Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Center Auto Axis. This ensures that the tool handles remain in the center of the object and still align to
the x, y, and z axes.
Next, let's consider the Rotate tool. The handles for this tool are circles. Each circle is colored like the
circles on the Move tool. Clicking and dragging on these rotates the object perpendicular to the axis of the
corresponding color. Again, the active handle turns yellow. Clicking off the handles snaps the tool to the
click point, and dragging free-rotates the object in all directions at once. This type of rotation is very difficult
to control and is not recommended. The gray circle that encompasses the rest of the handles rotates the view
and rotates the object perpendicular to the current view. In the orthographic viewports, the gray circle is no
different from the colored handles, but in the perspective views, this will rotate variably based on the angle
of view. This is a pretty special use, but when it is needed, it can come in quite handy! Because rotation by
its very nature takes place around an axis, there is no way to rotate in a single direction, and so there are no
separate axes at one time (as with the Move tool). The hot key for the Rotate tool is E.
Pressing and holding the Ctrl / Control key prior to clicking a rotation handle causes the angle
of rotation to snap to 15-degree increments. This is useful when precise rotation is required.
The Scale tool changes the size of the selected object or objects. The handles for the Scale tool are similar
to those of the Move tool. The Scale tool is visually differentiated by the ends of the tool handles, which are
boxes instead of arrows. Just as on the Move tool, the handles scale in one direction, and the circles scale
in two directions (one plane). Clicking off the handles scales based on the work plane. Because clicking in
open space still scales the object independently, it is usually preferable to use the planar circles and scale
uniformly in two directions. Unlike the Move tool, the Scale tool has another behavior controlled by the
cyan-colored circle at its center. This circle scales the object uniformly in all directions. The hot key for the
Scale tool is R.
The Transform tool is a combination of all three of the other transform tools (Move, Scale, and Rotate).
The question you may ask is, “Why on earth would I use individual tools when the Transform tool does it
all?” The answer is that it really doesn't do it all. Although the tool does provide the basic function of the
Move, Rotate, and Scale tools, it lacks several key options. The move portion of the Transform tool does
not have planar handles. The scale portion lacks both planar handles and the uniform scale option. Because
the tool has to act on one axis at a time, it is often more productive to switch tools and be able to scale or
move in multiple (or all) directions at once. The Transform tool comes in most handy when making quick
adjustments to both movement and rotation. Mostly, this comes down to a matter of personal preference. Try
the tools and see which ones make the most sense to you and allow you to work the most efficiently. The
hot key for the Transform tool is Y.
Tools in modo are “sticky” and will remain active until the tool is dropped. A tool can be dropped by
pressing the spacebar, the Q key, or the Esc key. On subsequent presses, the spacebar will switch modes
between vertex, edge, and polygon. The Esc key will (with additional strokes) clear out the tool pipe. I cover
these functions in the next few chapters, but because the Q key is bound only to dropping a tool, it is often
the first choice for this function.
Transform tools applied in vertex, edge, or polygon mode will alter the position of geometry and cannot
be reset with the exception of centering the selection by using the Center Selected tool (under the transform
tools on the left side of the screen). Objects can be centered on any axis or combination of axes. When trans-
forming objects in Item mode, the changes are logged under the properties for the mesh layer. The Properties
