align question

[Guest nazcaLine]

can you align sub-objects in max???

i mean if i am in vertex mode, and have many vertexes at different heights, and i want them to be at one height, can i use the align tool?? and how???

i've tried but got no satisfactory results.

please help!!!!!

[Brian Smith]

sure...2 ways (maybe more)...select all the vertices and in edit mesh mode click on View Align...in edit poly mode click on Make Planar (z)

[sterealkey]

Thanx for that Brian, I also didnt know about the Make planar - always wondered what it does.

[John Dollus]

For vertices, you can also do this by selecting them, right click over the non-uniform scale button on the toolbar and right click on the spinners for whichever axis you want them aligned to. This will avg their position along the selected axis and move all vertices to this position. If you need them at a specific point, do that and then press W to open the move dialog box and type in the position

[Guest nazcaLine]

thank you very much...you guys are the masters of the (max) universe!!!

but hey..i tried to do it with the vertexes of a spline and nothing happened...why?? how could i align the spline's vertexes????

[alias_marks]

Good question, I've been trying to figure out how to align spline verticies for while.

 

Wish things were like blender in some ways. Makes sense to me you should be able to scale verts to zero just like polygon verts. Any solutions out there?

 

thanks,

 

DownTown MikeBrown

[sterealkey]

I'm glad to see theres another Belnderhead among us. I used to be a big fan of blender, still use it from time to time when it comes modelling organic shapes. Much easier and better than in Max.

 

The best way I can think of, depending on how many vertices there are in your spline, is to check the X, Y or Z value of the one you want to align the rest to and the axis on which this falls. Then select each of the other ones individually and setting the value for that axis to match with the desired position.

 

Follow the steps in my screenshot.

[Koper]

if you'r using a spline and you want all the vertexes to be on the same Z-axis coordinate you can always use the 'melt' modifier. Make the amount extremely large and the spread zero. also, it moves the vertexes to the lowest vertex height. after doing this, just convert the object to a spline object again.

 

Now, if you want to have it all move in the X or Y axis, all you need to do is rotate the melt gizmo 90 degrees in the coresponding axis.

 

Piet, your method works but when you have a spline with more the 50 vertexes it gonna get long:)

[sterealkey]

Good point Koper.

 

Your method is much less obvious, I cant say that I woulve thought of that ever. Good thinking mate! Lekker.

[Koper]

glad I could help chomma:D

[Guest nazcaLine]

koper:you're great man, i didn't even knew that modifier existed. thamk you!!!

[chutti]

AdriaaN...... i must say WOOOOOOW!!! THANK YOU MAN!!

[bragibjornson]

or you could use the vertPlacer included in the Soulburn scripts - you can average or place vertices in the X, Y, or Z Axis.

[Peter M. Gruhn]

Good question, I've been trying to figure out how to align spline verticies for while.

 

Wish things were like blender in some ways. Makes sense to me you should be able to scale verts to zero just like polygon verts. Any solutions out there?

 

thanks,

 

DownTown MikeBrown

 

Yes, you "scale the spline verts to zero, just like polygon verts." Unless I totally don't get the question.

 

Looks like the trick might be that Max defaults spline vert scaline to "use pivot point center" which tries to scale each vert relative to itself. You just want to switch that to "use selection center" then non-uniform scale on Z to zero.