User Manual

Table Of Contents
Using Onscreen Transform Controls
In all three modes, red indicates the object’s local X-axis, green the Y-axis, and blue the Z-axis,
respectively (just remember RGB = XYZ). You can drag directly on the red, green, or blue
portion of any onscreen control to constrain the transform to that axis, or if you drag the center
of the onscreen control, you can apply a transform without constraints. Holding Option and
dragging in the viewer allows you to freely translate in all three axes without clicking on a
specific control.
From left to right, the Position, Rotation, and Scale onscreen Transform controls.
If the Scale’s Lock XYZ checkbox is enabled in the Inspector, only the overall scale of the
object is adjusted by dragging the red or center onscreen control, while the green and blue
portions of the onscreen control have no effect. If you unlock the parameters, you are able to
scale an object along individual axes separately to squish or stretch the object.
Selecting Objects
With the onscreen controls visible in the viewer, you can select any object by clicking on its
center control. Alternatively, you can also select any 3D object by clicking its node in the
Node Editor.
Pivot
In 3D scenes, objects rotate and scale around an axis called a pivot. By default, this pivot goes
through the object’s center. If you want to move the pivot so it is offset from the center of the
object, you can use the X, Y, and Z Pivot parameters in the Inspector.
Target
Targets are used to help orient a 3D object to a specific point in the scene. No matter where the
object moves, it will rotate in the local coordinate system so that it always faces its target, which
you can position and animate.
To enable a target for a 3D object:
1 Select that object’s node.
2 Open the object’s Transform panel in the Inspector.
3 Turn on the Use Target checkbox.
Chapter – 76 3D Compositing Basics 1551