The Build modifier causes the faces of the mesh object to appear or disappear one after the other over time. The modifier almost looks like the object “dissolves-in” or “dissolves-out” in the viewport. As usual, the modifier can be found in the properties tab, let’s jump in.
Build Modifier Options
By default, the faces of your object appear in the order in which they are stored in memory (by default, the order of creation). This can be altered in Edit Mode by using Sort Mesh Elements to rearrange the order in a few different ways, which we will explore later.
Once the modifier has been applied, your object will disappear from the viewport, but it is not gone. The Build modifier will animate each face of your object to dissolve once the animation is running. To see your object again, click the space bar on your keyboard or go to the animation tab. By clicking the space bar the animation will come to life. It will show the faces of the object reappearing over the set frame duration.
Unlike other modifiers, there are only a few different settings that can be adjusted for Build. “Start” and “Length” are the start and end frames for the animation. By default, they will run from frame 1 to frame 100. By changing these numbers you can start the animation at a different time and make it run faster or slower.
Ticking the “Reversed” box will operate the modifier in reverse. The object will start full and then dissolve out toward the final frame. Essentially allowing it to be used as a “deconstruction” effect. This is useful for making a set of instancing objects gradually disappear.
Randomize does exactly what it says on the tin – it will randomize the faces as they dissolve. The default Build animation will display the object faces one by one as they were created. The seed selection will change the order of the randomized faces, so if you are not happy you can change this number until you find something you like.
Use with Other Modifiers
The Build modifier can be used with other modifiers like Subdivision Surface. By increasing the number of faces on your objects the Build modifier has more faces to dissolve in or out.
Build can also be used with the Array modifier, by arraying one object to create multiple, it will also dissolve all of these arrayed objects.
Final Thoughts
The Build modifier can be used for a few very specific operations. It is more used in animation rather than modeling or object creation. If you were looking for a quick way to make a dissolve animation then this is the modifier for you.
But I will say, that it defiantly works straight out of the box, It is simple to use and with a few extra steps you will get the desired effect you are looking for.
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Estikuma
Freelance designer & Mechanical Engineer.
Over Engineering Prop Designer.
