maya noob - transform subobjects numerically?

transistor

So in Maya, when in object mode, I can manually input numbers to translate, rotate, and scale an object - either in the channel box, or in the attribute editor.

But what about subobjects (components) like verts, faces, and edges?

Sure I can move em around with the manipulator, but where can I manually enter in precise numbers?

Thanks in advance

Bartalon

At the top of the Maya window, you should see three empty boxes:



Relative will transform the object from its current position, while absolute will be a world-space position.

transistor

Hey thanks for the quick reply. Funny how maya had these minimized by default...

Is it just me, or does this method seem a little unpredictable? While moving a vertex around, there is nothing displayed in these fields, so i have no point of reference before putting something in.

While moving the vertex around I DO however see the coordinates displayed at the very bottom of the screen in the "help line." Isn't there a way I can access and edit THESE numbers?

It seems possible, and works fine for me to edit the location of an "object" in the attribute editor. Is this possible with a "sub object?"

Thanks again.

Bartalon

If you have vertices selected, these will show up in the Channel Box as CVs. If you click to show, you will have precise XYZ transformation coordinates (relative to their default positions) to mess with. These can also be keyframed, if need be. There is no rotation or scale channels because vertices are one-dimensional and aren't affected by those transformations individually.

While it depends on what you are working on, I personally rarely require such precision as to know the exact location of a vertex. Generally when I need to move vertices I snap or align them to the grid or other vertices, or use the relative transformation fields at the top of the window.

transistor

Ok great, thanks for the explanation. I agree, it will be rare when I need to use this. I'm completely new to maya right now and I'm just trying to get a handle on "where things are."

Thanks a bunch