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Mirroring troubles


nemyax

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The Copy/Flip/Attach command is mirroring my half-model across the XZ plane instead of the YZ plane. How do I fix this? It doesn't happen for all models, but it does for this one.

6c2b022b22465e77dfbe882fed943907.png

On a related note, is there a real instancing-based mirror mode? The face-icon mirror mode (although useful for gluing points to YZ) doesn't cut it, because it only mirrors transforms.

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  • Hash Fellow

Take a look in my list of tuts (link in my signature), there is one on copy/flip/attach basics.

 

Yes, I'm too lazy to find the specific link. :rolleyes:


And that looks like a cool creature you're making!

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Tell me more about what that is.

 

It's when one half is an instance of the other, so whatever you do to the one (split, extrude, weld, transform, etc.) is reflected in the other, so you work with both halves at once. The crude implementation is to use the model's instance scaled -1 on the mirror axis. Better ones let you define the mirror plane and keep your vertices from jumping off it.

What other modelling software are you familiar with so I can point a finger at the tool?

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  • Admin

The ulitmate instancing mirror tool would mirror in any direction you desire.

Luckily, A:M has that capability and more through the crude method you describe.

 

The prime example. create an empty Model and drag/drop it into a new Chor *twice* (or more times if you prefer)

It's usually best here if you delete/remove everything from that Chor (ground plane etc.)

 

In the PWS enter the instance of one Model and scale it 100% in the X axis (or Y axis if mirroring up/down)

 

Now you can model either in the original Model or in the Chor (in Modeling Mode) and see your splines draw and shapes form in real time on both sides of the mirror.

When done, simply export the Chor as a Model. This is a really fast way to rig too although the Mirror Bones is specifically designed for this.

 

Another (more complicated... but fun... way) would be to use a plugin such as Sweeper but instead of sweeping shapes you want to set settings to duplicate objects.

For a simple mirroring you want to create two splines each pointing outward (because the orientation and direction of the spline is important) and *the trick* is to set the in scale to 100 but the middle and end to 0%. Then Sweeper will mirror the whatever shape/object you select to duplicate. This has the advantage of being able to create many variations on a theme on the fly just by drawing and selecting new targets. (This probably needs a video tutorial so I'll try to do that) The downside is that you don't get to see the mirroring appear in real time as you create or edit the original shape.

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Now you can model either in the original Model or in the Chor (in Modeling Mode) and see your splines draw and shapes form in real time on both sides of the mirror.

 

Thanks, that's just what the doctor ordered! I knew there was bound to be some way to make an instance.

 

e936ce3a85086481c488e7ca063be5d0.png

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  • Hash Fellow

Rodney beat me to it!

 

A:M doesn't have instancing in the model window but it does in the Chor and you can do modeling in the chor

 

 

When done, simply export the Chor as a Model.

 

 

I'll note that if your half-model has a center-spline on the mirror axis, you may want to go back to the model and do a copy/flip/attach there as your final step rather than export two halves from the Chor.

 

That should save you from having to delete the duplicated center spline and reattaching a bunch of loose spline ends onto the original center spline.

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  • Hash Fellow

What other modelling software are you familiar with so I can point a finger at the tool?

 

 

You will be shocked to know that I kinda stopped paying attention to the others once i got to A:M which was quite a while ago. :o

 

I did get Maya when i was doing AnimationMentor and I worked through the new-user book and after every project I thought, "damn, that would have been way easier in A:M" :rolleyes:

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