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Scholar
#126 Old 28th Dec 2009 at 11:57 PM
MM, you also have to change the drop off bit, I have that down to the lowest and the opacity down low, must admit it isn't always great. I've taken to doing lots in the game, not though CAW, so that I have a little more control.

The rotate thing, trial and error and I usually end up deleting them half the time too, it's not very accurate, neither is the move tool, they're tempremental
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Eminence Grise
#127 Old 29th Dec 2009 at 12:45 AM
Quote: Originally posted by MondayMorning
Perhaps it's just me, but is it ridiculously difficult to rotate a fence, or post, or even a billboard once you've put it down? I can never get the rotate tool to function properly, and the blue, green, and red sphere that appears around the objects is difficult to figure out.

Do you all have better methods of placing and rotating an object post placement? I hate having to go and delete and try again, fail, delete and try again...fail. And so on.


The blue, green and red circles are the three axes of rotation -- X, Y, and Z. Same with the three lines that appear when the move tool is selected. If you click and drag one of the axes, you're only moving or rotating in that diemension. You might want to move or rotate your billboard horizontally only, keeping it parallel to the ground, for instance.

I agree that it's pretty much impossible to rotate things interactively in CAW, with the mouse... because the result of the rotation doesn't show up until after you've finished moving the mouse (the screen doesn't refresh while dragging, at least on my comp). So I rotate things by typing values in the grid to the lower left of the render window -- you can specify X, Y and Z values numerically there.

Moving things works much better for me... I can see things move as I drag. I always drag using the lines (X, Y and Z), because it is very hard in a 3D-space to know for sure which axes you're moving something along. You could inadvertently be moving it closer to you as well as up, for instance.

With CAW, like all 3D apps, you really need to make sure to check the placement of an object from all angles -- something can appear to be perfectly placed from the top, when in fact it's floating three feet off the ground, for instance. Move the camera all around it until you're sure it's properly positioned in all three dimensions.

These issues are pretty much shared by all 3D graphics apps -- there's an inherent difficulty in representing three dimensions on a 2-D space (your monitor). With a little practice it will begin to seem a lot more natural
Field Researcher
#128 Old 29th Dec 2009 at 6:38 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Srikandi
The blue, green and red circles are the three axes of rotation -- X, Y, and Z. Same with the three lines that appear when the move tool is selected. If you click and drag one of the axes, you're only moving or rotating in that diemension...

So I rotate things by typing values in the grid to the lower left of the render window -- you can specify X, Y and Z values numerically there.


I will definitely give this ago next time in CAW! I didn't know you could manually put in the values, but the then again, I didn't realize the axises(?) were indeed X,Y,Z!

Quote: Originally posted by fluttereyes
MM, you also have to change the drop off bit, I have that down to the lowest and the opacity down low, must admit it isn't always great. I've taken to doing lots in the game, not though CAW, so that I have a little more control.


Ah, dragging the drop off all the way down to 0 really did help! The only blotchy-ness I came across was when layering the colors, but I can onlyn assume they won't look that way "in game".

Thanks!

Oh, I just want to add, in regards to rotating objects once they've been placed. I placed a few rocks and plants without having the "snap objects to grid" button pressed, and I found it was easier to do so. The snap function is great for roads and sidewalks, but every time I've been trying to rotate objects, it was with that function enabled. Perhaps that makes a difference?
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retired moderator
#129 Old 29th Dec 2009 at 9:56 AM
Snap to Grid

Use Snap to Grid mode (little green grid button on the toolbar) whenever you place most lots and roads. It will make things line up neatly which makes it easier to align a lot flush against the road, and to place your lots in neat little cohesive blocks.

If you're doing another section that's at an angle to your main neighborhood, you can rotate the grid 45 degrees or whatever.

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Test Subject
#130 Old 29th Dec 2009 at 6:46 PM Last edited by sgcase : 29th Dec 2009 at 6:48 PM. Reason: Edit to add
Easy way to rotate world objects...
When placing the object, do not release the mouse button. You can rotate the object by moving the mouse. I use a track ball but I assume this will work with any type of mouse.

I discovered this last night. It make is so much easier to rotate ocean waves that are almost impossible to rotate with the tool because you can see it in real time.
Forum Resident
#131 Old 29th Dec 2009 at 11:30 PM
Default Finding and deleting unwanted objects
If you have a lot of objects and you have trouble finding the one you want to delete right click on object in World Layer panel. You get the option to "find in render panel" or delete. There are also some other options. See attached.
Screenshots

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Forum Resident
#132 Old 30th Dec 2009 at 12:33 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Srikandi
The blue, green and red circles are the three axes of rotation -- X, Y, and Z. Same with the three lines that appear when the move tool is
selected. I always drag using the lines (X, Y and Z), because it is very hard in a 3D-space to know for sure which axes you're moving something along.

I have never worked with 3D software. Just for my clarification X is blue and moves left or right, Y is green and moves up or down, Z is red and moves front or back? Unless I rotate my map. I guess all I need to remember is that y is always up or down. Do I have that right?

Sometimes the Dragon wins and I AM the Dragon!
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