So silly yet puzzling - Unable to move Pivot

[GRMac13]

I've had the same problem in max 4.2, tho I have no idea what causes it nor how to fix it. I'd be interested in hearing the solution though.

[javierdl]

Glad to see I am not the only one then :)
Hopefully someone knows a solution to this.

DrPepperCan

[Refracted]

if you're doing that to a Group, then it'll do that .. max is pretty weird with groups and pivots ..
i've never seen this happen to a single object, but a group will do weird stuff..

[Chico]

Tehe simple answer....

Make sure you have the constraints set to "Local" not "View".

If you have the constaint set to view it doesnt matter where you are its going to rotate depentant on the view not the axis. Even If you want to say rotate a group of chairs on their individual axis you can do this by simply setting the constrait to "Local'.

Do this in the top "Main Menu" bar and look for the icon with two rectangles on it. You'll see that there is a dot on the centre of those rectangles....well press and hold that button, more should drop down and choose the one with the dots at the bottome of Each rectangle.

Also you could set your rotation controllers to local instead of TCB. I think this is default in Max 5.?? I forget.

Sorry bout the long winded explaination for this but I dont have max infront of me to tell you exactly the name of the button.
good luck.
Cam

[dvornik]

Chico's right. Select the dropdown with dots under EACH rectangle, "Use Pivot Point Center". Works just like it should. Doesn't have to be local though. You can use anything you find convenient, I use World, Local and Sceen mostly. Never View.

[javierdl]

Changing to "Local" did it for me.
Thank you kindly Chico :)

Phew! I was going nuts with this one.

DrPepperCan

[dvornik]

I still maintain that you can use any of the coordinate systems. In "Local" coordinates and "Selection Center" umm.. center it still moves away from the pivot. So the "Use Center flyout list" is where you have to look first.

[gaggle]

I'm with dvornik, indeed 'tis is the flyout thingie next to the coordinate system dropdown that holds the magic.

I've bound Y to toggle between the three options (Customize -> Customize User Interface -> Keyboard -> Main UI/All Commands -> Center Point Cycle), I find myself often having to switch between Transform, Center, and Selection.

"Use Pivot Center" makes the pivot display the true pivot of the object. Which.. makes sense, no? Whereas "User Selection Center" sets the pivot to the center of the.. ah.. selection.. not at all tricky once you notice how it works.

Now, the "Use Transform Coordinate Center" is a little trickier. Make a box, and set it to the Use Transform Coordinate Center thing, and check out how the pivot is in the center of the left/right/top/etc. viewports. Sort-of nifty I think, but perhaps not especially useful.
What is useful though, is when you then go turn on 3D Snap (set it to vertex snap), lock the object (default: Spacebar), go to Rotate mode, place the cursor over one of the objects vertices, and hey, presto, you can rotate the object around whatever you want. Very handy if you want to, say, unfold a cardboard-box.

This message brought to you by the department of Center Pivot Fun and the color blue.

[dvornik]

Extremely useful tip, gaggle. Works on subobject mode, too. And also for scale and with soft selection.Should be included in all tutorials on poly modelling.

[Marc Andreoli]

Originally posted by gaggle

What is useful though, is when you then go turn on 3D Snap (set it to vertex snap), lock the object (default: Spacebar), go to Rotate mode, place the cursor over one of the objects vertices, and hey, presto, you can rotate the object around whatever you want. Very handy if you want to, say, unfold a cardboard-box.

This message brought to you by the department of Center Pivot Fun and the color blue.

this is cool ! But why do you need to lock the object ? I cannot see any difference between lock/unlocked mode...

As for the move pivot thing: I have encountered some really weird stuff, too, where the pivot would not even snap to the new position while using local coords...but opening/closing the group or saving/reloading the file would put it into place...ah, I guess some things will never change, max will always have its 'inner life':rolleyes:

[gaggle]

Originally posted by Marc Andreoli
why do you need to lock the object ? I cannot see any difference between lock/unlocked mode...

ah, I guess some things will never change, max will always have its 'inner life':rolleyes:

You need to lock the object because that's what I remember you have to do :)
Fine, fair enough, if you don't need to do it then by golly ignore my odd descriptions. I guess I just have these habbits I haven't yet realised aren't any good :rolleyes:

And yes, indeed, the snap-thing.. it's.. pretty darn interesting. I usually do a Collapse To.. to get things proper again. ..actually I often just collapse my object, just.. out of the blue.. I've experienced once too many times that MAX ****s something up so some huge chunk of the mesh suddenly disapears when you delete one little vert or whatnot. Probably stuff that happened only in earlier versions, but, again, habbits doesn't die that easily heh.

I so agree on the inner-life thing.. I think we all do. We may not enjoy the truth much, but MAX really is a wild beast, it may act like it's been tamed, but at heart it'll always fight you :hmm:

[googlo]

You need to lock the object because that's what I remember you have to do

I think it's because when you have the 'Use transform center' on, you are turning whatever you have selected into the center for the coordinate transformations but since you have the object frozen, it's like Max is reading the point of place you are using for the transform center, but because the object is frozen Max at the same time won't let you change your actual selection.

Normally, when you select something in 'use transform center' mode, whatever you select becomes the center for transformation, and it changes to the each object or subobject as you select it. When the object is frozen, you can't REALLY select it, but for some reason 'Use Transform selection' still recognizes what you are selecting even though you can't actually select the object or sub-part of it for usually manipulation.

At least that is what it seems like.
.

It almost seems like this is a bug, only one that is really useful. Doesn't it?

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