====== Modifier: Contours ======

The Contours portion of the modifier plug-in gives you the ability to place contours over the entire object, or even selected parts of the object.

{{:tools:lcmax:modifier-contours1.png?nolink|}}

===== Apply contours in multiple directions =====

You can even place multiple contours in different directions if desired (for example, some contours going horizontally, and some going vertically).

{{:tools:lcmax:modifier-contours2.gif?nolink|}}

===== Special cases of 0% and 100% =====

You will notice that the Contours portion of the modifier plug-in gives you the ability to place contours over just a part of the object. For example, starting from 10% of the object height and ending at 75%. You can even animate these numbers over time. However, you should not that a starting percentage of 0% and ending percentage of 100% are treated as a "special case" within the modifier plug-in. When these are set at 0% and 100% respectively, the contours generated by the plug-in will be identical to those generated by the Utility plug-in and normal Render settings of LC-Max. Normally, when LC-Max generates contours, it generates them in a way that looks evenly spaced on an object. This is done by providing a little bit of space at the top and bottom of the object, so that the contour lines are all visible.

However, within the Contour portion of the modifier plug-in, if the starting percentage is greater than 0%, or the ending percentage is less than 100%, then the numbers are treated more "literally". For example, a starting percentage of 0.01% would place a contour line at the very bottom of the object and an ending percentage of 99.9% would place a contour line at the very top of the object.

So, in other words, the interpretation of these numbers changes, depending on whether the values are precisely 0% and 100% or not. This difference of interpretation was made to provide compatibility with past versions of LC-Max, while still providing additional power and precision of contour generation moving forward.

If you want to animate the contours on an object, it makes most sense to animate them to a number that does not include 0% or 100%. For example, you might start at 0.01%, and and at 99.9%.

**Note**: All settings controlled by the Contours portion of the Modifier can be animated.

===== See Also =====

  * [[tools:lcmax:tips_using_mesh_selection|Tips: Using the Mesh Selection and the Modifier Plug-in]]

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