Vertex Weight Proximity Modifier

The Vertex Weight Proximity Modifier panel.

This modifier sets the weights of the given vertex group, based on the distance between the object (or its vertices), and another target object (or its geometry).

Warning

This modifier does implicit clamping of weight values in the standard (0.0 to 1.0) range. All values below 0.0 will be set to 0.0, and all values above 1.0 will be set to 1.0.

Options

Vertex Group

The vertex group to affect.

Target Object

The object from which to compute distances.

Proximity mode

Object Distance

Use the distance between the modified mesh object and the target object as weight for all vertices in the affected vertex group.

Geometry Distance

Use the distance between each vertex and the target object, or its geometry.

Vertex

This will set each vertex’s weight from its distance to the nearest vertex of the target object.

Edge

This will set each vertex’s weight from its distance to the nearest edge of the target object.

Face

This will set each vertex’s weight from its distance to the nearest face of the target object.

Note

If you enable more than one of them, the shortest distance will be used. If the target object has no geometry (e.g. an empty or camera), it will use the location of the object itself.

Lowest

Distance mapping to 0.0 weight.

Highest

Distance mapping to 1.0 weight.

Tip

Lowest can be set above Highest to reverse the mapping.

Falloff Type

Type of mapping:

Linear

No mapping.

Custom Curve

Allows the user to manually define the mapping using a curve.

Sharp, Smooth, Root and Sphere

These are classical mapping functions, from spikiest to roundest.

Random

Uses a random value for each vertex.

Median Step

Creates binary weights (0.0 or 1.0), with 0.5 as cutting value.

Influence/Mask Options

Global Influence

The overall influence of the modifier (0.0 will leave the vertex group’s weights untouched, 1.0 is standard influence).

Warning

Influence only affects weights, adding/removing of vertices to/from vertex group is not prevented by setting this value to 0.0.

Vertex Group Mask

Vertex Group Mask

An additional vertex group, the weights of which will be multiplied with the global influence value for each vertex. If a vertex is not in the masking vertex group, its weight will be not be affected.

Texture Mask

Texture Mask

An additional texture, the values of which will be multiplied with the global influence value for each vertex.

This is a standard texture data-block control. When set, it reveals other settings:

Texture Coordinates

How the texture is mapped to the mesh.

Local

Use local vertex coordinates.

Global

Use vertex coordinates in global space.

Object

Use vertex coordinates in another object’s space.

Object

The object to be used as reference for Object mapping.

UV

Use a UV map’s coordinates.

UV Map

The UV map to be used for UV mapping.

Use Channel

Which channel to use as weight factor source.

Red/Green/Blue/Alpha

One of the color channels’ values.

Intensity

The average of the RGB channels (if RGB(1.0, 0.0, 0.0) value is 0.33).

Value

The highest value of the RGB channels (if RGB(1.0, 0.0, 0.0) value is 1.0).

Hue

Uses the hue value from the standard color wheel (e.g. blue has a higher hue value than yellow).

Saturation

Uses the saturation value (e.g. pure red’s value is 1.0, gray is 0.0).

Note

All of the channels above are gamma corrected, except for Intensity.

Note

You can view the modified weights in Weight Paint Mode. This also implies that you will have to disable the Vertex Weight Proximity Modifier if you want to see the original weights of the vertex group you are editing.

Example

Using Distance from a Target Object

In this example let us dynamically control a Wave Modifier with a modified vertex group:

1. Add a Grid mesh with (100×100) x/y subdivisions and a 5 BU Radius.

2. Switch to Edit Mode Tab, and in the Object Data properties, Vertex Groups panel, add a vertex group. Assign to it all your mesh’s vertices with 1.0 weight.

3. Go back to Object Mode. Then, go to the Modifiers properties, and add a Vertex Weight Proximity Modifier. Set the Distance mode to Object. Select your vertex group, and the target object you want.

   You will likely have to adjust the linear mapping of the weights produced by the Vertex Weight Proximity Modifier. To do so, edit Lowest Distance and Highest Distance so that the first corresponds to the distance between your target object and the vertices you want to have lowest weight, and similarly with the second and highest weight...

4. If your lamp is at Z-hight of 2 then set the settings for the Weight Proximity Modifier to: Lowest: 2 and highest: 7 (this will stop the waves under the lamp) If you want waves to be only under the lamp, set the lowest to 7 and highest to 2.

5. Now add a Wave Modifier, set it to your liking, and use the same vertex group to control it. Example settings-speed: 0.10 , Height: 1.0 , Width 1.50 , Narrowness: 1.50.

6. Animate your target object, making it move over the grid. As you can see, the waves are only visible around the reference object! Note that you can insert a Vertex Weight Edit modifier before the Wave one, and use its Custom Curve mapping to get larger/narrower “wave influence’s slopes”.

The blend-file, TEST_1 scene.