I like blender alot and I want to like it more, but there is one of a few reasons I haven't warmed up to it like i have with 3dsmax.

Transform Gizmos.
I don't really care for the perpendicular based axis transform setup currently in place. Yes, it does get the job done, but it is very inefficient.
Implementing a Gizmo for Transform, Rotation, and Scaling would drastically increase the productivity of blender.
This is the one thing i have wanted in blender since i started messing with it. I know that apps vary and so does how they do things, but gizmos are a tool that all of the other 3d apps use, and they do so for a very good reason. It is very aggravating to try and rotate or scale an object when you can't control the axis or axes being used. Transforming isn't that bad, but rotation expecially is a royal pain when you can't isolate one axis.

Does anyone else feel the same or have any comments as to why it should not be changed?.. please talk about it, if we discuss it something may come of it in future releases.

Thanks,

Gendou

ps- check out Pixel32 (http://pixel32.box.sk/) it's shaping up to be quite a comparison to Photoshop! it's not quite a final release yet, but the author is working hard at it and doing a fine job. It's totally multi-platform and will be cheaper than Photoshop. Please pop over there and support his effort or pitch in if you're a coder. (i'm not or i would help out, i use photoshop constantly but it's not available on linux or anything else besides mac osx, and probably won't be for a long time yet)

umm actually you can isolate an axis, X,Y,or Z (bear in mind the axis are different in blender than most other aps)

while rotating or scaling etc... jsut press the middle mouse button, or alt+left mouse button.

now that will restrict the movement to a single axis (anything you do, scale rotate move etc...)




as for being new to blender, its not a question of can blender do it. but WHERE do you do it (/whats te key to press to do it)


hope that helps


Alltaken

hum... you can also rotate unsing local axis...

hit "R" and twice the axis you want to locally turn around...

Like : "R">"X">"X"

But I agree gizmos would be nice if properly done... some neat not too flashy not too big gizmos

Ciao
Dani

i'd love to have gizmos.. It's really faster then using the keyboard.. at least for me

kaktuswasser I know blender very well, and 3dmax and maya.. gizmos are cool and I think blender should have it's own newly devd one, it would make it easier..

gendou right on man!

As far as I'm concerned Blender's methods of constraining makes gizmos unneccesary. And Dani thanks SO MUCH for the heads up on the rotating thing! I've been looking for that for a while!

TorQ

I use the middle mouse button method at the moment, yet I tend to agree, I've used apps with gizmos before, & they are a lot quicker & easier to use. It all boils down to either:

Without gizmos:

Select, choose transform type, move mouse in direction of axis to be constrained, click middle mouse button, move.

With integrated Move/Rotate/Scale gizmo

Click & hold on relevant gizmo handle, drag mouse.

its a difference of 5 actions to 2, for every single time you want to transform something along a particular axis - which can happen hundreds or thousands of times in any given scene.

i also think Gyzmo is fundamental!

i lose a lot of time just for scaling to the good proportion or rotating in the good way etc etc..

Gyzmo like wing3d (shorter) or even maya (damn excellent idea the sphere gyzmo!).
So, it would "just" be a great step towards the effectiveness.


cheers