GeoSphere

Use the Geosphere button in the Create panel to make spheres and hemispheres based on three classes of regular polyhedrons.

Geospheres produce a more regular surface than standard spheres. They also render with a slightly smoother profile than a standard sphere given the same number of faces.

Reference

Geosphere Parameters

Radius: Sets the size of the geosphere.

Segments: Sets the total number of faces in the geosphere. The number of faces in a geosphere is equal to the sides of the base polyhedron times the segments squared.

Lower segment values work best. Using the maximum segment value of 200 can generate up to 800,000 faces, impairing performance.

Geodesic Base Type area:

Determines which type of regular polyhedron is used for the geosphere’s basic geometry.

Tetra: Based on a four-sided tetrahedron. The triangular facets can vary in shape and size. The sphere can be divided into four equal segments.

Octa: Based on an eight-sided octahedron. The triangular facets can vary in shape and size. The sphere can be divided into eight equal segments.

Icosa: Based on a 20-sided icosahedron. The facets are all equally sized equilateral triangles. The sphere can be divided into any number of equal segments, based on multiples and divisions of 20 faces.

Smooth: Applies smoothing groups to the surface of the sphere.

Base To Pivot: Sets the pivot point location. When checked, the pivot is at the bottom of the sphere. When unchecked, the pivot is at the center of the sphere. This option has no effect when Hemisphere is checked.

Generate Mapping Coords: Applies default mapping coordinates to the geosphere.

How To

To make a Geosphere:

1. Click Geosphere in the Create panel.
2. Drag in any viewport to set the center and radius of the geosphere.
3. Set parameters such as Geodesic Base Type and Segments.

To make a Geo-hemisphere:

1. Create a geosphere, as described above.
2. Check the Hemisphere check box. The geosphere is converted to a hemisphere.