Understand sculpt curves

Sculpt curves shape the curve network surface by pushing or pulling the surface away from the network.

A sculpt curve is like a handle on the surface which lets you push or pull the surface.

Sculpt curves allow you to make complex or subtle changes to surfaces such as adding bumps, indentations, twists, or cork-screw effects.

How sculpt curves work

Alias projects the sculpt curve onto the surface along the surface normals.
Alias links the points along the sculpt curve to the points on the projected curve.
When a point on the sculpt curve moves, the corresponding point on the surface moves also.
- The degree to which the point on the surface follows the point on the sculpt curve depends on the weight or weights along the sculpt curve.
- The area of the surfaces which is pulled along is the region of influence of the sculpt curve.

Notes

To speed up rebuilds, keep the sculpt curves simple.
Just as if you were editing the surface manually, the sculpt curve can only reshape the surface if it has enough CVs to control it.
For example, mapping a sculpt curve to a degree 3 surface with one span in each direction will not allow detailed modifications of the surface. The four interior CVs in this example are not enough to make the sculpting effort worthwhile.
Sculpt curves can be applied only to four-sided regions in a curve network. Surfaces fitted to triangular or five-sided regions and regions with collapsible T-junctions remain unchanged by sculpt curves.
Once sculpt curves are mapped onto the curve network, any changes to the topology of the network (such as adding or removing curves) requires Alias to remap the sculpt curves.
Because this operation can potentially take a long time, a dialog box will ask you if you really want to make the change.