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Hello everyone, in this very short tutorial we will see how to make and use a tape measure
to calculate the distances in 3D Studio MAX; we will also see,
how to use the segment defined so as a reference system to transform other objects.
The tape measure is, mainly, a segment, with a head and a target point.
We may add an object like that by opening the Helpers panel and selecting the Tape item.
On a 3D window, we click with the left mouse button at some point and drag,
defining the segment, as if we were using a tape measure.
We can select either the head of the segment, pictured with a small pyramid, or the target,
pictured with a cube, or just the entire segment, clicking upon its body;
the selected elements can be transformed, whereby we can, for example,
hold still segment’s head and move the target, or the other way around or even translate everything
(keeping the length of the tape measure unchanged) selecting the object’s body and dragging.
To view the information about the object, we select only its head and open the Modify panel.
At this point we take notice that we can use Tape in another way as well: instead of measuring
a distance by moving the head or the target, we may define it and use
the tape as a reference to position an object in relation to another.
In both cases, is good to keep in mind that the positioning of a Tape could be misleading
if takes place in a single window, since the head and the target could be in different heights;
therefore is better to observe the scene from at least two viewpoints, for example Top,
the top view, and Left or Front, that is the left side or frontal view.
At this point we can also change the reference system using the tape just defined.
That can be useful, for example, for translate or rotate one or more objects towards
the direction indicated by our Tape object or the two perpendicular directions.
To put what is said into practice, we select the Pick item from the Reference Coordinate System
dropdown menu and click, on a 3D window, on Tape measure.
At this point we can insert and transform objects using the tape’s local reference system
as global coordinate system.
That's all, I hope you liked it! Bye bye!