3ds Max - Moving Objects Accurately

By Dennis Collin

Whilst editing elements within Max it is all too easy to inadvertently move or rotate an object. This error often isn’t noticed until render time and users tend to move the offending object manually which may adversely affect the quality and accuracy of the final output. This process can take time and risks further mistakes being made compounding the error.

Whilst users could utilise backup files or Max’s ‘hold’ and ‘fetch’ feature, there is another method which may prove useful; the transform type-in dialogue.

The type in dialogue has been present in Max for many years and is easily accessed by right-clicking on the Move, Rotate or Scale icons. Alternatively, the same function is also available at the bottom of the screen below the time slider interface.

In the image below we can see a tree object that has been rotated away and moved from its desired position.

By selecting the tree and right-clicking the rotate function we can set the rotational angles in all axes. Setting all 3 axes within the absolute world fields will reposition the tree in a vertical and desired aspect. By using the move and rotate functions the desired position can be done both quickly and accurately.

If the object needs to be moved or rotated in a relative manner from its current position, utilise the offset world values instead.