I'm not sure I see how that would easily solve my problem without introducing
other problems, risks, or complex workflow. I don't even see how it competes
with Softimage's method.
I have geometry that is sometimes generated in CAD or provided from other
sources. The geometry, and its relative components often have to remain in
their relative positions. But I need to define custom articulations. I often
have more freedom to cheat on the articulations than I do on the topology.
If in Maya I select the aileron, rotate it till the pivot matches the rotation
angle I want, then select all the points of the aileron and attempt to back
rotate them until the geometry matches its previous position against the new
rotation angle, can I do that? Yes, but with caveats:
1. If I select components and proceed to back rotate the geometry by using the
Channnel editor, why do I lose the numerical channel editor transform entries.
This would have been the intuitive approach because that's how we do this with
object selection. But there is no congruency here. It would be my first
anticipation on how it might be achieved.
2. Might it be possible to eyeball the back rotation with just the manipulator?
Yes, but what does that do to the accuracy of my geometry position? I might
possibly be less concerned for the accuracy in the rotation angle than in the
placement of the geometry. Either way one or the other must sacrificed. In this
scenario Maya forces me to sacrifice geometry position. What if I don't want to
sacrifice that?
3. What if I am rotating this on more than one axis? Can I use the Channel
Editor's CV list to accomplish this? How do I know what vertex coordinates to
enter here? Can I use it at all? Strike three in anticipating a potential
method.
4. polyMoveVertex . So yes there is a way to do this in Maya. Assuming I have
an object under another in a hierarchy I:
a. select the child object that I want change its pivot angle
b. rotate the object -30 degrees in Z
c. select component type
*in the event you were in component type already and selected the object from
the outliner, component type is still active but object is selected, you then
have to select object type and reselect component type just to get back to
component selection or make a new component selection.
d. select all components on the object
e. go to polygon module (if you're not there already)
f. go to Edit mesh -> Transform Component (I now get a polyMoveVertex
operator in my Input stack).
g. enter a positive 30 degrees in Z, geometry is now back rotated
h. return to object type
i. hit Edit -> Delete by Type -> History ( Assuming I have construction
history on. Further why can't I just right-click delete history
on this operator?)
Yet how simple are any of these approaches compared to:
Select the Object, Select Center, enter -30 at the Rotate transform?
Yes in Maya I can do this, but is it easy? Is it risky if I tried to do it
using solely a manipulator? Is it intuitive? Why must I use a polyMoveVertex
operator to do this? Why can't I just switch to Component Type and maintain use
of the Channel editor's Transform entries? How much planning is required?
Is there another way in Maya to do this? I don't recall, I got used to making
null rigs.
In Maya its easier, more forgiving, and simpler to just go the null rig route.
I think its potentially appropriate to argue that it might also be good form.
It introduces far less risk or possibility of mis-selecting vertices, putting
the vertices in the wrong place, damage to geometry. But it's not more
intuitive than Center.
Yes the null rig method can also be done in Softimage as an alternative method
to using Center. Softimage also supports the vertex back-rotation through a
Cluster.
This is not an issue of whether Maya provides us the ability to do these
things. It does. And very reliably. The question is whether it provides these
abilities in an intuitive and user friendly manner. It's a matter of human
factors.
But to be fair, Softimage had its own issues with this problem. Just far fewer
than Maya.
--
Joey Ponthieux
__________________________________________________
Opinions stated here-in are strictly those of the author and do not
represent the opinions of NASA or any other party.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimage-
> boun...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Luc-Eric Rousseau
> Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2014 11:26 AM
> To: softimage@listproc.autodesk.com
> Subject: Re: Center mode (was RE: humanize Maya, SOFT top 5)
>
> On Wed, Apr 2, 2014 at 8:30 AM, Ponthieux, Joseph G. (LARC-E1A)[LITES]
> <j.ponthi...@nasa.gov> wrote:
> > Maya: I have to create a set of multiple nulls with custom rotations to
> > set up the angle of rotation properly for the surface. If I want to
> > rotate the surface I have to dig through all these nulls to get to the
> > right one, select and rotate it just to rotate the surface.
>
> Is that always true in your scenarios? Moving center in Softimage is like
> moving all the points of the geometry. (What brent calls "transforming the
> geometry") Knowing that it does that, wouldn't the simplest work-around for
> your specific scenario in Maya be to select all points and move/rotate them.
