Connect

The Connect compound object lets you connect two or more objects between “holes” in their surfaces. To do this, you delete faces in each object to create one or more holes in their surfaces, position them so that the holes “face” one another, and then apply Connect.

Note:Connect doesn't work very well with NURBS objects, because they convert into many separate meshes instead of one big mesh. The workaround is simple: apply a Weld modifier to the NURBS object (thus converting it to a mesh and zipping up its seams) before using it as part of a connect.

Connect generates the best mapping coordinates it can for the bridges between the various holes in the meshes. Unfortunately this often isn't saying a lot. While some ideal cases, such as a cylinder above another cylinder, can generate good UVW map interpolations, most cases will not. It is essentially the user's responsibility to apply the sort of mapping they want to the bridge faces with a UVW map modifier.

Vertex colors, on the other hand, should interpolate smoothly.

Reference

Pick Operand Parameters

Pick Operand: Click this button each time you want to connect an additional operand to the original object. Thus, if you begin with a single object with two “holes,” and arrange two additional objects outside of those holes, you click the Pick Operand button and select one of the objects, which is connected, then click Pick Operand again and select the other object, which is connected. Both connected objects are added to the Operands list.

Note: Connect works only with objects that are capable of being converted into Editable Meshes.

Connect Parameters

Operands Area

Editable field: Displays the current operands

Delete Operand: Select an operand in the Operands list, and click this button to delete that operand from the list.

Interpolation Area

Segments: Sets the number of segments in the connecting bridge.

Tension: Controls the curvature in the connecting bridge. A value of 0 provides no curvature, while higher values create curves that attempt to more smoothly match the surface normals on either end of the connecting bridge. Note that this spinner has no apparent effect when Segments is set to 0.

Smoothing Area

Bridge: When this is checked, smoothing is applied between the faces in the connecting bridge.

Ends: When this is checked, smoothing is applied between the faces that border the old and new surfaces of the connecting bridge and the original objects. In addition, when this is unchecked, a new material ID number is assigned to the bridge that is one higher than the highest ID number assigned to either of the original objects. When checked, the ID number is taken from one of the original objects.

Note: If both Bridge and Ends are checked, but the original objects contain no smoothing groups, then smoothing is assigned to the bridge and to the faces bordering the bridge.

Display Area

Determines whether or not the shape operands are displayed.

Result: Displays the result of the operation

Operands: Displays the operands.

Update Area

The items in this area determine when the projection for the compound object is recalculated. Because complex compound objects can slow things down, you can use these options to avoid constant calculation.

Always: The object is updated constantly.

When Rendering: The object is only recalculated when the scene is rendered.

Manually: When this is chosen, the Update button becomes active for manual recalculation.

Update: Click this button to recalculate the projection.

How To

The general use is as follows:

1. Create two mesh objects, and delete faces on each to create holes where you want to bridge the objects. Generally, the objects should be positioned so that the normals of the deleted faces of one object are pointing toward the normals of the deleted faces of the other object. (Assuming, of course, that deleted faces could have normals.)
2. Select one of the two objects, and select Connect from the Compound branch of the Create command panel.
3. Click the Pick Operand button, and then select the other object.
4. Faces are generated connecting the holes in the two objects.
5. Adjust the various options to adjust the connection.

The following outline describes only those parts of the Connect compound object that are different than the Boolean compound object.

To connect two cylinders

1. Create a cylinder with a radius of 15, a height of 30, and default settings for everything else.
2. Create a second cylinder centered in the first with a radius of 30, a height of 30, and 13 sides. (The fewer sides are to demonstrate the mesh interpolation in the connection.)
3. Move the first, narrower cylinder straight up along Z so it’s bottom cap is about 15 units above the top cap of the larger cylinder.
4. Delete the lower cap of the upper cylinder. (Either collapse it to an editable mesh, and select the lower cap faces and delete them, or apply a Mesh Select modifier, select the cap faces, and then apply a DeleteMesh modifier.)
5. Delete the upper cap of the bottom cylinder.
6. With the bottom cylinder selected, apply Collapse.
7. Click the Pick Operand B button, and then click the upper cylinder.

New faces are created that span the openings in the two cylinders.

At this point, you can try out some of the options, and create some interesting animation.

1. Go to the Modify panel.
2. Increase the Segments spinner to 5

As the segments increase, the connection becomes curved.

1. Set the Tension spinner to 0 to straighten the connecting surface, then increase it 1, then return it to 0.5.
2. Try different combinations of the Bridge and Ends checkboxes.
3. Click the Sub-Object button.
4. Select the upper cylinder, turn on the Animate button, and apply various transforms to see the effect.
5. Play the animation.

Note: Observe the following:

• You can use Connect on objects that have multiple sets of holes. Connect will do its best to match up the holes between the two objects.
• The mapping coordinates assigned to the original two objects are maintained as much as possible. There might be some irregularities in the bridged area, depending on the complexity and difference between the two original sets of mapping coordinates and the types of geometry.