Moving and Rotating Axes in the Scene

You can move and rotate an axis directly in the scene. You can do this when viewing the scene in Camera, Top, Side, or Front view.

The selected mode remains in effect until you select a different mode. To select a mode, use the Tools box.

Moving an Axis in the Scene

You can move an axis in the scene, as well as objects that do not have exclusive axes, such as lights, particle generators, and manipulators.

To move an axis directly in the scene:

1. In the Tools box, choose Select.
2. Select the axis you want to move and drag it to a new position.

   If the Axis menu is displayed while you move an axis, you can see the Position X, Y, and Z fields update after the axis is placed in its new position. You can also change the X, Y, and Z position by dragging any of the position fields in the Axis menu to move the axis.

Tip: Enable Shift-Snap (in the Action Setup menu Preferences section), and then hold the Shift key when selecting an axis to snap the selected axis to the surface of the underlying geometry. Not available when in Top, Front, or Side views.

Rotating an Axis in the Scene

You can rotate an axis in the scene, as well as objects that do not have exclusive axes such as lights, particle generators, and manipulators.

To rotate an axis directly in the scene:

1. From the Tools box, select Rotate.
2. Select the axis or the object you want to rotate.

   A trackball appears in the scene. The trackball consists of three concentric rings. Each ring is used to rotate the object and its axis around one of the three axes.

   
3. Click and drag one of the trackball rings.

   The axis and its object rotate in the image window. If the Axis menu is displayed while you rotate, you can see the Rotation fields update after the axis is rotated to its new position. You can also rotate the axis by dragging any of the Rotation fields in the Axis menu.