Curve Object

Shape panel

Curve shape related settings.

Twist Method

A 3D curve has control points that are not located on the curve’s local XY plane. This gives the curve a twist which can affect the curve normals. The three available methods to calculate this twist is Minimum, Tangent and Z-Up.

Smooth

Interactively removes twists from the curve by smoothing tangents.

Fill Mode

Fill mode defines the way a curve is displayed when it is beveled.

Curve Deform

Texture Space panel

UV mapping can be generated. A procedural brick texture uses generated UV space for example to define the mapping.

In this panel you can adjust settings of the texture space used by generated texture mapping.

The display of the texture space cage can be activated in the Viewport Display in the Object properties.

Location, Size

Adjust the location and size of the texture space manually if Auto Texture Space is off.

The texture space can also be adjusted in the 3D Viewport. See Object Menu / Transform / Move and Scale Texture Space

Match Texture Space

Match the texture space to the bounding box of the mesh part of the surface object, not the cage.

Geometry panel

A curve is a spline. And has by default no geometry. But it can have extruded or beveled geometry. This panel allows you to adjust the geometry.

Offset

Moves the extrusion parallel to the curve normals. Needs extruded geometry first.

Extrude

Extrude the curve along the positive and negative local Z axes to create a surface. The extrusion direction follows the curve normals.

Taper Object

Tapers the extruded geometry by using another curve. The taper shape is defined by the Z value of the curve points of the taper object curve. Which you need to manipulate in edit mode.

You might want to rotate the taper object curve by x around 90 degrees to see the shape of the curve in the same view than at the extruded geometry.

The taper object curve:

• Must be an open curve.
• The taper is applied independently to all curves of the extruded object.
• Only the first curve in a Taper Object is evaluated, even if you have several separated segments.
• The scaling starts at the first control point on the left and moves along the curve to the last control point on the right.
• Negative scaling, (e.g. negative local Y on the taper curve) is possible as well. However, rendering artifacts may appear.
• Might need to increase the curve resolution to see more detail of the taper.

With closed curves, the taper curve in Taper Object acts along the whole curve (perimeter of the object), not just the length of the object, and varies the extrusion depth. In these cases, you want the relative height of the Taper Object Taper curve at both ends to be the same, so that the cyclic point (the place where the endpoint of the curve connects to the beginning) is a smooth transition.

Taper Radius

How the radius of the spline point is computed.

Map Taper

For curves using a Taper Object and with modifications to the Start/End Bevel Factor. The Map Taper option will then apply the taper to the beveled part of the curve, and not the whole curve.

Bevel subpanel

A curve can not only be extruded, but the extruded geometry can also be beveled to give it a thickness.

There are three bevel methods available. Round adds a rounded bevel. Object adds a bevel in the shape of a chosen object. Profile adds a bevel in the shape of the adjusted curve.

The curve settings becomes active when you have a depth value higher than 0.

Preset

Type Profile. Curve presets.

Navigation elements

Tools menu

Curve Window

Allows you to modify the curve by dragging the existing curve points and adding new curve points. Adding a curve point can be done by clicking left at the curve. Selected curve points reveals further functionality below the curve window.

Curve point menu elements

Start & End Mapping subpanel

This content becomes active out when the bevel depth is bigger 0 or a curve bevel exists.

Bevel Start/End

Where to start and to end the bevel relative to the curve. Allows to make a beveled curve which is not fully covered with a bevel.

Increasing the Start Bevel Factor to 0.5 will start beveling the curve 50% of the distance from the start of the curve (in effect shortening the curve). Decreasing the End Bevel Factor by 0.25 will start beveling the curve 25% of the distance from the end of the curve (again, shortening the curve).

Bevel Mapping Start/End

Allows to control the relation between bevel factors (number between 0 and 1) and the rendered start and end point of a beveled spline. Map the bevel factor to:

Path Animation panel

Move child objects along a path.

Workflow

Create a curve. Create an object that you want to move along the path.

Select the object, hold down shift, and parent the object to the curve with the method Follow Path. When you press play then the object will just rotate around itself.

Next select the object, and clear the origin. This will set the object to the start point of the curve. And when you play the animation, then the cube will now move along the curve.

Shape Keys panel

This panel allows you to see and manage shape keys. A shape key is a vertex animation.

Shape keys are for example used for facial animations, when you don't want to use a face rig with bones. The idea is to model a shape key pose for smiling, one for laughing, one for sad, and so on. And then blend the shape key poses together as needed.

Shape keys are also called morph targets or blend shapes.

Workflow

In Object mode add a shape key. This first shape key is called Basis by default. It is the base for the vertex animation. This basis shape key is the base shape for all further shape keys. It cannot be modified or keyframed.

Now add a second shape key. This second shape key will have more controls so that you can modify it in the needed way.

Enter edit mode with this key 1 selected.
Modify the geometry by moving some vertices around. Shot is from a mesh, but works the same with curves.

Switch back to Object mode.

Have a look at the value slider. This slider defines how the key 1 shape key blends with the Basis shape key.

Move it from value 0 to value 1. You will notice that the vertices that you have modified in Key 1 will now start to move to a new position. Dependent of how strong the value is. With a value of 1 it will be at the position of how you modeled it.

To keyframe this shape click at the Animate property dot behind the slider. The slider will change its color. And the dot will change to a rhombus shape to indicate that there is a keyframe recorded at this frame.

Or you right click at the slider, and choose Insert Keyframe in the menu.

Move to another frame. Change the slider value, and set another keyframe.

Recorded keyframes can be found and further tweaked in the Dope sheet Editor in Shape Key Editor mode. Here you can also record further keyframes under Key / Insert Keyframes. And control the slider values from the channel list.

Add more shape keys and model and animate them as you need them.

Active Shape Key Index

A List of the shape keys for this mesh.

It contains two types of shape keys. Basis is the base shape. The other type relies at this shape as the base.

Specials menu

Move Shape Key Up / Down

Moves the selected shape key up or down in the list.

Relative

Set the shape keys to Relative or Absolute.

Relative

The shape is defined relative to the Basis or another specified shape key. And can be adjusted in its settings.

Absolute

The shape changes over time, as defined in its settings.

Interpolation

The interpolation method between shape keys.

Evaluation Time

Evaluate the shape key influence over the defined time. The evaluation starts at influence 0, and reaches 1 at the end of the value of this timer.

Empty Hair object - Surface Panel

The empty hair object is a special curves object. You control it by geometry nodes.

Define the object that is used as the parent object for the hairs.

Custom Properties Panel

Here you can define custom properties that can be used for scripting.

Here you might also find custom properties from addons or scripts.

Add

Adds a new property.

Edit

Opens a panel where you can adjust the settings for the custom property.

Remove

Removes the property.