3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [96]
The Rotate Gizmo preferences also include a Relative Size value. The Free Rotation option enables you to click and drag between the axes to rotate the object freely along all axes. The Show Tripod option displays the axes tripod at the center of the object. The Screen Handle option displays an additional gray circle that surrounds all the axes. Dragging on this handle spins the object about the viewport's center. The Show Pie Slice highlights a slice along the selected axis that is as big as the offset distance. The Angle Data option displays the rotation values above the gizmo as it's being rotated.
The Gizmos panel offers three Rotation Methods: Linear Roll, Circular Crank, and Legacy R4. The Linear Roll method displays a tangent line at the source point where the rotation starts. The Circular Crank method rotates using the gizmo axes that surround the object. The Legacy R4 method uses a gizmo that looks just like the Move Gizmo that was available in the previous Max version. The Planar Angle Threshold value determines the minimum value to rotate within a plane.
The Scale Gizmo section also can set a Relative Size of the gizmo. The Uniform Handle Size value sets the size of the inner triangle, and the 2-Axis Handle Size value sets the size of the outer triangle. The Uniform 2-Axis Scaling option makes scaling with the outer triangle uniform along both axes.
The Move/Rotate Transforms section has some additional settings that control how objects move in the Perspective viewport. The Intersection and Projection options are for two different modes. The Intersection mode moves objects faster the farther they get from the center. In Projection mode, the Perspective Sensitivity value is used to set the mouse movements to the distance of the transformation. Small values result in small transformations for large mouse drags. The Rotation Increment value sets the amount of rotation that occurs for a given mouse drag distance, and the Viewport Arc Rotate Snap Angle sets where the arc snaps to.
Using the Transform Toolbox
The Transform Toolbox, shown in Figure 7.4, is a pop-up panel that offers quick access to the most common transformation operations. You can open this panel using the Edit⇒Transform Toolbox menu command. The panel can be docked to the side of the interface by dragging it near the window border.
FIGURE 7.4
The Transform Toolbox provides quick access to the most common transformation operation.
The Transform Toolbox is divided into four sections—Rotate, Size, Align Pivot, and Object. The Rotate section includes buttons for rotating the current selection by a set number of degrees in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction based on the current view. The drop-down list includes rotation values ranging from 1, 5, and 10 up to 180 and 240.
The Size section includes controls for scaling objects. The Set Size button scales the current object to the Size value along the specified axis or uniformly if the All option is selected. The R button resets the object transform by automatically applying the XForm modifier and then collapsing the stack to its base object. The Get button opens a small pop-up panel that lists the scale values for each of the axes and the Put Size button places the scale value for the selected object in the Size field for the specified axis.
The Align Pivot section changes the location of the selected object's pivot without having to open the Hierarchy panel. Using the Min, Max, Center, and Origin options, you can move the pivot's origin for the X, Y, or Z axes or you can use the Center and Origin buttons to move it for all three axes.
The Object section includes only two buttons. The Center button moves the entire object to the world's origin. The