Column Part 2: Refine the Spline.
Once you have created your rough spline, it is time to refine it. Before you do this you need to understand each of the four vertex types.
- Bezier Corner: Smoothed vertex with Bezier handles. Handles can move individually.
- Bezier: Smoothed vertex with Bezier handles. Handles must move together.
- Corner: Hard vertex with no smoothing.
- Smooth: Smoothed vertex with no handles. Smoothing is calculated automatically.
Enter Vertex mode and select a Vertex or two. Notice that you can move them around with the Move tool to adjust your spline. To change vertex types right click the selected vertex and select from the list in the quad menu shown below.
Smooth and Corner vertices are simple to understand. When working with Bezier and Bezier Corner vertices you will need to move their handles around to achieve full control. Take note that your Move tool acts as a snap toggle. When an axis is activated you will be constrained to moving only on that axis. When both axises are activated you will have full movement range.
Now that you know how to change Vertex types, experiment a bit to refine your line. Use Corner types where you want a hard edge and Smooth types where you need a soft edge. Use Bezier and Bezier Corner types where you want full control. Now is the time to try and match the reference image exactly. Remember you can add points using the Refine button shown earlier. To delete a point select it and press the Delete key. Below you will see the Vertex types I used. This is only an example, you should use what works best for your column.
There are only two things left to do before we can apply the Lathe modifier. We must take our first and last vertex and zero them out on the X axis. Doing this will simplify the Lathe process in Part 3. Select the first Vertex on your line and select the Move tool. You should see the absolute coordinates of that Vertex displayed at the bottom of the Interface. Set the X value to zero. Do the same with the last Vertex on your spline. *TIP* Right click the spinners next to the value to set them to zero automatically.
We are nearly finished setting up our spline. The last thing we need to do is move our Pivot Point to zero on the X axis. This is where the Lathe modifier will put its center, so if the Pivot Point is at zero along with the first and last vertex your object will be error free. Go into the Hierarchy tab and select Affect Pivot Only. Select the Move tool and change the X value to 0 the same way you did in the previous step.
Your spline is now complete. In Part 3 we will be applying the Lathe Modifier to create geometry from our Spline.