Color deviation map in Mesh Reduce and Mesh Smooth

What’s New in Alias 2010 > Modeling >

The Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Smooth and Mesh > Mesh Cleanup > Mesh Reduce tools now have the option to display a color deviation map showing the deviation between the original mesh (prior to entering the tool) and the modified mesh.This way, you can see what areas of the mesh have been affected by the operation, and by how much.

Deviation color map from mesh smoothing after 1, 3, and 5 iterations

The color deviation map has the following characteristics:

The deviation scale (ramp) appears whenever the Show Deviation Map option is turned on within the tool. This also causes the Deviation Map Settings section to appear in the option window.
The color map display updates each time you execute a Reduce or Smooth operation, as well as after Undo.
The color scale updates automatically based on a range between zero and the maximum deviation from the last operation (if the Auto Ramp option is on - which is the default).
When exiting the Smooth or Reduce tool, the display returns to the shading mode (if any) that was applied to the mesh prior to entering the tool.
The color map options can be saved in the user_options file (by using Preferences > User Options > Save options) and will be set automatically to the saved values when you start Alias.

The color map options are the same as in Evaluate > Deviation map, with the exception of Auto Ramp, which is new.

Auto Ramp: When turned on (default), this option automatically uses the maximum Deviation reported by the tool as the Ramp Distance. As subsequent modifications are made to the mesh, the Ramp Distance dynamically updates. This provides a color scale range that makes identifying areas of change easier. Sequential Undo operations similarly update the Ramp Distance.

NoteIf Auto Ramp is on, and the maximum deviation is less than the Acceptable Distance, the Acceptable Distance is set to 10% of the maximum deviation, to avoid a completely green color map.