Newb modeling question

[lurdo7777]

Hi Maya Pros,
   I am modeling a spaceship in maya and I've used the "duplicate special" tool to create an instance of one side of the ship so that when I extrude a face on one side it will extrude on the other.  

I want to then add a missle to one side and then have that same missle pop up on the other side by selecting the missle and then "combining" it with the original half (not the duplicated half). This way I can add pieces to my model and I can change those pieces and have them update on the other side interactively, when I tried this it hides the instance.  Is there a way to do this in maya 2016 or is there a plugin that will do this?  

Thanks for anyone's help in advance.

[crisosphinx]

I'm assuming you are building half of a missile and want to combine it and mirror it...

If that's the case, combine your duplicated geometry, make sure it's verticies are merged, then duplicate special the missle to the otherside. If you combine that new geometry (the mirrored missle) to the original, select it at vert level and then make sure your manipulator is set to mirror mode. You will then be able to move both sides of the missile at once.

If you want to post an image of what you're working on, I'll be more than happy to help you a bit more. 

[randysuggstre-gmail-com]

yup! me too....he right...combine your duplicated geometry, make sure it's verticies are merged, then duplicate special the missle to the otherside