Transform Editor

Edit

Only available when Transform Variants is active. This menu contains the following options for making changes to your content:

• Rename (Ctrl + R) - Enables the renaming of the selected transform variant.

• Copy (Ctrl + C) - Copies the selected transform variant. Select a transform node in the tree to paste the copy.

• Copy Transformation - Copies only the transformational information.

• Paste (Ctrl + V) - Pastes the copied variant under the selected transform node, adding a copy to it.

• Paste Transformation - Contains the following assortment of pasting options for the copied content:

  • Paste Transformation - Pastes all transformational values onto the selection.
  • Paste Translation - Pastes only the translation values onto the selection.
  • Paste Rotation - Pastes only the rotation values onto the selection.
  • Paste Scale - Pastes only the scaling values onto the selection.
  • Paste Rotation Pivot - Pastes only the pivot rotation values onto the selection.
  • Paste Scaling Pivot - Pastes only the pivot scaling values onto the selection.
  • Paste As Variants - Creates a variant and pastes all transformational values.

• Duplicate (Ctrl + D) - Creates a duplicate of the selected variant and pastes it below the original.

• Delete (Del) - Deletes the selected content.

• Move Up (Ctrl + PgUp) - Moves the selected variant up the list.

• Move Down (Ctrl + PgDown) - Moves the selected variant down the list.

• Activate Variant - Displays the selected variant by pushing the variant information to the Scenegraph node.

Create

Only available when Transform Variants is active. This menu contains the Create Transform Variant option for creating a transform variant and adding it to the tree. The parent node must be selected.

Window

Transform Variants toggles the display of the Transform Variants window. To always show the Transform Variants window in the Transform Editor, select Edit > Preferences > Scene > Transform, then select either Transform Variants Window or Transform Variants Window & Variant Options.

Use Transform Variants to display a single set of geometry in multiple orientations and locations within the scene. Using a transform variant, instead of multiple duplicated geometries, reduces file size, root structure, and memory usage. Transform variants use the Basic tab values of the Transform Editor and work on most nodes available in the Scenegraph.

Icons for commonly used commands are easily accessible in the QuickActions Bar.

Create - Creates a transform variant. Select the parent to create one.

Duplicate - Creates a duplicate of the selected variant and pastes it below the original.

Delete - Deletes the selected content.

Options - Enables and disables any basic transform functions for the variant. When enabled, the tree below expands to display translation, rotation, scaling, rotation pivot, and scaling pivot columns with a check boxes for each variant. When disabled, these columns are hidden.

Options Enabled	Options Disabled

When a column's box is unchecked, those values are not applied to the node. For example, disabling the rotation in a transform variant means the rotation is not applied to the node when the variant is activated.

You can change the options for an individual or all variants.

How to disable all options of the same type

When a change is made to an option, this notification icon appears on the affected variant. It is displayed even if the options are toggled off. heck boxes are also displayed in the Basic tab next to each function.

Variant options are recommended only for advanced transform variant use and are not required in most situations.

Transform Variants - Toggles between the Transform Variants or only the Attributes tabs to quickly access different options.

Position Rotate Pivot in Object Center - Sets the rotate pivot to the center of the selected object.

Position Scale Pivot in Object Center - Sets the scale pivot to the center of the selected object.

Move the Object to Camera Position - Moves the selected object to the current camera position.

Move the Object to Origin - Moves the selected object to the center of the world coordination system.

Put Object on Ground - Translates the selected objects along the Z-axis in such a way as to have the bottom face of the object’s bounding box at the same level as the ground plane.

Use the Search field to search the Transform Variants list by name or a single character. Only single search terms are supported. Entering one character to show only transform variants with that character in their name. Click the X to clear the search and return to the Library.

Use the following tools to aid your search:

• Selected Hierarchy - Restricts the search to a selected hierarchy. It searches the selected branch for nodes containing the search string. You can also use the shortcut, Ctrl + F (Find) to set the search bar in focus, where you can enter a string, and click Enter, enabling and searching the selected branch only for content matching the string.

When Transform Variants is enabled, the Transform Variants list appears to the left of the attributes, listing all transform variants for the selected Scenegraph node. Use Search when the list is long to locate a specific variant.

Transform Variants Disabled	Transform Variants Enabled

When Options is enabled, you can set the basic transform functions for a selected variant. The tree expands to display translation, rotation, scaling, rotation pivot, and scaling pivot columns with a check boxes for each variant.

Options Disabled	Options Enabled

Context Menu

When the Transform Variants window is exposed, right-click the node or a variant to access the context menu. Use its options to create, rename, delete, and duplicate variants, copy and paste transformations, or copy and paste transformation variants.

• Activate Variant - Displays the selected variant by pushing the variant information to the Scenegraph node.
• Create Transform Variant - Creates a transform variant. Select the parent to create one.
• Edit - Contains options for making changes to your content. See Edit in the Menu Bar section above.

The functions in the transformation tool help with exact placement of objects within a scene. All numerical input fields have a wheel beside them. Click-drag it to the left or right increase or decrease values.

Translation

Moves the selected objects along the coordinate system axis.

• Coordinate System - Defines whether the translation values are presented based on world or object space. In world space, the translation defines the object’s global position within the world. In object space, the translation defines the object’s offset from its origin.

  Example - Translate a parent node by (0, 0, 10) (TX TY TZ) in world space. If you translate the child node by (0, 0, 5) in local space, its translation values in world space is (0, 0, 15).

• Translate - Moves selection depending on threshold and unit setting (mm, cm, m). Red is X, green is Y, and blue is Z. Move to Camera moves the selection to the same position in 3D space where the camera is located; Move to Origin moves the selection to the position of its pivot point; Put on Ground makes selection move to environment floor height.

• Move to - Click one of the following to translate the selected object's position.

  • Camera - Translates the selected object to the position of the current active camera.

  • Origin - Translates the selected object to the world coordinate system’s origin.

Rotation

Changes the orientation of the object around the rotational pivot. There are two methods of rotating objects using this tool. The first method is to manually select the rotation values and order with Rotate X/Y/Z and Rotation Order. The second method is to either pick or define an axis to rotate the object about and use the Rotate dial to rotate the object around this axis.

• Rotation Order - Euler rotations are not clear. The rotation order defines the order in which the rotations around all axes are realized.

• Rotate - Changes the orientation of the selection in on related axis about threshold in degrees. Red is X, green is Y, and blue is Z. The Center Pivot button on the right moves objects local rotation axis to the center of its bounding box.

Scaling

Contains the following options when scaling content:

• Uniform Scaling - Connects X-, Y-, and Z-axis and keys the same value to all of them. Disable this option to scale an object in only one direction or unequally in different directions.

• Scale - Scales selection on related axis depending on threshold and unit setting. Red is X, green is Y, and blue is Z. Enabling check box for Uniform Scaling restricts execution to set new value also on other related axes. The Center Pivot button on the right moves objects local scale pivot to the center of its bounding box.

Rotation Pivot

The rotational pivot is the point in 3D around which an object is oriented when using the Rotate tool.

• Coordinate System - Sets the coordinate system, Object or World, used as a reference on rotations.

• Position - Translates the rotation pivot point on the X-, Y-, or Z-axis.

• Move to - Click one of the following to translate the rotation pivot point.

  • Object Center - Moves the rotation pivot point to the center of the object’s bounding box.

  • World Center - Moves the rotation pivot point to the center of the world’s coordination system.

• Alignment - Sets the coordinate system, Orientation or Direction Vector, used as a reference on rotations.

• Orientation - Only available for Orientation Alignment. Rotates the rotation pivot point on the X-, Y-, or Z-axis.

• Direction - Only available for Direction Alignment. Locates the second point of a vector with X-, Y-, and Z values. The first point is the pivot point of the object.

• Show Axis - Displays the defined axis of the pivot mapped to the picked vector (2-Points) or triangle normal (3-Points), when this option is enabled.

• Pick - Click one of the following to define the rotation pivot. The pivot is moved to the center of the picked points. When Show Axis is enabled, an X, Y, or Z axis is displayed.

  • 2-Points - Shift-LMB click your first point, then another location for the second point to define an axis.

  • 3-Points - Shift-LMB click your first point, then another location for the second, and another for the third point to define an axis.

Scaling Pivot

The scaling pivot is the point in 3D from which an object is scaled, when using the Scale tool.

• Coordinate System - Sets the coordinate system, Object or World, used as a reference on scaling.

• Position - Translates the scaling pivot along the X-, Y-, or Z-axis.

• Move to - Click one of the following to translate the scaling pivot point.

  • Object Center - Moves the scaling pivot point to the center of the object’s bounding box.

  • World Center - Moves the scaling pivot point to the center of the world coordination system.

The functions in this tab deal with the bounding box, shearing, and pivot translations. All numerical input fields have a wheel beside them. Click-drag it to the left or right increase or decrease values.

Bounding Box

Contains the following options for working with the bounding box center:

• Bounding Box Center - Retrieves the coordinates (X,Y,Z) of the bounding box center from the selected object when (Get Bounding Box Center) is pressed.

• Create - Determines the kind of tranformation used for the transform node of the bounding box center.

  • Transform - Creates a transform node with the transformation of the selected bounding box center when Get Transform3D is pressed. The generated node appears at the top level of the Scenegraph.

  • Inverse Transform - Creates a transform node with inverse transformation of the selected bounding box center when Get Transform3D is pressed. The generated node appears at the top level of the Scenegraph.

Shearing

Shearing deforms the object by tilting the selected bounding box plane.

• Shear - Shears the object on the X- and Y-axis, X- and Z-axis, and Y- and Z-axis.

Pivot Translations

Sets pivot translations to preserve existing tranformations when a pivot is moved (and the object is not at the origin, with a non-unit rotation and/or scale).

• Rotation - Preserves the existing rotate transformations when moving the pivot. Used to prevent an object from moving when the object's pivot point is not at the origin and the pivot is moved.
• Scaling - Preserves the existing scale transformations when moving the pivot. Used to prevent an object from moving when the object's pivot point is not at the origin and a non-unit scale is applied to the object.