"Modeling" in an Action

[someawfulbridge]

I'm trying to line up two different components in a model very precisely, one row of "parts" to a panel that's at a bizarre angle. I can do my trigonometry, so I've never had trouble matching angles on one or two planes, but since this panel is rotated on all three planes it's proving surprisingly hard to match up--I've been doing inverse tangents 'til my eyes bleed, and it's just not working.

 

A cursory look at some other forum posts had someone mentioning lining things up in an action, and that kinda worked--I made a bone for the panel, a bone for the parts, and in an action window used orient like/translate to constraints and the "parts" and panel were right where they were supposed to be.

 

My question is this, then--how do I make that change reflected/permanent part of the model proper? It seems like creating a pose for each of the parts/panels that will have to line up will cause me to end up with what should be a simple model cluttered up with a bunch of relationships and bones that are never otherwise touched.

 

Thanks for your help!

Mark

[itsjustme]

Export the Action as a model.

 

Hope that helps.

[someawfulbridge]

It keeps the group names and everything. Brilliant--thanks!

[Gerry]

That's a handy tip. I think I've learned more about AM in the past year than in the previous 9, but maybe more accurate to say that my knowledge base allows me to pick up the new stuff faster.