Sculpting Tips and Tricks

[keqingsong]

T-Splines Concepts

Right click on TSplines body > Edit form > press and hold Alt key + drag manipulator
- Adds additional surfaces or geometry

One thing that may be obvious to the TSpline experts, but which was not obvious to me as a TSpline beginner was how to control the "sharpness" of a transition (without actually "creasing" the edge, which can cause undesirable behavior in some cases).

The answer is:  More edges near a "corner" will make it more sharp.  See the attached images.  The first (box few edges.png) shows a Box primitive, with just a few edges.  Note how rounded the box corners are. 

The second (box many edges.png) shows another Box primitive, the same size, but with more edges specified in the creation dialog for Box.  Note how sharp the corners are.

The third image (box one edge inserted.png) shows that this can be done locally, as well, using Insert Edge.  This image has one additional edge along the vertical portion of the box, sharpening the top corner. 

The final image (box another edge inserted.png) takes that body, and inserts another edge, adding even more sharpness to the corner.

The way TSpline bodies react to editing around crease locations and at boundary edges can seem odd especially if you are more familiar with editing NURBS surfaces directly.  This video introduces Tangent Handles.  They can be useful to manage the sharpness of a crease or to change the behavior around the boundary.  Use the Vertex filter in Edit Form to display tangent handles.

Press Alt + B to toggle smooth mode vs. box mode
- Sometimes, it is very effective to see the model you are working in box model - this will reveal overlaps or certain weirdness of the model that wouldn’t be apparent in smooth mode. 

Another TSpline trick that was a surprise to me as a TSpline novice:  the Bridge tool can be used to punch holes through a closed TSpline body.

Bridge (for the solid modeling folks out there) is kind of like a Loft for TSplines - it is often used to "bridge" from one TSpline body to another (hence the name).  It is useful for creating handles, for "joining" bodies together, etc.

But, it can also be used to punch a hole through a TSpline primitive, if you select two sets of faces from the same body.

[jeffwaldosand]

You mention tangent handles and refer to a video link.  Where can I find that link?

Thanks

[deyop]

Here is the video on tangent handles and how they affect the edges and boundaries of a TSpline.  

Tangent Handle Video

[patrick.miller]

Video showing materials in Fusion: Apply Materials

[patrick.miller]

Video showing how to sharpen edges on a T-Spline body: Create Sharper Edges

[jeffwaldosand]

Looks like there is new software correct? I do not see these tools in my
install. Am I doing something wrong?



JEFF SAND
Senior Design Officer

BRD MOTORCYCLE

1398 Bryant Street Suite B

San Francisco, CA 94103-4843

415 845 7639

www.faster-faster.com

[philip.s]

Hi Jeff! 

The software would automatically update, unless you're running a Beta version prior 3.1. Can you try uninstalling, reinstalling from this Getting Started FAQ -> #2, and let us know if you notice the difference?

[jeffwaldosand]

Yes I am on version 1.6.353.  Am I allowed to upgrade?  Do I uninstall first?  I was hoping to do some evaluation this weekend.  Thank you

[philip.s]

You sure are Tom. Fusion 360 was officially released this week and is free to use through our 90 day introductory period.

Please check out the following How-To Guide for complete export, beta uninstall, and product reinstall directions.

As always, you know where to find us if any additional questions arise!

[cekuhnen]

I am on 2.0.1082 OS X and I also do not see those tangent handles.

Also Alt-B does not work to switch between soft and flat TS mode.

[AbdnAllHope]

I can confirm that Alt-B does not appear to work on OSX.

Phil

[cekuhnen]

Phill, do you see the TS tangent handles?

[AbdnAllHope]

I will have to check tomorrow. I honestly don't remember noticing that they were missing.

phil

[AbdnAllHope]

The tangency handles seem to appear automatically when you make a cylinder or a plane.  However if you make a box primitive they will not show up until you perform crease edges (first box).  Also if you delete faces on a box to get a flat plane (second / middle box), the resulting flat plane will not have handles.  I suspect that this behavior means that closed primitives do not get the handles automatically, while the open primitives do.

Here are a couple of screen shots.

phil

[AbdnAllHope]

Here is one more screen shot.  Starting with a box primitive I deleted the top faces.  In the next copy of the box I used crease edges on the top edges.  The hadles then appear.  In the third copy of the box I scaled the handles.

phil

[cekuhnen]

Odd they dont show up on my side - am I running a wrong build?

[AbdnAllHope]

Based on that screen shot...you are in edge mode.  🙂

phil

[cekuhnen]

oh now I see it, the handles only show up when you are in vertex selection.

[unkrauts]

Thanks for the tips. The alt+drag manipulator thing to add new geometries to a tspline body doesn't seem to work for me on Windows. Has that changed since you wrote your tips? Was that feature removed or did the key change?

It was also mentioned in the udemy tutorial, which was using a different version than I am.

[TrippyLighting]

Well you are responding to a thread that is truly ancient, so changes to the UI are to be expected.