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):
- Cursor to selection would need align with geometry
- Selection to cursor would need align to cursor.
I would imagine a new cursor āwith the little legs nanopolesā 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 ā¦ in practice the cursor that besides being a pointer of positioning becomes also a sort of ruler and compass ā¦
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
A very nice realization)
Also, some CAD ideas from 1D_Scripts
- project edges in 2d
- project projections of edges (in 2d projection)
- make an intersections
- build 3-point arc from loop
- resolve arcs desity with loop resolve
- reduce arcs density x2
- set 3d cursor to arcās center (not shown on GIF)
- full 3d project edges (not shown on GIF)
Also, a Polycross tool
And some more.
It is good, but it is CAD tools, not snaps, actually)
8 Likes
precision modelling 
1 Like
Indeed 
But, well, if precision CAD modeling can be added at least as addons, snaps requires core changes, so, I guess, they have priority)
3 Likes
a good set of API to interact with snapping tools, visual preview tools, and measurement tools ā¦
maybe it would be the best thing ā¦ so you addons devs can have fun.
2 Likes
For sure) The only problem, it is a bit hard to define good proposal for API changes.
For example, I canāt do such thing by myself as I am user, my devs have no ideas, because they used to write code by proposals, and donāt have personal interests in CADā¦
Someone need to have right dreams being both CAD engineer and programmer to make such complex thing)
basically youāre talking about yourself ā¦ 
What are you waiting for to go a bit deeper in the blender code and propose some project-patches that implement your ideas?
you donāt look too bad in codig ā¦
perhaps after the basics of snapping and precision modeling have been implemented ā¦
This is kind a strategic issue
As you may know, I am diamond blenderfund donator, so I constantly need to make some funds for it.
It leaves no chances for any kind of deep programming activity, especially recently. Sorry)
1 Like
Yes I agree, that is why I have got involved here as an ideas man, with many years in CAD (37 to date, not much reallyā¦) and being a programmer (only 30 years of this), but I need some encouragement from BF that my efforts are not in vainā¦ I work for free (I donāt need any money at my time of life), but if lots of us make efforts and they go unnoticed, we tend to let things drop. For example, I developed a huge load of work for Audio, MIDI and DAW applications in Blender using Animation Nodes, no takers, no interest from AN developers, or BF, so I will probably forget about it and just use what I have made to date myself. I wrote a paper on CAD functions in Blender, no apparent interest from BF, so why did I bother, itās so sad. I wrote an Add-on for this, nobody wants me to make it available, inevitable really.
Blender could easily move into the market place as a tool for serious designers, but I guess the only interest is in copying cars people canāt afford from pictures with no appreciable accuracy, or modelling guns & weapons, or creatures that donāt and canāt exist, such a waste of such a good product with so much potential for serious, useful work.
Oh well, you can only beat your head against the brick wall for so long before you realise it just hurts you and changes nothing, the wall never falls down. Then I read tirade after tirade bitching about Blender with SFA positive attitude, or any effort to improve things by development on this and other fora (plural of forum, does nobody learn Latin any more?), time to console myself with āJackā, or āJimā againā¦
Depressed, Clock. 
1 Like
This is basically the way Rotate3D in Rhino works. 
The Move tool in Rhino is especially amazing when it comes to snapping (first you select what to move, then you select where to move from, then you select the destination), so just having that in Blender would be a dream (same with scaling, btw).
1 Like
If anyone wants this functionality in Blender today, itās available in this plugin:
Could perhaps serve as another inspiration for the developers (since the usability of that plugin could be improved to be a slightly more intuitive perhaps).
Some very powerful examples in gif form can be found here:
1 Like
Donāt worry, background images has been removed, so there are no compatribility with imagemodeller anymore, so car modeling is also doubtable now)
1 Like
If I can give an advice, I think itās because blender artists is the wrong place ā¦
You should post your project in some forum made up of electronic music lovers and visual effects ā¦
Even with CAD, until recently in the blender community it was almost a desert ā¦ only recently, thanks to 3D printing and projects with arduino, Amateur makers start to see same interest that starts to grow ā¦
The architects are those that come from CAD, who are probably closest to blender, but largely using blender only for visual rendering ā¦ and probably only now with blender 2.8 we are at the beginning of a serious interest for professional works ā¦
Need to attend the right environmentā¦
For example, in the forums of thingiverse (3d printing community) or The Maker forums there is a much more oriented and interested approach to precision modelling projects with blender as much as possible.
Anyway I am optimistic, with this project, of Better Snapping and Precision Modeling things will start to change ā¦ until now blender for this field did not have the right light ā¦ although there are many engineers who have tried to create CAD addons ā¦
1 Like
I think as blender is moving forward from 2.8 there is a lot on the plate. Going to have to give these things time yet. I understand the frustration though. There are tons of people wanting their favorite tools or features added, but itās a small team that has to prioritize, and I donāt think CAD is on the list yet. Keep pushing, friend.
2 Likes
Iāve been lurking around here for awhile and think your suggestions and work looks really interesting and useful.
Unfortunetely I donāt have the skills to help out, other that trying to give this thread some exposure.
Blender 2.8 is really starting to pull in more people and given some time, this topic will surely gain traction.
Iād hope to see mano-wii being more active here.
3 Likes
@nokipaike @Bobo_The_Imp @Jaydead Thanks for the comments chaps. To clarify, I am not doing the development because I want my stuff in Blender, or my Add-ons released, or my nodes released, etc. I am doing it to show that my thoughts can be done and how they might be achieved. But after three years of development, none of my ideas ever saw inclusion into Animation Nodes, some people have downloaded my work and some people have offered advice and suggestions.
I think it better, if one has an idea, to also show how it might be done to help the process, rather than just to say something like āWe need precision inputs in Blender, or it is not good enough for meā I would rather say āI think it is a good idea to improve the precision inputs and this is how it might be done from a mathematics and logic point of viewā. I do not count myself as sufficiently well versed in Python to develop code for inclusion in Blender, more to show the process for others to take up.
It can be considered as slightly disappointing that when one is asked to do something on this forum and one does it that, the person asking for it then does not respondā¦
Cheers, Clock.