[SOLVED] Viewport orbit snap still does not work with Auto Perspective

Hi,

beta is already out, yet the ages long issue which causes viewport angle snap to not respect “Auto Perspective” setting is still present.

I have reported the issue two times already:
https://developer.blender.org/T53904
https://developer.blender.org/T58361
and both times the issue was closed because it’s already present as one entry in some obscure TODO list everyone has forgotten: https://developer.blender.org/T55366

Since 2.8 changes mainly concern UX improvements, this should definitely not be forgotten. It is very important to note that if viewport angle snap properly works with Auto Perspective, it can serve as superior replacement for any kind of view switch pie menu (currently on tilde key) or any set of viewport hotkeys. It will allow users to switch to orthographic views in a lot more visual, intuitive way that requires lot less mental work.

Right now, unfortunately, it doesn’t work, as the orbit snap just aligns viewport camera with closest world axis, but doesn not switch the view from perspective to orthographic, despite “Auto Perspective” being enabled.

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Bump. Any update on this?

If this is properly fixed, then it basically negates the need to use any set of hotkeys or pie menu to switch between views. It would be a new, revolutionary way to switch views, which would be way faster and more intuitive than what any other DCC can offer.

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Agree on this.
This would be a nice if we could snap the viewport like in 3dcoat, zbrush, etc.
This is frustrating because all the features are there but it misses the last little thing to be useful.

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Yes, exactly. There’s so many components hard work was spent on already put in place, yet it’s missing the last one for the feature to actually be usable. It’s very sad :frowning:

BUMP!

Reminding everyone that Auto-Perspective still doesn’t work in 2.8 which is a real shame.

If this is fixed, it allows user to navigate between aligned ortho views (top/left/front/etc…) and perspective view without need to use any shortcuts or menus, in a more visual and intuitive way, with the help of just Alt key!

The request was hidden inside of a completely forgotten obscure TODO list no one checks anymore:
https://developer.blender.org/T55366

Hi, I am bringing up this thread again.

It’s really unfortunate this still hasn’t been solved. Once it is, it can provide users with way more intuitive navigation and switching between perspective and aligned views than any other software currently can offer. It will allow you to switch to all the world axis ortho views by just orbiting the viewport in the direction you want to look through and holding a hotkey, instead of current, very indirect way of opening some UI menu, and then having to remember how each of the named directions relates to the view you are currently looking from.

I have made a video explaining why is this bugfix so important and how big are the benefits it can bring:

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Auto Perspective is in Preferences > Navigation, next to all the other related options that have to do with orbiting, panning, zooming and fly/walk.

Yes, it took me a while, but I found it :slight_smile:

Non the less, not finding that setting is not what its about. It’s about making the viewport orbit snap working with it. Based on all the changes done in 2.8 by you so far, I feel like you are the exact kind of person who would appreciate more intuitive approach to view switching :wink: Imagine no need for view switch hotkeys, no need for view switch pie menu, and at the same time ability to switch the views in faster, more intuitive way than before.

BTW: I think the part of the reason I had such a hard time finding it is because navigation is something closely related to viewport yet those two buttons are quite far apart and in different button groups. Those button groups also feel a bit arbitrary.

Yes I guess they could be closer.

Your other issue seems like it could just be a bug?

There’s just one, that when you hold down “Alt” key while orbiting, it does align view with the world axis, but it does not automatically switch perspective to orthographic, despite the Auto-Perspective feature being intended to do exactly that. :slight_smile:

My inability to find the auto-perspective switch in the settings was just lack of my familiarity with the new settings dialog, not the point of that video at all. The Auto-Perspective was enabled for the whole duration.
The issue has been reported twice:
https://developer.blender.org/T53904
https://developer.blender.org/T58361
Both times rejected as not being a bug and cleaned up into an old, obsolete TODO that probably won’t be considered ever again.

EDIT: This is description of Auto-Perspective:
image
When you hold alt key to snap while orbiting, you will snap to a view clearly labeled as for example “right”
image
Yet the Auto-Perspective won’t do its job, and switch you to orthographic.

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I might be wrong, but I think what you are wanting is fixed now.

With “Auto Perspective” enabled, I can be in some arbitrary rotation in perspective mode. Then hold “alt” while orbiting with middle mouse and it will now sometimes snap to front/right etc and will go into orthographic mode.

I only says “sometimes” because for me it also snapping into orthographic half-views, but that might be the result of something else I am working on. But you might want to give it a try with current source.

Nope, that’s not it. You have most likely mistaken it for the viewport turn feature. That one is really weird, as it doesn’t properly work unless you are starting from an aligned view already. It’s completely unpredictable most of the time. That one should IMHO be removed as it does more harm than good.

If you first hold Alt key, and then flick the middle mouse button, you will trigger the viewport turn thing. If you perform it from a perspective view that’s not aligned, it’s pretty much random which view you end up in. Rarely in the desired one…

Viewport snap works differently. You first press Shift and MMB to orbit, and then, while orbitting, you also hold down the Alt key. That will trigger viewport snap.

Actually, yet another benefit of fixing Auto Perspective for view snap would be that this view turn would become obsolete, and hopefully removed :slight_smile:

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Well sorry to get you excited for no reason. Yes, I didn’t realize the behavior was different when you “flick” versus just dragging with alt held down.

If you first hold Alt key, and then flick the middle mouse button, you will trigger the viewport turn thing. If you perform it from a perspective view that’s not aligned, it’s pretty much random which view you end up in. Rarely in the desired one…

My doing this doesn’t just “rarely” get the desired one as far as I can tell, and it does seem a bit better than the last time I tried it. The flick seems to reliably go straight into the next orthographic view without fail when I try it no matter what weird perspective I start with. Although a little odd, but expected, that it favors only one particular top and bottom view.

Yeah, sorry, I wasn’t very clear :slight_smile:

For example, try to rotate around the cube randomly and get to a view angle like this:


Then try to use the Alt+MMB flick feature and see if you really land in the aligned ortho view you’ve expected :slight_smile:

I really don’t want to derail the thread for something that isn’t about your initial complaint.

But if I follow the above instructions I do always get the exact horizontal orthographic view I am expecting no matter how hard I try. With the big exception that flicking up or down will always go to the same top and bottom views, not the ones it really should go to. For that it needs to be aware of the other valid top and bottom views with differing rolls. But I’m guess that isn’t the issue you are talking about.

Interesting. I guess I may be using it wrong. Anyway, you are right, my initial complaint is about something else :slight_smile:

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Hey, really not implying that there is nothing wrong or that you are doing it incorrectly. Just trying to understand these intricacies. I was earlier attempting (and failing) to add new named views (including top and bottom with different rolls), which is why I was in there. Next time I am poking around for that I will look to see where that viewport snap is done versus viewport flick. But probably needs someone more experienced there than me.

The current behaviour does seem strange. Once you realise the difference between holding before or after you click you can reliably get the same view, but it never feels like it’s the right view.
For instance: Create a cube with three materials, so both sides look like this


Align it so the red face is most prominently displayed
image
Now try to alt-snap to the corresponding view. You’ll pretty much always get the green faces, because that’s how it seems to function to me.
image
It seems like it will always go to the view in the direction you flick, but… what you’d really want, ideally, is for it to snap to the view that corresponds the most to what’s already on screen first.

For clarity’s sake: if you press alt while already rotating the view, it will snap to the red face, but it won’t go into ortho. All in all, it just feels very inconsistent and counter-intuitive

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Yes, unfortunately there are currently 2 different ways of snapping the views assigned to same combination (alt+orbit) but they happen depending on the order. I think it’s very unfortunate and confusing decision.

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