Table of contents
No headersAlias has three types of curves: NURBS Curves, Blend Curves, and Keypoint Curves.
| | NURBS – this is the most used curve type in Alias. It is also described as a freeform curve. NURBS curves can be drawn by placing Control Vertices (CVs) or Edit Points (EPs) or by drawing them freehand ( ). |
| | Blend Curve – is a NURBS Curve with special constraint points (blend points) that provide different manipulation tools for curve placement, and alignment with construction history. These curves display in green by default with crosshair anchor points. Blend Curves have their own toolbox. Blend Points can either be edited through the Blend Tools toolbox or with   |
| | Keypoint Curve – is a NURBS Curve with special constraints to generate CAD-like lines and arcs. These curves display in blue by default with square anchor points. Keypoint curves have their own toolbox. The extra CAD-like information is accessible in the Information Window. Keypoints can only be moved interactively using the Drag Keypoints tool in . |
The simpler the curve, the better. Curves are the foundation of surface creation. Poor quality curves result in poor quality surfaces.
Do not hesitate to rebuild curves to clean or simplify them as you work, especially if the curves have been edited by inserting points, connecting curves, etc.