Transform along different axes

Move Tool

Object moves along an object’s own rotated axes.
Local moves along an object’s parent’s rotated axes.
World moves along the world (grid) axes.
Normal lets you move CVs on a NURBS surface along U, V, or Normal directions.

You can specify the movement axis of the Move Tool in additional ways:

Along live object axis
Orient the Move axis towards a point (Set to point).
Align the Move axis with an edge (Set to Edge).
Align the Move axis with a face (Set to Face).
Move along custom axis (Custom Axis orientation).

Along live object axis

You can set the Move Tool to move objects along the axis of a live object. Most commonly, you would make a construction plane live, but any object can be set live.

Example: moving an object along the axis of a live object

Create a construction plane ( Create > Construction Plane).
Rotate the plane.
With the plane selected, click the Make the selected object live icon in the Status Line, or select Modify > Make Live.
Create another shape (here, a polygon torus).
Do one of the following to open the Move Tool settings:
- Double-click the Move Tool icon.
- Select Modify > Transformation Tools > Move Tool >.
In the Move Settings section of the Move Tool options, change the Move setting to Along Live Object Axis.
The move arrows of the move tool align to the live construction plane.

By clicking and dragging the move arrows, you can now move the torus in a constrained manner: along the surface in two directions or at exact right angles to the surface.

Clicking and dragging the center point of the move arrows moves the object with default behavior (snap to live geometry). For more information, see “ Modify > Make Live” and “ Move Tool”.

The geometry of the live object doesn’t matter; the move aligns to the axes of the live object.

Orient the Move axis towards a point

You can set the Move Tool to move the selected object along a axis defined by selecting a point.

Select an object.
Using the marking menus for the Move Tool ( + w), select Align Along and then Orient Axis Towards Point.
Select a point in the scene. It can be a point on any object, including the currently selected object.

The axis of the Move Tool changes.

You can see the new axis settings by opening the Move Tool settings (double-click the Move Tool icon or select Modify > Transformation Tools > Move Tool > ) and examining the three boxes under Custom Axis Orientation.

Align the Move axis with an edge or face

You can set the Move Tool to move the selected object along an axis defined by an edge or a face.

Select an object.
Using the marking menus for the Move Tool ( + w), select Align Along and then Align Axis With Face or Align Axis With Face.
Select an edge or face in the scene. It can be an edge or face on any object, including the currently selected object.

The axis of the Move Tool changes.

You can see the new axis settings by opening the Move Tool settings (double-click the Move Tool icon or select Modify > Transformation Tools > Move Tool > ) and examining the three boxes under Custom Axis Orientation.

Move along custom axis

You can set the Move Tool to move objects along a custom axis.

Do one of the following to open the Move Tool settings:
- Double-click the Move Tool icon.
- Select Modify > Transformation Tools > Move Tool > .
In the Move Settings section of the Move Tool settings, enter the x, y, and z offset of the custom axis in radians.

Rotate Tool

Local rotates around an object’s own axes.
World rotates around the world (grid) axes. When this option is on the rings do not rotate with each other but instead stay locked to the world axes.
Gimbal changes only the X, Y, or Z rotation value. In local and world modes, the rings may change more than one of the rotation XYZ channels.