Local Transformations
Overview
Local Transformations are performed along the principal axes of an Object, which can be thought as the most natural axes for the rotation of an Object.
As an example, the Local axes for a cube, a cylinder, and a dome are:
Local Transformations for Position and Rotation are done directly in the Scene Viewport in Local mode. To switch to Local mode simply click on the Local Global icon on the top Menu of the Viewport.
The Local mode allows one to change the Position, Rotation, and Scale of an Object. It can also be used for several Objects and Groups.
Position
To modify an Object's Position, click on the Translate icon, second from the left on the top Menu. This will make a gizmo appear, showing the axes along which the Object's Position can be modified. In Local mode, the Object's Local axes are shown.
To move an Object along an axis, click on the preferred axis and drag the Object. It can also be moved in any direction by dragging the center of the gizmo or in a plane by dragging the square between two axes.
The example below shows an Object being moved along its Local axes.
Rotation
To be able to rotate an Object, click on the Rotate icon, third from the left on the top Menu. This will make the rotation gizmo appear for the Object. Each circle represents an axis along which a rotation can be performed. For rotating the Object, click on a circle of the gizmo and drag towards the direction in which to perform the rotation. In Local mode, the Object is rotated with respect to its own Local axes.
The example below shows an Object being locally rotated. Note that as the Object is rotated, its Local axes also rotate.
Scale
Scaling an Object can be done either in the Scene Viewport or in the Object's Attributes.
To scale an Object in the Viewport, simply locate the Scale icon fourth from the left on the top Menu. This will make the scale gizmo appear. Each axis ends in a small cube and pulling on these axes, after clicking with the mouse, will change the shape of the Object, as if molding it like clay. The Object is always scaled with respect to its Local axes.
The example below shows a cube being scaled in the Viewport.
It is also possible to scale an Object from its Attributes. For this, modify the Scale values under Transformation in the Attribute Editor: with a right-click, a drop-down Menu for the step change opens; after choosing the step, change the value by scrolling or use the up and down arrows at the right of the value. It is also possible to directly set the value in the input box.
The following example shows the modification of the Scale values for a Cube.
Several Objects
It is also possible to perform Local Transformations on several Objects at once. For this, simply select the Objects to modify either in the Scene View or in the Scene Outliner. It will show the gizmo positioned in the center of all the selected Objects and the axes direction of the last selected Object.
Transformations will then apply to all selected Objects.
The first example shows the Transformation gizmo of each individual Object and then how it looks when they are all selected.
The next two examples show the translation of two cubes and the rotation of two cylinders, respectively.
Groups
Another way of performing Transformations over several Objects is by putting them into a Group. Then, performing Transformations over the Group will Transform the Objects that compose it as if they all were just parts of only one Object.
The example below shows a Local rotation and translation of a Group composed of two cylinders and a cube.
External Links
Principal Axes on Wikipedia.
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