Keeping tracK of scale ?

[Cowboybebop]

How do you keep tracK of scale ? In the sense of one object being in-proportion to the next object and or it's surrounds. Like everything is measured from the same unit. :?:

[Andy]

The size of the selection is shown at the top left of the control panel.

If you need to set an object to a specific size, use Size-to on the control panel (press the > button to fill the fields with the current size).

Andy

[Cowboybebop]

What is the unit of measurement AC3d is using ? And does x, y, z equal width, height, and length, in relation to scaling ?

While I got your attention , how can I take a straight line and curve it. What I would like to do is take something existing and modify it. Like a mesh let's pretend it's a sheet of metal. Take the sheet of metal and bend it forward from the XY view until it resembles the shape of the letter 'C' ? The thing is I am having trouble figuring out drawing curves other than; by hand, cutting ellipses and subdivision. It's not bad by hand but I can't always draw the different curves correctly with a mouse.

[Andy]

AC3D uses 'units' - they are simply a number and can be treated as anything you like. e.g. in VRML they are meters. Some people use them as mm. AC3D is used for many different purposes. You may want to set the grids to a different size e.g. to work in inches and eighths of a inch, set the grids to 1.0 and 0.125 (1/8ths).

To curve to a straight line, use Vertex->insert-vertex to add extra vertices along the line then move the vertices. Use Surface->spline to make the line smoother (it inserts vertices to make the curve smoother).

For a 3D surface, try making a rectangle, using surface->divide to make it into four rectangles. Set the subdivision property in the Tools->Object property editor and move the vertices. You can make nice smooth shapes from simple basic shapes this way.

Andy

[Cowboybebop]

Thanks for all the replies,

That way is good but what I was interested in was drawing a curvy surface then extruding or revovling it. And wanted to know it their was a quickier way of doing it then by hand. The subdivision is great but it leaves cleaves when I use it (draw a cylinder and subdivide once) and I need to play with it some more. I guess the easiest way to explain it is if you ever used photoshop you can draw straight lines and curved lines. Drawing a curved line or modify something straight(not globally like subdivide) to various curves(having control) is what I wanted to do. I'm a noob so this may not make sense so forgive me if my questions stink.

Also I will try spline used it once by accident and the effect was funky



EDIT: Spline is the answer :wink: Thanks again :cry: I've come so far and learned so much, And AC3d has so many features I seem to stumble across a new one with every use.