Maya - Vertex Positions and exact Movement

Sinking

What I am looking for is a method to find out vertex positions relative from the grid origin (or from another vertex). I can click on "CVs" (in the Channel Box), but these values are not making sense to me. I use "discrete move, in order to move in increments (of 32/64 units).

I find myself working with placeholder cubes, in order to get my proportions and snapping right, between Maya and UDK. I snap to the cubes, because I know they have the right proportions. However, I would like to be able to have something like UDK's measuring tape or any other way to measure the distance between two vertices, or between any one vertex and the grid.

It would be awesome, if you could point out how to measure distances in Maya. I don't believe my workaround is the way this is supposed to be done. It works, but it is clumsy. Many thanks in advance!

PS.: Nice colors ?

illo

create->measure tools->distance tools I believe.

Sinking

Thank you! Bit tricky getting it to snap and show straight values, but it's great to know the tool is there! I'll look into it. I remember the Arch Measuring tool being something announced in Mudbox, too. I didn't know Maya has it. New stuff - there is always new stuff Yay!

passerby

if all you want is exact vertex locations, try the component editor, it's in the window menu under general editors. The polygons tab shows the xyz, the normal vector and the color of all selected verts.

there is the mentioned measure, tool, instead of snapping it, you know you can just type in exact coordinators for it;s start and end locators.

and if you got maya bonus tools, in the display menu there is a option that shows the distance between 2 selected vertices in the hud, or the length of your edge selection.

after all of that, check out the universal manipulator, it works on object selections you gives you the bounding box dimensions of a object.

Sinking

I want to measure distances more than locate vertex positions. So I can check my spacing. Knowing vertex positions would have been my take, if there was no measuring tool. This is really cool, but I'll only need it for checking the proportions.

It took me a minute to figure out you have to click on the measurements (numbers) to make them disappear again. I'm gonna need some pratice with this thing. Thanks for the input, I'll check out the component editor in depth, soon.

passerby

also what do you mean click on the number, it;s just 2 locators, with a ruler inbtween that follows them, i find it is easiest to use, but manually entering in coords via the channel box on the 2 locators, 2 get the length i want for it, than useing discrete move to place it where i want.

Sinking

Uh, I just tested it for the first time and it gave me the distance between vertexes by clicking on their common edge. And then I clicked on the number/distance and pressed del for delete.

That worked. Maybe there are several ways to use the tool? Like I said, I just need it for quickchecking, if I am within my values. Even with discrete movement I sometimes miss (or rather move two increments) and then need to check my distances.

m4dcow

Bonus tools has a measurement hud, that shows edge length and distances between vertices.
http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/stevenr/maya-bonustools---display-tools

Sinking

m4dcow wrote: »

Bonus tools has a measurement hud, that shows edge length and distances between vertices.
http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/stevenr/maya-bonustools---display-tools

Hey thanks for the info! I just came back here to write exactly that. I guess I should have checked this thread for updates! The Vertex Distance Display is very handy and much simpler to use than the measurement tool.