Pivots

Definition

Each surface has a local tab known as a Pivot. A pivot is a surface's attachment point. It is generally positioned at the origin of the surface's local axes and it indicates the orientation of the axes. Local axes are used when you wish to group surfaces and move the group together, or when you are preparing an animation.

If the  Pivot tab is active in Shaper, the pivot of a surface is visible when the surface is selected.

Operations on Pivots

The operations in the  Pivot tab in the Shaper sidebar make it possible to move the pivot without modifying the position of the surface in the environment (the relative position of the surface to its pivot is thus modified in consequence).

The operations for translating the pivot are the following:

Translation option	Description
Center on Surface	Centers the pivot on the surface.
Center on Selection	Centers the pivot on a group of surfaces.
Center to Selection Leader	Centers the pivot on the surface designated as the leader of the selection.
Center in World	Places the pivot point at the origin, at the intersection of the world axes.
Reset	Returns the pivot to its original position.

The orientation of the pivot can also be modified:

Orientation option	Description
Align to World	Orients the pivot along the environment origin.
Reset	Returns the pivot to its original orientation.

The transformation function Reset Position Relative to Pivot moves the surface to the center it at the location of the pivot.

The other transformations that can be performed on a pivot (translation, rotation, constraints on axes, etc...) are the same as those that may be performed on the surfaces.