How to rotate the UCS in Max

[adricorrea]

I wonder if some can help with this.

 

I used to model my work in Autocad, in which you can easily rotate you UCS to match any wall (shape) angle, them from the new angle you could continue modeling and your new shapes, surfaces, etc will be perfectly parallel or perpendicular to it.

 

I started modeling using max about 4 years ago, but shame on me I haven't been able to find something similar to that and although I always find other ways of making it work, it will be great if someone knows if it can be done in Max, and how you do it:confused::confused:

[Stephen Thomas]

Go to Helpers tab in the command panel and select grid. Draw out a grid in your top viewport then rotate it to the desired angle, or align it to an existing object if you prefer. Now with the grid selected, right click and choose 'activate grid' from the quad menu that appears. The custom grid is now your chosen UCS. To revert back select the grid helper again and right click but this time choose 'activate home grid'. You can set up as many of these custom grids as you want and rotate them in three dimensions.

 

If you're used to AutoCAD style functionality you may want to check the user reference files for how to add ortho and polar snapping modes to your toolbars as well.

[AFK_Matrix]

Well u obviously have your top, bottom, left, right, front and back views. The easy way I have found of doing a custom view is to use the Grid tool. Its under helper and you can rotate and position it how you like. Then if you right click on the viewport heading, like top,front etc, then there is an option then to change the viewport to grid. Thus you are now looking on your grid.

[adricorrea]

Great, thank you very much it works, just one more thing.

 

I did my grid, rotate it to my desirable angle and then all the new shapes were following my new angle, GREAT:D, exept for, I convert a shape to a editable mesh and then tried to move some of the vertex in parallel, but the X - Y arrow were not following the new grid, but the normal one.

 

Is it something that I am missing:(

[Tommy Burns]

Yes select the grid, right click and activate grid Now select "grid" in your co-ord options ( the one that usually says "view)

Another one you can select is "local" and turn on auto grid

[adricorrea]

Thank you very much all, problem sorted.

[Derek Forreal]

does anyone know if there's a way to set the coordinate system origin to the origin of the user grid?

 

so i create a grid, move its origin away from the world origin, and would like the user origin to be 0,0,0 in the coordinates readout.

 

TIA

[Derek Forreal]

you may want to check the user reference files for how to add polar snapping mode

 

damn! i've been using max for a while now and this is the first i've heard of polar snapping. why on earth would they bury it like this?!

 

thanks for the tip Stephen