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756 Chapter 21: User Interface
While you are transforming an object, these
fields change to
spinners (page 1–13) ,andyou
cantypevaluesdirectlyinthem,asdescribed
below in “Using the Coordinate Display for
Transform Type-In.” This is an easy alternative
to using the
Transform Ty p e-In dialog (page
1–412)
.
• While a tr ansform button is active and a single
object is selected, but you are not dragging
the object, these fields show the absolute
coordinates for the current transform. See
“Interface,” below.
• While a transform button is ac tive and multiple
objects are selected, these fields are blank.
• When no object is selected and the cursor is not
over the act ive viewport, these fields are blan k.
Pr ocedur es
To display the position of the mouse in feet or metric
units:
1.
Choose Customize > Units Setup.
2. Turn on one of the main categories (Metric,
US Standard, Custom, or Generic Units) and
choose from the drop-down list.
The coordinate display is now in labeled units.
Example: To move the position of an object to the
center of the worl d:
1.
Select an object in the viewport.
2. Right-click and choose Move from the quad
menu
3. Select the value in the x coordinate field, then
enter 0.PressTAB.
4. Type 0 in the Y coordinate field, and press TAB.
5. Type 0 in the Z coordinate field.
Tip: Right-clicking the spinner arrows for a
coordinate sets the value to zero.
Interfa ce
When you are transforming an object, you can
type coordinates directly in the Coordinate
Display fields. You can do this in two modes,
Absolute or Offset.
•
Absolute sets the exact coordinates of the
object in world space.
• Offset transforms the object relative to its
existing coordinates.
Click the Absolute or Offset button to toggle
between the modes:
WhileyouaretypingintheCoordinateDisplay
fields (X,Y,Z), you can use the TAB key to move
from one coordinate field to another .
When you transform an object, the information
shownbythesefieldsdependsonthetypeof
transform:
• Move displays the offset XYZ coordinates
based on the cur rent coordinate system. For
example, if you’re moving an object and you’re
constrained to the X axis, only the X readout
will change, displaying the offset of the move
along the local X axis.
• Rotate displays the offset angle in degrees
about the axis or axes the rotation is performed
around. This is dependent on both the axis
coordinate system, and the local/center toggle
button.
• Scale displays the offset XYZ scale in
percentages.
You can get the absolute as well as offset
information through the
Transform Ty p e-In
dialog (page 1–412)
available from the Tools menu
or by right-clicking a transform button that has
been selected on the toolbar.