Center Pivot based on another objects center

CreativeSheep

What is the method to accurately take an objects pivot, and center it based on another object center in Maya ?

kodde

By script I'd say. Should be easy peasy. Fetch one value and set another.

huffer

You have an option (somewhere in Attribute Editor, I can't remember where exactly) to display the object's pivot as a point helper...so you then just have to snap the first object's pivot to the point helper using V (vertex snap).

antweiler

You can snap to visible pivots.

To display pivots: Display-> transform Display ->Rotate Pivots to toggle on and off the pivot of selected objects.

Or in the Attr Editor of the transform node under Pivots->Display Rotate Pivot

CreativeSheep

I must be mistaken I'm not able to successfully duplicate a object around another objects pivot point and create a successful duplication ?

SonicBlue

You want to move an object to the position of another one? Or move only the pivot?

CreativeSheep

I want one objects center to be based on another objects center so when I duplicate I get even distribution of duplicates around the other object.

kodde

Sounds like your looking for the Duplicate Special command under Edit.

kodde

Or maybe even Duplicate With Transform.

SonicBlue

From what I understand, you want to do this

CreativeSheep

Suppose you have a cylinder and it's positioned anywhere in world space, as when you model and place something.  You have a piece of geometry you want to, duplicate around this cylinder; although not just duplicate, but where the duplicate pieces are even as so when you duplicate it is a seamless piece, minus the merge vertices ?

Why I mentioned, in order for this to work I assume the piece needs to duplicate around the pivot of the cylinder but unless I'm approaching this wrong, maybe some sort of shrink mapping had to come into play although, not so that it's literally shrink mapping the geometry piece but so that it follows the contours or normals of the cylinder.

SonicBlue

I'm confused.



Like this?

If not, could you post some practical examples, or a mockup of the desired result?

CreativeSheep

SonicBlue said:

I'm confused.



Like this?

If not, could you post some practical examples, or a mockup of the desired result?

Yes, that is not aligning ?

SonicBlue

antweiler said, you have to make the pivot visible first, then while holding D and V on your keyboard, drag the pivot to the target pivot, use the wireframe mode to see where the pivots are.

CreativeSheep

SonicBlue said:

antweiler said, you have to make the pivot visible first, then while holding D and V on your keyboard, drag the pivot to the target pivot, use the wireframe mode to see where the pivots are.

jhkhjk

CreativeSheep

Put this thread on hold for time being, thanks for the help up to this point

CreativeSheep

My goal is to duplicate the plane around the cylinder, evenly.

The plane was a cylinder with 20 sides, so duplicating the plane around the cylinder should work flawlessly with the duplicate keyboard short-cut; this may be relatively easy and I'm missing something

I originally centered the pivot on the cylinder, then tried to have both pivots selected so I could snap the plane pivot to the cylinder pivot that didn't go as planned so I matched it the best I could. There is a mesh object attached to this mesh for manipulating. 

kodde

Did you give duplicate special or duplicate with transform a go? Still think this is what you are looking for.

SonicBlue

Looking at the example in the .obj it seems like you can just select the cylinder faces, extract them (leaving the original geometry intact and creating a new object) and then push the polygon normal outward.

CreativeSheep

Kodde - I did try the duplicate options. 
Sonic Blue - That is what was originally done to the mesh.

Using the duplicate options, take the plane, and duplicate it around the cylinder, as I mentioned, it should duplicate successfully, roughly four times.  The problem is not the duplication, rather look at the alignment of each of the duplication's, they are not aligned, perfectly. 

m4dcow

Well I took a look at the obj, this issue is that the underlying cylinder, is not a proper cylinder, every edge has a different length, so you can't really expect to radially duplicate faces extracted from it and have them line up.

CreativeSheep

m4dcow said:

Well I took a look at the obj, this issue is that the underlying cylinder, is not a proper cylinder, every edge has a different length, so you can't really expect to radially duplicate faces extracted from it and have them line up.

I know, that is the problem; there must a method !

SonicBlue

Splines.

Try converting the edges of the top part of the cylinder to a spline, and then duplicate the plane along this newly created spline, this should work.

CreativeSheep

SonicBlue said:

Splines.

Try converting the edges of the top part of the cylinder to a spline, and then duplicate the plane along this newly created spline, this should work.

You mean attach the object to a motion path, then taking an animation snap shot ? I tried with not much success !

CreativeSheep

Unless you mean a script; I'd prefer to do this natively in Maya.

wonkza

In max this is really easy to do but in maya i cant find it.

seb3d

wonkza said:

In max this is really easy to do but in maya i cant find it.

3rd answer in this topic

antweiler said:

You can snap to visible pivots.

To display pivots: Display-> transform Display ->Rotate Pivots to toggle on and off the pivot of selected objects.

Or in the Attr Editor of the transform node under Pivots->Display Rotate Pivot

or select object a, select object b: modify > match transformations > match pivots. a´s pivot is now matched with b´s.