Symmetry:

[paulwconnor]

Well, Duplicate-Instance, with a scale factor of -1.0 in the appropriate axis would do that... this assumes that you have a model comprising half of your head, or whatever you're modelling... is this what you need?

[poly-phobic]

i'm aware of the instance tool in maya,

but , although it has the same behavior, but different functionality.

the tool in modo works on a whole model [a perfectly symetrical whole model], not a half.

how this tool would help maya's workflow:

-when modeling in subD, doing finer level detailing can be done more productively. if u do a level 1 or level tweak in maya and u convert it to poly, [to ofcourse mirror and attatch it to make the mesh a whole] all that high level tweaks are lost.
-symetrycal blendshapes can be acheived easily and smoothly
-whatever split or extrude you do one one side is reflected on the other sided of the "whole mesh" not a mirrored instanced half.
-as long as the mesh is a combined mesh and the symetry is reflected in world space coordinates, this tool seem to work in modo. in other words, it does not have to be lets say a head of a character that is connected by 2 halfs right down the middle of the grid, they can be 10 grid units apart, so as long as the 2 meshes matches in vertex and are symetrycally proportional.
[i hope now u see hat i mean]

the instance tool in maya may work but only when just modeling a half of an object, much like the cps tool.

[CoolDuck]

In Koshigaya script package (http://www.koshigaya.de/scriptsuite/) you have a script to perform a mirrored smooth proxy. Dunno if maya 6 has this feature by default.

Although it is not as sophisticated as the one in modo or lightwave, it works. :shrug:
I'm waiting for a good symmetry (native) solution too! (in Maya)

[poly-phobic]

In Koshigaya script package (http://www.koshigaya.de/scriptsuite/) you have a script to perform a mirrored smooth proxy. Dunno if maya 6 has this feature by default.

Although it is not as sophisticated as the one in modo or lightwave, it works.:shrug:
I'm waiting for a good symmetry (native) solution too! (in Maya)
maybe release 8 or 9:shrug:

these are very good set of scripts on that site. thanks for the link.
my shelf is getting clogged trying to find scripts that makes modeling in maya more efficient...

[annaleah]

Im not understanding the difference between the two symetry-modes of Maya and Modo the way you explain it vladimir_.
When you instance in Maya you have the whole model at your control as is in Modo.
One you create the first poly you can have a whole model as you continue modeling.
Maybe it is something Im missing but it seems the same type of symetry to me.
Could you explain further if you dont mind?
Thank you.

[poly-phobic]

Im not understanding the difference between the two symetry-modes of Maya and Modo the way you explain it vladimir_.
When you instance in Maya you have the whole model at your control as is in Modo.
One you create the first poly you can have a whole model as you continue modeling.
Maybe it is something Im missing but it seems the same type of symetry to me.
Could you explain further if you dont mind?
Thank you.i see that u use modo as well, judging by the title in your avatar,
simply put it, u can check on symmetry on any axis in modo, and the modifications u make will update on the specified symmetry accordingly. this can be on a whole model, not a half.
as far as i know this is not possible in maya, maybe only when using artisan u can use the brush tool to mirror what u are doing on an entire model.
the problem with the instance in maya is that its functionality is used mostly when modeling half a poly and seeing the updates on the mirrored smoothed version.
but lets suppose u have a "whole" subD model u have finished modeling, now want to make higher level modeling on it, is there a way just like in modo to simply turn on specific symmetrical axis to mirror and have your edits reflect on that axis.
or lets say u are sculpting blendshappes on a face, is there a way to mirror your edits accross the surface [in modo, you would just turn on symmetry for this]
this should be clear for you to understand since you use modo.
i hope this helped a bit.

[annaleah]

Ok I see what you are saying now.

[failure]

What functionality do you want to mirror ( what tools to be precise )? And what happens if you modify the "source" and "mirrored" parts the same time?

[poly-phobic]

xsi has a tool called "symmetry"
u apply a symmetry map to your object and it mirrors any transforms u make at vertex level on your mesh. as simple as that.
modo goes a step further [as far as i know, or have seen] and pushes the flexibility to not only transforms but also what ever edit u make on your mesh. whether is a split, or extrude, or bevel. and not just going down the middle axis to mirror accross the xz plane [like most ppl do when they use a proxy method] but any axis combination zy, xy.

if this is not possile in maya, then this ends this thread.
or if paul connor can actually accomodate this tool or create a plugin, [since its what u do based on your website] i'm open to discuss it further . [for a good pricing]

[failure]

I don't see any differences between that and using two instanced halves. Using instances is actually safer because it ensures that changes will be applied. With something like "symmetry" things could get out of control if you don't start with perfectly symetrical mesh.

Anyway, what you are asking is feasible in maya even at mel level. Plugin would be more powerful solution of course. I'm not sure if there is something like this already in existance. Probability it is.

[Iconoklast]

the symmetry tool in xsi doesn't allow for topological changes. Sure you can move the verts around, but once you add some edges, it stops working.

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