8

Animating SHIFT+Rotate and SHIFT+Scale 467
choosingAxisConstraintsfromthe Customize
Display right-click menu (page 3 –831)
.
Animating SHIFT+R otate and
SHIFT+Scale
When the Auto Key button (page 3–760) is on, the
transform center defaults to local pivot, and the
Use Center flyout (page 1–426) on the toolbar is
unavailable. If you choose one of the other centers
and activate Auto Key, the center returns to the
local pivot. This means you can’t directly animate
about a non-local pivot center with SHIFT+Rotate
and SHIFT+Scale. For example, you can’t use this
method to create clones in an arc or circular array
around a common center.
Usin g Non-Local Centers
Touseacenterseparatefromtheobjectyou’re
cloning, you can do any of the following:
•Useadummyobject.
• Offset the lo c a l pivot.
•Changethedefaultanimationcenter.
Using a Dummy Object as Center
In this procedure, you use the axis tripod of the
dummyobjectasthecenterforrotationorscale.
To use a dummy obj ect as center:
1.
Create a dummy object (page 2–15) at the
center of rotation or scaling.
2. Link the object or objects you want to
clone to the dummy object, which becomes the
parent.
3. Select both the dummy and the objects,
thentransformthemwithSHIFT+Rotateor
SHIFT+Scale.
• For SHIFT+Rotate, the dummy’s center
becomes the pivot.
• For SHIFT+Scale, the dummy and selected
objects scale together toward the center of
the dummy.
For details of dummy object use in hierarchies, see
Using Dummy Objects (page 2–411) .
Offsetting the Local Pivot
In this procedure, you m ove the object’s pivot to
thecenterofrotationorscale.Thisworksmuch
like using a dummy object.
To offset the local pivot:
1.
Selecttheobjectwhosepivotyouwishtomove.
2. On the Hierarchy command panel,
choose Pivot and then tur n on Affect Pivot
Only.
3. Move the local pivot of the original object to
anotherlocationinyourscene.
4. On the Hierarchy panel, click Affect Pivot Only
again to turn it off.
SHIFT+Rotate or SHIFT+S cale now animates
around the offset center. T his works with the
default setting for local center.
Note: Moving the local pivot can adversely
affect linking and inverse kinematics. If this is
a possibility, consider changing the default axis
instead of moving the local pivot.
To change the default axis while a nimating:
In this procedure, you set 3ds Max to al low
animation of transforms about any center on the
Use Center flyout.
1. Choose Customize menu > Preferences and
click the Animation t ab of the Preference
dialog.