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Deformers

Deformers bend everything under them. Meshes and other deformers hang under deformers in a tree (the Deformer palette).

Creating one

Select meshes (or deformers), then Modeling > Deformer > Create Warp/Rotation Deformer, or right-click in the Deformer palette. With several meshes selected, right-clicking one of them makes the deformer for the whole selection. Picked items under different deformers go under their shared parent.

Editing a warp

With the Arrow tool and a warp selected:

• the box around it moves, scales (red dots; Shift keeps the aspect, Alt scales from the centre) and rotates (just outside the corners) the whole warp
• click, Shift+click or drag a rectangle to pick grid points; the box then works on those
• Bezier mode shows anchors and handles over the grid. Handles keep the length you give them, also when you move the whole warp, and are saved with the model.
• Edit Level 1, 2, 3 (1 2 3) choose how finely you edit.

Edits land in the keyform the parameters sit on (see parameters).

Editing a rotation deformer

Drag the centre to move the pivot (the art stays put), drag the handle to turn.

The Deformer palette

• Drag a row onto another to re-parent it; the art doesn't move. Dragging one of several selected meshes moves them all; hold a drag near the top or bottom edge to scroll.
• Search filters the tree.
• Right-click: create, rename, delete, select children.
• Deleting a deformer keeps what it held in place. Ctrl+Delete deletes it with everything under it.
• Ctrl+D selects the parent deformer, Ctrl+Alt+D selects a deformer's children.

Deform paths

The Deform Path tool (P) lays a path over a mesh: click adds a control point, drag moves one, Alt+click deletes, Backspace removes the last. Then, with the Arrow tool, dragging a control point bends the mesh along the path. Levels 2 and 3 each keep their own path.