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Old 6th May 2010, 01:57 PM   #1
Merrie
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Question Difference Size To / Scale To

Hey all thanks in advance for answering this question. What is the difference between Size to and Scale To.

I am trying to get the size correct for my models to import into Unity Game Engine. What do you recommend (anyone who uses it) for scale of your model prior to import?

Thanks!
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Old 9th May 2010, 08:29 PM   #2
Stiglr
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Default Re: Difference Size To / Scale To

Size uses units (whether meters, feet, inches, whatever you want them to be) as the size determinant.

So, if you fill in the X Y and Z boxes of "size to" to 3, 1 and 5.03 respectively, and click the Size to button, you will have an object that is three "units" wide, 1 unit high, and 5.03 units long. If you turn the grid on in your viewpoint you can verify this.

Scale to changes the % of the original length in all three axes. If you fill in the X Y and Z boxes of "scale to" with 90, 90 and 100, respectively, then click the Scale button, you will make the object 10% thinner side to side, 10 percent shorter height wise, and it will retain the same length. You can also enter values in the boxes greater than 100% if you wish to enlarge.

Also note you can repeatedly hit the Scale button and get the same results, whereas with Size to, it's "absolute" so you can only press it once.

I often use the Scale function to fit items that I create by tracing a diagram (which indicates no size), and then place them into another object (as in, creating gear for an aircraft cockpit, where I have a photo or diagram of the item in place, but the angle is skewed... and I have a separate photo or diagram of the part shot at a 'straight on angle'. I use the straight on art to trace a polygon and give it the correct thickness. Then, I set the scale at 90%/90%/90% if I want to get it smaller, or 110% across the board if I want it larger. Then I place it in situ, in the aircraft fuselage, and click the scale button until it occupies the correct relative space.
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Old 9th May 2010, 08:33 PM   #3
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Default Re: Difference Size To / Scale To

As for scaling the entire model, you'll have to find out what Unity "sees" as units. It's been my experience that many games use METERS as length units.... but your target game engine may differ.

If you can't find that out, you may have to find an item already imported that you know the size of, and import your model into the environment right next to it. That should make it clear if there's a unit disparity. If Unity uses "feet" and you use meters, you'll be able to see that your object is 3x too large or small, when it's right next to an object like a character, which is likely to be about 6 feet or close to 2 meters tall.
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