refraction. It is the most
realistic rendering possible, and the most technologically
advanced method available for producing cheesy pictures of
chrome spheres sitting on checkerboards.
Hidden Line Renderer
Hidden line rendering produces outline renderings of objects

that are filled with flat, unshaded color. Silhouettes of surfaces
include the effect of any bump or displacement maps.
27
Rendering
Animation
About Animation Animation means displaying a series of related images fast

enough to fool the eye into perceiving motion.
Animation is one of the most powerful communication tools

available. You can use it to entertain, inform, and demonstrate.
Animation in Studio Studio provides two types of automatic animation, where you
just plug in parameters and Studio creates the animation, as
well as manual, freeform animation.
In Studio, manually creating animation involves establishing a

timeline, then varying one or more properties of objects (for
example, position or color) over time.
The basic workflow for manually creating an animation is:

1 Create the models.
2 Decide how long you want the animation to be and create

the necessary number of frames in Studio.
3 Use basic techniques to vary the scene through the length

of the animation:
◆ Place objects you want to animate, including the
camera, where you want them, and with the values
you want, at each point in the timeline, then mark
those frames as keyframes.
and/or
◆ Establish motion paths for objects to move along
through time.
For more advanced animation, Studio is capable of
varying almost every property of an object or shader
along the timeline, not just position.
4 Decide how the objects should transition from frame to

frame.
28
Animation
More advanced animation can use the Action window,
expressions (mathematical formulas describing
relationships between time and object properties), and
constraints, to create more realistic and automated effects.
5 Preview or render the animation.
For more information on advanced techniques, see the

Animation book.
Parameters
Objects have many parameters that can be animated. Examples

are the objects X, Y, and Z positions, rotations, scaling, and
visibility.
Different types of objects have different animation parameters.

For example, you can animate a camera’s field of view, and the
color and intensity of a light.
In Studio, you control which parameters of an object are

animated using the Param Control window.
29
Animation
30
Animation
Starting and Exiting
In This Section: Starting Studio 32

Minimizing and Shutting Down 33
31
Starting Studio
Running the Application On UNIX systems:

1 In the Toolchest menus, choose Find > Alias/Wavefront to
open the icon catalog to the Alias|Wavefront software
page.
2 Double-click the Studio icon.
On NT systems:
● Double-click the Studio shortcut icon on the desktop.

or
● Choose the Studio application from the Start menu.
The Start-up Process Studio shows a “splash” window as it loads.
During start-up, the program may warn you about unusual

conditions on your system:
● If you are already running Studio (or if Studio exited
abnormally the last time you ran it), the application will
ask you if you really want to start another copy.
If you are sure Studio is not running, click Yes to continue

loading.
When Studio finishes loading its resources and plug-ins, the

workspace windows open.
32
Starting Studio
Minimizing and Shutting Down
Minimizing under UNIX To minimize the entire interface at once:
● In the Utilities menu, choose Minimize.

● Click the minimized icon to restore the interface.
Quitting To quit the program:
● In the File menu, choose Exit.
33
34
Using the Interface
In This Section: Using Tools 36

Picking and Unpicking 41
Changing Your View of the Model 44
Visualizing Surfaces and Surface Properties 48
Using Marking Menus 53
Using Manipulators 54
Getting Help 56
35
Using Tools
Working in Studio primarily involves applying tools to objects

in the scene. The palette window is your toolbox, containing all
the tools available in Studio.
Tools are grouped together into palettes based on what they do

and what kinds of objects they work on.
Interaction With Studio The Studio interface has three main methods for telling the
program what you want to do:
● Menus. The pull-down menus along the top of the main
window work exactly like pull-down menus in other
programs.
● Tools. Tools are the main interface for creating and
manipulating objects in Studio. Tools are located in the tool
palette.
● Some tools create manipulators. Manipulators allow you to
directly affect objects in the scene by moving or selecting
“handles” on the manipulator.
Tool Palettes ● Find the tool palettes window on the left side of the screen.
If the palette is not visible, go to the Windows menu and
choose Palette.
● The Palette window is divided into separate palettes of

tools, each labeled with a tab at the top.
For example, the Curves palette contains tools for creating
new curves. The Curve Edit palette contains tools for
editing and reshaping existing curves.
36
To... Do This
Choose a tool. Click a tool icon with the left mouse button to select it.
A red outline appears around the icon to show it is the
current tool.
Click the title tab of a palette with
the right mouse button to open a
menu of all the tools in the palette,
then choose a tool from the menu.
Choose a tool from a sub- • Some tools have a small yellow arrow in the top right corner.
palette. These arrows indicate that more, similar tools are available in
a hidden tool drawer.
• Click and hold a tool with the left mouse button to open the
drawer.
• Click a tool on the sub-palette to select it and collapse the sub-

palette again.
Collapse a palette down to Click the palette tab with the left
its tab, or expand a mouse button.
collapsed palette.
Choose a tool from a Click the title tab of a palette with the right mouse button to open
collapsed palette. a menu of all the tools in the palette, then choose a tool from the
menu.
See the name of a tool. Hold the mouse pointer over a tool, or click the
tool with the middle mouse button. A tooltip
will show the name of the tool.
37
Using Tools
Setting Tool Options Most tools and menu commands have options that you can
use to change how the tool or command operates.
To... Do This
Open the options Double click the tool icon.

window for a tool.
Open the options Choose the shadowed box next to
window for a menu the name of the menu item instead
item. of the menu item itself.
When you select the tool options a window will appear

containing the options for the tool or menu command.
Refer to the documentation for the tool or menu item to learn

about the individual options.
Click To...
Reset the options to their original settings (from

before you opened the window).
Keep these settings for the tool, but do not select
or apply the tool.
38
Using Tools
Click To...
Abandon any changes and do not select or

apply the tool.
Keep these settings and select or apply the tool.
Finding Tools and Menu To find a tool by name:

Items in the Interface 1 Open the Help menu and choose Find Function.
2 Type the name of the tool you want to find in the text box.
You can use a regular expression for advanced searches.
39
Using Tools
Getting Feedback
As you are using Studio, the program will give you feedback on
what it is doing, and on any problems it encounters.
The Prompt Line Studio provides most of its feedback on the prompt line. The
prompt line is just below the menu bar at the top of the main
window.
Prompt line
The prompt line displays:

● Brief instructions for using the current tool.
● Numeric feedback when you are dragging the mouse.
● Any information you enter using the keyboard.
● Alert messages when a tool or menu item could not
complete a task.
Reading Previous Prompt Sometimes another message may replace an alert message on
Line Messages the prompt line before you can read it. In this case, open the
prompt line history window to see a list of all the prompt line
message displayed so far.
To open the prompt line history window:
● Click the small button to the left of the prompt line.
40
Getting Feedback
Picking and Unpicking
“Picking” means selecting objects in the scene before applying

tools or menu commands to them. Because picking and
unpicking objects is such a big part of the interface, Studio
gives you several powerful variations to choose from.
Mouse Pick Conventions The pick tools use the mouse buttons consistently to perform
certain operations:
● Click a mouse button to pick or unpick a single object.
● Drag a mouse button to draw a selection box around one
or more objects.
Click/Drag To...
Toggle the selected

L object(s) between
picked and unpicked.
Pick only the selected

M object(s).
Unpick the selected

R object(s).
41
Pick Tools
To... Do This
Pick/unpick objects. Choose Pick > Object.
Pick or unpick (toggle) • Choose Pick > Object.

an object by name. • Type the object’s name in
the prompt line.
Pick all objects. Click the Pick > All tool.
Unpick all objects Click the Pick > Nothing tool.

(pick nothing).
• Choose Pick > Object.

• Click empty space with
the middle mouse
button.
Pick/unpick CVs, edit In the Pick palette, choose
points, hulls, etc. the appropriate tool for the
type you want to pick.
Use the palette tab menu to see the
names of all the pick tools.
Pick/unpick • Choose Pick > Component.
components of objects. • Use the component filter
buttons to choose which
component types you want to
pick.
Lights Curves Shells

Faces Surfaces Others
• Click or drag to pick components
of the types whose filter buttons
are pushed in.
Check the current pick Read the pick mode display to the
mode. left of the prompt line.
42
Choosing Between If several objects are in the same space in a view window, it
Objects That Are Close may be ambiguous which object you meant to pick when you
click. In this situation Studio will pop up a “pick lister” menu.
Together Drag and release to specify the object you wanted.
43
Changing Your View of the Model
As you work in Studio, you will constantly be moving the

camera to view different parts of the model and check objects
from different angles. To accomplish this, you will primarily
use the camera move keys (Shift+Alt) and the mouse.
Tumbling, Tracking, and Use the following key and mouse combinations to move the
Dollying the View virtual camera in the scene:
Hold Drag To...
Tumble
Ctrl Alt L
(Tumbling does not

work in orthographic
windows.)
Track
M
Dolly
44
Looking at Objects Use the Look at command (in the Cameras palette) to center the
view on the picked object or group of objects, or on the entire
model.
To... Pick... Do This
Center the view The Click Cameras > Look

window on an object(s). at.
object or group of
objects.
Ctrl Alt +L
Center the view Nothing. Click Cameras > Look

window on the at.
entire model.
Ctrl Alt +L
Moving the Point of The point of interest manipulator lets you

Interest center the camera movements on an
arbitrary point on the model. When you
place the Point of Interest manipulator,
subsequent camera moves are centered
around that point.
To enable the Point of Interest manipulator:

1 In the Preferences menu, open the Interface sub-menu, then
choose Interface options-❏.
The Interface Options window appears.
2 Turn on the Point of Interest Viewing option.
3 Click Go to close the window and use the new settings.
45
To use the Point of Interest manipulator:
Hold To... Do This
Place the Point of Click or drag on

Interest on a the wireframe.
Ctrl Alt curve or surface.
Move the Point Drag the circle at

of Interest across the center of the
the object. manipulator.
Look down the Click the long,

normal at the light blue arrow
Point of Interest on the
location. manipulator.
Look down an Click one of the

axis at the Point red, green, or blue
of Interest. axis arrows on the
manipulator.
Using the View Panel The view panel appears when you enter camera move mode
(by holding Shift and Alt) in the Perspective window. This
window lets you quickly switch the Perspective window to
common default or user-defined views of the model.
As you work on the model, you will probably find yourself

changing the camera view back and forth between two or
more areas of interest. The view panel lets you “bookmark”
views of the model and return to those views by clicking the
name of the bookmark.
46
Open/close the
view panel
Open/close the
P.O.I. section
Show/hide
Lock the position the P.O.I.
of the P.O.I manipulator
View the model View the model

side-on from a from the top
preset direction
Return to Perspective or
previous view isometric view
Open/close
bookmarks section
Add/edit
Go to book- bookmarks
marked view
Showing and Hiding Items in the DisplayTgls menu controls which classes of items
Parts of the Scene and interface elements are shown or hidden. (To find out how
to hide individual objects, see Changing the Display of Objects
on page 51.)
To show or hide... Do This
The grid in display Choose DisplayTgls >

windows. Window toggles > Grid.
Types of objects (such as Choose items from the

lights, cameras, point DisplayTgls > Object toggles
clouds). sub-menu.
The wireframe. Choose DisplayTgls > Model.
47
Visualizing Surfaces and Surface
Properties
Studio normally displays your model in wireframe mode for

maximum speed. Wireframe mode displays surfaces by
drawing only their isoparms. To work with “solid” (filled-in)
surfaces, use one of the interactive shading modes.
Using Shading Modes These options let you work with shaded geometry instead of
wireframes so that you can see and evaluate your surfaces.
There are different shading modes available that provide
different diagnostic information about your surfaces.
To... Do This
Show the Choose ObjectDisplay >

Diagnostic Shading Diagnostic Shading.
panel.
If your version of Studio includes the
Dynamic Modeling panel, the
diagnostic shading controls are also
available on that panel.
Turn on a diagnostic In the Diagnostic
shading mode. Shading panel,
click one of the
buttons in the
Diagnostic
Shading section.
Return to the In the dynamic

wireframe view. modeling control
panel, click the
Wireframe button
in the Diagnostic
Shading section.
48
Visualizing Surfaces and Surface Properties
To... Do This
Adjust the options Click the small

of a shading mode. triangle at the
bottom of the
Diagnostic
Shading panel.
Show and select Open the options section of the

objects behind Diagnostic Shading panel and turn up
shaded surfaces. the Transparency setting.
Basic Shading Modes

Mode Example
Wireframe
Single color shade
Random color shade

This mode clearly
shows the different
surfaces that make up a
model by assigning them
random colors.
Advanced Shading These modes allow you to visualize the fine details of high-
Modes quality surfaces. These modes are not available in all Studio
products.
49
Surface evaluation map
Highlights (zebra
stripes)
Iso-angle (topographic
stripes)
Double-horizon texture
User-defined texture
50
Changing the Display of Objects
Studio gives you several options to control which objects are

shown in the view windows, and how they are displayed.
These display commands do not change how the objects

“really look” (that is, how they are rendered). They only
change how the objects are displayed in the interface.
Note that you can apply most of these commands to an entire

layer using the layer’s pop-up menu. (See Using Layers on
page 63.)
Hiding and Showing

Objects To... Do This
Hide an object. • Pick the objects you want to hide.

• Choose ObjectDisplay > Invisible.
Show hidden objects. Choose ObjectDisplay > Visible.
Changing How Objects

are Drawn To... Do This
Change the icons Choose ObjectDisplay > Draw Style-❏.

used for CVs and edit
points.
51
To... Do This
Draw the picked • Pick the objects you want to

objects using dashed change.
or solid lines. • Choose ObjectDisplay > Line Style-❏
• Set the Display Type option to Solid
or Dashed, then click Go.
Draw only the • Pick the objects you want to
bounding boxes of an display using bounding boxes.
object. • Choose ObjectDisplay >
Bounding Box.
• To show the objects again, pick
them and choose ObjectDisplay >
Bounding Box.
Using Objects as Templating is a very useful way of getting objects “out of the
Templates way” (so you don’t accidentally pick or modify them), but still
have them visible and still be able to snap to them.
Templated objects are drawn in a different color from normal

objects.
To... Do This
Template an object. • Pick the objects you want to

template.
• Choose ObjectDisplay > Template.
“Untemplate” an • Choose the Pick > Template tool.
object (return a • Pick the templated objects you
templated object to want to untemplate.
normal). • Choose ObjectDisplay > Template.
52
Using Marking Menus
Marking menus generally hold fewer tools than a shelf, but

are much faster since you can use quick gestures to select
tools. With practice, selecting tools with marking menus
becomes almost instantaneous.
You can customize which tools are included on the marking

menus. See Customizing the Marking Menus on page 126.
To choose a tool from a marking menu:
1 Hold down the Shift and Ctrl keys.
Ctrl Alt 2 With the keys held down, press and hold a mouse button.
The mouse button’s marking menu appears at the location

of the mouse pointer. Each mouse button has a separate
marking menu.
3 Keep the mouse button held down and drag out toward a
tool name.
A thick black line shows the direction of the mouse

pointer.
4 Release the mouse button to choose the highlighted tool.
53
Using Marking Menus
Using Manipulators
About Manipulators Many tools provide you with manipulators you can use to
control the operation of the tool. By dragging and/or clicking
the “handles” of the manipulator, you interactively control the
tool. When you are done using the tool, the manipulator
disappears.
Different tools provide different types of manipulators, refer

to the documentation for the tool for details on how to use the
manipulator. However, you can often discover how a
manipulator works just by dragging the manipulator’s
handles and observing the results.
Examples
The “New Primitive” Manipulator
This manipulator lets you quickly move, rotate, and scale a

new primitive. It appears on primitives created with one of the
primitive tools in the Objects tool palette.
Click an arrow to move

the object along an axis.
Click a cube to scale

the object along an axis.
Click a sphere or an arc

to rotate the object
around an axis
.
Click the center handle

to move, rotate, or scale
the object freely.
54
Using Manipulators
The Project Tangent Manipulator
This manipulator appears when you use the Project tangent

tool. The Project tangent tool lets you create a smooth
transition between two objects, for example a curve leading
out of a surface.
The manipulator lets you interactively adjust direction and

scale the transition effect.
Click an axis line

to set the tangent
direction to a world
axis.
Click an arc to
change the rotation.
Click this box to

set the tangent
scale.
Long arrow indicates

projection direction.
The Curve Editor Manipulator
This manipulator appears when you select a curve with the

Curve editor tool. The manipulator’s handles let you
interactively reshape the curve at any point.
Tangent Scale handle
Tangent Rotation handle
Position handle
Parameter handle
55
Using Manipulators
Getting Help
The Help menu gives you access to the on-line HTML

documentation for Studio, including beginner and technical
information as well as reference information on every tool,
menu command, and window.
To... Do This
Get help on a • In the Help menu, choose Help on Function.

tool or menu • Click the tool or choose the menu item
item. you want help on.
Get help on an Click the question-mark button in
open option the top right corner of the option
window. window.
Find the • In the Help menu, choose Find Function.
location of a • Type the name or part of the name of the
tool or menu tool or menu item you are looking for.
item. Studio will show which palette or menu
the tool or item is in.
Choose from In the Help menu, choose Online Docs.
the list of on-
line books.
56
Getting Help
Saving, Loading, and
Organizing Files
In This Section: Loading and Saving Files 58

Using Layers 63
Working on Separate Projects 65
Understanding the Scene Block Diagram 66
57
Loading and Saving Files
Working with Files

In the File Menu,
To...
Choose This
Start a new file. New
Open an and replace the Open

existing file... current file.
and insert it into the Import > File
current file.
Save... the current file. Save
the current file under Save As

a new name.
only the currently Export > Active As
picked objects.
a snapshot of the Export > Screen
screen.
Using the File Lister on On UNIX systems, Studio provides a file lister to let you open,
UNIX Systems save, and manipulate files. On NT systems, Studio uses the
standard file dialog boxes.
All commands for working with files use a standard file lister
interface. The file lister may seem intimidating at first, but it
provides a very powerful way to manipulate files from within
Studio.
When you first choose a file command, you will see the file
requester. This is an abbreviated interface which allows you to
quickly find files if you remember the full pathname. To open
the full file lister, click Show List.
58
When you click Show List in the file requester, the full file lister
opens to fill the screen.
Current directory
Icons for
files
Directory
text box
Pop-up
Filename menus
text box
Action buttons
To choose the file you want, double-click it in the file list, or

choose the rightmost action button at the bottom of the
window.
Navigating in the File Lister
To... Do This
Change how files are Open the Display pop-up menu and
displayed in the list. choose a display method.
Change how the files Open the Sort Mode pop-up menu
are sorted. and choose a sorting method.
Show or hide the Click the arrow next to the name of
contents of a the directory.
directory.
59
Working With Files in the File Lister
To... Do This
Rename a file or Double-click the name in the file list.

directory.
Move a file or Drag the file’s icon/name to the
directory. destination in the list.
Create a new In the Directory pop-up menu, choose
directory in the New Directory.
currently displayed
directory.
Delete a file. • Select the file you want to delete
in the list.
• In the File pop-up menu, choose
Delete.
60
Using Small-scale Organization
Grouping You can group several objects together to form a group object.
This gives you two main benefits:
● Allows you to transform several objects around a single
pivot point.
● Can reduce clutter by reducing the number of individual
pickable objects in the scene.
To... Do This
Group several objects • Pick the objects you want to

into one object. group together.
• In the Edit menu, choose
Group.
Break a group into its • Pick the group object.

component objects. • In the Edit menu, choose
Ungroup.
Pick an object from • Use the Pick > Component tool.

within a group.
Hiding and Templating ● You can make objects invisible to “get them out of the
Objects way,” or see what the scene looks like without them.
● You can “template” objects so that they cannot be picked,
but can still be snapped to.
To learn how to hide/show and template objects, see Changing

the Display of Objects on page 51.
Naming Giving meaningful names to objects is the simplest way to

organize your files. Every object is given an automatically
generated name as it is created, so you only need to name
important objects in the scene.
61
Naming objects gives you specific benefits:
● Easier to pick objects by typing their name in the prompt
line.
● Easier to identify the object you want from pick listers.
● Easier to identify objects in the SBD window.
To... Do This
Change an object’s • Pick the object.

name. • In the Windows menu, choose
Information > Information Window.
• Enter the new name in the Name
text box at the top of the
Information window.
• Change the name in the text box
in the dynamic modeling panel.
Pick an object by name. • Choose a pick tool.
• Type the name of the object and
press Enter.
62
Using Layers
Layers allow you to organize related objects into groups that

you can pick, display, and edit individually or together.
For example, you can have a separate layer for each part in an
assembly, plus additional layers for measurements, guidelines,
construction curves, and so on.
Using the Layers Bar ● If the layers bar is not visible below the prompt line, open
the Layers menu and choose Tgl layers bar to show it.
The buttons in the layers bar represent the layers in the

scene.
● Each layer has an associated pop-up menu. To show the
pop-up menu for a layer, click and hold the layer’s button
in the layer bar.
Using Layers
To... Do This
Create a new layer. In the Layers menu, choose

New.
Rename a layer. Double-click the name of the

layer in the layer bar.
63
Using Layers
To... Do This
Set the layer in which new Click the layer’s button in the
objects will be created. layer bar.
The creation layer is indicated
by a yellow background.
Move objects into a layer. • Pick the objects you want to

assign to a layer.
• In the layer’s pop-up menu,
choose Assign.
Pick all the objects in a In the layer’s pop-up menu,
layer. choose Pick Objects.
Changing Layer
Attributes To... Do This
Make a layer visible or In the layer’s pop-up menu,

invisible. choose Visible to toggle it on or
off.
Make the objects in the In the layer’s pop-up menu,
layer templated. choose Set State > Reference.
This is the same as using
ObjectDisplay > Template to
template the objects.
Make the objects in the In the layer’s pop-up menu,
layer totally inactive. choose Set State > Inactive.
Inactive geometry is similar to
templated geometry, but
cannot be snapped to.
Change the wireframe color Click and hold the color
of objects in the layer. swatch next to the name of the
layer in the layer bar to show a
pop-up menu of colors.
64
Using Layers
Working on Separate Projects
You will often need to work on several ongoing projects at

once. Studio provides functions to cleanly separate the files of
different projects.
When you start a new project, Studio creates a directory for

the project and creates subdirectories for the different types of
files generated by Studio, such as wire files (model data) and
PIX files (rendered images).
To... Do This
Start a new project. • Create the file you want to place

in a new project.
• Choose File > Save as.
• If necessary, click Show List to
open the full file requester.
• In the Project pop-up menu,
choose New Project.
Switch to a different • Choose File > Show > List.
project. • In the Go pop-up menu, choose
Projects to go to the directory
containing your projects.
• Click the name of the project
directory to select it.
• In the Project pop-up menu,
choose Set Current.
65
Working on Separate Projects
Understanding the Scene Block
Diagram
About the SBD Studio keeps track of every aspect of the scene in a data
structure equivalent to a graph. Curves, surfaces, groupings,
transformations, components, lights, and everything else in
the scene is represented by nodes in the graph. This graph is
called the Scene Block Diagram. The SBD is a type of Directed
Acyclic Graph, or DAG.
Nodes in the graph (often called DAG nodes) represent the

“main” objects in the scene: curves, surfaces, curves on
surface, lights, and so on. Some “subsidiary” entities you can
manipulate in the view windows, such as CVs, do not have
their own DAG nodes, but are instead simply part of a node’s
internal information.
You may need to view the Scene Block Diagram (SBD) in

certain circumstances:
● In complex or crowded scenes, it can be easier to pick
objects in the SBD window than in a view window.
● The SBD shows important information that has no visual
equivalent in the view windows, such as how the
components and objects are grouped together.
● The SBD lets you confirm the effects of tools and menu
items on the internal structure of the scene to help
diagnose problems.
66
Understanding the Scene Block Diagram
The SBD Window
To... Do This
Show the SBD In the Windows menu, choose SBD.

window.
Navigate around the Use the same camera move
SBD window. techniques as in orthographic view
windows: middle mouse button
tracks, right mouse button dollys in
and out.
See the names of Dolly in close enough that the labels
objects. will fit on the nodes.
Pick objects and Use the same pick tools as in the
components from the modeling windows. Select the nodes
SBD window. corresponding to objects and
components in the scene.
Types of Nodes ● Positioning node: the brown positioning nodes contain the
transformations applied to the geometry nodes below it in
the graph.
● Geometry node: the blue geometry nodes contain the
internal structure of a piece of geometry (edit points, CVs,
and so on).
Different types of geometry are indicated by different
icons in the blocks.
67
Target surface
Curve Surface Curve on Trim surface

surface
Top-level Objects vs. Top-level objects are top-level nodes in the SBD hierarchy.
Components Components are nodes grouped beneath top-level objects. The
Pick > Object tool picks top-level objects. The Pick > Component
tool picks objects from anywhere within the hierarchy.
The SBD window shows the difference between the Pick >
Object and Pick > Component tools. For example, consider this
SBD representation of a cube object:
You can see that the cube is constructed from six planes which
are grouped together.
● If you choose Pick > Object and pick the cube in a view
window, the windows will show that the grouping node is
picked.
● If you choose Pick > Component and turn on the Surfaces

filter button, then pick the cube in a view window, both
the windows will show that only one “face” plane of the
cube is picked.
68
Instead of picking the entire group, the Pick > Component
tool picked one of the sub-nodes.
69
70
Modeling
In This Section: Creation and Editing Conventions 72

Snap Modes 74
Creating Geometric Primitives 75
Drawing Curves 76
Creating Surfaces 78
Creating Transition Surfaces 81
Transforming Objects 82
Showing and Hiding Control Features 86
Editing CVs 88
Editing Objects 89
Trimming Surfaces 92
71
Creation and Editing Conventions
Mouse Buttons Creation, transformation, and editing tools use the same
mouse buttons for similar functions:
Window Type Mouse Button Convention
Orthographic Free across view plane.

L
Constrained horizontally.
M
Constrained vertically.
R
Perspective Constrained along X axis.

L
Constrained along Y axis.

M
Constrained along Z axis.

R
Keyboard Input • To enter relative positioning mode, type an r before the 3D

coordinate.
• To enter absolute positioning mode, type an a before the 3D
coordinate.
• Separate coordinate numbers with commas or spaces.
72
Selecting Geometry When using tools, the prompt line will tell you what kind of
objects you can select for use at each step. For example, the
Trim tool will first prompt you to select a surface to trim.
The following table shows the valid inputs for different

prompts.
When you are

Do this...
asked for a...
Curve Click a curve, isoparm, surface edge, or

curve-on-surface.
Surface Click a surface.
Movement Drag mouse buttons to move, rotate, etc.
amount, rotation object in view windows.
amount, etc.
Type the amount(s).
3D Location Position a 3D locator in the scene using
the mouse.
Type a 3D coordinate, for example
30,-10,2
Curve parameter Click, or position a parameter locator on,
the curve using the mouse.
Type a parameter value.
UV coordinate Click a point on the surface, or position a
manipulator on the surface using the
mouse (depending on the tool).
Type a 2D UV coordinate.
73
Snap Modes
The snap modes “snap” or lock movement/placement of

objects and points.
The snapping modes can be activated using modifier keys or

the snap mode buttons at the end of the command line. To use
a type of snapping temporarily, hold down the corresponding
modifier key(s). To keep a type of snapping on continuously,
turn on the corresponding button to the right of the prompt
line. Click the button again to turn it off.
When snapping is on, you can still use the middle and right
mouse buttons to constrain mouse input to horizontal and
vertical. This is useful, for example, to snap a point to the
horizontal position of another point, but not the vertical.
To Snap To... Do This
Grid Hold the Alt key.

intersections.
Ctrl Alt
Turn on the Grid

Snap button.
• Curves. Hold the Ctrl and

• Isoparms. Alt keys.
• Surface edges. Ctrl Alt
• Curves-on-
surface. Turn on the Curve
Snap button.
• CVs. Hold the Ctrl key.

• Edit points.
• Key points. Ctrl Alt
• Skeleton
joints. Turn on the Magnet
• Locators. Snap button.
74
Snap Modes
Creating Geometric Primitives
The primitive creation tools allow you to add basic 3D and 2D

shapes to your scene. You can then move, scale, and change
these objects as regular surfaces and curves.
The primitive creation tools are on the Primitives sub-palette

of the Objects palette.
To add a primitive object to your scene:

1 Choose a primitive tool from the Objects > Primitives sub-
palette.
2 Click in a window to place the new primitive.

or
Type the coordinates of the new primitive in the command
line.
3 A new primitive will appear in the scene.

◆ If you used the mouse, Studio orients the primitive so
that the “top” of the primitive (or the “face” of the
circle) points toward you in the window where you
clicked.
◆ If you used the keyboard, Studio orients the primitive
so that the “top” of the primitive (or the “face” of the
circle) appears in the Top window.
4 Use the manipulator to rotate, scale, or move the new

primitive.
5 To create another primitive, click elsewhere in a view

window. To stop creating primitives, choose another tool.
75
Creating Geometric Primitives
Drawing Curves
To Draw by Placing... Do This
CVs • Choose Curves > New

Curves > New Curve (CVs).
• Click in view windows to
place the points of the
new curve, or type coordinates for
the CV locations.
• Click the New Curve tool again to
start another curve, or choose
another tool.
Edit Points • Choose Curves > New
Curves > New Curve (Edit
Points).
• Click in view windows to
place the points of the new curve,
or type coordinates for the CV
locations.
• Click the New Curve tool again to
start another curve, or choose
another tool.
Note Although it can seem easier to some beginners,

creating curves with New Curve (Edit Points) can lead to
parameterization problems later. We recommend that
you learn to draw by placing CVs.
76
Drawing Curves
Other Drawing Tools
To... Do This
Sketch a curve Use the Curves > New Curve

freehand. (sketch) tool.
Fit a new curve to an Use the Curves > Fit Curve tool.
existing curve
exactly.
Trace curves on a Use the Curves > Digitize tool.
digitizer tablet.
Draw CAD-like lines Use the keypoint line tools in the

and arcs. Curves palette.
77
Drawing Curves
Creating Surfaces
Studio provides tools for creating surfaces in the Surfaces

palette, in addition to the primitive creation tools in the Object
palette.
Very broadly, you can categorize the eight most commonly

used surfacing tools into two groups:
● Four “sketching” tools for creating quick surfaces (Skin,
Revolve, Extrude, and Set planar)
● Four “quality” tools (Square, Birail, Swept, and Round) that

are slightly more complex, but offer much more control
over the resulting surface and how it fits together with
surrounding surfaces.
Studio has more surfacing tools, but you will find yourself
using these first eight tools most commonly.
For information on surface tools, see the Modeling book.
Quick Surface Tools

Tool Description Example
Skin Creates a surface by “skinning”

a NURBS surface across cross-
section curves.
Revolve Creates a new surface by

sweeping a curve around an
axis, creating an effect similar to
a lathe.
78
Creating Surfaces
Extrude Creates a new surface by

extruding a generation curve
along a path curve. Normally
used to make tubular objects
with symmetrical cross sections.
Set planar Creates a planar face or trimmed

NURBS surface from a set of
planar boundary curves.
High Quality Surface

Tools
Square • Creates surfaces by blending

between four boundary curves,
curve segments, and/or
corners.
• Gives more advanced control
over continuity.
Birail • Creates a surface by sweeping
or blending one or more
generation curves along two
path curves (rails).
• Gives more advanced control
over continuity.
79
Creating Surfaces
Swept Creates a new surface by sweeping

one or more generation curves
along a path curve, with optional
rotation, scaling, and pivot
options. (Similar to Extrude and
Birail.)
• Draft These tools let you “pull” new Draft:

• Flange surfaces from existing curves or
• Collar surface edges.
80
Creating Surfaces
Creating Transition Surfaces
Tool Example
• Round creates
rounded edges
where surfaces
meet.
• Bevel extrudes Bevel:

a surface from
a curve and
adds a
bevelled edge.
• The Fillet and
Blend tools
create fillet Fillet:
surfaces
between
existing
surfaces.
• Boundary N-sided:
• N-sided
These tools create
surfaces to fill
gaps between
surfaces.
81
Creating Transition Surfaces
Transforming Objects
Conventions As explained in Creation and Editing Conventions on page 72,

you can use different interfaces to transform objects:
● Drag the mouse buttons.
● Type exact values in the prompt line.
With most tools you can also use the arrow keys to “nudge”
the object by very small amounts.
Pivot Points
To... Do This
Move the pivot point • Pick the object.

of an object. • Choose
Xform > Local > Set pivot.
Show or hide pivot Choose DisplayTgls > Pivots.

points.
Set the pivot to the Choose Xform > Center pivot.
centroid of an object.
Moving 1 Choose Xform > Move.
2 Drag the mouse buttons to move the picked

object(s).
82
In Window
Drag... To Do This
Type...
Orthographic Move freely in the

view axes.
L
Perspective Move along

the X axis.
Z
X Y
Orthographic Move
horizontally.
M
the Y axis.
Z
X Y
Orthographic Move vertically.

R

the Z axis.
Z
X Y
Scaling
Choose... Drag... In Window Type... To Do This
Xform > Any Scale the object

Scale uniformly along all axes.
L Z
X Y
83
Choose... Drag... In Window Type... To Do This
Xform > Orthographic Scale freely in the view axes.

Non-prop
Scale L
Perspective Scale along X axis.
Z
X Y
Orthographic Scale horizontally.

M
Perspective Scale along Y axis.
Z
X Y
Orthographic Scale vertically.

R
Perspective Scale along Z axis.
Z
X Y
Rotating 1 Choose Xform > Rotate.
2 Drag the mouse buttons to rotate the picked

object(s).
In Window
Drag... To Do This
Type...
Any Rotate around X

axis.
L Z
X Y
Any Rotate around Y

axis.
M Z
X Y
Any Rotate around Z

axis.
R Z
X Y
84
Duplicating Objects To duplicate an object, pick the object or objects and choose
Edit > Duplicate > Object-❏.
The Duplicate Object options window appears:
You can specify the number of copies and translation (move)

and rotation, and scaling values to apply to each copy.
Reflecting Objects Mathematically, scaling an object by a factor of -1 is the same

as reflecting the geometry. You can use this fact to reflect an
object across its local axes using the Non-prop scale tool and
the Duplicate Object menu command.
For example, to reflect an object along its Z axis (across the XY

place), choose the Non-prop scale tool and type r 1 1 -1
(the r at the beginning tells Studio the scaling is relative).
85
Showing and Hiding Control Features
Studio provides several different types of visual clues and

control points to help you edit curves and surfaces. If these
control features are obscuring your view of the model, you can
turn different features off for individual or all objects.
(See also Changing the Look of the Interface on page 131.)
Using The Control window allows you to show and hide features of
ObjectDisplay > Control the objects in the scene such as edit points and CVs.
To... Do This
Open the Control In the

window. ObjectDisplay
menu, choose
Control-❏.
Control which features In the Control window, set the

are shown on all objects Scope to All.
in the scene.
are shown on the picked Scope to Active.
objects.
will be shown on newly Scope to New Surf.
created surfaces
86
To... Do This

will be shown on newly Scope to New Crv.
created surfaces
Change the display of • Use the checkboxes to set the
object features. features you want to show
(checked) and hide
(unchecked).
• Click Go.
87
Editing CVs
Moving individual CVs allows fine control over the shape of a

curve or surface. Picking and transforming CVs is almost
identical to working with objects.
To... Do This
Pick CVs. Choose the Pick > CV tool.
Move or scale CVs. Use the Xform > Move and

Xform > Scale tools.
Move a CV and Choose Xform >

proportionally pull Proportional mod.
surrounding CVs with it.
Move a CV along the Choose Xform > Move CV
normal of its curve or normal.
surface.
Move a CV in world or Choose Move CV in the
object space with fine Dynamic Modeling
control. control panel.
(Not all products include this
tool.)
88
Editing CVs
Editing Objects
Edit Tool Palettes

Palette
Object Edit
Contains tools that change
or reshape both curves and
surfaces.
Curve Edit
or reshape curves.
Surface Edit
or reshape surfaces.
Inspecting Objects The Information window allows you to inspect and change the
properties of the picked object(s).
89
Editing Objects
To... Do This
See and change • Pick the object or objects you want

information on to inspect.
objects. • In the Windows menu, choose
Information > Information window.
• The Information window
automatically updates as you pick
and unpick objects.
Keep an object’s • Click the pushpin icon next to the
information in the name of the object. The “pinned”
Information window information stays in the window
even when it is even if the object is unpicked.
unpicked. • Click the pushpin icon again to
unpin the information.
Deleting
To Delete... Choose This Menu Item
The picked object(s). Delete > Del active
Guidelines created by Delete > Guidelines

keypoint tools.
All Locators on all Delete > Del all locators
objects in the scene.
90
Editing Objects
To Delete... Choose This Menu Item
All image planes in the Delete > Del image planes

scene.
All objects in the scene. Delete > Del all objects
Everything in the scene, Delete > Del all

including cameras and
stages.
The Delete menu may include more items for deleting objects
associated with animation. To learn more about these items,
see the Animation and Basic Tools books.
91
Editing Objects
Trimming Surfaces
Trimming lets you visually cut or divide a surface along a

curve-on-surface so it appears to have holes or missing pieces.
The trimmed surface, however, is not actually cut. It exists in a
hidden form that does not render or affect modeling. You can
recover the trimmed part of a surface using the Untrim tool.
Creating Curves-on- To trim surfaces, you must first specify which areas to trim by
Surface creating curves-on-surface. Studio provides several tools for
creating curves-on-surface:
New curve Creates a curve-on-

on surface surface by manually
drawing control
points.
Intersect Creates curves-on-

surface where two
surfaces intersect.
Project Creates curves-on-

surface by projecting
a curve along a vector
onto surfaces.
92
Trimming Surfaces
Project Similar to Project, but

normal projects the curve
onto the surface from
the inside out or from
the outside in
(technically, along the
normal at each point).
Geometry Maps world-space
mapping curves onto the target
surface, similar to
mapping a texture
onto a surface during
rendering.
Trimming and
Untrimming To... Do This
Trim a surface. • Create curves-on-surface on the

surface you want to trim.
• Choose the Surface Edit >
Trim > Trim tool.
• Click the surface you want
to trim.
• Click the part of the surface you
want to keep or discard.
• Click the Keep or Discard button.
• Click Go.
Undo the last trim • Pick the surface you want to
performed on a untrim.
certain surface. • Choose Surface Edit > Trim >
Untrim.
Undo all trims • Pick the surface you want to

performed on a untrim.
certain surface. • Choose Surface Edit > Trim >
Untrim-❏.
• Set Untrim Stages to All.
• Click Go.
93
Trimming Surfaces
To... Do This
Divide a surface • Create curves-on-surface on the

along a curve-on- surface you want to divide.
surface. • Choose the Surface Edit >
Trim > Trim divide tool.
• Click the surface you want
to divide.
• Click the part of the surface you
want to separate.
• Click Go.
Convert a trimmed • Choose the Surface Edit >
surface to a natural Trim > Trim convert tool.
surface with the • Click the surface you want
same shape. to convert.
94
Trimming Surfaces
Rendering
In This Section: Introducing the Multi-lister 96

Shading the Scene 98
Lighting the Scene 101
Positioning the Camera 106
Working With the Shaded Scene 107
Creating the Background Environment 109
Rendering the Scene 111
Troubleshooting the Rendered Image 112
95
Introducing the Multi-lister
The Multi-lister is the primary interface for working with

shaders, textures, lights, and the environment. The Multi-lister
window shows sample icons for the rendering items (shaders,
textures, lights, and so on) and allows you to select, edit, and
apply using the pop-up menus at the bottom.
Opening the Multi-lister

and Showing Items
To... Do This
Show all shaders, In the Windows menu, choose

textures, lights, and so Multi-lister > List All.
on.
In the Multi-lister window, open
the List pop-up menu and choose
All.
96
To... Do This
Show only the items of a In the Windows menu, open the

specific type. Multi-lister sub-menu and choose
the type of item.
In the Multi-lister window, open
the List pop-up menu and choose
the type of item.
Show only the items that In the Windows menu, choose
are currently picked in Multi-lister > Picked.
the scene.
Changing the Multi-lister

Display To... Do This
Change size of the Click the large or small shader

sample icons. ball icon in the title bar of the
Multi-lister window.
Small icons Large icons
Display names only Click the text list icon in the title
(without sample icons). bar of the Multi-lister window.
Change the resolution/ Drag the

speed of a sample icon. small white
arrow along
the right
side of the
sample icon
up or down.
Decreasing the resolution will
speed up the sample display.
97
Shading the Scene
Using Pre-made Shaders Before spending time adjusting options to achieve a certain
material or effect, look for the shader you need in a premade
shader library.
Alias|Wavefront provides a shader library in the Assistant

Online section of its web site:
www.aliaswavefront.com/assistant_online/design/studio/library/
You can also find Studio shader libraries on many

independent web sites catering to Alias|Wavefront users.
Working with Shaders

To... Do This
Create a new In the Multi-lister, open the Edit pop-up

shader. menu and choose New Shader.
Duplicate an • Select the shader in the Multi-lister.
existing shader. • In the Multi-lister, open the Edit pop-
up menu and choose Copy.
Import a shader In the Multi-lister, open the File pop-up
from disk. menu and choose Shader Browse.
Save a shader to • Select the shader in the Multi-lister.
disk. • In the Multi-lister, open the File pop-
up menu and choose Save As.
Assign a shader to • Pick the objects you want to apply the
an object or shader to.
objects. • Select the shader in the Multi-lister.
• In the Multi-lister, open the Shading
pop-up menu and choose Assign
Shader.
Delete a shader. • Select the shader in the Multi-lister.

• In the Multi-lister, open the Edit pop-
up menu and choose Copy.
98
Shading the Scene
Editing Shaders Shaders and textures have many, many options allowing you
define a nearly infinite variety of materials (see Shading the
Scene below). Refer to the Rendering book for information on
the purpose and use of each individual shader and texture
option.
To... Do This
Edit a shader’s In the Multi-lister, double click the

settings. shader’s sample.
Change the shading Use the Shading Model pop-up menu
model of a shader. at the top of the shader editor
window.
Change the color of a Click the color swatch labeled Color
shader. in the Common Shader Parameters
section of the shader editor.
99
Shading the Scene
To... Do This
Change the Drag the slider labeled Transparency

transparency of a in the Common Shader Parameters
shader. section of the shader editor.
Map a texture to a • Click the button labeled Map to
parameter of a shader. the right of the parameter listing.
• Choose a texture to map onto the
parameter.
• Use the texture editor to change
the appearance of the texture.
100
Shading the Scene
Lighting the Scene
Creating and Positioning Lights are objects in the scene just like curves and surfaces.
Lights You can position them using the normal tools in the Pick and
Xform palettes.
Lights are also listed in the Multi-lister, which provides the

interface for editing the light’s attributes, such as its color and
intensity.
To... Do This
Create a light. • Choose the tool corresponding to

the light type you want from the
Lights palette.
• Click in a view window to place a
new light.
In the Multi-lister window, open the
Edit pop-up menu and choose
New Light.
Pick, move, rotate, or Use the same tools from the Pick and
scale a light. Xform palettes as for other objects.
Editing Lights Like shaders, lights have many options allowing you define
simple or complex lighting effects.
The following gives basic information on creating and editing

lights. Refer to the Rendering book for details on the purpose
and use of each light option.
101
Lighting the Scene
To... Do This
Edit a light’s settings. In the Multi-lister, double click the

light’s sample.
Change a light to a Use the Type pop-up menu at the top
different type. of the light editor window.
Map a texture to a • Click the button labeled Map to
parameter of a light. the right of the parameter listing.
• Choose a texture to map onto the
parameter.
• Use the texture editor to set the
options of the texture.
“Look down” a • Double-click the spotlight in the
spotlight to see Multi-lister.
exactly what it is • In the light editor, open the Spot
pointing at. View section.
102
Lighting the Scene
Types of Lighting
Light Type Example
Point
Similar to incandescent
bulbs: they cast light in
all directions from a
single point.
Spot
Cast a cone of light in
one direction from a
single point.
Directional
Similar to sunlight,
comes from a single
direction, but has no
obvious source in the scene.
Ambient
Illuminates from all
directions and lights
everything uniformly.
103
Lighting the Scene
Light Type Example
Area
Similar to light panels,
cast light from a two-
dimensional rectangle.
Volume
Illuminates objects
within a specific
volume of space.
Linear
Similar to fluorescent
tubes, cast light from a
straight line.
Tips for Lighting ● You can use an ambient in addition to other lights to create
a baseline of illumination, so that nothing in the scene is
completely dark.
● Some lights are more “expensive” than others, especially
when you are rendering shadows.
◆ Point, spot, directional, and ambient lights render
quickly.
◆ Area, volume, and linear lights render much more
slowly. The increase in rendering time is proportional
to the complexity of the scene and the size of the light.
104
Lighting the Scene
● The positioning of directional lights in the scene is
unimportant, since their light travels in one direction
uniformly through the scene. Do not be surprised if a
direction light casts a shadow on an object behind its
apparent location in the scene.
105
Lighting the Scene
Positioning the Camera
Placing a Camera Before you begin to render, you should create a new camera
with which to “photograph” the scene. Creating a new camera
allows you to leave it in position and use the original camera
to continue to move around the scene.
To... Do This
Create a new camera • Position the current view so it

for rendering. shows what you want to render.
• In the Cameras palette,
choose the Clone tool.
• Click a view window to
create a new camera at the same
position.
• In the Layouts menu, choose New
Camera to create a new camera.
• Position the new view so it shows
what you want to render.
Show or hide In the DisplayTgls menu, choose
cameras in the scene. Object toggles > Camera.
Other Camera Tools The Cameras palette includes more tools for positioning and
managing cameras.
To... Do This
Twist, pitch, or yaw the Use the Twist and Yaw/pitch

camera. tools in the Cameras > Local
Move camera sub-palette.
Zoom in/out. In the Cameras

palette, choose
Zoom.
106
Positioning the Camera
Working With the Shaded Scene
Studio lets you work in the scene with surfaces “shaded”,

allowing you to preview how the rendered scene will look
while you work.
Shaded mode is slower than wireframe mode, especially for

complex scenes, but is still fast enough to work interactively.
The default shaded mode speeds interactivity by going to

wireframe mode when you move the camera, not showing
textures, and using a fake light instead of the scene’s actual
lights. You can optionally turn off all these optimizations
using the Shade menu item’s options window (see below).
107
To... Do This
Work in a “solid” scene In the DisplayTgls menu, choose

with shaders displayed. Shade.
Keep the scene in • In the DisplayTgls menu, choose

shaded mode even Shade-❏.
while you move the • Turn Interruptible off.
view. • Click Save.
Show textures on the • In the DisplayTgls menu, choose
shaded surfaces. Shade-❏.
• Turn Show Textures on.
• Click Save.
Use the scene’s lights, • In the DisplayTgls menu, choose
and show higher Shade-❏.
resolution objects. • Turn Fast options off.
• Click Save.
108
Creating the Background Environment
The environment is the world in which the scene exists. It can

be a sky-and-ground image map, a starfield, a simple color
ramp, or anything else the Studio shading model can generate.
Studio provides two complementary ways to create an

environment for the scene: the environment shader and image
planes.
The Environment Shader Use the environment shader to create an encompassing

“world” background for your model.
The left image shows the environment mapped to a simple

color ramp. The middle image shows the environment
mapped to a special environment texture (“chrome”). The
right image shows the use of a picture file as the environment.
To edit the environment shader:

● Open the Multi-lister and double click the shader named
Environment.
Image Planes Use image planes to composite your model with background
and/or foreground images. Image planes are objects in the
scene. You can use the normal tools in the Xform palette to
position them.
If you are using image planes to simply place a large image

behind the model, it may be easier to use the environment
shader (see above).
109
To... Do This
Add an image plane • Select the camera’s view window.

to a camera. • In the File menu, choose Import >
Image plane.
• In the Windows menu, choose

Edit > Cameras.
• In the Camera pop-up menu,
choose the camera.
• In the Image Planes section of the
window, click Add.
Pick an image plane. In the Pick palette, choose the
Object Type > Image plane tool.
Move, scale, or rotate Use the tools in the Xform palette.

an image plane.
Delete an image plane • In the Windows menu, choose
from a camera. Edit > Cameras.
• In the Camera pop-up menu,
choose the camera.
• In the Image Planes section of the
window, select the image plane.
• Click Delete.
110
Rendering the Scene
To... Do This
Choose the size and quality • In the Render menu, choose Globals.
of the render. • Set the Global Quality Level pop-up menu to High, Medium, or
Low.
• In the Image File Output section, choose the size of the
rendered image. Open the Predefined Resolutions section to
see a list of common sizes.
• Click the close box to close the window.
Render an image using the In the Render menu, choose Render.
current settings.
Render a test image. • In the Render menu, choose Render-❏.
• Set the Renderer Type (usually Raycaster).
• Turn on Test Render.
• Click Go.
Render an image to keep. • In the Render menu, choose Render-❏.
• Set the Renderer Type (usually Raycaster).
• Turn off Test Render.
• Click Go.
• Enter a name for the Scene Description file. The renderer
then translates that file into an image with the same name.
View the rendered image. In the Render menu, choose Show Render.
Use the rendered image after Find the image in the pix directory of the current project. The
a non-test render. image name is the same as the name you entered for the SDL
file.
111
Rendering the Scene
Troubleshooting the Rendered Image
Problem Possible Cause Solution
Completely black image. No lights in the scene. Create and position lights.
No light hitting objects. Reposition or rotate the lights so
their illumination reaches the
objects.
The image is too dark. Not enough illumination. Increase the intensity of the lights
in the scene.
Add an ambient light.
The rendered image shows Camera and view window In the camera window’s title bar,
more or less than you see have different sizes or open the size pop-up menu and
in the camera window. aspect ratios. choose (render res) to match the
window’s resolution to the render
resolution.
112
Troubleshooting the Rendered Image
Animating
In This Section: Controlling the Animation 114

Using Keyframes 115
Making Motion Paths 118
Editing Animation Curves 119
Rendering and Viewing the Animation 122
113
Controlling the Animation
The Time Bar shows the current frame, and gives you controls
for moving between frames and playing back the animation.
To... Do This
Show the Time Bar. In the Animation menu, choose Tgl time slider.
Set the number of frames in the Type the number of frames in the “end frame” text box (the
animation. bottom text box at the left end of the timeline).
Move to a specific frame. • Click in the time line, or
• Type the frame number in the current frame text box (at
the right end of the timeline).
Move forward or backward. Use the frame step and Forward/Reverse Play buttons in the
time bar.
Move to the next/previous Use the previous and next keyframe buttons in the time bar.
keyframe.
Play a range of frames • Click the pop-up menu to the left of the timeline and
choose Start/End.
• Enter the start and end frame numbers in the text boxes to
the left of the timeline.
Play the entire animation Click the pop-up menu to the left of the timeline and choose
Min/Max.
Play only every second frame, Enter the frame step in the by text box.
every third frame, etc. For example, to play every other third frame, set the by text
box to 3.
Change the playback speed. Enter the number of frames per second in the fps text box.
114
Controlling the Animation
Using Keyframes
Keyframing is the simplest way to animate objects in Studio.

You simply decide what values the parameters (such as
position, scaling, and color) of an object should be at
important points, or key frames, in the timeline.
Studio then blends between these keyframes to create the rest

of the animation. This process is called tweening (because it
creates all the frames between the keyframes).
Keyframes
“Between” Frames
115
Using Keyframes
Marking Keyframes
To... Do This
Keyframe the current • Pick the objects you want to

frame. keyframe, or pick nothing to
keyframe all objects.
• In the Animation menu, choose
Set Keyframe.
Automatically In the Animation menu, choose Auto

keyframe any objects keyframe.
that have changed from
the last keyframe.
Keyframe a camera. Pick the camera object in the SBD
window, then keyframe it like any
other object.
Keyframe a shader, • Select a shader, texture, or light
texture or light. in the Multi-lister.
Set Keyframe.
Keyframe a specific • Pick the object, or select the

parameter of an object shader or texture in the Multi-
or shader. lister.
Param Control.
• Use the check boxes to set which
parameters are keyframed.
Set Keyframe-❏.
• Set the Parameters option to
Local, then click Go.
116
Using Keyframes
Editing Keyframes
To... Do This
Copy keyframe • Pick the objects you want to

information to the copy from, or pick nothing to
clipboard. copy from all objects.
Copy Keyframe.
Copy keyframe • Pick the objects you want to

information to the paste to, or pick nothing to paste
clipboard. to all objects.
Copy Keyframe.
Cut keyframe • Pick the objects you want to cut

information to the from.
clipboard. • In the Animation menu, choose
Cut Keyframe.
Recognizing Animated The following signs let you tell which objects and shaders, and
Objects which specific parameters, are animated:
Item If Animated...
Parameters in the Param Represented by white, slanted

Control window. checkboxes.
Objects. Represented by slanted boxes in
the SBD window.
Shaders. Have a small slanted box button
next to their name.
Shader and texture Have a small slanted box icon next
parameters. to their name in the editor window.
117
Using Keyframes
Making Motion Paths
In some cases, rather than keyframing the places an object

should be at different frames, you want the object to follow a
specific path.
You can use motion paths to animate all types of objects

(including lights and cameras), as well as CVs.
Using Motion Paths To move an object along a motion path:

1 Create a NURBS curve to define the path.
The direction in which you create the curve is the direction
the object will travel along it. If your curve runs in the
wrong direction, reverse it using the Object Edit > Reverse
direction tool.
2 Pick only the object you want to move along the path.
3 In the Anim palette, double-click the Set motion tool to open

its option window.
4 Set the start and end frames of the path animation in the
option window, then click Go.
5 Click the path curve.
118
Making Motion Paths
Editing Animation Curves
The Action window displays the changes to object parameters

in graph form. The action curves in the Action window show
the values of the animated parameters changing over time.
For example, if an goes up and down during the animation,

the Z translation (position) curve for that object will rise and
fall across the graph.
If the animation of the parameter is smooth, the curve will be

smooth, and if the animation is abrupt or shows sudden
changes, the curve will have sharp corners.
The Action window allows you to fine-tune keyframe and

motion path actions you have created.
Using the Action Window

To... Do This
Show the animation • Pick the objects.

curves for one or • Choose Animation > Action Window.
more objects.
Pick a curve in the • Open the Action window’s Pick
window. menu and choose Curves.
• Click action curves to select them.
119
To... Do This
Scale the view to • Pick the curve.

show an entire • In the Action window’s View menu,
curve. choose Look At.
Show and hide • Click the Parameter Filter button
different types of (above the list of actions) to open a
action curves menu of action curve types.
Pick the objects Click the Model Pick button (above
associated with the the list of actions).
picked action
curves.
Show or hide the In the Action window’s DispTools
names of action menu, choose Tgl Curve Names.
curves in the graph.
Delete action curves In the Delete menu, choose Static
of parameters that Actions.
are not animated.
Editing Action Curves

To... Do This
Pick a keyframe. • Open the Action window’s Pick

menu and choose Keyframes.
• Click keyframe dots to select them.
Change the • Pick a keyframe.
transition at a • Choose an item in the TangentType
keyframe. menu
See “TangentType Menu” under
Action Window Menus on page 149 of
the Animation book for explanations of
the menu items.
Extend or repeat an • Pick an action curve.
action. • Choose an item in the ActionTools
menu.
See “ActionTools Menu” under Action
Window Menus on page 149 of the
Animation book for explanations of the
menu items.
120
To... Do This
Move a curve or • Pick the curve or keyframe.

keyframe. • In the Action window’s Xform
menu, choose Move.
• Use the mouse buttons to move the
picked item.
Lengthen or shorten • Pick an action curve.
an action. • In the Action window’s Xform
menu, choose Scale Time.
• Use the mouse buttons to scale the
action curve along the timeline.
Scale the values of • Pick an action curve.
an action curve. • In the Action window’s Xform
menu, choose Scale Values.
• Use the mouse buttons to scale the
action curve’s values.
121
Rendering and Viewing the Animation
To... Do This
Preview the animation Use the playback controls in the

in the view windows. Time Bar.
Render animation • In the Render menu, choose
frames instead of a Globals.
single still image. • In the Render Globals window,
turn the Animation option on.
The renderer will now output a
series of numbered images
instead of a single image.
• In the Render menu, choose
Render to render the animation
(see Rendering the Scene on
page 111).
Preview a rendered • In the Animation menu, choose
animation sequence. Flipbook.
• Choose the first image of the
animation. The flipbook
automatically loads the rest of
the frames.
• The flipbook plays the frames at
30 frames per second. You can
enter a new frame rate in the
text box at the top of the
window.
Convert an animation • In the Animation menu, choose
sequence to a movie SGI Movie/QuickTime.
file. • Choose the first image of the
animation.
122
Rendering and Viewing the Animation
Customizing the Interface
In This Section: Using Shelves to Hold Commonly Used Tools 124

Customizing the Marking Menus 126
Creating Custom Tools 127
Creating and Editing Hotkeys 129
Customizing for Your Work Style 130
Changing the Look of the Interface 131
123
Using Shelves to Hold Commonly Used
Tools
A shelf is just like a palette, except you control which tools are
on the shelf in which order, and their options.
You can use shelves to organize your commonly used tools.

Because the shelf contains only the tools you use frequently (as
opposed to the tool palette which contains every Studio tool),
it allows you to find and select tools faster.
To use the shelf area:
● Find the Shelves window at the bottom of the screen.

If the Shelves window is not visible, go to the Windows
menu and choose Shelves.
● If your product includes the Dynamic Modeling control

panel, the panel has its own compact shelf area at the top.
● You can drag menu items from open menus onto shelves
as well as tools.
To... Do This
Switch to a shelf. Click the shelf’s tab.
Add a tool or menu item to a Drag a tool or menu item with the middle mouse button and
shelf. drop it on the open shelf or on a shelf tab.
Remove a tool from a shelf. Drag the tool with the middle mouse button and
drop it on the trashcan icon.
124
To... Do This
Create a new shelf. Choose New Shelf from the Shelves

window’s Options pop-up menu.
Rename a shelf. Double-click the shelf’s tab.

Rename a tool on a shelf. Hold the Ctrl key and double-click the
tool icon.
Ctrl Alt
Remove a shelf. Drag the shelf’s title tab with the middle mouse
button and drop it on the trashcan icon.
Save your shelves. Choose Save Shelf Set from the shelves
Load a saved shelf set. Choose Replace Shelf Set from the shelves
Switch the shelf and tool Click the vertical/horizontal button in the
palette between vertical and title bar of the shelf or palette window.
horizontal layouts.
125
Using Shelves to Hold Commonly Used Tools
Customizing the Marking Menus
Marking menus are fast radial menus that appear under the
mouse pointer when you hold the marking menu keys and
click. (See Using Marking Menus on page 53.)
You can change the tools displayed on the marking menus,

allowing you fast access to the tools you use most.
To customize the marking menus:
● In the Preferences menu, choose Interface > Marking Menus

A window opens containing shelves that correspond to
the mouse buttons.
To... Do This
Add a tool to a Use the middle mouse button to drag

marking menu. tools onto a shelf in the window to add
them to the corresponding marking
menus.
Remove a tool Click the shelf tab
from a marking corresponding to the
menu. marking menu, then use the
middle mouse button to drag
the tool and drop it on the
trashcan icon.
Rename a tool on Hold the Ctrl key and double-click the
a marking menu. tool icon.
126
Customizing the Marking Menus
Creating Custom Tools
When you drag a copy of a tool onto a shelf or marking menu,

that copy’s settings become independent of the original tool.
You can use this feature to create “custom tools,” multiple

copies of a tool with different options set.
For example:
1 Drag two copies of the Pick > Component tool onto the Pick
marking menu shelf.
2 Change the settings of one copy to pick only surfaces, and

the other to pick only curves.
3 Rename the tools on the marking menu shelf to reflect

their specific functions.
You now have custom tools on your marking menu for
picking only certain types of geometry.
127
To... Do This
Drag a custom • Double-click the tool icon on the

tool onto a shelf. palette and set its options.
• Use the middle mouse button and
drag the icon in the option window
onto a shelf.
(The icon in the option window

represents a copy of the tool with the
current settings.)
Customize a tool • Double-click the tool on the shelf and
already on a shelf. set its options.
• Click Save.
(The settings of any other copies of the
tool on other shelves or on the palette
will not change.)
Rename a tool on Hold the Ctrl key and double-click the
a shelf. tool icon.
128
Creating and Editing Hotkeys
Hotkeys are special key combinations that select tools or

perform menu commands.
Some frequently-used commands have default hotkeys

already. You can create more hotkeys or change the defaults
using the hotkey editor.
● In the Preferences menu, open the Interface sub-menu and
choose Hotkeys / Menus.
The hotkey editor appears.
Note If you are new to Alias|Wavefront Studio products,

we recommend that you spend some time working
with the product before you define hotkeys, so you
can learn which commands you use frequently
enough to need hotkeys.
129
Creating and Editing Hotkeys
Customizing for Your Work Style
Matching Tolerances to Before starting a project, you can set the tolerances in Studio to
Output Requirements match the requirements of a CAD package or other output
destination.
1 In the Preferences menu, choose Construction Options.
2 Click the name of the product to which you will be

exporting in the Construction Presets list.
or
If you don’t see the product in the list of presets, choose
User Defined, set the options in the Units, Tolerances, and
Modeling Modes sections of the window.
Setting Responsiveness Studio includes several options to control the balance between
interaction speed and drawing accuracy.
In the Preferences menu, choose Performance Options.
130
Customizing for Your Work Style
Changing the Look of the Interface
To... Do This
Change the colors used • Choose Preferences > Interface >

in the interface. User Colors.
• Click a color swatch to change
the color for an interface
element.
Change the look of • Choose ObjectDisplay >
surface edges, Draw Style-❏.
descriptive isoparms, • Set the draw style of surface
and control points. edges and descriptive (non-edit
point) isoparms.
• Choose symbols for CVs, edit
points, and section data points.
Change the size of the • Choose Preferences > Interface >
tool icons. Interface Options-❏.
• Change the Icon Mode setting,
then click Go.
Show the names of tools • Choose Preferences > Interface >
in the tool icons. Interface Options-❏.
• Turn on Show Icon Labels, then
click Go.
Automatically set the • Choose Preferences > Interface >
locations of the palette Palette/Shelves Layout-❏.
and shelves windows. • Choose the positions for the
palette and shelf windows,
then click Go.
Switch the shelf and tool Click the vertical/horizontal
palette between vertical button in the title bar of the shelf
and horizontal layouts. or palette window.
131
132
Going Beyond This Book
In This Section: Other Documentation 134

Alias|Wavefront Assistant 135
Alias|Wavefront Training 136
Six Suggestions 137
133
Other Documentation
● The tutorials guide you step-by-step through typical

projects, showing you how to use the most common tools
and teaching you good habits for creating, rendering, and
animating great models.
The tutorials book is included in your Studio box.
● The reference books have complete documentation for
every menu item, tool, and option. Use these books when
you want to learn how a specific tool works or what an
option controls:
◆ Studio Interface and General Tools (Basic Tools).
◆ NURBS Modeling—tools for creating and editing
models.
◆ Animating—tools for animating models.
◆ Rendering—tools for creating, editing, and applying
shaders and textures, lighting, and rendering.
◆ Polygonal Modeling—tools for creating and editing
models using polygons.
◆ Data Transfer for CAD and Solid Imaging—tools for
transferring Studio data to formats useful for CAD
and solid imaging applications.
◆ Data Transfer for Games—tools for transferring
Studio data to formats useful for commercial games
platforms.
To browse the reference manuals, open the Help menu in
Studio and choose Online Docs.
● The technical manuals contain information for
programmers writing software to work with Studio (for
example, the OpenModel and SDL manuals), and
document the small utilities that are included with Studio.
134
Other Documentation
Alias|Wavefront Assistant
Assistant Online is your source for free tutorials, samples,

shaders, templates, and other materials created by the
Alias|Wavefront education department.
These resources will help you learn about Studio, as well as let
you complete projects faster by using pre-made components.
To browse information and download files in the Assistant

Online website, go to
www.aliaswavefront.com/assistant_online/
135
Alias|Wavefront Assistant
Alias|Wavefront Training
When you’re ready go beyond the tutorials, you can learn

Alias|Wavefront software through courses at authorized
training centers world-wide, as well as on-site training.
Alias|Wavefront offers a wide variety of advanced training

courses on all subjects and for all levels of expertise, taught by
certified instructors.
These courses will give you hands-on experience with

Alias|Wavefront software and prepare you to tackle even the
most challenging project.
To learn more about Alias|Wavefront training, visit the

Alias|Wavefront web site:
www.aliaswavefront.com
136
Alias|Wavefront Training
Six Suggestions
1 Practice
Studio is incredibly powerful, but mastering that power
takes practice and patience.
The camera move keys and marking menus seem
awkward at first, but if you force yourself to use them they
will soon be second nature.
Studio is a deep subject: the more you practice with and
explore Studio, the more you will be rewarded.
2 Create “Design,” Not “Computer Design”

Don’t let the computer dictate to you the possible and
impossible. There is a way to do what you want, even if it
means giving up the advanced tools and moving
individual CVs.
“If you do not like what is being drawn, try to draw
something else. Never let the computer suppress your will
to freely express.“ —John Maeda
3 Experiment, Extend. Make a Mess

Experiment with Studio. See what it can do. See what
different combinations of tools and settings create.
Extend Studio. Create your own tools. Think of a way to
do something that no-one has done before.
Drift. Let your mind wander. Go off track. Create the
worst design imaginable, then incorporate what you learn
from it into your other work.
But hey, save first.
4 “Rules Are Good. Break Them” —Tibor Kalman

Zen masters say “Enter into form, exit from form.” Before
you can push the boundaries, you have to learn where
they are. Picasso had to master realism to create cubism.
Learn to use the tools for the purpose their creators had in
mind. Then you will begin to see how you can use them to
do things their creators never imagined.
137
Six Suggestions
5 Learn, Teach, Learn
When you begin, consult the Studio experts around you.
Take training. Become an expert. Then teach the new users
the way an expert once taught you. You will learn from
your students to see things in a new way.
“Teach” also means to teach us at Alias|Wavefront. Tell us
how to make Studio better. Send us constructive feedback
on our products, publications, and services. Help us help
you.
6 Do Good Work
Do not expect to do perfect work. But do the best work
possible given constraints of time and resources.
“Do Good Work” also means to consider ethical
implications. Consider how your design will be used.
Be proud of what you produce.
138
Six Suggestions
A comparison and
characteristics 21
explained 19
I
animation Delete menu 90 Information window
controls 114 dolly 44 explained 89
rendering 122 interface 131
drawers 37
animation curves 119 isoparms
duplicating objectes 85
Assistant 135 definition of 16
explained 16
C E
edit points
K
cameras 106 display 51, 86
chord-length explained 15 Kalman, Tibor 137
parameterization 21 environment shader 109 key points
chord-length display 86
parameterization 21 keyframes 115
components 68
construction history F
explained 24
controls 86 file lister 58 L
curve snap 74 files
loading and saving 58 layers 63
curves lights 101
creating 76 finding tools and menu
items 39 types 103
degree 19, 21
explained 14 limitations
parameterization 20 of NURBS 18
snapping to 74 Look At tool 45
curves on surface
definition of 17
G
curves-on-surface 92
explained 17
grid snap 74
grouping 61 M
custom tools 127
Maeda, John 137
customizing
magnet snap 74
hotkeys 129
look of the interface 131
marking menus 126
H manipulators
explained 54
shelves 124 help 56 marking menus 53
CVs hidden line renderer 27 customizing 126
display 51, 86 hidden line rendering 27 motion paths 118
editing 88
explained 14 hiding move 82
objects 51 multi-lister
hotkeys 129 display 97
hulls explained 96
D display 86
explained 15
degree
N primitives 75
projection vector 92
explained 16
normals 22
patches 17
projects 65 transition 81
naming objects 61
prompt line 40 trimming 92
normals history 40 untrimming 93
defined 22
visualizing 48
definition 22
NURBS
limitations 18
R T
raycaster 27
O raycasting 27
raytracer 27
templating objects 52
textures
explained 27
objects raytracing 27
and components 68 tolerances 130
reflecting objects 85
assigning to layers 63 tools 36
creating 75 rendering 111
customizing 127
deleting 90 animation 122
finding 39
display 51 explained 25
moving to shelves 124
duplicating 85 troubleshooting 112
palettes 36
grouping 61 view mode 107
selecting 37
inspecting 89 responsiveness 130 setting options 38
naming 61 rotate 82 track 44
reflecting 85
templating 52 training 136
transforming 82 transition surfaces 81
Objects palette
Primitives 75
S trimming 18
explained 18
options SBD window 67 trimming surfaces 92
of tools 38 tumble 44
scale 82
scene block diagram (SBD) 66
shaders
P explained 26
shading 98
U
palettes 36 environment 109
uniform
collapsing and expanding 37 shelves 124 parameterization 20
menus 37 showing uniform parameterization 20
parameterization objects 51
chord-length 21 untrimming surfaces 93
snap 74
explained 20
uniform 20 spans
explained 14
patches
defined 17 splash window 32 V
on surfaces 17 starting SurfaceStudio
picking 41 startup screen 32 view
troubleshooting 32 changing 44
pivot point rendered 107
defined 23 sub-palettes 37
surfaces view panel 46
point of interest 45
creating 78 visualizing surfaces 48
W
wire files 58
Z
Zen 137

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An SGI Company

The following are trademarks of Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited:

Alias|Wavefront, 210 King Street East, Toronto, Canada M5A 1J7

Advanced NURBS Properties 19

Starting and Exiting 31

Minimizing and Shutting Down 33

Using the Interface 35

Picking and Unpicking 41

Changing Your View of the Model 44

Visualizing Surfaces and Surface Properties 48

Changing the Display of Objects 51

Using Marking Menus 53

Saving, Loading, and Organizing Files 57

Using Small-scale Organization 61

Working on Separate Projects 65

Understanding the Scene Block Diagram 66

Creating Geometric Primitives 75

Creating Transition Surfaces 81

Showing and Hiding Control Features 86

Shading the Scene 98

Lighting the Scene 101

Positioning the Camera 106

Creating the Background Environment 109

Rendering the Scene 111

Troubleshooting the Rendered Image 112

Using Keyframes 115

Making Motion Paths 118

Editing Animation Curves 119

Rendering and Viewing the Animation 122

Customizing the Interface 123

Customizing the Marking Menus 126

Creating Custom Tools 127

Creating and Editing Hotkeys 129

Customizing for Your Work Style 130

Changing the Look of the Interface 131

Going Beyond This Book 133

Alias|Wavefront Assistant 135

Alias|Wavefront Training 136

Six Suggestions 137

In This Section: How To Use This Book 8

You can use this book in three ways:

New users, depending on their experience level, may be able

User Level Start Here

Absolute novice. Learning About 3D on page 11.

Feedback We are eager to hear your responses to our documentation:

Please email any feedback about this documentation to:

In This Section: Points 12

To determine the location of points, we first establish an

We can then say a point’s location is so many units left (or

These three numbers give us the 3D coordinates of the point in

In computer graphics, we don’t really say the point is “left/

right”, “up/down”, or “higher/lower”. Instead we call the

Imagine two points in space. We can place more points along

We call either point at the end of a line a vertex. Vertex is often

The line is very useful, however, as a vector. A vector is a kind

We created a line by drawing points along the straight path

Studio uses a very powerful type of curve called a NURBS

Studio draws CVs differently to let you tell the difference

Spans and Edit Points Multiple Spans

Longer and more complex curves require more than a single

You can tell when a curve is made from multiple spans in

Unlike the on-curve control points of Bezier curves (used in

There are, however, a few tasks that use edit points: