Deformers
Each deformer reshapes the whole object it is added to. The ADD DEFORMER menu offers 26 of them in three groups, INTERACTIVE, VERTEX and TOPOLOGY. It sits in the DEFORMERS section of the INSPECTOR, which appears when one object is selected. With two or more objects selected the section is hidden, and WATER and EMITTER objects never show it. Bend, twist and melt objects with deformers shows how to add, stack and remove them.
A deformer works in the object's own space. Its axes turn with the object's ROTATION, and its distances are meters of the object as built, before SCALE under TRANSFORM makes it larger or smaller. The upright axis on this page is the object's own vertical axis through its pivot.
The sliders show two decimals, apart from the GRID sliders of CAGE. COUNT, ITERATIONS, LEVELS and the SEED of SPIKE EXTRUSION, SHATTER and BURST use only the whole number, so 14.90 acts as 14. NOISE FIELD and CRYSTALLIZE read their SEED as shown, and a fraction changes their pattern too.
The ? help of some rows does not match what the deformer does. Each difference is noted under its deformer. For the help popover itself, see Read the help for a deformer.
The DEFORMERS section
| Label | Effect | Interactions |
|---|---|---|
| DEFORMERS | Section title. 1 ACTIVE, 2 ACTIVE and so on at its right count the deformers that are switched on. | |
| ADD DEFORMER | Opens the menu of 26 deformers under the headings INTERACTIVE, VERTEX and TOPOLOGY. The one chosen is added at the bottom of the list with its default settings. | Ends sculpt mode, cage edit mode, spine editing and poly edit. One undo step. |
| Checkbox at the left of a row | On when the deformer is added. Off skips the deformer, folds its sliders away and dims its name. | The settings are kept while it is off. One undo step. |
| Row name, such as Twist | Names the deformer, in mixed case | |
| ? | Opens a short description of the deformer and its sliders. A second click closes it. | |
| ✕ | Removes the deformer at once, without asking | Ends the same modes as ADD DEFORMER. ⌘Z brings it back. |
| Sliders | Reshape the object as they move | A drag is one undo step. In Loop Studio each setting slider has a + button that adds a lane; see Animate a setting with a lane. The BRUSH and GRID sliders have none. |
Deformers run from the top row down, each on the shape the rows above it made, and ORGANIC smoothing runs after the last of them. Rows cannot be reordered. The list, with each deformer's settings, checkbox, sculpt points and cage points, is saved with the scene. MAKE EDITABLE (TAB) bakes the deformers that are switched on into the mesh and empties the list, as Editable meshes explains.
INTERACTIVE
You shape these two by hand in the viewport, following the steps in Push and pull a shape by hand.
MAGNET PULL
Each drag on the surface in sculpt mode places a sculpt point. The point pushes the surface around it outward, or inward for a drag into the surface, most at its center and fading to nothing at the brush radius. The row has no sliders of its own. Its ? help still lists Pull Count, Strength, Falloff and Seed sliders and describes random pull points, none of which the row has.
| Label | Values and default | Effect | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCULPT | Starts sculpt mode on this deformer. The button then reads DONE SCULPTING and ends it. | Esc, selecting another object and switching to Loop Studio also end sculpt mode. | |
| CLEAR | Removes every sculpt point of this deformer. One undo step. | Dimmed while there are no points. Works outside sculpt mode. | |
| BRUSH R | 0.05 to 3.00 m, default 0.50 m | Radius of the area the next drag moves. Scrolling changes it. | Sculpt mode only |
| BRUSH STR | 0.10 to 3.00, default 1.00 | Strength of the next drag, multiplied by the length of the drag. ⇧-scrolling changes it. | Sculpt mode only |
A line under the buttons reads NO SCULPT POINTS. CLICK SCULPT TO BEGIN. or counts the points placed. Points keep the radius and strength they were made with. The brush settings are not saved and return to their defaults with a new or opened scene.
CAGE
A lattice of points surrounds the object, and moving points in cage edit mode stretches or squeezes the part of the object inside them. The lattice is fitted when the deformer is added, a little larger than the object on every side, around its shape before any deformers. Until a point moves, the cage changes nothing.
| Label | Values and default | Effect | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRID X, GRID Y, GRID Z | 2 to 5 points along each axis, default 3 | Sets the lattice size. The line under them gives the total, such as 27 POINTS, up to 125. | Changing a value rebuilds the lattice and loses every moved point. One undo step. |
| RESET CAGE | Returns every point to where it started. One undo step. | Dimmed while the cage cannot be used | |
| EDIT CAGE | Starts cage edit mode. The button then reads DONE EDITING and ends it. | Dimmed while the cage cannot be used. Esc also ends the mode. |
While points are selected in cage edit mode, the row counts them, as in 8 POINTS SELECTED. The moved points and the GRID values are saved with the scene; cage edit mode is not.
VERTEX
The 20 deformers in this group move the points the object already has. They add no points or faces, so a shape with few divisions bends in straight segments. Raising SIDES or SEGMENTS in GEOMETRY, on objects that have them, gives these deformers more points to move.
TWIST
Turns each level of the object around its upright axis, by an angle that grows with the height above or below the pivot. The two ends turn in opposite directions. At the default, a point 1 m above the pivot turns 1.5 radians, about 86°, and a point 1 m below turns the same amount the other way. The ? help calls AMOUNT a number of radians; it is radians for each meter of height.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.10 to 5.00 radians per meter, default 1.50 | Angle of turn for each meter from the pivot |
BEND
Curves the object in an arc, with both ends swinging toward the object's positive Z side. The angle grows with the distance from the pivot along the upright axis. Once AMOUNT is high enough that the inside of the curve would fold through itself, the bend eases back to a slightly gentler curve that stays smooth, and raising AMOUNT further changes nothing. A deeper object reaches that limit at a lower AMOUNT.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.10 to 5.00 radians per meter, default 1.50 | How sharply the object curves, up to the limit |
BULGE
Swells the middle of the object away from its upright axis. The top and bottom keep their size, and the swelling is greatest halfway up. At an AMOUNT of 1.00 the middle is twice as wide. The ? help says a negative value pinches the waist, but AMOUNT stops at 0.00.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.00 to 2.00, default 0.60 | How much wider the middle becomes, as a share of its width |
TAPER
Narrows the object toward the top while the bottom keeps its size. The top shrinks toward the upright axis by AMOUNT, and no part becomes narrower than 5% of its width.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.10 to 1.00, default 0.60 | Share of the width the top loses. At 1.00 the top is 5% as wide. |
SPHERIFY
Pulls the shape toward a ball centered on the middle of its points, as large as its farthest point. The object stays where it is.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.00 to 1.00, default 0.50 | Blend from the original shape at 0.00 to a ball at 1.00 |
INFLATE
Moves every point straight out from the surface by the same distance. A negative AMOUNT moves the points inward and shrinks the object.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | −2.00 to 2.00 m, default 0.30 m | Distance each point moves |
VORTEX
Swirls the object around its upright axis. Points close to the axis turn most, and the turn dies away with distance from it. Height makes no difference, so points at the same distance from the axis all turn by the same angle.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| STRENGTH | −5.00 to 5.00 radians, default 1.50 | Turn at the axis. A negative value swirls the other way. |
| FALLOFF | 0.10 to 3.00, default 1.00 | How quickly the turn fades with distance. Higher values keep the swirl close to the axis. |
WIND
Ripples the object sideways in a wave that runs along the chosen axis.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| STRENGTH | 0.00 to 2.00 m, default 0.50 m | How far the wave pushes points sideways |
| FREQUENCY | 0.10 to 10.00, default 3.00 | How closely the waves follow one another. At 3.00 one wave spans about 2.1 m. |
| AXIS | X, Y or Z, default Y | The axis the wave runs along. Along Y, points move along X and a little along Z. Along X, they move along Y and a little along Z. Along Z, they move along X and a little along Y. |
SMEAR
Stretches the object along an axis into a streak. The side facing away from the smear stays in place, and the far side is dragged the full AMOUNT. A negative AMOUNT smears toward the negative end of the axis, and the object's other side then holds still.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | −3.00 to 3.00 m, default 0.80 m | Distance the far side travels |
| FALLOFF | 0.50 to 6.00, default 2.00 | Shape of the streak. 1.00 slants the whole object evenly, and higher values leave more of it in place and stretch only the far end. |
| JITTER | 0.00 to 1.00, default 0.15 | Varies the length of the streak from point to point, for a ragged tail. The side that stays in place is never affected. |
| AXIS | X, Y or Z, default X | Direction of the smear, along the object's own axis. The ? help calls it a world axis. |
RIPPLE
Raises rings around the upright axis, like ripples on a pond. Each point moves in or out from the surface according to its distance from the axis.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMPLITUDE | 0.05 to 2.00 m, default 0.15 m | Height of the rings |
| FREQUENCY | 1.00 to 20.00, default 6.00 | How closely the rings are spaced. At 6.00 they are about 1 m apart. |
WAVE DISPLACEMENT
Covers the surface with a grid of rises and hollows that repeats across the object's X and Z axes.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMPLITUDE | 0.05 to 2.00 m, default 0.15 m | Height of the waves |
| FREQUENCY | 1.00 to 20.00, default 6.00 | How closely the waves are spaced |
NOISE DISPLACEMENT
Roughens the surface by moving each point a random distance in or out, plus a smaller shift in a random direction. The pattern depends on where the points sit on the object, and it has no seed.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.10 to 3.00 m, default 0.32 m | Greatest distance a point moves in or out |
| DENSITY | 0.50 to 10.00, default 4.00 | Size of the pattern. Higher values give finer bumps. |
NOISE FIELD
Pushes each point in a random direction of its own. The result warps and twists the shape more than it roughens the surface.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.00 to 2.00 m, default 0.40 m | Greatest distance a point moves along each axis |
| SCALE | 0.10 to 10.00, default 3.00 | Size of the pattern. Low values give broad warps, high values fine detail. |
| SEED | 1.00 to 999.00, default 42.00 | Picks the pattern. The same seed gives the same warp. |
TURBULENCE
Roughens the surface with three layers of random bumps, each finer than the last. The size of the pattern is fixed.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.10 to 3.00 m, default 0.40 m | Strength of the bumps |
FRACTAL
Adds bumps in passes. Each pass works on the surface the last one left, at twice the frequency and half the height.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| LEVELS | 1 to 4 passes, default 3 | Number of passes. Each adds finer detail and takes longer. |
| AMOUNT | 0.00 to 2.00 m, default 0.50 m | Height of the bumps in the first pass |
| SCALE | 0.10 to 5.00, default 2.00 | Frequency of the first pass. Higher values start with smaller bumps. |
CRACKLE
Divides the surface into cells, like dried mud. Points near the center of a cell stay close to the surface, and points toward its edges rise, so the cell borders stand as ridges.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.10 to 3.00, default 0.30 | Height of the ridges |
| DENSITY | 0.50 to 10.00, default 3.00 | Number of cells. Higher values give smaller cells. |
MELT
Makes the base of the object sink and spread outward. The effect is strongest at the bottom and fades to nothing at the top. The ? help says the top sags, but only the lower part of the object moves.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.00 to 2.00, default 0.50 | How far the base sinks, up to half of AMOUNT in meters at the very bottom |
| SPREAD | 0.00 to 2.00, default 0.80 | How far the base spreads outward from the upright axis. At the very bottom the spread is AMOUNT times SPREAD, in meters. |
CRYSTALLIZE
Snaps points toward scattered centers on a grid, so the surface breaks into flat facets like cut stone or ice.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.00 to 1.00, default 0.70 | 0.00 leaves the shape alone. At 1.00 every point lands on its center, for hard facets. |
| DENSITY | 0.50 to 10.00, default 3.00 | Size of the facets. Low values give large plates. |
| SEED | 1.00 to 999.00, default 42.00 | Moves the centers. The same seed gives the same facets. |
SMOOTH
Rounds the shape by moving each point toward the average of its neighbors. Seams where the object's faces meet stay closed. Placed below a deformer that makes sharp shapes, such as SPIKE EXTRUSION, it softens them.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| ITERATIONS | 1 to 10 passes, default 3 | Number of smoothing passes |
| STRENGTH | 0.05 to 1.00, default 0.50 | How far each point moves toward its neighbors in one pass. 1.00 moves it all the way. |
GRAVITY
Pulls every point toward one point in the object's space. Points near it move much farther than distant ones, since the pull weakens with the square of the distance, and no point is pulled past it. Distances under about 0.3 m count as 0.3 m, which limits the pull near the point.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| PULL X, PULL Y, PULL Z | −5.00 to 5.00 m each. Defaults 0.00, −1.00 and 0.00, 1 m below the pivot. | Position of the point that pulls |
| STRENGTH | 0.00 to 3.00, default 0.80 | Strength of the pull |
TOPOLOGY
These four add points and faces or split the surface into pieces, and they can take longer to compute than the others. How Orbit builds objects explains why an object with SHATTER or BURST switched on cannot take part in a boolean.
SPIKE EXTRUSION
Picks clusters of faces at random and pushes each cluster out along its average direction into a spike, with new side walls joining it to the surface. A mesh with few faces may get fewer spikes than COUNT asks for.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| COUNT | 1 to 40 spikes, default 15 | Number of spikes. The ? help gives the range as 5 to 40. |
| LENGTH | 0.10 to 3.00 m, default 0.80 m | How far each spike stands out |
| BASE WIDTH | 0.10 to 2.00, default 0.50 | Shape of the tip and size of the base. At 1.00 each spike ends in a sharp point, and lower values leave a flat top that is nearly as wide as the base at 0.10. From 1.00 up, each spike also takes in more of the faces around it, and above 1.00 its tip crosses over itself. |
| SEED | 1 to 999, default 42 | Picks which faces become spikes. The same seed gives the same arrangement. |
The ? help says a lower BASE WIDTH makes thinner, sharper spikes, but lowering it below 1.00 flattens the tip.
SHATTER
Breaks every triangle of the surface off as a separate fragment and moves the fragments outward from the pivot. Each fragment is shaded as one flat facet. At an AMOUNT of 0.00 the object stays whole. The ? help says the fragments keep their original shading and that at a RANDOMIZE of 0 they move along their own normals, but they move straight out from the pivot.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.00 to 2.00 m, default 0.50 m | How far the fragments travel |
| RANDOMIZE | 0.00 to 1.00, default 0.30 | Scatter in the directions of travel. At 0.00 each fragment moves straight out from the pivot. |
| SEED | 1 to 999, default 42 | Picks the scatter and tumble. The same seed gives the same result. |
| ROTATION | 0.00 to 1.00, default 0.30 | How far each fragment tumbles, up to a full turn at 1.00 |
BURST
Breaks the surface into fragments like SHATTER, throws them outward from the pivot and stretches each one along the line it travels, so the pieces read as blades. ORGANIC smoothing rounds the shards, since it runs after every deformer; the ? help ties this to a subdivision step that the app does not run.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | 0.00 to 2.00 m, default 0.60 m | How far the fragments fly |
| STRETCH | 1.00 to 6.00, default 2.00 | How much each fragment lengthens along its path. 1.00 leaves the fragments their shape. |
| RANDOMIZE | 0.00 to 1.00, default 0.30 | Varies the distance and stretch from fragment to fragment |
| SEED | 1 to 999, default 42 | Picks the variation. The same seed gives the same burst. |
EXOSKELETON
Builds a second shell outside the surface and joins the two with a square strut at every point of the object. The original surface stays in place inside. The result has about ten times as many points as the object.
| Label | Values and default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| OFFSET | 0.01 to 0.50 m, default 0.08 m | Distance of the outer shell from the surface |
| STRUT THICKNESS | 0.005 to 0.10 m, default 0.02 m | Size of each strut, as the distance from its center line to each of its four long edges. Values under 0.01 show as 0.01 at two decimals. |
The note under the sliders gives the result as about three times the points, and when Orbit's estimate passes 20,000 points it changes to a warning starting with HEAVY: that the sliders will lag. Lower SIDES and SEGMENTS, or remove SPIKE EXTRUSION and SHATTER deformers above it, to bring the count down. The ? help says ORGANIC smooths the base and leaves the struts angular, but ORGANIC rounds the whole result, struts included.
Related: Bend, twist and melt objects with deformers, Push and pull a shape by hand, How Orbit builds objects and What undo covers.