5.5

1086Motion User Guide
• You import multiple 3D objects (especially from different sources) with varying scales or
orientations
Adjust the unit size of a 3D object
3D modeling applications use real-world units of measure, such as inches, meters, feet,
and so on. When a 3D object is added to a project, Motion normalizes the size of the object
so that it properly scales within the pixel-based units of a Motion project.
1. In Motion, select a 3D object in the Layers list, Timeline, or canvas.
2. In the Inspector, click 3D Object (if it’s not already selected).
3. Choose one of the following from the Unit Size pop-up menu:
• Automatic: Sets the units of the 3D object to the equivalent of approximately 500
pixels in the Motion project.
• Original: Sets a 1:1 translation of units to pixels. This may result in an object so small
that it’s not visible in the project canvas, or so large it extends well beyond the edge
of the canvas.
• Custom: Lets you manually set the size of the 3D object by dragging a slider (or
entering a specific amount in a value field).
Although Custom is disabled when you select Automatic or Original, its value
updates to display the current Unit Size value of the 3D object.
Changing the Unit Size value does not affect the 3D object’s Scale parameter value
in the Property Inspector.
Note: When you resize a 3D object, there’s no computational advantage to using
the Custom Unit Size parameter over an object’s Scale parameter in the Properties
Inspector. Once you’ve defined values in the 3D Object Inspector, you’ll generally
use parameters in the Properties Inspector for transforming or animating your
objects.