Is it possible to offset a poly object?

[jbo]

1 - select your geometry
2 - open up the sculpt polygon tool
3 - select push if you want to make it smaller, and pull if you want to make it bigger
4 - set the opacity slider to the desired ammount of offset
5 - hit flood

there's probably a better way, but that works.

[morimitsu]

I knew we can do workaround with Maya with almost everything!
:thumbsup:
Thanks!

[Emil3d]

Select all faces of your object and go to Edit Polygons > Move Component. Then type a value for the Offset in the channel box.
edit: to achieve the same thing while giving thickness to the object use Extrude and type a value for the Offset in the channel box

[floze]

Doesnt the good ol' Numeric Input work anymore? :curious:
RMB into your entry field (or LMB left beside) and select 'Numeric Input: Relative' instead of the default 'Quick Selection' mode. Now select the components (vertices, faces, etc.) you want to edit, select the space by doubleclicking on the move tool (object, local, world, normal) or by simultaneously holding down the W key and holding LMB in the viewport, then select the axis you want to move along by LMB or MMB clicking on one of the manipulator's axis (X, Y, Z or U, V and Normal) and put in the desired value into the entry field and press enter. This doesnt work in object space though, but you can set the offset by leaving a space between the XYZ values (the format is X Y Z); has to look like this: If you wanted to move your component/object/whatever 16 units in Z direction you have to type in 0 0 16 for example. If you wanted to move it 6 units in X, 12 in Y and 24 in Z direction, it would be: 6 12 24 and so on.

Better than any workaround, isnt it?

[A-OC]

3 different ways!!! Maya rocks :buttrock:

[alexx]

fastest one:

- select all vertices
- select the move tool (w) and keep it pressed (the w key). left mouse button for marking menue with move options.
- there select "normal" at the top right
- the tripod updates. now move the handle with the "n"

viola

cheers

alexx

[Emil3d]

All suggestions in this thread except mine give the same result but achieved in different ways.

Before I posted my previous message I was about to give the same advice Alexx gave, but knowing there is an offset option in Extrude command and Move Component faces, I made a quick test just to check if moving the normal handle will give the same result as applying the offset options and I was surprised to see completely different result. Since both ways appear to achieve some kind of offset and I have no idea which one is true offset, I decided that result from an option named Offset would be the true solution and recommended that way.
Edit: One obvious difference is that applying Offset keeps geometry from overlaping.

In the example below from left to right;
1. Before offset. 2 Pulling the normal handle on selected vertices. 3 Applying Offset option

[alexx]

funny.. but i have to say that number 2 (the overlapping one) is the one i expect.

number 3 is nice but not what i would call an offset (some of the points seem not to move at all)

ceers

alexx

[ephemeros]

@emil3d: there should be no difference between the move component command and the move by normal. i think you moved by normal in multiple steps, that changes the final result, because every time you drop the move normal tool, the normals are calculated else. try use move component command like 4 time an offset of 2 instead of an offset of 8 (for example), and you may see a different result.
r.

[Emil3d]

Ephemeros, there’s no difference if you drag the handles of the move component manipulator.

We were talking about the difference made by the Offset attribute value which is available only when you apply Move Components on selected faces. The Offset feature is not available for vertex or edge selection.

Edit: in the range of values where the geometry doesn’t overlap, both methods will have the same result. The difference kicks in when the geometry starts to overlap. The Offset option simply prevents the geometry overlap and stops offsetting vertices that could cause this.

[ephemeros]

hmmm, interesting stuff, emil3d, look why i was wrong: when i apply edit polygons > move component on faces selection, it gives me an error message: Error: polyMoveVertex works on polygonal vertices. on vertices it gives me the same result as move normal tool. mabye i miss something? i use maya 6.5.

[Iconoklast]

The offset attribute in the Move Component command is completely different to the localTranslateZ which is basically move along the normal (or the blue arrow manipulator when you drag it). The offset attribute only exists when working on faces (it also exists with the Extrude Face command). Basically the offset works as an 'inset' as a lot of other programs will tend to call it.
ephemeros, as far as your Move Component error, to get it to work on faces, you need to be in component mode (the status bar has to be changed to component mode) and in face component selected. By default, if you right click on an object and go to faces, you're still technically in object mode. Hit F11 to properly switch to face mode, then use Move Component on faces, should work fine.

[ephemeros]

cool! it works, thanx

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