Maya mirroring?

Was that title english?

anyway getting the grips of maya and the wonderful lattice tool.Created a hot sole on one side but realised its bit more poopy on the other side.Is there a way to mirror the good side I did or is it to late now?

Mirroring is quite easy in Maya. Simply duplicate the object negatively across an axis:

1. Select the object (not the lattice deformer, the surface itself)

2. Edit -> Duplicate Special -> Options box

3. Set the scale to -1 on whichever axis you want to go across, and hit Apply.



A few things to note:

1. The duplication will happen across the object's pivot point. If the pivot is centered within the object, the new copy will appear in the same place as the original. If you want both copies to be located symmetrically, relative to the grid origin, move the original surface some distance away from the center first, and then return its pivot to the origin. You can move a pivot point by hand after selecting the object and pressing the Insert key, or you can freeze & reset transformations (Modify -> Freeze Transformations; Modify -> Reset Transformations).


2. Negative duplication can sometimes result in a surface that is inside out, meaning the normals will be pointing inward instead of outward. This will effectively cause the surface to absorb light instead of reflcting it, which means any textures baked on inside-out surfaces will render as all black. If this happens with a NURBS surface, correct it by reversing the surface direction (Edit NURBS -> Reverse Surface Direction). If it happens with a polygonal surface, you can reverse the normals directly (Normals -> Reverse).


3. When you make your duplicate, if you create an instance instead of copy, then whatever you do to one will happen to the other automatically. Instances share the same input channels as originals, whereas copies have their own unique inputs. To use instances is often the best way to work when symmetry is the goal. However, for sculpty purposes, I'd recommend deleting the instance and replacing it with a copy just before you export your sculpt maps. I'm not certain the exporter understands what instances actually are. So if you use instances, make sure to remember what's what.


4. Since you're using a deformer, things get slightly more complicated than they otherwise would be. There are a couple of things you should be aware of with deformers:

First, the deformer's location relative to the surface makes a difference. So if you move just one without the other, the relationship between the two will change, and the deformer will no longer shape the surface properly. If you move the surface, you'll need move the deformer along with it.

If the deformer and the surface have different transformations on them, this can get complicated. Therefore, it's best, before you apply a deformer, to make sure the surface has no transformations on it. If you're starting with a brand new surface, this is a non-issue. But if you want to deform a surface you've already done other things to, then it's best to freeze & reset transformations before you create the deformer. Select the surface, and then click Modify -> Freeze Transformations; Modify -> Reset Transformations.

Second, duplication of objects that have deformers on them can sometimes get a little messy. For simplicity, it's best to complete the first object, and then finalize the deformation before you do your duplication. To finalize the deformation, select the surface (not the deformer, the surface), and click Edit -> Delete By Type -> History. The deformer will disappear, and the surface will retain its deformed shape. Don't ever just delete a deformer, or the surface will revert to its undeformed state.


5. Whatever you do, always make sure to remove all history and transformations from all objects before you export your sculpt maps. The exporter requires that all objects be totally clean.