Puzzling Polygon/Move tool behaviour
-
It's probably a well-known thing but I can't find any reference to it..
If I use the polygon tool to draw an N-sided polygon, I can use the Move tool on at least one vertex to scale the polygon uniformly. If I have pulled it into a "cylinder" I can use this feature to make a tapered form.
The number of vertices that respond in this way, varies according to the value of N but not in an obvious manner. Some shapes have several vertices like this , others only one (there is probably some sort of formula that describes it but I don't know what this is).
If the Rotate tool is used to swing the polygon round, then the "scaleable vertices" can change.
I wonder if there is some sort of formal description as to what this is about?
Chris
-
That is interesting. It appears to be the vertices that are most aligned with the x and y axes.
You'll notice that the entire edge highlights if you hover the move tool over a vertex, but if it is one of the vertices that will casue a scaling, then the edge does not highlight at all.
Chris
-
@chrisjk said:
......., I can use the Move tool on at least one vertex to scale the polygon uniformly. .....
If the Rotate tool is used to swing the polygon round, then the "scaleable vertices" can change.
I wonder if there is some sort of formal description as to what this is about?...Like Chris Fullmer said, the vertices to scale a polygon (or circle) are near the axis. Or near the axes moved to center x,y,z for polygons with a center at x,y,z. Keep in mind, original axes orientations, not rotated axes!!! Rotated axes do not count.
How many endpoints do have this property for scaling?
Polygons and circles with N segments have:
- 1 "scale" point for N = UNeven
- 2 "scale" points for N = even, dividable by 2 but not by 4
- 4 "scale" points for N = also dividable by 4.
(That covers all polygons and circles)
Arcs are a special case.
Arcs can be scaled by dragging the middle endpoint for arcs with an even number of segments. Or by the midpoint on the middle segments for arcs with an UNeven number of segments.Wo3Dan
-
What Wodan says. It's been there but rarely used by most people.
-
Chris, Wo3dan,
Thanks for the "formalisation"!
Gai, having made this little discovery for myself, I reckon I shall actually use it for a while - at least until I forget about it in the excitement of a new plugin.
-
H Chris, hi folks.
I saw that behavior on a cylinder when watching a tutorial video that where available when SU was at version 3.
To make tapered 3D shapes it is sometime easier to edit a diameter in the Entity Info dialog window or to use the Scale Tool on one end face of the shape.
Just ideas.
-
http://sites.google.com/site/sketchupsage/master
is this what your talking about?
or something else
john
-
Hi John,
If you mean this image - I guess, yes.
-
[quote="Gaieus"]Hi John, If you mean this image - I guess, yes./quote]
Cheers Gai,
I've been using the feature only since since reading this post, find it quite handy and wondered if a Cardinal Points Highlighter ruby exists, or was easy to implement.
I might even try myself if it 's not available.
john
-
Well, at least I do not know of any such ruby (but if there was one, probably more people would think about using this feature)
-
Johnny,Gai,
Thanks for that link.Chris
Advertisement