Pivot of Prop

In iClone, each object has its own Pivot, which is the base for the Transform data. If you intend to attach or link a prop to another, then the pivots are also the bases for both objects. It can also be taken as the Center of the object. Switch to the Gizmo mode so that you may see the position of the pivot in selected objects, since the Gizmo is located in the same place as the pivot.

The fully flexible Pivot Editing system allows you to assign different object positions as pivots, so that you can easily create rolling wheels or rotating doors.

What is Pivot

Once you create an object via your favorite 3D software (such as SketchUp), the pivot will automatically generate. Some of the 3D editing tools allow you to assign pivots manually; otherwise it assigns the pivot automatically. Other 3D editing tools do not provide this feature. Therefore, if you create your object away from the origin, then the pivot will be eccentric. iClone also loads objects with their pivots aligned to the world axis if you double-click to apply them.

  • Create Model in SketchUp.
  • The pivot of the model is set at the origin.
  • Double-click to load the model.
  • The pivot aligns to the world axis.

How does the pivot affect Transform Data

Since the pivot is the base for the transform data to refer to, then the Move, Rotate and Scale work according to the pivots of objects. If a pivot is outside of the model entity, then unexpected results happen, especially Rotate and Scale, when you adjust the transform data of the object.

Move

Rotate

Scale

Set the pivot location

You might come across models that have eccentric pivots. In iClone, you may freely change the pivot of the selected object without the use of any external software.

Please select the target prop and toggle the Gizmo mode to view the position of the pivot. And go to the Pivot section under its attribute tab in the Modify panel.|

Using Quick Set

Each prop is surrounded with a bounding box which shows the height, the width and the depth range of the prop. There are 27 fixed points located on the bounding box for quickly setting the location of the pivot.

  1. Select a prop and switch to the move, rotate or scale tool. Turn on its gizmo.
  2. Use the drop-down list to decide which intersect plane of the bounding box you want to use.

    Front intersected plane

    Middle intersected plane

    Back intersected plane

  3. Click on one of the nine points to re-locate the position of the pivot.

    ClosedNote:
    • Do not rotate a prop and then set its pivot with Quick Set feature. Because this feature always sets pivots according to a straight virtual box that fits the prop, which can mess up the pivot's position.

    A rotated pyramid and a box surrounding it.

    Back >> Top is set to the pyramid according to the box's orientation.

Setting Pivot Anywhere

If the prop shape is complicated and using the Quick Set does not ensure the pivot is re-located to the correct position of the prop, then you need to set the pivot freely by manual Edit Pivot.

  1. Select a prop to relocate its pivot.
  2. Click the Edit Pivot button. You will see that the pivot of the prop may be eccentric as the illustration shows below.
  3. Use the Move tool to relocate the pivot to the desired position of the prop.
    Alternatively, you may enter exact values for relocating the position of the pivot.
  4. Since the pivot's orientation is always local, then use the Rotate tool to align the pivot orientation to the prop.

    Before adjustment

    After adjustment

  5. Click the Edit Pivot button again to leave the editing mode.
    ClosedNote:

    Please refer to the World or Local Axis section for more information on the reason that you need to rotate the pivot orientation.