Is it possible to use the Simple Deform Modifier without having to use an empty?
i’m originally a max user and have been using blender a bit for the past couple of months, and though blender is great and speeds up modelling in some parts… it also lacks in some parts, especially basic parts.
having to use an “empty” in order to simply curve a subdivided cylinder at a 90 degree angle is just busy work. In 3ds max the “empty” is the pivot of the object.
Is there a way to curve a mesh without having to use an empty?
If the modifier could use the mesh it’s aplied to as an origin, that would like solve these little things immediatly.
Yeah, you can do that with the simple deform without an empty since 2.8 I think. However, apparently it depends on the orientation of your mesh.
If it lies horizontally on the ground, it doesn’t work. If I rotate it up 90degrees, it works just fine.
That should solve your question. However, there’s also some other ways of making things curvy. For example the curve modifier so you can deform objects along a path or the lattice modifier. In edit move your have the spin tool to make circles so there’s a couple of ways to get your desired result.
You can also change the pivot point to adjust the center of the modifier (Activate Move tool, then Control + ‘.’ key). I’m also an ex-Max user, and I agree that modifiers work easier in there.
It sounds like you need to use the Spin tool to curve your cylinder. It will add edge loops of a specified number around the position of the cursor to whatever degree you want.
