Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects > 
Using Transforms
 
 
 

A transform is an adjustment of an object’s position, orientation, or scale, relative to the 3D world (or world space) in which you’re working.

Changing a model by changing its position, rotation, or scale

You can apply three types of transform to an object:

This section presents these brief topics designed to help you quickly start learning how to transform objects, and how to animate your transforms:

Using Transform Gizmos

Animating Transforms

Transform Managers

Specifying a Reference Coordinate System

Choosing a Transform Center

Using the Axis Constraints

Failure to Move or Rotate

In some cases, an object might fail to move or rotate, even when the proper button is on and the object is selected. This could be due to one of the following reasons:

Procedures

To transform an object using the main toolbar:

  1. On the main toolbar, click one of the three transform buttons: (Select And Move), (Select And Rotate), or (Select And Uniform Scale). These buttons are usually referred to as Move, Rotate, and Scale.
  2. Position the mouse over the object you want to transform.
    • If the object is already selected, the cursor changes to indicate the transform.
    • If the object is not selected, the cursor changes to a crosshairs to show that the object can be selected.
  3. Drag the mouse to apply the transform.

    If you drag the mouse over an unselected object, it becomes selected and is also transformed.

    You can restrict transforms to one or two axes easily with the Using Transform Gizmos.

To cancel a transform:

To transform an object from the quad menu:

  1. Right-click a selected object. The quad menu lists the three transforms.
  2. Choose one of the transforms. The equivalent transform button is selected on the main toolbar.
  3. Drag the object to apply the transform.

To use the Transform Type-In dialog:

  1. Choose Edit menu Transform Type-In to display the dialog.
  2. Apply a transform to a selected object.
  3. You can do any of the following, switching from one to the other as required.
    • Type a value in an axis field and press Enter to apply the transform change to the selection.
    • Drag a spinner in an axis field to update the selection.
    • Drag the object to apply the transform and read the resulting change in the dialog.

For example, if Move is active, the dialog fields read out both the absolute and offset positions of the selected object in world space. If no object is selected, the fields turn gray.

To use transform type-in on the status bar:

  1. Select an object or a group of objects.
  2. On the main toolbar, choose a transform (Move, Rotate, or Scale) to perform on the objects.
  3. On the status bar, you can do any of the following, switching from one to another as required:
    • Type a value in an axis field and press Enter to apply the transform change to the selection. The Absolute/Offset toggle, to the right of the X, Y, and Z fields, lets you switch between entering values that are absolute (in world space) or offset (relative to the selection's present position, orientation, and dimensions).
    • Drag a spinner in an axis field to update the selection.
    • Drag the object to apply the transform and read the resulting change in the X, Y, and Z fields.
      TipTo see the Z field, drag the transform type-in portion of the toolbar while a pan hand is visible.

Topics in this section

  • Using Transform Gizmos

    The Transform gizmos are viewport icons that let you quickly choose one or two axes when transforming a selection with the mouse.

  • Transform Type-In

    Transform Type-In is a dialog that lets you enter precise values for move, rotate, and scale transforms. You can use Transform Type-In with anything that can display an axis tripod or Transform gizmo.

  • Animating Transforms

    You can animate changes in position, rotation, and scale (transforms) by turning on the Auto Key button and then performing the transform at any frame other than frame 0. This creates a key for that transform at the current frame.

  • Transform Managers

    3ds Max provides three controls, collectively referred to as the transform managers, for modifying the action of the transform tools.

  • Specifying a Reference Coordinate System

    The reference coordinate system determines the orientation of the X, Y, and Z axes used by the transform. The type of transform system you use affects all transform operations.

  • Choosing a Transform Center

    The transform center affects scale and rotation transforms, but has no effect on position transforms.

  • Using the Axis Constraints

    The Restrict to ... buttons, also called the Axis Constraint buttons, are located on the Axis Constraints toolbar, which is off by default.

  • Reset XForm Utility

    Use the Reset XForm (Transform) utility to push object rotation and scaling values onto the modifier stack and align object pivot points and bounding boxes with the World coordinate system. Reset XForm removes all Rotation and Scale values from selected objects and places those transforms in an XForm modifier.

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