Parametric Construction History
One of the most convenient features of Power NURBS is that it captures a full history of an objects construction in the 3DS MAX object/sub-object hierarchy. This is commonly known as "Parametric Construction History" because modification of any of the parameters of the original objects updates the final result. For example, in the Power Navigator below you can see a Pwr_Fillet which is applied to a Pwr_Boolean between a Pwr_Extrude and an other Pwr_Fillet. That second Pwr_Fillet is applied to a Union of a Sphere, Cylinder and Box. If you were to update the parameters of the Box or the Sketch defining the Extrusion, the entire tree would update and produce new final object reflecting the underlying changes.
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nPower Navigator
The nPower Navigator utilizes an adjustable size tree list to display both 3DS MAX objects and nPower objects. Selecting on any of the objects will bring it up in the modifier mode even if it is a sub-object. So to edit the radius of the sphere, click on the sphere and you will see its panel and be able to change it's radius. If the heirarchy gets very deep and comples, making changes to low level objects may not be instantaneous. Therefore it is possible to extract a sub-object and put it into its own top level object temporarily and replace it when done making modifications using the "Start Extract + Edit" button on the bottom of the navigator. It is also possible to filter the view displayed in the navigator window using various criteria show in the navigator window.
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Addaptive Sketch Curve Networks
The power sketcher has the ability to build complex networks of connected curves that interact with each other in intelligent ways. This enables the construction of surfaces that can be easily edited and updated. The example to the right shows the curve network used to construct the rail sweep in the previous section. You can see a few of the different ways of editing the sketch to the right. Note that all of them produce a nice close connected set of curves which are valid for use by the Rail Sweep. You can build up very complex surfaces using curve networks and still retain the ability to dynamically edit them.
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Sketch Inference Engine
The power sketcher has an inference engine that uses existing points and curves to help in the construction or editing of existing objects. When you move the cursor to a position that is near an inference position, the inference is shown and the point is snapped to that inference postion. The following inferences are supported:
- 3 Points which are Purpendicular or Linear
- Horizontal and Vertical Points
- Fixed Length Increments
- On an existing Point or Curve
We find inferencing very helpful in defining regularly shaped and mechanical types of shapes.
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 Parametric Construction History Displayed in Navigator |
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