Transform orientation

[hgmrizzo]

hello! i would like to change the orientation of the transform tool according to the shape of the object. For example, I'm working with some cylinders in different positions and angles, and even using the ‘L’ and ‘W’ modes of the transform, the orientation doesn't follow the shape of the cylinder. Any tips on this?

[MagWeb]

"W" means "World": The widget's axes always point along the world coordinate system's axes.

"L" means "Local": The local frame is set in the moment a new object is added to the scene. At this moment L-widget axes point along the world coordinate system's axes too but if you rotate the object the local frame travels along with the object.

There's no way to edit the local frame in MM directly.

2 workarounds:

1. Transform the object (let's say a human face oriented in space arbitrary) in "W" mode so its new orientation makes sense (e.g. the nose points along a certain axis). Export and Import once again. Now the local frame makes sense too and travels along with the object.
2. Create a pivot via EDIT. You can set a standalone pivots which are independent objects or  pivots linked to the current object which travel along with the object. After adding a pivot you can activate it and edit the orientation of a pivot like any object using Transform. Now if you run Transform on the either object: Clicking the pivot makes the Transform widget snap to it.