How to move a mirror object in Blender?
To move an object after applying a mirror operation in Blender, such as the Object > Mirror function shown in the reference, you simply use the standard transformation tools.
Blender offers different ways to achieve mirroring:
- Mirror Modifier: This is commonly used for non-destructive modeling. It creates a mirrored version of your object based on an axis and often uses the object's origin or another object as the mirror center. Moving an object with a Mirror Modifier usually involves moving the original object or the designated 'Mirror Object'.
- Object > Mirror: As seen in the provided reference video segment (around the 0:51 mark), Blender's
Object > Mirrorfunction mirrors the selected object(s) relative to a specific axis (like Global X, Y, or Z) or a defined plane or cursor location. The reference shows the process of trying to mirror globally across the Y-axis by navigating to Object > Mirror and selecting Global Y.
Using Object > Mirror (as shown in the reference)
The reference demonstrates attempting to mirror an object globally across the Y-axis using the menu:
- Go to Object in the 3D Viewport header.
- Select Mirror.
- Choose an option like Global Y (as shown in the video clip).
The reference notes that performing Object > Mirror > Global Y "did not mirror" as expected. This is often because the Object > Mirror function mirrors the object based on its current position and origin relative to the global axis. If the object's origin is not at the global origin (0,0,0), the mirroring might not appear centered or might place the mirrored copy in an unexpected location if a copy is made.
Moving the Mirrored Object
Once you have performed a mirror operation using Object > Mirror and have a resulting object (either the original object is mirrored in place, or a mirrored duplicate is created as suggested by the video title "Duplicate and object and mirror its position"), you can move that object like any other object in Blender:
- Select the object: Click on the object you want to move in the 3D Viewport.
- Activate the Move tool:
- Press the G key (the universal shortcut for Grab/Move).
- Alternatively, click the Move tool icon in the left-hand Toolbar (it looks like a set of colored arrows - the Transform gizmo).
- Move the object:
- Drag the object freely with your mouse.
- For precise movement, after pressing G, press the key for the desired axis (e.g., X, Y, or Z) and then type a value or move the mouse along that axis.
- If using the Move tool icon, drag the colored handles on the object to move it along the specific axis.
| Method | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard | G |
Free move |
| Keyboard + Axis | G then X/Y/Z |
Move constrained to a specific global axis |
| Toolbar Icon | Click/Drag Handles | Move along specific axis or plane using gizmo |
So, after performing the mirror operation shown in the reference (even if the result was unexpected), you move the resulting object using the standard Blender move functionalities (G key or Move tool).
