[Plugin] FredoSketch - v1.5a - 31 Dec 24

bsfranza

super cool

if i could add one wish to it - make vertex selection possible for multiple groups/componnents ...

maybe kind of like this

preselect or not, set active or nested also, make rectangle selection, move vertices...

why would this be usefull? when we want to stretch complicated elements whre there is no real good "section plane for the stretch"...

thx - amazing work as always!!

fredo6

@bsfranza said:

sif i could add one wish to it - make vertex selection possible for multiple groups/componnents ...

This would change the nature of the tools...

As for the native tools, the selection works in the current context. When you click on anything that belongs to a group or component, you do select the group or component.

If FredoSketch was selecting across the boundaries of groups / components, how would select a group or component?

fredo6

NEW RELEASE: FredoSketch v1.2a - 01 Feb 23

Requirement: LibFredo6 13.7b

FredoSketch v1.2a is a maintenance release:

Updated help and menu for limitation of Quick Launch to SU2021.1 and above
fix for small issues

Home Page of FredoSketch for information and Download.

Main post of this FredoSketch thread.

PedroE

And why not unite everything in a single command and button, I mean, invoke a command that allows us to move, copy, rotate, align and then the auxiliary keys that allow us to choose. For a button to move, another to rotate, another to move to align, it is better to merge them all as we have now, for example, move and copy by pressing ctrl

fredo6

@pedroe said:

And why not unite everything in a single command and button, I mean, invoke a command that allows us to move, copy, rotate, align and then the auxiliary keys that allow us to choose. For a button to move, another to rotate, another to move to align, it is better to merge them all as we have now, for example, move and copy by pressing ctrl

Could you describe how it would work with all tools in one. For instance, when you click and move the mouse, what does happen?

PedroE

even better, that hot boxes appear at the main points (vertices, midpoints, etc) that allow you to choose whether to move (default command), copy, rotate, scale, move and rotate. It could be something as fun as this, to manipulate only with the mouse.

Box

These are astoundingly good tools.

fredo6

@pedroe said:

even better, that hot boxes appear at the main points (vertices, midpoints, etc) that allow you to choose whether to move (default command), copy, rotate, scale, move and rotate. It could be something as fun as this, to manipulate only with the mouse.

The Texture positioner is the worse method to manipulate objects.

One way to combine several transformations is to use a Gizmo, like in Blender, supporting:

Move along an axis
Move on Axis Plane
Rotate and Spin by an axis
Scale Uniform or along an axis plane
Flip Along (Mirror in place)

However, the main restrictions are that

You transform only by reference to axes, which can however be the model axis or the component axes.
You cannot use inferences, because the click point is on the Gizmo, not on the object you move
You can however type distance, scaling factors, angle, etc... in the VCB

Axyz - quick demo.gif

panixia

@pedroe said:

even better, that hot boxes appear at the main points (vertices, midpoints, etc) that allow you to choose whether to move (default command), copy, rotate, scale, move and rotate. It could be something as fun as this, to manipulate only with the mouse.

please, no.

panixia

@fredo6 said:

The Texture positioner is the worse method to manipulate objects.

Ditto. It's a freakin' toy.

@fredo6 said:

One way to combine several transformations is to use a Gizmo

Please yes!
I suggest to use the local axis origin point as default point to place it when a object is selected and the center of masses when multiple objects are selected (without having to reposition it every single time, that could be a context menu option or something). A toggle between origin and center could be very "industry standard" too.

PedroE

In principle, I do not mean that they are object handlers, but that those icons that appear allow once the input command is executed (by default to move) then they allow us to choose if we copy, scale, rotate, mirror, etc. In other words, an initial command derives in all the other movements that we can make to an object, without having to choose a command each time. The object manipulator points you already do with the most efficient way that you consider.

rv1974

Simple keyboard shortcuts are way faster than any icons upon objects you are dreaming of.

PedroE

It is about not losing the focus of attention on the object to be manipulated, not everyone likes keyboard shortcuts. In this way you optimize mouse movements, in addition to the fact that the future comes with touch screens, similar to what sketchup for ipad does.

fredo6

@pedroe said:

It is about not losing the focus of attention on the object to be manipulated, not everyone likes keyboard shortcuts. In this way you optimize mouse movements, in addition to the fact that the future comes with touch screens, similar to what sketchup for ipad does.

Then, you can have a simple toolbar with at the top of your screen. Normally, FredoSketch selects the objects being moved or rotated when exiting. So you can probably chain with another tool.

Einstein

Hi, Fredo,
You probably have it on your to-do list already, but remembering and revoking lastly used soft-selection radius would be a great improvement. Now it jumps back to zero when the tool is activated again (and when it was used previously with larger radius). For comparison, Blender always remembers the last value for proportional editing.

Great tool, though. I've been asking ThomThom for years to expand his Vertex Tools with more falloff options, and here we are with FredoSketch!

fredo6

@einstein said:

Hi, Fredo,
You probably have it on your to-do list already, but remembering and revoking lastly used soft-selection radius would be a great improvement. Now it jumps back to zero when the tool is activated again (and when it was used previously with larger radius). For comparison, Blender always remembers the last value for proportional editing.

This is possible. I probably save it at model level

@einstein said:

Great tool, though. I've been asking ThomThom for years to expand his Vertex Tools with more falloff options, and here we are with FredoSketch!

Vertex Tools does a lot more... and I think it has fall-off methods too.

PedroE

@fredo6 said:

@pedroe said:

It is about not losing the focus of attention on the object to be manipulated, not everyone likes keyboard shortcuts. In this way you optimize mouse movements, in addition to the fact that the future comes with touch screens, similar to what sketchup for ipad does.

Then, you can have a simple toolbar with at the top of your screen. Normally, FredoSketch selects the objects being moved or rotated when exiting. So you can probably chain with another tool.

Example of manipulation by gizmos:

PedroE

@pedroe said:

@fredo6 said:

@pedroe said:

It is about not losing the focus of attention on the object to be manipulated, not everyone likes keyboard shortcuts. In this way you optimize mouse movements, in addition to the fact that the future comes with touch screens, similar to what sketchup for ipad does.

Then, you can have a simple toolbar with at the top of your screen. Normally, FredoSketch selects the objects being moved or rotated when exiting. So you can probably chain with another tool.

Example of manipulation by gizmos: