Constrain a cluster to an object
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Summary
You want to constrain a cluster to an object i.e. perform the SOFTIMAGE|XSI equivalent for the SOFTIMAGE|3D v.3x command Motion>Constraint>Cluster to Object.
Steps
The first step is to create a cluster center:
- Tag the points with which you want to create a cluster.
- Select Create Cluster With Center from the Edit drop-down menu on the Main Command Area.
Use the following method to offset the cluster and it's center to the constraining objects center:
- With the Cluster Center selected (which is the default selection after closing the Cluster Center Op Property editor), choose the Position parameters from the Constraint drop-down menu in the Main Command Area.
- Pick the object you want the cluster to be constrained to.
The next two methods constrain the relative position of the cluster and it's center to the constraining object:
Select the constrained objects cluster by selecting the object, switching to tag mode with the t hotkey, and Middle-click the cluster.
Note: The above shortcut is the equivalent of the following steps: in an Explorer viewport, expand [object_name]>[object_type]>Custer Center Op and select the Point[same number as the one appended to it's corresponding Cluster Center] node.
From the Model module's Modify toolset, select Cluster Center from the Deform pull-down menu and pick the object you want the cluster to be constrained to.
OR
From the Animate Module's Deform toolset, select Deform>Cluster Center, pick the object you want the cluster constrained to.
You can now use the Cluster Center Op PPG, which opens up upon picking the constraining object, to adjust the position of the cluster and it's center relative to the constraining object.
More Information
References
Printed Documents
Modeling & Deformations guide: Deforming by Cluster section
KnowledgeBase Articles
<A href="article.asp?ID=34">Toggle the Current Tag Selection</A>
Applies To: XSI 1.0 on NT,Win2K,Irix
Posted: 11/22/2000
