© 2009 Autodesk 1

Two Ways to Model in Alias:

1) Direct Modeling – Sculpting from Primitives

It is possible to start with primitive shapes (spheres, cylinders, and so on), turn on
the CVs, and sculpt a shape to create your design. This approach works well for
very organic, freeform shapes.

2) Curves and Surfaces

For more structured shapes, it can be easier to define the design in terms of
character lines—the main curves that specify the character and shape. Surface
operations, such as revolve or extrude, are then applied to the curve to create a
disciplined, controllable shape.

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 Or Only One Type of Curve?

All curves and surfaces in Alias are NURBS curves with CVs.

Some curve types have additional functionality. The keypoint curves have extra
‘handles’—keypoints. The keypoints enable them to retain their geometric
constraints as you work with them.

You can turn on the CV points for a keypoint curve, but, if you modify the CVs, you
will lose the keypoint functionality.

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 Controlling the Display of CVs and Other Controls
Control Panel Display Object
Display>Control

Control Panel Transparency Object Display>Draw Style

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 Recommended Technique

Skilled Alias modelers will tend to create a curve using two edit points and then pick
and move CVs to create the desired shape.

Whichever technique you use, you should aim to keep the number of CVs to a
minimum in order to create a smooth, controllable curve.

Other Curve Tools

The New Curve (sketch) tool

attempts to create a good-
quality curve from a stroke.
Not used for serious modeling.

The Text tool creates a group of curves for

each letter. Standard fonts are available by
opening the option box.

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 For Good-Quality Curves:

Don’t have one CV exactly on top of

another one.

Don’t have more CVs than are

necessary to create the shape.

Don’t let CVs zig-zag so that hulls cross

each other.

Be careful, sometimes zig-zag hulls are

difficult to spot.

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 More on Accurate Circles

There is an additional setting that affects the accuracy of circles, primitives, and
revolved surfaces.

In the Construction Options,

you can set Rational Flags to on
or off.

It is recommended that you work

with the General CAD Settings
to ensure that Rational Flags are
set to off.

For more information, refer to page 8 of the StudioToolsConcepts.pdf.

© 2009 Autodesk 7
 Using the Query Edit Tool

The Object Edit>Query Edit tool can be used to get information about an
object on the screen.

Use the right mouse button to select the object, and an information box will
appear for as long as the mouse button is held down.

Multi-Knots
Multi-knots are zero-length spans, meaning you have the equivalent of many
CVs in the same place. This will give a sharp edge to a curve but is not
recommended for quality modeling. Use separate curves instead.

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 Plug-In

Use Utilities>Plug-in Manager to

choose the globalCrvIntersect plug-
in.

The tool will be installed into the

Curve Edit menu.

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 To create ‘real’ geometry from the symmetry, first select the layer by clicking
on the layer tab.

Then use the Create Geometry tool on the Layers menu.

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