Week 3

Morphing

Week 3

This week we were introduced to the “Morpher” modifier within 3DS Max. It is essentially a modifier that allows the shape of an object to be altered based on vertice positions of specified targets objects. However in order for the modifier to be applied, the target object has to have the exact same number of vertices are the original object. As a result it is often easier to create a clone of the initial object and manipulate its vertices, rather than attempting to produce a separate object which is extremely unlikely to have the same number of vertices. Once the Morpher modifier has been applied to the desired object multiple target objects can be added to the channel slots by using the "Pick Object from Scene" or "Load Multiple Targets..." buttons. The amount that each target is applied can also be changed (0-100) to enable further control over the morphing process, i.e. 100 would exactly replicate the target shape whereas 50 would be halfway between the original and the target. A total of 10 targets can be assigned to an object with the Morper modifier, in addition this process can be animated using Auto Key for example, allowing a smooth change in shape.

Bearing these facts in mind I then experiment with the modifier myself, I started with a geosphere, created a clone and pull several of its vertices upwards along the y axis. Another copy was then made of the newly modified sphere, however this time I increased the scale of its vertices on the bottom half in stages to create a "stepped" sort of appearance. Having done this I created another copy of this object and pulled several vertices downwards to act as legs for my object.

These three edited clones where then added to the channels of a Morpher modifier which was applied my initial object. I then enabled Auto Key and increased the amount of each channel to "100" in 50 frame intervals. I then exported the animation as AVI which can be viewed below:

Although the animation sequence itself is rather basic I grasped the concept behind the Morpher modifier and have come to realise its potential to create much more complex animations ideal for lip syncing a character's mouth/face for example. Consequently this modifier could prove useful when I produce the character for my idents to animate facial expressions and show emotions.