Table of contents

       This step covers the following set of tools:

  • Create\Surface\Flat tool to create basement object.
  • Create\Faces branch tools.
  • Modify\Reorient tool to change visible side of polygon and reorient edges.
  • Modify\Break tool add new elements (increase detail level)
  • Modify\Move tool to move vertices a bit.
  • Modify\Delete tool to delete unnecessary elements.
    ALL THESE TOOLS are in Menu Bar.

           The first tool (Create\Surface\Flat) creates planar grid-object that will be used as a basis. To create Flat surface you choose this tool in Menu Bar; activate the view, click and drag a rectangle. After you release mouse button a dialog box will appear, where you type objects' name, Horizontal and vertical steps:

           The flat surface was created in the front view and appeared in other views WHERE THE AXIS CENTER WAS (green lines):


           The second tools (Create\Faces\) creates faces one by one. There are three tools in this branch: Single, Strip and Fan. These tools represent different types of creating faces:
  • Single - Adds single face by three mouse clicks.
  • Strip - Adds sequence of faces:

  • Fan - Adds sequence of faces:

           The last two types (Strip and Fan) create sequence, until you press CTRL and left-click. Thus you have to hold down CTRL key and click to stop creation.
           According examples for Strip and Fan are the following:

           What is worth been noticed is that when you activates the vertex and click - THIS vertex will be used. (Strip example: step #2; Fan example: step #1, #2, #4). If you click without activating any vertex - the new vertex is added. (Strip example: step #1, #3, #4; Fan example: step #3).

           The third tool (Modify\Reorient\) will be used in two ways:
  • Reorient on Faces level ( changes visible side of polygon)
  • Reorient on Edges level ( reorients edge inside quad)
           As you might know, only one side of polygon is visible. And when you create faces with Create\Faces\... tools the new faces might be invisible first time, since they are "look to another side". These faces are called reoriented. To change visible side of face you need to 1) switch object to faces level, 2) choose tool Modify\Reorient and 3)Apply this tool to faces.
    NOTE!!! When I write "(apply tool)" to "(something)" or "(tool-name) (something)" you can:
  • choose this tool, activate this something (face/vertex/edge) and click
  • choose this tool, switch ZModeler to SELected Mode, select this something, click (to apply), switch SELected Mode OFF.
           For the instance:
  • Reorient this face - Choose Modify\Reorient, switch to faces level, activate this face and click on it.
  • Move these vertices - Choose Modify\Move, switch to vertices level, switch SELected mode ON, select these vertices, move them, deselect these vertices, switch SELected mode OFF.
           Reorient on Edges level has some restrictions:
    - SELected Mode should be switched OFF.
    - MULtiple Mode should be switched OFF.
           These two restrictions can be written in other words: Reorient tool can be applied to ONE and ONLY ONE edge at a time.
           The same restrictions are for Modify\Break on Edges level.
           Reorient on Edges level changes direction of the edge inside quad to opposite:

           The quad can have ANY form, but if should me quad:



           The fourth tool (Modify\Break\) will also be used in two ways:
  • Break on Edges level (often)
  • Break on Faces level (rare)
           Break on Edges level inserts the vertex in the middle of the edge. Again: the same restriction: can be applied to one edge at a time. After inserting the vertex, it updates the faces:

           On the instance of non-planar object it can take the following effect:

           Break on Faces level inserts the vertex in the center of the face. It can be applied to multiple faces at a time.


           The fifth tool (Modify\Delete\) deletes the elements. It can delete everything from vertices, to whole object! NOTE, that this tool doesn't ask for confirmation - it simply deletes. This tool can be applied to any element and to any quantity of elements (SELected and MULtiple Modes are supported).
  • Delete on Vertices level - Deletes the vertex and ALL faces THAT refers to this vertex.
  • Delete on Faces level - Deletes the face and ALL unused vertices (the vertices, that are no longer in use).
  • Delete on Edges level - Deletes the edge and ALL faces that had this edge. (can also be applied to multiple edges).
  • Delete on Objects level - Deletes the whole object.


           NOTE: You need a ZPlugsCtrl plugin.
           Lunch ZModeler and choose in Main Menu Plugins\Hot Keys.... You will see the following dialog box:

    Press A C T I V E button there to activate hot keys and hit OK.
           There is one important restriction on Hot Keys:
    Hot Keys can only be accepted when NON-3D view is active and mouse cursor is inside this view!!!
           ZPlugsCtrl plugin is supplied with standard set of Hot Keys. To enable these hotkeys you have to double-click on HotKeys.reg file that goes with StdPlugs.ZIP file.
           Standard (ZModelers) Hotkeys are the following:

    HotKeys

    Meaning

    Files accelerators:

    Ctrl-N

    Clears the scene and creates the new one.

    Ctrl-O

    Opens the scene and replaces current scene.

    Ctrl-S

    Saves the scene.

    Ctrl-I

    Imports 3D files and merges them with current scene.

    Ctrl-E

    Exports current scene.

    Alt-X

    Quit the program.

    Interface accelerators:

    F6, Shift-F6

    Switches active view.

    Arrow Keys

    Scrolls the active view

    +,-

    Zooms In and Out.

    Ctrl-Shift-Z

    Creates self-test object of Z letter.

    Editing accelerators:

    Tab, Shift-Tab

    Switches current edit-axis.

    (.)

    Places axis center at the cursor.

    Spacebar

    Switches Selected mode On/Off.

    (,)

    Switches Extended Edit mode On/Off.

    (/)

    Switches Multyple Edit mode On/Off.

    1

    Switches to Vertices level.

    2

    Switches to Edges level.

    3

    Switches to Faces level.

    4

    Switches to Objects level.

    (`)

    Switches Splines submode on/off

    CTRL + Arrow Keys

    Jumps marking from vertex to vertex (or from face to face)

    Enter

    Alternate to pressing the left mouse button.

    Backspace

    Temporary switches to objects level for selecting another object for modifications.

    Dialog boxes:

    F1

    About ZModeler.

    Ctrl-A

    Attributes box (properties).

    E

    Material Editor.


           ZPlugsCtrl Hotkeys are the following: - Used through all the process of cars' creation. It's strongly recommended to know most of them!!!

    HotKeys

    Equal

    SELECT\ hotkeys:

    SHIFT-A

    Select\All (performs)

    SHIFT-S

    Select\Single (performs)

    SHIFT-D

    Deselect: Select\None (performs)

    SHIFT-F

    Select\Invert (performs)

    SHIFT-G

    Select\Quadr (selects tool only)

    SHIFT-C

    Select\Circle (selects tool only)

    Editing accelerators:

    Del

    Modify\Delete (performs)

    Ins

    Modify\Break (performs)

    R

    Modify\Reorient (performs)

    Alt + M

    Modify\Move (selects tool only)

    U

    Create\Object\UniteSetect. (performs)

    Alt + S

    Create\Faces\Strip (selects tool only)

    Alt + F

    Create\Object\Flat (selects tool only)

    H

    Display\Hide (performs)

    Float Bars (Show/Hide)

    CTRL + 1

    Objects Float bar



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