MeasureTool not accurate

# 1 02-10-2011 , 05:42 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007

Location: The Netherlands

Posts: 88

Hi People,

maybe one of you knows how to higher or cure the accuracy issue of my Measure tool

this because i am building a animation where i want to derive as exact as possible numbers from, and now my measure tool is not working properly............

as you see i created a polygon tetrahedron, in the input channel it says it has a side length of 100
but when i measure it, it turns out to be 99.997158

in my settings i set all my snapping values to 0, because i do curve snap top place the locators of the measure tool, if i do snap to vertex the measure tool brings the exact value

thank you....

user added image

https://www.ieoie.nl/Maya/Measurement.jpg

*
The Universe is larger then you ever can think, But smaller then the size of your imagination.

all are welcome at www.ieoie.nl

Quote

# 2 02-10-2011 , 07:09 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

Not sure what to say other then I know someone that is trying to use Maya with a very high degree of accuracy and it seems he is finding the same issue.

As a test I just created a platonic tetrahedron and tried to create it with a side length of 1.0 by setting the length in the creation options and it came out .99997 even in the creation node. I snapped a distance measuring tool to any two verts and got the same measurement .99997. You can change the precision in the channel box settings from the default 3 but although it does display more digits it still seems to be pretty casual about the actual accuracy. I then went into the creation node and changed it to 1.0 and although it displays 1.0 in the creation node it was still measuring .9997 when I used the distance tool.

I am trying to find out more as I have often wondered if there was some limitation to Maya's accuracy and I will let you know what I discover.

NOTE: I have wondered about this myself and know several folks that are trying to work in 1/1000th and 1/10,000th of an inch accuracy and having similar experiences ioeie. I posted the question in the autodesk modeling forums and hopefully will get an answer.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 03-10-2011 at 04:02 PM.

Quote

# 3 02-10-2011 , 07:27 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007

Location: The Netherlands

Posts: 88

Not sure what to say other then I know someone that is trying to use Maya with a very high degree of accuracy and it seems he is finding the same issue.

As a test I just created a platonic tetrahedron and tried to create it with a side length of 1.0 by setting the length in the creation options and it came out .99997 even in the creation node. I snapped a distance measuring tool to any two verts and got the same measurement .99997. You can change the precision in the channel box settings from the default 3 but although it does display more digits it still seems to be pretty casual about the actual accuracy. I then went into the creation node and changed it to 1.0 and although it display 1.0 in the creation node it was still measuring .9997 when I used the distance tool.

I am trying to find out more as I have often wondered if there was some limitation to Maya's accuracy and I will let you know what I discover.

Originally Posted by ctbram

thank you.....
i have read you had some issues with it aswell in 2012, i use 2011, and tomorrow i am gonna call autodesk, cause spending this amount of money and they are not able to create perfect platonic solids is pretty sad

if you create a tetrahedron of 100 sized sides you see when you measure all sides the distances of the sides even are not similar

ive read on other forums the distance tool of 2012 is verry buggy specialy when you use inches
in cm it seems to work nicly....

now i downloaded from creative cash a platonic solids tool that was created by King Markuz
https://www.creativecrash.com/maya/do...ds-constructor

this tool creates perfect platonics, all sides are equal in length, the only thing is you cannot set the side length, only sphere radius and distance from centre

so this means the measure tool is working properly in 2011 (cm), only the platonics of maya itself are not accurate constructed

in your message ive read you had some issues with near and far clipping planes, i have them here aswell in the standard camera's of maya, but when i then create new camera's this issue is gone
it is like, when you create new camera's the new camera's observe the size of your objects and adjusts itself to that

thank you for reading and trying to help....

my issue is solved, cause i now know it has to do with the creation of the platonics instead of the distance tool

*
The Universe is larger then you ever can think, But smaller then the size of your imagination.

all are welcome at www.ieoie.nl

Quote

# 4 02-10-2011 , 07:34 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

I am glad you have found a workaround. I will forward anything I hear back from the autodesk forums.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Quote

# 5 02-10-2011 , 07:42 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007

Location: The Netherlands

Posts: 88

I am glad you have found a workaround. I will forward anything I hear back from the autodesk forums.

Originally Posted by ctbram

all info is welcome....
thank you.....
nice to have a place where distance tool discrepancies are tight together....

it is absolutly ridiculous that maya claims to have builded a 100 sized tetra, but is not able to confirm it with their own measure tool....

it is that i need it, else it would be a huge laugh.....
luckily i found a solution for my issue, but autodesk surely should be ashmed for this....

goodluck with your quest.....

enjoy.....

*
The Universe is larger then you ever can think, But smaller then the size of your imagination.

all are welcome at www.ieoie.nl

Quote

# 6 02-10-2011 , 07:45 PM

Lead Modeler - Framestore
Join Date: Feb 2003

Location: UK

Posts: 6,287

yeah I had this on the last job, as I had to do a couple of set extensions for a few shots. We were out by a few tenths here and there but wasnt noticeable. We worked in meters so it was easier and was correct to the larger round number.

I also noticed that it prefers to create at 0,0,0 as opposed to random areas in space, pain in the arse!!!

Yeah autodesk do need to know, a dgree of accuracy is always good.

Jay

Quote

# 7 02-10-2011 , 09:32 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

yeah it seems odd considering that maya and most other modeling apps were derived from mechanical CAD packages.

Yepper, increasing the scale seems to be a workaround Jay. Apparently, working in larger units and then scaling down in other apps like a STL (stereo lithography) app can minimize error.

It will be interesting to hear the official Autodesk response though as this issue has vexed me for a long time. But I never really persued it because if I needed that kind of accuracy I would jump to something like alias or solid works or inventor.

I'll relay anything I hear.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 03-10-2011 at 04:03 PM.

Quote