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# 2 22-10-2002 , 12:09 PM
undseth's Avatar
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,135
hehe
---Duplicating objects and groups around a pivot point, via x,y or z axis--- (Ctrl-D)

Either move the objects pivot-point manually or press Ctrl-G to group an object or a set of objects, thus making maya set pivot-point to "worldspace-center" automaticly


1) Every object and group has a pivot point; press the "insert" button on the keyboard and move it if you need to.

Move it around in orthogonical view or klick and drag one of the axis-arrows/lines (no arrowhead!!!) indicating the pivot point.

Press "insert" again to transform the "headless-arrows" to return to the "move-object-itself-mode".

then...

2) Open the duplicate menu:
-reset the menu (is much faster than setting everything to 0 manually)
-In your case you would want to duplicate along the up-down axis (probably z axis)
-Type -1 in the move row, relevant to the z-axis.
-Press duplicate to mirror-copy the object or group.

And voila.

Be sure to reset the duplicate-menu so it will funcion as a usual copy/duplicate command (Ctrl-D) later on.

If you are smart, then try to use the world-center to act as a center of the project you are working on.

This might not be such a big a deal with the x-wing, but I found it totally neccessary with my Millennium-Falcon project.
It is much easier to mirror things if you have a very "symmetrical" project.


I do not support Bush! Nor Saddam! Long live UN!

Last edited by undseth; 22-10-2002 at 01:33 PM.