Not Snapping to Grid in Maya

By David Wayne

Maya's grid-snapping feature helps you keep objects interchangeable when working on a large project with other designers, such as a game or film. In 3-D modeling and programming, objects can exist in different types of space. Object space refers to the 3-D coordinates relative to an object's position; world space refers to the coordinates throughout an entire project; and eye space refers to the coordinates you perceive when a 3-D world is rendered as a 2-D image. Maya's Move tool only snaps to the grid in world space.

Move Tool Options

·                                 Since you can't edit a 3-D model in eye space, Maya only supports moving models through object and world space. The Move tool also works in local space, the coordinates relative to a parent object, and normal mode, a feature designed for working with surface normals. To change the Move tool's space setting, double-click the tool in the toolbar and select “World Space” from the pop-up window.

Grid-Snapping Shortcuts and Toolbar Options

·                                 Maya's toolbar includes five grid-snapping options you can use by clicking the toolbar icon or pressing the corresponding keyboard shortcut. The first, and most common, option snaps an object's pivot point to the grid intersections, and you can select it by pressing “X.” The second option snaps a curve's nodes to grid lines and intersections, and you can enable it by pressing “C.” The third option snaps the selected vertex to the grid intersections, and you can access it by pressing “V.” The less common fourth and fifth options don't include shortcuts. They snap an object's center of geometry to the grid or the viewing plane, respectively.

Edit an Object's Pivot Point

·                                 By default, a pivot point is located exactly in the center of an object, so when you snap an object to the grid, its bottom half extends below the grid. To make an object appear as though it rests on the grid, move its pivot point to a vertex along the bottom edge. Press “Insert” to enable moving the pivot point, then press “C” to enable snapping the pivot to a vertex. Click a vertex to move the pivot to that vertex, then press “Insert” to toggle off moving the pivot. Now, when you hold down “X” while moving the object, its bottom face sits flush with the grid.

Make an Object Live

·                                 When you create a curve while holding down “C,” the nodes snap to the world grid, but if you want them to snap to a custom grid based on a model, use Maya's Live Object feature. For example, you can snap nodes to a contoured plane object by selecting the plane, clicking “Make Live” and adding curve nodes while holding “C.” Normally, all the nodes have the same Z coordinate, making them appear flat, but when you snap them to a live, contoured plane, they follow the plane's Z coordinates as well as the grid's X and Y coordinates. With this feature, you can snap nodes to grids based on organic shapes, such as human faces, hills or mountains.