Standard Size Mesh Avatars Maya Question Pivot Point?

[Rai Triellis]

I am wondering if someone could help me out, I have brought in the files I downloaded into Maya and when I go to rotate around for modelling purposes in Maya I am not able to. I believe it has to do with the pivot point. I am able to model an rotate just fine when I change the pivot point but I am not sure this is the right thing to do. 

Should I change the pivot point on my avatar so I can model easier or is there another easier way to rotate around the avatar on that axis that the files already come with? 

 

Thanks

[Chosen Few]

My guess is you've got your world orientation in your Maya preferences set differently from that of the scene you're trying to open.  That can sometimes put the camera into gimbal lock.

By default, Maya is set to Z-up.  If the scene you're opening is Y-up, that may be your issue.  If that's indeed the case, then the fix is simple.  Get out of the scene you're in by creating a new one, and then click Window -> Settings/Preferences -> Preferences.  In the Preferences dialog, click on Settings, in the left hand column.   Now, on the right, under World Coordinate System, change the up axis to Y, and save.  Again, get out of the scene by creating a new one, and then open the scene that had been giving you trouble.  If the world orientation was the problem, it should be solved now.

 

If that wasn't the issue, pease explain the problem a little more clearly.  What exactly happens when you try to move the camera?

Also, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "pivot point" in this context.

A camera's pivot point can be different from its focus point.  To change the focus point of the camera, simply select an object (or a component of an object) and press F.  The camera will now orbit around the item when you alt-drag. 

To change the acual pivot point of a camera, you'd need to select the camera (while looking at it through another camera), press Insert to show the pivot manipulator, move the pivot to where you want it, and then press Insert again to return the manipulator to normal.  Ditto for movin the piviot of any other object (or component of an object).

Is one of those things what you were talking about, or did you mean something else?

[Rai Triellis]

Thanks for your help will try your advice.

[Rai Triellis]

I tried your advice but the axis is already set on Y. 

My problem can be fixed if I rotate the avatar -90 degrees then I have no problem mdelling around using Alt and my mouse button, but if I use the default secen brought in and try those commands, it only allows me to rotate up and down not around the avatar model in Maya. Rotating -90 degrees I was wondering if that was ok to do or if it well mess up my import into SL.

[Chosen Few]

If it's already set to Y, set it to Z.

It really sounds like the scene's orientation is at odds with your global orientation.

[Codewarrior Congrejo]

In general you should not move the pivot point of the avatar's model (unless you just need it to build clothes and attachments around)

And even here it could become tricky. One of the reasons why you can't rotate it in certain directions might be what the other person already suggested. But apart from that it also might depend on if the mesh / model you have is being parented to a bone armature and thus underlying it's constraints. 

Moving the pivot point will in that case also mess with your ability to pose this rig (if it has one) in order to test if your clothing or rigged items work properly. As well as it can cause a lot of other problems like how an object would be rezzed or placed inworlds etc. (it could move a model to unwanted positions when it contains an armature / boneset and its pivotpoint would move - since SL considers the pivot of the avatar and the armature to be at "origin" 0,0,0 location and 0,0,0 rotation) 

One way is as he suggested to try and switch the axes in maya and see if either Y or Z up brings some help.
Another way would be to not rotate about the pivot point rather then switching to rotate about a meridian point or the active object.

Also check all constraint settings for this object it may have some constraints on it. And change them to your needs. (but always keep one untouched original of it for when you actually have to export your mesh with bonepositions included)

Cheers! Code

[Compulsion Overdrive]

I had this problem on first opening the standard size file, first go to preferences/settings and change the up axis to Z as suggested and then to reset  the camera go to view in your perspective view menu and click default view or just press ALT+HOME