Simple Deform Modifier

The Simple Deform Modifier allows easy application of a simple deformation to an object (meshes, lattices, curves, surfaces and texts are supported).

Using another object, it is possible to define the axis and origin of the deformation, allowing application of very different effects.

Options

../../../_images/modifier-simpledeform.png

Simple Deform.

Mode

This radio button defines the deform function applied, among four available:

Twist
Rotates around the Z axis.
Bend
Bends the mesh over the Z axis.
Taper
Linearly scales along Z axis.
Stretch
Stretches the object along the Z axis (negative Factor leads to squash), preserving volume by scaling inversely on the X and Y axes.
Vertex Group
The name of the vertex group that indicates whether and how much each vertex is influenced by the deformation.
Origin

The name of an object that defines the origin of deformation (usually an empty). This object can be:

  • Rotated to control the axis (its local Z-axis is now used as the deformation axis).
  • Translated to control the origin of deformation.
  • Scaled to change the deform factor.

Note

When the object controlling the origin (the one in the Origin field) is a child of the deformed object, this creates a cyclic dependency in Blender’s data system. The workaround is to create a new empty and parent both objects to it.

Angle/Factor
The amount of deformation. Can be negative to reverse the deformation.
Limits
These settings allow you to set the lower and upper limits of the deformation. The upper limit cannot be lower than lower limit.
Lock X Axis / Lock Y Axis (Taper and Stretch modes only)
These controls whether the X and/or Y coordinates are allowed to change or not. Thus it is possible to squash the X coordinates of an object and keep the Y coordinates intact.