Curves editor

New Curves editor feature. It can be used in all workspaces, making it a powerful and versatile tool.

First, you need to activate curves editor. Use E key and select curves mode or activate using this menu.
You can also activate curves editor by using key Q.
In curves editor use different modes to add and modify curves. Press RMB over the curve to access the curve properties or modify.
Press ENTER to apply curve for current tool. If curve is closed, usually the area will be filled. If it is not closed, the brush will be run along the curve.

Enable spline lasso mode in the E panel. Look also RMB menu over newly created curves.

Activate curves editor: switch on curves editor.
Curves quick Menu Q
Stop edit curves: switch off the curves editor.
Curves usage hint
Curves Tree: Panel of curves hierarchy.

Bottom icons (left to right):
Activate Curves Editor
Apply Curve
Duplicate
Applies brush along the curve with spacing and jitter
Load curve saved previously as spline or eps: import EPS directly from illustrator through import curve as mesh.
Save curve saved previously as spline or eps
Delete Item

Record Strokes: If this option is enabled, each stroke will be recorded as an invisible curve in the Curves Tree folder “Strokes”.

Save curve: save the selected curve.
Save curves separately: Save each curve to a separate file. The filename will be composed of your custom name and curve name.
Load Curve: Load curve saved previously as spline or eps.
If this option is enabled, each stroke will be recorded as an invisible curve in the Curves Tree folder “Strokes”. Upload a black and white bitmap image, and 3DC automatically figures out what settings to use and traces the image.

Snap to surface: Each moved point will be snapped to the closest position on the surface, even if the point is on the backface.
Snap to curve points: Snap to curve control points.
Snap to curve: Snap to the nearest curve except currently modified.
Snap to center: Snap to the center of curves bound boxes.
Quantize length: Look at the length unit in “Snapping settings”.
Snap to horizontals\verticals: Snap to horizontal and vertical projections of other points in this curve.
Snapping settings: Please set the values required for distance and angle snapping. To use the snapping, you should also enable the corresponding snapping in the menu.

Render curves on the backside
Put on plane:

Average plane
Center mass + YZ – plane
Center mass + ZX – plane
Center mass + XY – plane
YZ – plane
ZX – plane
XY – plane

Curves Operations:

Split Self Intersections
Boolean Operations
Simplify Curve
Smoothing Curve
Subdivide Curve: This command will add one point between each two points of the curve.
Reverse Curve Direction
Toggle length displaying: Turn ON/OFF the length of the curve chunks.

Modifiers:

Detach curve modifiers (selected)
Detach and delete meshes (selected)
Edit curve modifier (selected)
Hide selected modifiers: Hide meshes for all selected curves with modifiers.
Hide all modifiers: Hide meshes for all curves with modifiers.
Show all modifiers: Show all hidden meshes for all curves with modifiers.

Apply Curves:
Start new curve: End the current curve and start a new one.
Brush Along Curve: Applies brush along the curve with spacing and jitter.
Run brush along projection.
Edit Pressure Profile: Define how pressure will be distributed along the stroke.

Select/Freeze projection area: Select/Freeze area within closed curves projection.
Select/Freeze in 3D space: Select/freeze area within closed curves in 3D space.
Fill by voxels: Fill the inner area of the curve by voxels.
Freeze selection to curve:
Snap to surface: Snap curves to the surface..
Assign radius: Assign the same (current) radius to all points of the curve.
SetCoordinate:
Delete all curves:

Icons (Left to Right):

Select the entire curve: Select and manipulate the entire curve. Use SHIFT and CTRL to add/subtract selections. Hover the entire curve with a rectangle to select. If part of the curve is outside the rectangle, the curve will not be selected. Select and drag to move. If you need an exact transform, use transform mode.
Select and manipulate one point or group of points.
Rules of this mode:

1) Double-click to insert or remove a point.
2) Doubleclick in empty space deselects all.
3) Selection of points with click or rectangle will be performed only over the selected curve. You may select another curve with a SHIFT click-over point.
4) RMB over point changes its sharpness/softness, otherwise triggers curve properties.

Add straight line segments to the curve: Press ESC to start the new curve. Click on the first or last point of the curve to extend it.
Add Spline segments to the curve: Press ESC to start the new curve. Click on the first or last point of the curve to extend it. Click on any point of the closed curve to break the circuit.
Add BSpline: Add BSpline segments to the curve.
Add freehand-drawn segments to the curve: Click on the first or last point of the curve to extend it.

Simplification factor: The simplification factor for drawing a free curve. After you draw a free curve, the percentage of points specified in this parameter is removed.
Smoothing factor: Smoothing Factor For FreeHand.

The five tools -from left to right- have expanded options for better creation/manipulation. They are:

Set selected vertices to be sharp.
Set selected points to default spline behavior.
Set selected points to B-spline points.
Equal tangent splines length handles.
Parallel tangent splines length handles.
General independent tangent splines length handles.

Split point: If the point is linked to another point, it will be unlinked; the otherwise curve will be split into two curves at this point.
Join points: Use it to join two curves together, select two endpoints and use join.
Link several points together: Linked points may be placed on separate curves. After linking, they will always be moved together in all operations when there is no contradiction. Use split to unlink.
Collapse 2 points in one: Points should be sequential on the same curve.

Move vertices: If active, the mouse moves vertices.
Move tangents: If active, the mouse moves tangent vector handles.

Options for inserting point with a double click:

Spline point: When this item is selected, double-clicking on the curve adds a spline point.
Sharp point: When this item is selected, double-clicking on the curve adds a sharp point.
Preserve shape: When this item is selected, double-clicking on the curve adds a sharp point. The curve does not change its shape, but all points of the curve become points with parallel tangents.

Point position: adjust point position on XYZ coordinates.

Erase: Erase curves under the pen circle.
Pen Circle: Click to add a circle with default parameters.

A number of vertices: Amount of vertices created.

Cut Slice: Click, drag the mouse, and release. The cut slice will be transformed into a curve.

Angle: Press shift to discrete angle.
Fixed angle: Use a fixed angle.

Add Ellipse: Click to add ellipse with default parameters. Drag to set the custom size. Hold SHIFT to create a circle. SHIFT/CTRL-click on other primitives to select/deselect.
Add Rectangle: Click to add a rectangle with default parameters. Drag to set the custom size. Hold SHIFT to create the square. SHIFT/CTRL click on other primitives to select/deselect.
Add N-Gon: Click to add n-gons with default parameters. Drag to set the custom size. Hold SHIFT to create an n-gon in a round. SHIFT/CTRL click on other primitives to select/deselect.
Add Star: Click to add star with default parameters. Drag to set the custom size. Hold SHIFT to create a star in a round. SHIFT/CTRL-click on other primitives to select/deselect.
Add Spiral: Click to add spiral with default parameters. Drag to set the custom size. SHIFT/CTRL-click on other primitives to select/deselect.

Select similar: Select objects of similar type and dimensions.
Same type: Select objects of the same type.
To regular curve: Convert selected curves to regular curves. It means that curves will not be derived from primitives, and you may modify them manually. Generally, if you add the point manually or move some points manually, the curve will automatically become the regular curve.

Tool for smooth points moving: Please choose curves or points to start. Drag points that are separated from the cursor by a radius distance. As the cursor moves, the points that fall into the action field change.
Tool for smooth points moving by a radius: Please choose curves or points to start. Dragging points are subject to the points that are separated from the cursor by a radius distance when the left mouse button is pressed. As the cursor moves, the points that fall into the field of action do not change.

Degree: Translate acceleration for smooth points moving.

Transform: Transform selected curves/points.

On Plane: Constraint strokes to a plane. Use RMB to define a plane. Click the Plane Opt. button to edit further how the plane functions.

Curves Properties

Press RMB over the curve or over the curve layer on curves tree to access or modify the curve properties.

Apply Curves Apply the selected Curves.
Save Curve: Save the selected Curve.
Points Extrude.

Draw real offset: Draw real offset for extruding.
Make corners sharp: Make corners sharp.
Reverse curve direction: Invert curve direction.

Duplicate the selected Curve.
Place on Plane

Average plane
Center mass + YZ – plane
Center masss + ZX – plane
Center mass + XY – plane
YZ – plane
ZX – plane
XY – plane

Curves Operations

Split Self Intersections: This command adds self-intersection points of the curve. The intersection is also the case if the points on the curves in the space are closer than the intersection tolerance value; by changing which, you can get more or fewer intersection points.

When you select “Split to segments,” you get a subdivision of the curve into successive segments. When you select “Split to clusters,” you get a subdivision of the curve into closed sub-clusters.

Boolean Operations: This command performs the operations of intersection, union, and subtraction over curves.

First of all, the intersection points of the curves are located, and then the operations are performed. The intersection tolerance regulates the number of intersection points. The intersection is considered to be points lying at a distance less than this value.

Simplify Curve: This command deletes the curve points so that the new curve is as similar as possible to the original curve.

The number of points is controlled by the parameter “multiplier”, which varies from 0 to 1.

Remove sharp corners: This tool removes curve angles other than 180 degrees, replacing them with a circular arc of a given radius. If the option “Apply only to selected vertices” is selected, the operation will be performed at all selected vertices of the curve, regardless of the angle. If this option is not selected, then the operation is performed at all vertices of the curve, which the algorithm considers suitable.
Subdivide Curve: Automatically add vertices to the curve. This command will add one point between every two points of the curve.
Reverse Curve Direction: Invert curve direction.

Split Sculpt object by Curve
Make Bevel from Curve

Split model

Bevel

Brush along curve: Applies brush along the curve with spacing and jitter.
Run brush along projection:
Edit Pressure Profile: Define how pressure will be distributed along the stroke.

Select/Freeze projection area: Select/Freeze area within closed curves projection.
Freeze/Selection to curve:

Fill with mesh layer: The curve will be filled with the mesh inside. The new item in VoxTree will be created, and the mesh will be placed there. Select the corresponding object in VoxTree to be able to change parameters like thickness, extrusion, and smoothing. Delete the corresponding VoxTree element to stop filling the curve.

Attach tube or models array: A pipe will be created alongside the curve.

To add new geometry over the mesh’s surface > Select Tube/Array tool. Draw a curve and choose Attach tube or models array.

Splines and also Sculpt models can be used to fill with new geometry (attach tube or models array).

If you select the model in the Splines tab, that model will be placed along the curve instead of the pipe. In the Hierarchy tree, a new object containing that mesh will appear. Select the corresponding layer so as to change the parameters, for example, the number of objects along the curve, scale, density, and so on.
Bend Volume: Bend the object around the curve.
Sweep profile along Guide Curve: The sweep profile will be along the selected Guide Curve. After the “Tool Options” dialog appears, You need select profile-curve. The new item in VoxTree will be created, and the mesh will be placed there. Select the corresponding object in VoxTree to be able to change parameters like thickness, Angle, Twist-Angle, etc. Delete the corresponding VoxTree element to stop filling the curve.

You can vary the curve shape using the option “Use Profile Graph”.

Create Rotate Surface: The Rotate surface will be generated by revolution of the selected profile around the selected curve-axis. After the “Tool Options dialog” appears, you need to select the curve axis. The new item in VoxTree will be created, and the mesh will be placed there. Select the corresponding object in VoxTree to be able to change parameters like thickness, Angle, twist angle, etc. Delete the corresponding VoxTree element to stop filling the curve.
Create Polyhedron: The Polyhedron will be generated by revolution and moving the selected profile around the selected curve-axis. After the “Tool Options dialog” appears, you need to select the curve axis. The new item in VoxTree will be created, and the mesh will be placed there. Select the corresponding object in VoxTree to be able to change parameters like thickness, Quantity of facets, and smoothing. Delete the corresponding VoxTree element to stop filling the curve.
Create Swept Surface 2 Guide:

The Sweep Surfaces will be generated by moving the profile along two curve-guide. After the “Tool Options dialog” appears, you need to select 2-d guide-curve and curve-profile.
The new item in VoxTree will be created, and the mesh will be placed there. Select the corresponding object in VoxTree to be able to change parameters like thickness, Quantity of facets, and smoothing. Delete the corresponding VoxTree element to stop filling the curve.
You also can vary the curve shape using the option “Use Profile Graph”.

Create Swept Surface 2 Geners: The Sweep Surface will be generated by moving of 2 profiles along the selected guide curve. After the “Tool Options dialog” appears, you need select curve-profile. The new item in VoxTree will be created, and the mesh will be placed there. Select the corresponding object in VoxTree to be able to change parameters like thickness, Quantity of facets, and smoothing. Delete the corresponding VoxTree element to stop filling the curve.

Create Swept Surface N Geners: The Sweep Surfaces will be generated by moving N profiles along two curve-guide.

After the “Tool Options dialog” appears, you need select 2-d guide and curve profiles. The new item in VoxTree will be created, and the mesh will be placed there.

Select the corresponding object in VoxTree to be able to change parameters like thickness, Quantity of facets, and smoothing. Delete the corresponding VoxTree element to stop filling the curve.

– Now with much better quality of “Expand/tie off” for patches and tubes for curves modifiers.