Change the pivot point

To move the selected object’s pivot

1. Select a transformation tool such as the Move Tool, Rotate Tool, or Scale Tool.
2. Press the Insert or Home key to switch the manipulator to pivot point mode.
3. Use the manipulator to move the pivot point.
4. Press Insert or Home again to switch the manipulator back to normal mode.

To move the pivot point using exact values

1. Show the Attribute Editor and click the transform node’s tab.
2. In the Pivots section, turn on the pivot display options so you can see the effects of editing the pivot values.
3. Do one of the following:
   • In the Local Space section, type X, Y, and Z coordinates for the Rotate Pivot and Scale Pivot relative to the object’s origin.
   • In the World Space section, type X, Y, and Z coordinates for the Rotate Pivot and Scale Pivot relative to the world origin.

To reset the selected object’s pivots to center

1. Select the Rotate or Scale Tool.
2. Select Modify > Center Pivot.

To make the selected object’s pivot points visible in the scene

1. Select Display > Transform Display > Rotate Pivots and Display > Transform Display > Scale Pivots.

When you transform components, Maya creates a temporary pivot at the center of the selected components. Because the pivot is always at the center of the selection, selecting or deselecting additional components moves the pivot.

You can lock the pivot in place so it won’t move as components are added to or removed from the selection.

To keep the pivot in place while working with components

1. Press the Insert or Home key to show the pivot point manipulator.
2. Move the pivot point.
3. Click the circle at the top of the pivot point manipulator to lock or unlock the pivot point for component transformations. When the circle is filled, the pivot is locked.
   Note

   If the pivot point of an object is changed from its default value, duplicating multiple copies of that object results in additional transforms to the channels of the duplicated transform node. However, the resulting position, orientation and the pivots of the duplicated objects will be correct. To avoid these extra transforms, the duplicate command should be invoked with No of copies set to 1. The hotkey g can then be used as many times as needed.

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