Posing & Transform Gizmo

Posing & Transform Gizmo

The 3D Transform Gizmo allows you to translate, rotate, and scale entire pieces or masked sub-regions of your sculpt. When combined with soft masks, it provides an intuitive posing workflow for organic characters, limbs, tentacles, and props without requiring complex skeletal rigging.

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Activating the Gizmo (T)

Press T on your keyboard (or click the Transform icon in the left toolbar) to toggle the 3D Gizmo.

       Z (Blue Axis)
       |
       |     Y (Green Axis)
       |    /
       |   /
       |  /
       +-------- X (Red Axis)
      / \
     ( O )  Center Pivot / Uniform Scale

Gizmo Controls:

• Axis Arrows (Red, Green, Blue): Click and drag an arrow to translate geometry along the X, Y, or Z axis.
• Planar Handles (Between Axes): Drag a planar square to translate constrained within a 2D plane (XY, XZ, or YZ).
• Rotation Rings: Drag an outer ring to rotate around that specific coordinate axis.
• Center Cube / Sphere: Drag to scale uniformly along all three axes simultaneously.
• Coordinate Space Toggle: Switch between Global Coordinates (world-aligned) and Local Coordinates (aligned with the surface normal or mask orientation).

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Posing Characters with Soft-Mask Deformation

You can pose limbs, fingers, tails, or facial expressions in seconds using mask-based deformation:

[1. Unmasked Arm]  ================== (Will rotate & pose freely)
[Soft Falloff]      ~~~~~~ (Elbow joint smoothly bends)
[2. Masked Torso]   ###### (Locked & completely protected)

Step-by-Step Character Posing:

1. Mask the Body: Hold Ctrl and drag a box mask or paint over the parts of the model you want to remain stationary (e.g., the torso and upper arm).
2. Invert Mask (Ctrl + A): Now only the forearm and hand are unmasked and movable.
3. Blur the Mask: Hold Ctrl and click the mask seam near the elbow a few times. Softening the boundary ensures the skin will bend smoothly like organic muscle rather than creasing like cardboard.
4. Activate Gizmo (T): The gizmo appears on screen.
5. Position the Pivot at the Joint:
   • Hold Alt and drag the gizmo center to the center of the elbow joint. Holding Alt moves the gizmo pivot without moving the geometry.
6. Rotate into Pose:
   • Click and drag the rotation ring to bend the arm into the desired pose.
   • Vertices with 100% unmasked weight rotate fully; vertices along the blurred mask boundary interpolate smoothly.
7. Clear Mask (Ctrl + Shift + A): Check the resulting silhouette and polish the elbow bend with the Smooth or Clay Strips brush.

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Auto-Orienting Pivots & Snapping

• Snap to Mask Border: In the Gizmo tool options, click Snap Pivot to Mask Boundary. OxyBrush computes the centroid and average normal along the mask gradient edge and places the pivot perfectly at the hinge joint.
• Snap to Surface Normal: Click Snap to Surface and click anywhere on your mesh to align the gizmo's primary Z-axis directly perpendicular to the surface normal.
• Reset to Center: Instantly centers the gizmo pivot at the active mesh piece's geometric center.