Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
right now: mesh. Enter the Menu
submenu, and find
Monkey
at the
very bottom. LMB click it. A
monkey! In the 3D view! Isn't that
significantly better than a teapot?
Transformation Basics
We've seen how to move the view.
Let's learn how to move objects.
Move/Translate/Grab (G
key).
Press the
G
key. You can now move the monkey around with the mouse. This is called either
Translate or Grab mode. To be honest, we just call it Grab mode so that it matches the keyboard command.
This is how you change an object's location in 3D space.
Figure 3.9
shows a portion of the 3D view
header during a grab transformation. Notice how there are four numbers:
Dx
,
Dy
,
Dz
, and a number in
parentheses. The
D
values show how far the object has moved along that particular axis, while the number
in parentheses shows the current distance away from the original location. If you use the N key to show
the Properties panel, you can also see the actual
x
,
y
, and
z
locations of the object as you move it.
Figure 3.9
Transform information shown on the 3D view header.
Stay in Grab mode and press the X key. Regardless of where the monkey was at the time, it instantly
snaps back onto the red line in the display that represents the
x
axis. That line is now highlighted, and no
matter how you move the mouse, the monkey only moves along that axis. This is called a
transforma-
tion constraint
. Press the Y key and the monkey is released from the
x
axis and constrained to only
move along the
y
axis. It works the same with the Z key and
z
axis. If you're a big fan of the mouse,
you can also invoke these types of constraints by tapping the MMB while you're moving an object. Blender
takes a look at the predominant axis that you're moving along and constrains to it. The result is sometimes
a surprise, and for that reason I generally rely on pressing the X, Y, or Z key.
So, you can force an object to move, for example, only up or down by pressing the Z key. But what if
you want to move it any way other than up or down? What if it's just as high (or low) as you please,
and you want to be able to move it freely within that
z
level? In Grab mode, hold down the
Shift
key
and press the appropriate axis key. So, to be able to move in
x
and
y
freely, but not move up or down,
you enter Grab mode with the G key, then press Shift-Z. The same trick works with the X or Y keys,
but I find that I mostly use this with the
z
axis.
Now that we've added a bit of precision into a simple object translation, let's add a bit more. Anytime
you're transforming something in Blender, you can start typing numbers and it will override the current
location and mouse movement. You can try it by entering Grab mode (G key), pressing the Z key to
constrain to up/down motion, then typing a number (7.221, for example). The object moves upward 7.221
units. You can invert that by typing the minus symbol.
Figure 3.10
shows the feedback you get for this
on the 3D view header. The current transform is displayed there as you type it.
The last way to directly change an object's location in 3D space builds off this last method. Bring up the
N-key properties region. Note the
Transform
panel at the top, with three number buttons for
Location
.
You can directly enter a new location for the object right here (or use the left/right arrowheads) and the
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