Gear Item

The gear item is a plug-in item type that generates accurate procedural gear and cog-shaped geometry with ease. Since it is procedural, the many channels can be animated, changing the design and look of the gear over time.

To add a gear item to the scene, click Add Item button within the Items list. You can also convert the procedural gear to a Mesh Item by right-clicking on the item layer in the Items list and selecting the Change Type > Mesh option from the pop-up menu. Select the item to display its associated attributes in the Properties panel. Adjust the options to customize the look and level of complexity.

Gear Item Properties

Transform

Gear Item Panel

Name	This data field displays the current item name. Change it by clicking on the field and typing the new name.
Transform
Position	An item transform that allows you to numerically position the item in XYZ space. By default, position transforms originate from the center position.
Rotation	An item transform that allows you to numerically set the rotation of the item. By default, rotation transforms originate from the center position.
Order	Allows you to set the order that rotations are applied to the camera item. Changing the order that rotations are applied can sometimes help to reduce or eliminate gimbal lock.
Scale	An item transform that allows you to numerically set the size of the item. By default, scale transforms originate from the center position.
Reset	Resets the selected transform values to (0,0,0), returning the items to their default state.
Zero	Resets the chosen transform property values to 0, leaving the center position and item position intact.
Add	Transform items are the channel groups associated with an item that store its transform values, controlling its position, rotation and scale. By default, new items do not have any transform items associated with them, even though they are visible within the Properties panel. This is useful as an optimization as only the necessary transforms are added on an as-needed basis, reducing scene overhead. There are several ways to add them. You can simply transform the target item with one of the various transform tools, or by editing the value input fields. This action causes the particular transform item to be added automatically to the Channels viewport list. The Add function here can also be used to add the selected set of transforms to the channel list while keeping the default 0,0,0 values. A necessary step for referencing, in order to override the channels, they must first exist.

Construction

Gear Item Panel

Construction
Coverage	Percentage of constructed shape.
Tooth Spacing	Space between each tooth.
Contact Angle	Angle of each tooth (up to 45 degrees).
Thickness	Thickness of the gear.
Teeth	Number of teeth for the gear.
Shaft	Size of the shaft.
Has Spokes	Determines whether the interior of the gear has spokes.
Spokes	Number of spokes in the interior of the gear.

Trim

Gear Item Panel

Trim
Has Rim	If the interior of the gear has a rim.
Rim Inset Ratio	Ratio of rim thickness to total thickness.
Wall Inset Ratio	Ratio of wall offset amount.
Axial Shift Ratio	Ratio of gear wall to gear radius.
Radial Shaft Inset Ratio	Ratio of shaft rim to gear radius.
Inner Spoke Inset Ratio	Ratio of inner spoke thickness to total thickness.
Outer Spoke Inset Ratio	Ratio of outer spoke thickness to total thickness.
Spoke Sweep Ratio	Ratio of spoke sweep to spoke spacing.
Spoke Swirl Angle	The angle by which the spokes should be swirled.

Specialized

Gear Item Panel

Specialized
Teeth Facing	The direction in which the teeth are facing.
Bevel Angle	Angle of tooth bevel.
Helical Angle	Angle of tooth helix.
Double Helical	Double helical (herringbone) pattern.
Tooth Face Ratio	Ratio of tooth face to thickness.
Tooth Tilt Angle	Angle of tool tilt along the rotational axis.
Tooth Growth	Amount of tooth growth.
Resolution	Overall geometry resolution, higher values produce smoother shading, but create more polygons at render time.