LoopTools
LoopTools is an add-on that comes built in with Blender, but is not active by default. You can go to the User Preferences and activate it within the Addons tab. It will be accessible from the Tools Region in the 3D View and also from the top of the Specials (W) menu while you are in Edit Mode (see Figure 6.22).
This add-on provides some interesting and useful modeling tools that you’re encouraged to check out. They’re mainly tools that speed up the modeling process, so let’s see what they do.
Bridge: This tool was present in the LoopTools add-on before it was implemented in Blender. The version included with Blender (called Bridge Edge Loops) is not exactly the same, and its options are slightly different, though they provide similar results. Basically, this tool lets you select edges or faces and create new geometry that forms a bridge between them.
Circle: This tool places your selected elements (vertices, for example) in a perfectly circular disposition.
Curve: Select an edge or a face and use this tool to convert the straight edge loops into smooth curves. Use the Operator panel in the Tools Region to control the effects of this tool.
Flatten: Select faces, edges, or vertices (a minimum of four), and this tool will move them to make them fit on the same plane. Imagine you created a surface mesh by hand and it’s not completely planar; with this tool, you would select the whole surface and use the Flatten tool to make the surface absolutely flat.
Gstretch: This tool requires that you use the Grease Pencil to draw a curve and it will then distribute your selection along that curve. Here are the basics of Grease Pencil, a tool mainly used for annotations in the 3D View: Press and hold D while you left click and drag to draw. Press and hold D while you right click and drag to erase the strokes. In the 3D View Properties Region, you’ll find the options to delete or change the parameters of the Grease Pencil layers. You can also access Grease Pencil tools from the Grease Pencil tab of the Tools Region in the 3D View.
Loft: This tool is very similar to the Bridge Edge Loops tool, but it goes a little further. It allows you to “bridge” more than two edge loops together. Let’s say you have three circles: with Loft, you can select all of them and it will create a bridge from the first to the last, passing through the middle circle and giving you the chance to control the shape in the middle of a bridge operation.
Relax: This tool will smooth the selection and prevent sharp shapes.
Space: This tool spaces your selection so the distance between all the selected elements is the same. It’s useful for technical modeling when you have several divisions made by hand, but you need them to be equally spaced from each other.