How can I load a prop or a figure to a particular spot?

Sertorial

It's really annoying, whenever I load something into my scene, I can never see where it is. It's loaded somewhere miles away and then it takes me ages to find it and bring it back to where I want it (which in three dimensions is really tricky!)

Is there something I'm missing here? I can't believe DS wouldn't have an option to load something where you actually want it?

Jaderail

All (most) items load to the center of the World base (the Default grid). If you hold down the Alt key you will get a Yellow Red target that you can place your item with, it will be under your pointer. Note your item will still be at ground level.

Joe Cotter

Great tip, I didn't realize this. As an alternative, after loading the prop, go to the Parameters tab and put desired in the x/y/z coordinates then save as a preset. Sometimes the coordinates can be copied from other objects in the scene either directly or as a new starting point for the object in question.

Sertorial

Jaderail said:

All (most) items load to the center of the World base (the Default grid). If you hold down the Alt key you will get a Yellow Red target that you can place your item with, it will be under your pointer. Note your item will still be at ground level.

Just tried that. Holding down "alt" whilst loading doesn't do anything. Just loads to the world centre again. What am I doing wrong?

wancow

see this thread:
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/16093/

Sertorial

wancow said:

see this thread:
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/16093/

thanks. I got as far as creating the null and putting it where I wanted it. But then you lost me. What do I save that file as, a scene file?

wancow

call up whatever object or figure, parent it to the null, and zero out the XYZ translation for the object parented to the null in the parameters tab.

Jaderail

Sertorial said:

Jaderail said:

All (most) items load to the center of the World base (the Default grid). If you hold down the Alt key you will get a Yellow Red target that you can place your item with, it will be under your pointer. Note your item will still be at ground level.

Just tried that. Holding down "alt" whilst loading doesn't do anything. Just loads to the world centre again. What am I doing wrong?Holding Alt does not work with a Double Click load. You need to do a Drag load.Hold Alt and then click the item (hold) your mouse button down and then drag the item to the place you want the item to be placed. DO NOT release the Alt or Mouse button until the item is where you want it. This was done that way, Genesis Double Click load the Columns with a Alt Drag load.

Sertorial

wancow said:

call up whatever object or figure, parent it to the null, and zero out the XYZ translation for the object parented to the null in the parameters tab.

I'm sorry to be dim, but when you say "call up" what does that mean?

Maybe I should just annotate your other post so you can see what i am not getting here...

____________________

Load your set. I’m using DzFire’s amazing Old Warehouse. The trouble, is not only does it have many levels, but the base ground is uneven. Ok, I loaded Dream Home living room

Place a NULL where you want the center of your scene to be. zoom in on your null, and set the Y Translate value so that the null is exactly on the ground, so it’s just beginning to disappear into the surface of the ground.
Ok, done that

Save that file.
Do you mean save this as a new scene?

Start a new file, and build your scene with the characters you wish to render in that set.
do you mean load the Dream Home living room again and put all the characters in place in the scene? But surely the object of the exercise here is to be creating a version of the "Dream Home" with a new world centre so all the characters/props etc load somewhere convenient? If I am having to place them all manually anyway, what am I gaining?

Once you have done that, create a NEW null, and parent all those characters to that null. You might also set up a camera and parent that to your null as well.
Sorry, what do you mean by "parent"?

Now merge the set file into your scene.
which "set file" - is this the first version of Dream Home living room I saved as a scene?

Parent the Character Null to the null you placed on the ground in the set. Select the Character Null.
what does "set the character null" mean?

SEt the XYZ Translate value to ZERO!

Voyolay: instantly, your characters are exactly where they are supposed to be!

_______________________________________________________

I'm still not sure why holding down "alt" doesn't work, like Jaderail suggested?

Sertorial

Jaderail said:

Sertorial said:

Jaderail said:

All (most) items load to the center of the World base (the Default grid). If you hold down the Alt key you will get a Yellow Red target that you can place your item with, it will be under your pointer. Note your item will still be at ground level.

Just tried that. Holding down "alt" whilst loading doesn't do anything. Just loads to the world centre again. What am I doing wrong?

Holding Alt does not work with a Double Click load. You need to do a Drag load.Hold Alt and then click the item (hold) your mouse button down and then drag the item to the place you want the item to be placed. DO NOT release the Alt or Mouse button until the item is where you want it. This was done that way, Genesis Double Click load the Columns with a Alt Drag load.

Aha! Brilliant. Thanks for that crucial bit of info.