Maya snapping questions

[messiah]

A new project I may be working on could be using Maya instead of Max. So I've got a couple questions about snapping. It's highly important that the poly models that we are building are done so in a clean fashion. That means things are properly snapped to grids, placed fixed distances apart and so on.

My questions are:

How can I easily move an object to an exact XYZ location in world space?
How can I move that object to an exact location in one axis while not affecting the other coords?
Or best case how do I bring up a text entry field for Move/Rotate/Scale?

When snapping a group of verts, let's say half a cylinder, to a grid location how do I keep them from collapsing to a single point, or plane?

How do I relatively snap, i.e. move object X the distance between vert A and vert B on object Y?

These types of things are all part of max

[gmask]

How can I easily move an object to an exact XYZ location in world space?

Channel Editor or turn grid snapping

How can I move that object to an exact location in one axis while not affecting the other coords?
Channel Editor

Or best case how do I bring up a text entry field for Move/Rotate/Scale?
Channel Editor

When snapping a group of verts, let's say half a cylinder, to a grid location how do I keep them from collapsing to a single point, or plane?

By creating a cluster.. the clsuter will then snap to the grid without flattening the verts... this is porbably not as easy to use as you expecting but it is workable.

How do I relatively snap, i.e. move object X the distance between vert A and vert B on object Y?

I hear alot of Max users ask for similair snapping things but alas Maya is not Max. I suppose this is something that could be done with a MEL script.. so how would Max know to use these objects? Do you select those objects or is it a particular snapping mode?

[jeffd]

How can I easily move an object to an exact XYZ location in world space?
You can use the text entry field in the upper right corner of the UI.

How can I move that object to an exact location in one axis while not affecting the other coords?
Same as above or by using a single handle on the movement manipulator.

When snapping a group of verts, let's say half a cylinder, to a grid location how do I keep them from collapsing to a single point, or plane?
Are you on 4.5? I know this functionality was made much easier in 4.5 compared to 4.0.

How do I relatively snap, i.e. move object X the distance between vert A and vert B on object Y?
Same as the first question. I usually type in my relative moves.

IMHO, MAX's snapping tools are more powerful than Maya's out-of-box. At the same time, when used MAX I found myself constantly opening up the snap window switching snap modes.

If you are going to make the switch, you need to make sure someone on the team takes up the mantle of MEL scripter. When I switched a couple years back, I found myself missing a lot of things I was used to in MAX. Most all of those things I was able to solve through some simple scripting. For instance, Maya has no equivalent to MAX's UV mapping tool's Acquire or Fit. I felt crippled without them. So I wrote the tools copyProjector and projectorFit. Scripting is the bridge you need make the transition a lot less painful for your team.

--JeffD

[messiah]

Channel Editor or turn grid snapping

Channel Editor is good for object/node movement. But I don't have text entries for moving a vert/face. I could detach the face move it and then reattach and reconnect the original object, but this seems to be a bit of a round about way to do things.

By creating a cluster.. the clsuter will then snap to the grid without flattening the verts...
this is porbably not as easy to use as you expecting but it is workable.

This did work; however, I

[messiah]

You can use the text entry field in the upper right corner of the UI.

Is there anyway to use wildcards in that field? Or in the move

[gmask]

Channel Editor is good for object/node movement. But I don't have text entries for moving a vert/face.

Oh in the tool bar towards the right side of the history button there is a selction entry box. You may not have noticed it because it may be collapsed. It will allow you tpo type in absolute or relative coordinates.

This did work; however, I

[campbell]

re: snapping to mid-pnts between components

check out my vectAlig script here, if you initiate it w even spacing (vetAlig 1), then you can move components to mid-pnt on the vector between pnts. modify the script to allow use/selection of objects other than components if you wish (eg transforms).