Modeling Kila - Game Character Development with Maya - page 60

Todothiswewill group thecurrentgeometry.Groupingobjectsservestwopurposes.First,
it keeps the scene nice and tidy, making it easier to work with and navigate among the ob-
jects. Second, it allows us to manipulate a series of objects at the same time and with the
same pivot.
When grouped, all the selected objects will be placed under a group node . This is the par-
ent, and the objects are children. Whatever you do to the parent will be reflected in the
children.
Tip
When objects are arranged in a group hierarchy, you can move up and
down the chain using the arrow keys. The up and down arrows will “pick
walk” up and down the chain. The left and right arrows will cycle through
the objects on a particular hierarchical level.
1. Select the geometry you have created for Kila's left arm and leg, and go to Edit >
Group (or press Ctrl+G/Cmd+G). This groups the objects, placing the pivot for the
group in the world's center.
Tip
When selecting objects in your scene, remember these key-click combina-
tions: Holding down Ctrl will remove items from the current selection.
Holding the Shift key will toggle the items between selected and unselec-
ted. Holding down both Ctrl+Shift will add items to your selection.
2. Create a duplicate. With the new group still selected, go to Edit > Duplicate and
open up the options. Set the first input box next to Scale to -1 (this will mirror the
duplicated geometry across the X axis). Also, make sure Geometry Type is set to
Copy and Group Under is set to World. When you're done, click the Duplicate but-
ton.
You now have two arms and two legs in the scene ( Figure 2.26 ) .