Discussions for "Better snapping and precision modeling"

Vertices can slide over the subdivision surface of the current polygon without adding a Subdivision modifier
Can also slide on a polygonal plane
As a complement to the vertex slide tool feature
Because sometimes moving the vertices does not want to change the shape of the polygon

OK, so I looked again at my CAD Functions node and cut it down from 807 lines of code to 546, by making it more efficient and redesigning the functions, etc. I drew this part in under 5 minutes using my node:

Please repeat using traditional Blender techniques and post your timings. If anyone would like to try this node, let me know and I will upload the new version somewhere. You will only need Blender 2.8 and Animation Nodes…

No comments on my proposal yet, I must have stunned everyone into silence. :rofl::joy:

Cheers, Clock. :cocktail:

6 Likes

no one comments … but not because there is no interest, but because I think it is a bit difficult to have to know how to use the animation nodes and then hang out with your node-addon :grin:

6 Likes

It’s just a menu of buttons and input boxes, no connections, no need to execute the node tree, just click the buttons. If someone wants to give me some pointers as to how to make this a normal add-on - with buttons in the UI, I will try to do that instead, at the moment I have no idea how to make add-ons.

Cheers, Clock. :cocktail:

1 Like

Ask that in the development subforum,

2 Likes

Thanks, I have done that:

Cheers, Clock. :cocktail:

EDIT: It got moved to Python, my mistake… thanks @brecht

2 Likes

See this thread:

I am making progress to make my node an Add-on. :grin: So much to learn for my old brain to do this. :brain:

Cheers, Clock. :cocktail:

PS. I am trying to implement PEP 8 standards in my code…

2 Likes

good to know sir.
you can probably change the name to the other tread and update us on the progress on that …

As I understand it, your long experience in CAD applications can be very useful for blender comunity which is very lacking in this field.

3 Likes

just a reminder for a nice dream…
:slight_smile:

tricky

3 Likes

Hello everyone!
I am Paul Kotelevets, better known as 1D_Inc, maintainer of CAD toolset, called 1D_Scripts.

You may know my GIF with teapot and Suzanne, that has gone viral a year ago.

It was a long before my B.A.S.E. concept proposal, but it’s high rate shows how much basepoint CAD snapping is really wanted.
In fact, this GIF was a key argument in the negotiations with Ton and developers, after which the process of research of snap improvements developments was accepted.

Nice to see it have been started.


Well, it seems to be fixed in 2.8 already, GX and GXX are already switched there (local one takes priority).
So 3.3 can be easily removed from a list)

4 Likes

This system with legs is called “key”.
3D_Match tool, for example, uses 2 keys for transformation.

1 Like

Two vertices gives you an angle to horizontal, or relative to 0 if you like. My three vertex measure measure between three vertices that might not be planar in any view, or might not be relative to any axis as zero degrees, so I decided the two methods were necessary.

I still want to see these features in Blender to attract draughtsmen to the product. I will look at your thread later, sounds like this has been on-going for a while and needs to take off now!

Cheers, Clock.

Looks like ruler/protactor tool?
The problem of displayed values that they are never precise enough.
So we prefer to use basic geometry for operations to hold precise values.
But in different time we made ability for different tools to show values)

  • For example Sideshift stores length and direction of transforms, based on an egde.

SIDE

  • 3D Rotor/Scaler, that uses key for precise rotation and copying, and scaling between side lenghts differences of key - showing side lengths and angle of key.

ROTOR

You may know, that I am maintainer of different scripts toolsets, So I work with and sponsors a lot of local developers, such as Bartius Crous (that wrote to me world famous F2 tool), Nikitron, as author of Sverchok parametric node engine for blender, Cfyzzz for 1D_Scripts, and so on.

It was generic collection of different scripts by Nikitron, so I asked him to write counter of volume / area / summ of selected edges length for Blender. Area and volume tools are writing their results per material in Blender text editor, so they form report (we were using in actual building design - area gives nice results)
So, arc length in mesh is actually, a summ of lengths of it’s edges)


Well, I wrote this all to overview entire theme. Displaying tools can be out of the snaps scope, but there are a lot of things to generalize for total tool, and, maybe, to propose it)

1 Like

Here is a nice video about keys in 3D_Match tool:

1 Like

you already know I’m a super-fan of your work…

Thank you! We all making a nice software)

1 Like

As suggested also by @clockmender in its tread, we would need new objects suitable for visual feedback, helper and measurement with lots of APIs useful to developer addons

1 Like

This could be achieved with 3d cursor if it would have few more features (I think, it would be easier to code):

  1. Cursor to selection would need align with geometry
  2. Selection to cursor would need align to cursor.

I would imagine a new cursor “with the little legs nanopoles” that can be grabbed and stretched along the snapping points, for a fast positioning and visual alignment

these legs that stretch, I wish they were also measuring instruments, you could create angles etc … in practice the cursor that besides being a pointer of positioning becomes also a sort of ruler and compass …

I just did this quick draft to make the idea clearer

these greens, they could be fake little legs that can be created that do not influence the rotation of the cursor but that would be used to measure angles and lengths

2 Likes

Now 3-point alignation (alongside with 1- and 2-) is part of B.A.S.E. concept proposal

A ruler/protactor-based alignation tool was my previous proposal, that was made before B.A.S.E.
As snapping/alignation tool it was way too complex)
Ruler/Protactor tool have to be designed separately, and more properly than I did there, on my mind.

6 Likes