Match and Align

With the Match and Align functions you can position objects in relation to each other in 3D space for animations or for layout purposes. With most of these functions, you make a selection and then click the appropriate button to get the desired result. Also, Modo provides Match and Align dialog panels where you can specify options for more control.

• Item Position: This command matches the World Position of one item to that of a second item based on their center points. This button is in Setup sub-tab of the default toolbox in the Setup interface layout. Select the desired elements in Items mode prior to invoking the command. Because the selection order matters, be careful when you select the items: Modo moves the first item selected to match the position of the second item selected (the target). Modo ignores subsequent selections beyond the first two and also ignores the Scale and Rotation values of the selected items.

• Center Position: This command matches the World Position of one item's Center to that of another item's Center without affecting the geometry location. This button is in the Setup sub-tab of the default toolbox in the Setup interface layout. It may be under the Item Position button. If so, right-click to open the pop-up menu. Select the desired elements in Items mode prior to invoking the command. Because the selection order matters, be careful when you select the items: Modo moves the Center of the first item selected to match the Center of the second item selected (the target). Modo ignores subsequent selections beyond the first two and also ignores the Scale and Rotation values of the selected items.

• Pivot Position: This command matches the World Position of one item's Pivot to that of another item's Pivot without affecting the geometry location. This button is in the Setup sub-tab of the default toolbox in the Setup interface layout. (It may be under the Item Position button. If so, right-click to open the pop-up menu.) Select the desired elements in Items mode prior to invoking the command. Because the selection order matters, be careful when you select the items: Modo moves the first selected item's Pivot position to match the Pivot position of the second item selected (the target). Modo ignores subsequent selections beyond the first two and also ignores the Scale and Rotation values of the selected items.

• Item Rotation: This command matches the world orientation of one item to that of a second item based on their Center points. This button is in the Setup sub-tab of the default toolbox in the Setup interface layout. Select the desired elements in Items mode prior to invoking the command. Because the selection order matters, be careful when you select the items: Modo rotates the item selected first to match the rotation of the second item selected (the target). Modo ignores subsequent selections beyond the first two and also ignores the Scale and Position values of the selected items.

• Center Rotation: This command matches the world orientation of one item's Center to that of another item's Center without affecting the geometry, orientation, or position. This button is in the Setup sub-tab of the default toolbox in the Setup interface layout. It may be under the Item Rotation button If so, right-click to open the pop-up menu. Select the desired elements in Items mode prior to invoking the command. Because the selection order matters, be careful when you select the items: Modo rotates the Center of the item selected first to match the rotation of Center of the second item selected (the target). Modo ignores subsequent selections beyond the first two and also ignores the Scale and Position values of the selected items.

• Pivot Rotation: This command matches the world orientation of one item's Pivot to that of another item's Pivot without affecting the geometrical orientation or position. This button is in the Setup sub-tab of the default toolbox in the Setup interface layout. It may be located under the Item Rotation button. If so, right-click to open the popp menu. Select the desired elements in Items mode prior to invoking the command. Because the selection order matters, be careful when you select the items: Modo rotates the Pivot of the item selected first to match the rotation of Pivot of the second item selected (the target). Modo ignores subsequent selections beyond the first two and also ignores the Scale and Position values of the selected items.

• Match Scale: This command matches the world scale of one item to that of a second item based on their Center points. This button is in the Setup sub-tab of the default toolbox in the Setup interface layout. Select the desired elements in Items mode prior to invoking the command. Because the selection order matters, be careful when you select the items: Modo scales the item selected first to match the scale of the second item selected (the target). Modo ignores subsequent selections beyond the first two and also ignores the Position and Rotation values of the selected items.

• Match : With this command, you can select precisely how Modo matches two elements. This button is in the Setup sub-tab of the default toolbox in the Setup interface layout. Select the desired elements in Items mode prior to invoking the command. Because the selection order matters, be careful when you select the items: Modo acts upon the item selected first to match the second item selected (the target). Once you select the items, clicking the Match command opens the dialog requester.

• Mode: This setting determines what is being affected: Item modifies the item itself, Center modifies only the item's Center point, and Pivot modifies only the item's Pivot point.

• Type: This setting specifies which value Modo matches from one item to another. You can specify Position, Rotation, or Scale.

• Axis: This setting specifies which axis Modo matches from one item to another. You can specify X, Y, Z, or All.

• Average: If you enable Average, Modo averages the values of both items selected when applying final values.

• Align: When setting up item hierarchies for Inverse Kinematics, a parent's Center position must point toward its child's Center position for proper results. If the items in the hierarchy were created off-axis (rotated away from any of the plane's axes), the Align command helps to orient an item's Center position so that it aligns directly toward its child's Center. You can also use Align for other general alignments tasks (such as fixing improperly oriented joints in a skeleton). You can find this in the Setup sub-tab of the default toolbox of the Setup interface layout. To use, select the two target item layers in the hierarchy to affect and then choose the command. The target items must have a direct parent-child relationship defined. Selecting the command opens the following dialog box.

• Mode: Specify to modify either the parent item's Center or Pivot rotations.

• Orientation: Select the orientation of the item when rotated. Direction defines the axis that points toward the child, Axis defines the actual orientation.

• Up Axis: Specify to use the Scene or one of the three world axes for rotation.

• Negative Axis: When enabled, orients the Up Axis in the negative direction.