why do we still not have these features?

dotblend · Post by **dotblend** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:00 pm

i simply cant code...
cant get it to compile
but i think this is a basic feature every professional app has...

SirDude · Post by **SirDude** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:13 pm

Look in the bar at the bottom of your 3d window most of this
stuff is already there.

When you move it doesn't show you a single distance number,
It does how ever show you the distance in each direction
x,y,z
It doesn't show you the origin of the object your moving
Everything else though is there already.
It does show you the value of rotation and the scale,

I do like the 2 ideas that are not there though.

dotblend · Post by **dotblend** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:23 pm

and what about those grabby things?

matt_e · Post by **matt_e** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 3:34 am

why do we still not have these features?

Because nobody has coded it?

They're called 'manipulators'. Yes, it's been mentioned many times before, yes it has been thought about, but would be much easier to implement with some internal restructuring within Blender's events code, which may be happening in the relatively near future. The tricky part is to do it in a way that's compatible and consistent with Blender's way of working (i.e. How this integrate with the hotkeys sytem? Blender doesn't usually use click-and-drag for doing transformations, so how to make it consistent?)

You can currently achieve the same thing, in a different way, by using Blender's axis-constrained transformations - (i.e. G to move, then X to constrain to Global X axis, then X again to constrain to Local X axis). It's also a matter of preference - many Wings/Nendo/Clay users swear against manipulators, and much prefer hotkeys for speed, so at least in the meantime, give the current system a go.

dotblend · Post by **dotblend** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:00 am

so at least in the meantime, give the current system a go

i'm not really a newbie, i've been around for quite a while (c_key) so i know what i'm talkin about. what's the difficulty for using both methods just press s for scale and voila there you have a manipulator that tells you what you can do instead of "drag ~ click i what direction do i need do drag and what mousebutton do i need to click to scale it in the x direction.... aaargh" it was frustrating in the beginning ... i think for most users! (for me it was!)

theeth · Post by **theeth** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 12:35 pm

dotblend: You missed broken's point. You don't have to use middle mouse anymore, you can just press the letter of the axis.

Martin

Samjh · Post by **Samjh** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 1:17 pm

All the stuff you mentioned can be done already, but not graphically. For example, to move a point in the X-axis, you press G then X, which will grab-move (G) along the X-axis (X) only. Same thing with scale (S then whatever axis letter -- X/Y/Z), and rotate (R then whatever axis to rotate around -- X/Y/Z).

johannes · Post by **johannes** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 1:42 pm

i think blender should have both - hotkeys and manipulators

http://www.johannes.langlotz.info/blender/axis/

IoN_PuLse · Post by **IoN_PuLse** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 5:33 pm

So in other words you want it to copy Maya?

dotblend · Post by **dotblend** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:21 pm

So in other words you want it to copy Maya?

maya has a cube as primitive... just like blender... is this illegal?

i dont think so

its funtional and a basic editing feature...

oin · Post by **oin** » Sun Jul 25, 2004 12:38 pm

"i think blender should have both - hotkeys and manipulators "

I totally agree.

I have used them in Max , Character Fx and Maya.

Many highend packages, if not all, have them...

Alias did not demanded discreet for copying it...so I doubt they will think they're gonna earn something demanding Blender

At the end, all are copying each other...and too me, that's great for the user

If you have both systems, you can use which ever you prefer. And even in some occasions, even being used to keys...it may become helpful.

Is something I wish Wings3d had also. Would cut modelling times even more

But a problem to see is if the software can afford that graphically, for performance.

Metasequoia has them, but I can just disable them if I want.

Hamapatch has exactly Maya ones (arrow tip ones for move, cube tips for scale, sphere tips for rotate) too.

I love best the ones of Max. I can configure the size of them, and mostly I have the added feature of dragging the plane I wish: the form a transparent plane with every two axes, so, you have the possibility of drag an axe, or a plane, to move in two axes at same time, or click and drag on the center tiny cube of manipulator to move freely in 3 axes.

and so on..I wouldnt get into discussion on why are them so good, but is a fact that many users come from that background. I mean, new users for Blender. Adding as a preferences option(even disabled by default, if you prefer) would be a nice detail for them. It would also give the possibility to people that think they're no good, to see ho much good they are. I know as I have used both.

wavk · Post by **wavk** » Sun Jul 25, 2004 12:40 pm

I personally don't think this fits in Blender's workflow. These widgets work completely different then the way blender works now. It makes you drag the widgets around, instead of pushing a button and at the end of the action click to confirm.

On the other hand, it keeps being a guess each time you press the s key and then x,y or z for the axis. I mostly do the z axis correctly, but I'm often mistaken with the other axes. So it would be more intuitive.

But also it's ugly.

I don't know... Maybe we could draw an axis system when someone presses on of the transformation keys, grab, rotate or scale. Only then.

About the maya thing, it's in almost every 3d app, not only maya.

So I think the way most applications implemented the widgets is not blender's way of editing...

Wybren