Advanced Plug Creation

Plugs can consist of more components than just the plug mesh, the plug handle and plug subsets.

Deformers

For instance, you can add a deformer, which is a support object that unlocks an alternative deformation approach, usually producing better results.


Occluders

Occluders are another type of support objects, unlike Deformers, they don't contribute anything to the plugging itself.
They are used to properly render a plug thumbnail, in case the plug has a significant under structure.


Hook Plugs

Hook Plugs are dynamic plugs and allow for geometry manipulation via hook modifiers, before plugging.
As a hook plug is expanded, no new geometry is added. Keep that in mind, because it can affect how well the plug can deform.


Array Plugs

Array Plugs are dynamic plugs, that do add new geometry, as the plug is expaned.
This is done via Blender's array modifier. Array plugs are the most complex type of plug so far.


Set and Clear Plug Properties

Plug components carry certain propeties, which are used internally by MESHmachine.
This is how MESHmachine knows what the plug mesh is, what object the handle or deformer is, etc.

Advanced Plug Creation especially requires you to set some of these properties manually.
This is done via the Set Plug Props tool.
Select an object, run the tool and change the properties in the redo panel.

The Clear Plug Props tool is used to completely reset an object and remove all its plug properties.
This is useful, if you want to start afresh, without loosing what you have modeled already.
And It's necessary for array cap objects.
Since the caps are created from the same objects as the plug mesh, handle or deformer, they carry the same properties.
If you don't clear the cap props, MESHmachine doesn't know which is the real mesh, handle or deformer.