Transform

The Transform tool options palette.

 

Transformation controller with scale arrows (a) off and (b) on.

 

This tool is a combination of the move, rotate, and scale transformations. That is, it can be used to execute any of these transformations. To apply it, with the tool active, click on the object you wish to transform. A controller is displayed immediately and can be used to transform the object. The controller consists of a center, three axes, and three concentric circles. When one of the Scaling options is checked in the Transform tool options palette, arrow heads are also displayed at the ends of the axes.

• To move the object, you click on the center, drag it, and click again to set the new position. To restrict the motion to a direction parallel to one of the axes, you click on an axis, drag, and click again.

 

• To rotate the object, you click on one of the circles, move the cursor along the circle, and click again to set a new position. Each circle represents a rotation relative to one of the Cartesian planes.

 

• To scale the object, you click on an arrow head, drag it along the respective axis, and click again. If Uniform Scaling is on, the whole object is scaled. If Non Uniform Scaling is on, the object is scaled only in the direction of the picked arrow.

When the Transform Texture Map Control option is on, an object’s texture map control is transformed with the object. This option is on by default and represents how texture controls were handled in prior versions. When this option is off, the texture map control is not transformed with the object. This can be useful, for example, when scaling an object where the texture scale is important, such as a brick pattern.

The Transform tool can be used to transform the object itself or to make a copy. It can Transform Picked Entities or it can Transform Controller, which is selected in the options palette.

Transformations: (a) original object, (b,c,d) rotations, (e) uniform scale, and (f,g) non uniform scale.