Mirror Selected Objects

Command entry:Main toolbar

(Mirror)

Command entry:Tools menu

Mirror

Clicking Mirror displays the Mirror dialog, which enables you to move one or more objects while mirroring their orientation.

The Mirror dialog also allows you to mirror the current selection about the center of the current coordinate system. You can create a clone with the mirror dialog at the same time. If you mirror a hierarchical linkage, you have the option to mirror the IK limits.

Mirroring an object

The Mirror dialog uses the current reference coordinate system, as reflected in its name. For example, if Reference Coordinate System is set to Local, the dialog is named Mirror: Local Coordinates. There is one exception: If Reference Coordinate System is set to View, Mirror uses Screen coordinates.

As you adjust the various settings in the Mirror dialog, you see the results in the viewports.

For more information on using Mirror, see Mirroring Objects.

Procedures

To mirror an object:

Make any object selection.
Do one of the following:
- On the main toolbar, click (Mirror).
- On the Tools menu, choose Mirror.
3ds Max opens the Mirror dialog.
Set the mirror parameters in the dialog and click OK.
The active viewport changes to show the effect of each parameter as you set it. When you click OK, 3ds Max creates the choice of mirror that you see previewed.

To make a clone using mirror:

Make any object selection
Do one of the following:
- On the main toolbar, click (Mirror).
- On the Tools menu, choose Mirror.
3ds Max opens the Mirror dialog.
In the Clone Selection group, choose Copy, Instance, or Reference.
Make any additional settings as desired and then click OK.

Interface

Mirror Axis group

The mirror axis choices are X, Y, Z, XY, XZ, and YZ. Choose one to specify the direction of mirroring. These are equivalent to the option buttons on the Axis Constraints toolbar.

Offset: Specifies the distance of the mirrored object's pivot point from the original object's pivot point.

Clone Selection group

Determines the type of copy made by the Mirror function. Default is No Clone.

No Clone: Mirrors the selected object without making a copy.
Copy: Mirrors a copy of the selected object to the specified position.
Instance: Mirrors an instance of the selected object to the specified position.
Reference: Mirrors a reference of the selected object to the specified position.

If you animate the mirror operation, mirroring generates a Scale key. If you set Offset to a value other than 0.0, mirroring also generates Position keys.

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Mirror IK Limits: Causes the IK constraints to be mirrored (along with the geometry) when you mirror the geometry about a single axis. Turn this off if you don't want the IK constraints to be affected by the mirror command.

The end effectors used by the IK are not affected by the Mirror command. To successfully mirror an IK hierarchy, first delete the end effectors: Go to the Motion panel IK Controller Parameters rollout End Effectors group and, under Position, click the Delete button. After the mirror operation, create the new end effector using the tools on the same panel.