Rotate object so edge = horizontal/vertical
I'm not fully sure on what you want, but i hope i'm guessing correctly.
To rotate objects you can change the "reference coordinate system" to suit your need, so maybe that could be an easy option:
There is also the "align" function, with which you can also set orientation:
Does either of those options help?
Hi @Anonymous
How can you Algin to Vertical an already rotated object ?
Assuming the objects pivot is still centered and aligned properly all you have to do is:
1. activate the Rotate transform
2. Select "world" as the reference coordinate system
3. Right click on the spinners to zero the x,yand z spinners
And the object will be aligned to world axis (see image below)
There is another scenario in which the object's pivot has also become rotated with respect to the object, and for that you just have to first align the object's pivot properly. There are a variety of ways to approach this depending on the complexity of the object and what part of the object you want to align to the world axis and it is not hard, but it is case specific to a degree. But maybe the above is the simple scenario which I think you were asking about.
Here's the unfailing solution to square an object up to the grid. Create a box, and enable AUTOGRID. Draw the box on a flat surface of your object. This box is now 'rotated' to match that surface. You can do some copy/paste between the two objects with some possibly minus signs to adjust the source object. But the easier method is to link the source object to your box, then zero out the rotations of the box. Everything should be nice and square, and I recommend using Reset XForm utility on the source object to reset the transforms.
Chris Medeck
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@Anonymous
Symmetry is a modifier and this is a different case than your first question which was how to align an object in world space. Symmetry is relative to the pivot point of the object. If you want to change the orientation or position of the Symmetry modifier gizmo you can so by directly manipulating it as you seem to have found out. But you cannot use the spinners in the transform dialogue to zero out the world orientation of the symmetry modifier (as you have also found out. ) And symmetry is really intended for use in duplicating 1 side of an object like a character so you only have to model 1 side and the other side is automatically updated.
If you want to duplicate a whole object with symmetry in World Space, a much better choice is Mirror (see below). I think this is what you are trying to do based on your post.
@10DSpace you are correct, the Mirror Tool is the way to go. However, I would highly recommend using the Geometry option versus the Transform (radio buttons at the top of the menu). Transform simply applies a negative scale to the object to get it to mirror, which can cause issues further down the road. Choosing the Geometry radio button will apply the Mirror modifier instead, but give the same result.
I encourage people to not scale objects at the base level period. Sub-object, or through a modifier, is fine. But at the base level, every object should be scaled to 100%.
Chris Medeck
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Strange, it is working as I explained here. I am using 3ds Max 2020, and can reproduce this by doing the following.
Create a teapot and click on the Mirror button from the toolbar, which opens a dialog. Choose Transform at the top, and press OK at the bottom.
One thing to be mindful of, however, is that negative scales can mess with the coordinates displayed at the bottom of the 3ds Max window. Open the Transform Type-In box to be sure you're seeing the right numbers. Mine was displaying the same arbitrary values for all 3 transforms along the bottom as I cycled through the tools. The TTI window was always correct, though.
In previous versions of Max, I had noted that having a negative scale on an object would prevent you from zeroing out the rotation correctly. The rotational values displayed at any window would become incorrect and arbitrary with negative scale on an object. Super frustrating!
Chris Medeck
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Accepted solution
That is also a perfectly reasonable solution. As mentioned earlier, the Mirror modifier is probably more appropriate here than the Symmetry modifier, unless you plan to have the object intersect itself. Although in all honesty, I don't know if it makes any difference which you use.
Chris Medeck
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