[Figure 8] UV space calculates the translation values on the selected axis.

UV and Normal (N) Space Translation
During the creation of a character, you use geometry to define the forms of your characters. Surface composition of this geometry should always be a concern for a character TD. Understanding surface space is important, because it defines the space of the surfaces that you use in your characters. UVN space is basically the “XYZ” description of the surface of a piece of geometry (see Figure 8). By default, all geometry gets UV values, which describe points on the surface as if they were on a flat grid. It’s easiest to see this in a 2D plane. UV relates to the description of a 2D plane as defined by XY. Imagine the plane as a flat grid with numbers going from 0 to 1 in X, and 0 to 1 in Y. Each point on the surface of the plane falls between the value of 0 to 1. This example uses a normalized surface; in many cases, surfaces in Maya are non-normalized.

[Figure 9] Rotations on a character can get complicated and downright messy in order to achieve a crazy pose like this.

In Figure 8, the UV coordinates on the near-bottom corner of the plane are 0,0, the center is 0.5,0.5, and the far top corner is 1,1.

The final axis, N, is the direction perpendicular to the surface at that point. The magnitude of N is the distance traveled in that direction. You can display the normals of a surface by selecting Display, Nurbs Components, Normals or Display, Poly Components Normals.

[Figure 10] The Rotate Settings mode of the Tool Settings window.

Rotations
Rotations are our second variety of transformation. Unfortunately, rotation is one of the most confusing and misunderstood areas of 3D animation. In order to truly grasp what’s taking place when you rotate an object you might want to brush up on your advanced algebra. If your mathematical pedigree is like mine, and that Ph.D. has somehow slipped away from you, the best you can do is try to get a basic understanding of rotations. This will allow you to at least comprehend the concepts behind rotating an object and give you the insight to fend off some irritating problems when they eventually arise.

Rotation in Global, Local and Gimbal Space
In similar fashion to the move or translate mode, we can change the space or coordinate system that our objects rotate within. Figure 10 shows the Rotate Settings mode of the Tool Settings window. The following are explanations of the Rotate Settings options: