Alignment

 < Day Day Up > 



The Align operation is a rather powerful modeling tool. In 3ds max, there are several types of alignment intended to solve different tasks. Alignment of the selected object or sub-object is begun by selecting the required type from the fly-out on the main toolbar or from the main menu.

  • Align (Aligning objects in relation to one another). This procedure is the most common. Select the required object(s) or sub-objects. Then select the Align command from the fly-out. The cursor will change its shape to look like the Align icon. Choose the object in relation to which you need to align the selected object(s). Notice that, in the case of aligning sub-objects, you may choose to align to the same object. The alignment dialog will open (Fig. 13.6).

    click to expand
    Figure 13.6: Align dialog

Let us consider the parameters of this dialog in more detail.

In the Align Position group, select one or more axes along which to perform alignment, and select the alignment method. Note that alignment will take place in the active coordinate system. We described coordinate systems earlier in this chapter.

Besides alignment by position, the Align command allows you to synchronize orientation in the local coordinate system (the Align Orientation group) and object size (Match Scale), by adjusting the transform matrix of the objects.

  • Normal Align (Alignment in relation to a normal). This command allows you to align the normals of two objects. This might be necessary, for example, if you need to place one object onto the surface of another one (Fig. 13.7). The procedure is as follows: Select an object, then select the Normal Align command from the Align fly-out on the main toolbar. Next, select the face whose normal will be aligned by clicking the left mouse button and dragging the cursor along the object's surface. Release the mouse button and select the face of another object. Release the mouse and specify the required parameters in the dialog that will appear. To finish, click OK.

    click to expand
    Figure 13.7: Selecting normals (a) and the result of the operation (b)

This command, like other commands related to normals, is implemented in a specific way. If the face is smooth (i.e., belongs to one of the smoothing groups) 3ds max uses the normal interpolated with respect to this smoothing rather than the geometric normal.

  • Place Highlight (Position the highlight from the light source). This command allows you to orient the light in such a way as to highlight a specific position on the model. Select the light and the Place Highlight command from the Align fly-out on the main toolbar. Then select the object face whose normal will point in the direction of the light by dragging the mouse along its surface.

  • Align Camera (Align the camera in relation to the object). This command allows you to align the camera in such a way as to direct it to a specific position on the object. It is similar to the Place Highlight command, with the only difference being that it adjusts the camera instead of a light.

    Tip 

    If you are working in the camera viewport, you can simply select the Select Camera command from the viewport right-click menu.

    click to expand

  • Align to View (Aligning to the current viewport). This command aligns the local coordinates of the selected object or sub-objects to the viewport plane. This might be necessary, for example, to align explanation text in the camera viewport (Fig. 13.8).

    click to expand
    Figure 13.8: Align to View dialog and aligned object



 < Day Day Up > 



Advanced 3Ds Max 5[c] Modeling and Animating
Advanced 3Ds Max 5[c] Modeling and Animating
ISBN: 1931769168
EAN: N/A
Year: 2005
Pages: 136

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net