Model Transform

Overview

Moves, rotates, non-uniformly scales, and sets the pivot of a Model part. In addition to assembly placement, a part with the correct pivot becomes a joint for rigid-body animation. This is where a treasure-chest lid learns to open around its hinge.

Usage tips

• The basic assembly pattern is one of these nodes immediately after each part such as model_box.
• The pivot is essential to animation: place it at the hinge for a lid or the shoulder for an arm, then drive rotation with a waveform. "Model Transform X Rotation" in the bundled workflows/model_chest_animation_c7.ppl is a complete example.
• Select the part in the 3D viewer (Model 3D Stage) and write gizmo changes back to this node. It is faster than numeric input.
• The stage shows evaluated values after promoted wires and variable bindings, not merely stored values. Driven transform groups, pivot axes, and snap fields become read-only so direct manipulation cannot overwrite their source.
• name is a human-readable GLB label; it is not the stable internal Part ID.
• Non-uniform scaling, such as 2× on X only, lets one box produce boards, posts, and beams.

Common pitfalls

• Rotation uses the wrong center: the pivot is unset and remains at the origin or center. Move it to the joint before rotating.
• Animation is missing from the GLB: rigid-body TRS is baked per stable PartId. Set the part's name and use at least 2 Animation Frames in model_gltf_export.

Related nodes

• Generators such as model_box — parts to transform
• model_group — merge placed parts
• model_gltf_export — bake rigid-body animation into GLB
• solid_transform — Solid-lane version