Lesson X - Modifying Shapes In The 2D Shaper (Part IV)
This is the last lesson for the Modify submenus in the 2D Shaper. We shall explore the the Axis... submenu in this lesson. First access the 2D Shaper by hitting the "F1" key on your keyboard. Then click on the shapes function Modify. This will bring up a list of commands and submenus. Click on the Axis... submenu. You will see the following commands : Place, Center, Show, Hide and Home. We shall discuss these commands in an interactive tutorial.

The Place Command
This command allows you to place the axis anywhere in the 2D workspace but first of all, let's discuss the "axis" and it's functions. When geometrical transformations are carried out, they need a relative point in space to base the transformations on. For example, if you enlarge a box on a Cartesian plane by the scale of 2 about point (3,2) (you should understand this if you have some mathematical knowledge) the axis acts as the point of origin (0,0) . So instead of shifting the objects or the point of enlargement you move the axis around because in 3D Studio the enlargement and other transformations always occur about the origin. To make things simple, the placement of the axis affects the transformations you carry out on the polygon. To use this command, click Place on the Axis... menu. Move your mouse cursor to the desired location and click once. The axis will be placed there (make sure you turn the axis' visibility on first - see below). Then try some transformations on a few polygons with the axis in different positions to see the effect and the use of the axis. Make sure local axis button is off when you use the global axis.

The Center Command
This command is used to center the axis on an object. The axis is moved to the center of the object's bounding box. Use this command to make enlargements 'on the spot' and not enlargement that move about the screen. It can be used with other transformations to achieve the same results. To use this command click Center and then click on the target shape. The axis will be automatically centered on the shape. To see it, you will have to turn on the axis' visibility.

The Show Command
This command allows you to display the axis' position as a black cross. This command is useful to show the effects of the other commands in this submenu. To use this command, click Show on the menu. The axis will appear on the screen. Remember, this command works agnostically with the Hide command. Only one can be active at any time. The active commnad is indicated by a asterisk.

The Hide Command
This command realigns the - it hides the axis. Although the axis is hidden, remember that it is always active at all times. To use this command, click on Hide. The expected will occur.

The Home Command
This command realigns the axis to it's home position - the true origin. It is useful as it is difficult to manually place the axis on the point of origin. To use this command, click Home in the Axis... submenu and the axis will automatically be realigned.

3D Studio MAX
In 3D Studio MAX the axis considered when modifying an object is always a local axis centered on the object so there are no similar commands in 3D Studio MAX.

This concludes the last of the lessons related to the Modify menu which discussed the Axis... submenu. We will explore another submenu in the next lesson (should be ready in a week or two).

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