Geometry Options

Apply to [Convex | Concave | Both] - This tells EdgeFX6 what kinds of edges to modify.

Convex modifies edges like those on the outside of a cube, for example. Concave modifies edges like those in the corner of a room, where the walls meet the floor. Both modifies both kinds of edges.

The default setting is Both.

Use World Coords - Check this checkbox if you want EdgeFX6 to use World Coordinates for calculating the widths of the edges. Ordinarily, the edges will be "glued" to the object. If this option is checked, the edges may change width depending on how the object is scaled or deformed. The default setting is off.

Apply to Open Edges - An open edge is an edge on a single polygon, instead of between two polygons. Open edges occur in flat text objects, for example. Check this checkbox if you want EdgeFX6 to modify open edges. The default setting is on.

Override Smooth Angle - If this checkbox is left unchecked, EdgeFX6 will automatically use the Max Smoothing Angle in the Surface editor to determine which edges to affect. EdgeFX will only affect the edges that LightWave hasn't already smoothed. Check this checkbox and fill in an angle if you want to override the smoothing angle.

Bevel Options

Bevel Edges - Check this box if you want EdgeFX6 to smooth the surface normals along edges. The default setting is on.

Width - This controls the width of the bevels, over which the surface normal varies. The default setting is 1 mm.

Bevel Type [Smooth | Panel | Cap] - This tells EdgeFX6 how to modify the surface normals along edges.

Smooth varies the normal from the current polygon's normal halfway to its neighbor's. Panel varies the normal from the current polygon's normal to a 90° angle to it. Cap varies the normal from the current polygon's normal all the way to its neighbor's.

The default setting is Smooth, which is suitible for most furniture, for example.

Smooth Corners - Check this box if you want EdgeFX6 to apply extra smoothing at the corners of objects. The default setting is on.

Corner Indentation - This tells EdgeFX6 how much to flatten off a corner as it's being smoothed. The default setting is 0%

Surface Options

Alter Surface - Check this box if you want EdgeFX6 to alter the surface settings near edges.

Amount - This controls how strongly the surface settings are altered near edges. The default setting is 100%.

Width - This controls the width of the surface effect along the edges. The default setting is 1 mm.

Feather - This controls how much of the edge is feathered. The default setting is 0%. Negative values create an inverted feather.

Fade with Angle, From, To - Check the Fade with Angle box if you want the strength of the surface effect to vary with the sharpness of the edge. Set From to the edge sharpness angle at which the surface effect has a strength of 0. Set To to the edge sharpness angle at which the surface effect has full strength. The default setting is off.

Noise - Check this checkbox if you want the surface edge effect to be modulated by animatable noise.

Noise Type [Taper | Multiply] - This controls how the noise modifies the surface edge effect.

Taper modifies the feathering distance of the edge by the noise. Multiply multiplies the effect strength by the noise.

The default setting is Taper.

Noise Contrast - This value controls how much contrast is in the noise. Lower values make noise with smoother features. Higher values make noise with sharper features. The default is 1.0, which is about as smooth as default Fractal Noise in LightWave.

Edit Noise Texture - This opens up LightWave's Texture Editor, allowing you to define the texture for the noise. Good results can usually be obtained with the Turbulence Procedural Texture, but you are encouraged to experiment.

Color Gradient - Check the checkbox beside the gradient if you want EdgeFX6 to apply a color gradient based on the distance to the edges.

The Gradient Editor works as follows:

The gradient is defined using keyframes. Each keyframe is represented by a keyframe gadget, consisting of a drag gadget (the little diamond on the top) and a color gadget (the little box on the bottom). There is always a keyframe at either end of the gradient.

To select a keyframe, click on the middle of its gadget, that is, somewhere between its drag and color gadgets. Click there again to deselect the keyframe. The currently selected keyframe will display its parameter value (from 0 to 100) in the middle of its gadget. The above diagram shows a selected keyframe with a parameter of 67.

To create a keyframe, click anywhere on the gradient where there currently is no keyframe. This creates a new keyframe at that location.

To delete a keyframe, shift-click its drag gadget.

To drag a keyframe, click-and-drag its drag gadget. Note that you can drag a keyframe right up to another one, such that they occupy the same parameter value. This lets you create sharp changes in the gradient. You can still drag the keyframe later to another position.

To edit a keyframe's color, click its color gadget to bring up a color dialog.

To copy a keyframe to a new keyfame, first select the keyframe. Then, shift-click the gradient where you want the new keyframe.

To copy a keyframe to an existing keyfame, first select the keyframe. Then, shift-click the color gadget of the keyframe that you want to copy to.

The parameter of the keyframe corresponds the percentage of the edge width that a surface point is at. So the keyframe at 0 is right on the edge, and the keyframe at 100 is Width from the edge.

This concludes the documentation of the Happy Digital Gradient Editor.

Color, Luminosity, Diffuse, Specularity, Glossiness, Reflectivity, Transparency, Refraction Index, Translucency - These control how the corresponding settings in LightWave's surface settings are altered along edges. To activate a setting, check the corresponding checkbox and enter the value you want the setting to have along the edges.

NOTE: To edit the Color, click-and-drag the RGB values. Opening the color dialog doesn't work. This appears to be a bug in LightWave itself, and may be fixed in future releases of LightWave.

Copying / Pasting Options

Copy / Paste - These buttons will copy / paste the EdgeFX6 settings. EdgeFX6 keeps these copied settings in your TEMP directory (usually WINDOWS \ TEMP), so you may want to occasionally clean out that directory.

Save / Load - These buttons will save / load the EdgeFX6 settings to a file of your choice. You can use this to build up a library of your favorite EdgeFX6 settings.