Does exist something in color that show if a line is parallal to an axe?
Like
Z = Blue
X= Red
y = Green
...

Ohhh....I like that idea.

Hi Pilou,

> Does exist something in color that show if a line is parallal to an axe?

No, because there is already a different mechanism (Styles) that controls the colors of objects.

An object can be only one color, so it isn't very easy to have more than one system that is trying to control the same color at the same time - that would cause one of those systems to be effectively canceled out.

- Michael

THX
I will have maybe more chance for the next :)

Are construction lines subject to styles? I have seen the little X, Y and Z pop up with construction lines but colored construction lines would be more noticeable.

Those of us that have used Sketchup learn to love that inference engine.

Hi unclecharlie,

> Are construction lines subject to styles?

Not currently but they could be in the future with persistent ones. The "straight snap" line is a little different than a regular construction line though, I guess that particular temporary line that is drawn when straight snap is engaged could possibly be done in red/green/blue as an optional thing in the future.

But in general I've tried to avoid using special colors to mean things, and instead prefer to use text labels when possible. Text labels just tend to be a lot clearer and easier to understand.


> but colored construction lines would be more noticeable.

Yeah, but also "more noticeable" can also mean "more in your face and distracting" as well, which can sometimes go along with flashing various different colors on the screen.

It would also probably be kind of strange in the 2D views, very non 2D-drawing-ish.



> Those of us that have used Sketchup learn to love that inference engine.

Is there anything in particular that you like about it?

You should be able to get anything that you want from it in MoI with construction lines, plus many other things as well...

The main difference is that MoI's construction lines stay out of your way until you specifically call on them with the drag gesture.

Inference lines that kick in totally automatically are nice for very simple drawings made up just of lines (as you would work with in SketchUp), but having them kick in automatically when trying to draw more complex things like freeform curves can be very frustrating - it is easy for the screen to get kind of locked up with too many automatically activated snap zones which prevent you from freely placing curve control points for control over curve shaping.

Also MoI's construction lines have both a start and end point associated with them (where you begin the drag and release the drag), which gives them some functionality that you can't get with inference lines that only radiate rays out from a single point.

Here's an example - here I am drawing a line and using a construction line I am able to find the midpoint between 2 other points in the drawing:




An inference engine that only radiates snap lines out from a single point is not able to find those kinds of snaps.

The last time I checked, it seemed like SketchUp's inferences had some other limitations as well, like for example I'm not sure if you can use it to make an isosceles triangle like this:




Because MoI's clines stay out of your way until you call on it, it makes it easier for them to be kind of "supercharged" with more additional snaps like this without it causing the "screen all locked up with snaps" problem.

- Michael

Here's another example that MoI's construction lines can do because they have a start and end point (and thus have a distance associated with them), unlike inference lines that only radiate rays out from a single point.

When you define a cline between these 2 points:



Not only is the midpoint between them available as a snap (or any division like thirds or fifths, etc... if you pop up the menu and activate that), there are also snaps available at that same distance reflected over, like this:



That enables you to do things like make a construction line perpendicular to a center line and then get the point on the opposite site, here's an example, note that when dropping the cline to the center line, the mirrored point on the opposite side is then available:


- Michael

Yes helpers lines rocks but it's more for "construction" of the object
or verify one object

I see more something like that :)

Say you have some separated volumes (100) on a ground flat plan
in a 3D view you can see in a flash those who are not parallal between us or not perpendicular to the plan with the system of colored edges axes ;)

Or in a front view those who seems vertical at the eyes but who are not because there is 0.5 ° deviation
etc...

if it's not a "flat ground" I use the Custom Plan ;)
(in this case colored 3 axes must follow for adapt to the volumes who are not changed! )

Of course colored system must be disable / enable at any moment ;)
It's a cool tool of speedy verification

Hi Pilou, yeah so what you are describing there would be what I would call an "analysis mode", where you switched to some special view mode that made the view look different than the regular modeling mode so you could look at some special information or displays.

In the future I want to have some different modes like that, like for instance Zebra stripe mode is one for analyzing surface continuity with reflection lines.

A special analysis mode for what you are describing could be possible, I guess but I think it's use would be pretty limited - it would only work perfectly if the only objects you were constructing were just boxes, and they would even have to be particular boxes that were aligned to the world axes.

It would be easy to get alarmed and think there are problems where there are actually none.

Take for instance this box here which is just rotated so it is not aligned to the x/y axes:



Now if you go to the front view and turned on this mode that you were talking about, you would see only these lines in blue:



The other lines are not aligned to the world axis directions, so they would remain uncolored I guess you are saying?

So then you would see those lines and think, "oh no, they are not straight, they are some 0.5 degrees off or something", when actually they are not...

- Michael

If your box is just rotated around the z axis
i believe i will see that
else not that is not a rectangular box or edges are not // to the plan



but you right it's just a system for the straight lines

Hi Pilou,

> If your box is just rotated around the z axis
> i believe i will see that

Right, so now these edges here do not have any colors on them:




So because those are not colored, would you then worry that they are also not flat, that they may have some small 0.5 angle degree from being horizontal?

However, they are actually in the horizontal plane...

I would be kind of concerned that such a mode would make you mistakenly worry that some edges were not proper when there is not really anything wrong with them.

- Michael

< So because those are not colored, would you then worry that they are also not flat, that they may have some small 0.5 angle degree from being horizontal?
yes but almost
they are not colored because they have not the same orientation than axis !

so just 6 colors
red, green, blue (dark or bushy...dashed...) verify if same orientation than axis
red, green, blue (ligth tiny...dashed...) or 3 other colors for being // a plan axis but not same oriention


(middle case don't exist in sketchup)
for middle case that must say that object must know original position :)
or used another same color (orange) who replace tiny red and tiny green that explain // at a plan X,Y

Hi Pilou,

> yes but almost
> they are not colored because they have not the same
> orientation than axis !

Yes, but notice that the box is still all correct - all 90 degree angles, etc... Just because it is not aligned to the world axes does not mean that it is automatically a "bad" box or something like that...


> so just 6 colors
> red, green, blue (dark or bushy...dashed...) verify if same
> orientation than axis

Sounds like it is getting quite complicated, with so many different colors...

What about hidden lines? Would hidden lines be displayed in their regular faint dashed colors? So how would you tell the difference between a hidden-line blue line and a special dashed blue line?


Do you know of any other program that displays lines in this way? It could be helpful for me to see an example of it in action to see if it feels natural or if it feels strange...

- Michael

So is that actually a direct SketchUp screenshot that you showed there, or are you painting those lines in on top of a screenshot?

If it is a direct screenshot, how do you make it show like that, is there a special plugin or something like that?

- Michael

yes
middle case don't exist in Sketchup (maybe by plugin i must research)
(so it's a retouched image)

for middle case that must say that object must know original position :)
or used another same color (orange) who replace tiny red and tiny green that explain // at a plan X,Y

For hidden lines no problem: use a dashed line with same color than visible lines ;)
visible lines must be not dashed

< if it feels natural or if it feels strange...
just instant view as you toggle in a click :)
Don't know if exist on another prog but I presume :)

But as you said it's helped for box volumes or volumes who have straight edges inside ;)

it's current use in architecture ;)
If I rotate (horizontal) red and green lines disapear, will be fun if they stay or change in another color different than black current
Rotate all building in rotation different than horizontal is not pertinent ;)
(research of the SU plug is launched ;)
by F L W ;)

Hi Pilou,

> middle case don't exist in Sketchup (maybe by plugin i must research)
> (so it's a retouched image)

What about the other cases, are those something that you can turn on in SketchUp? If so, how? Are they a style that you set or a special mode?


Maybe in MoI v3 an easy way to make this would be to have a plug-in that set the edge colors like that for lines. It's not easy to make a plugin for that currently in v2 because a script does not currently have any way to know if an edge is a line or not. But once I add that in for v3 it would then be possible to make a script to set edge colors like this.

- Michael

In Sketchup you only get the R,G,B edges on objects if you have that option turned on in your settings and the edges are parallel to the X (East/West), Y (North/South) or Z axis. There is no visual clue for just right angle or horizontal. But it was originally thought of as a visualization tool for architecture so right angles and compass headings are built into its bones.

When you draw a line or rectangle though, or pull out a construction line, after your first click, you get a thin line that matches R, G or B when you are parallel to that axis until you make your second click. This is necessary for Sketchup since you are always working in 3d space. There is no defined rule about drawing only at Z=0 when you are normal to the X,Y plane. So it can be a very small mouse adjustment between a second point that is vertical (blue preview) and a second point that is North or South (green) depending on where your camera is. You can click a button and put your view into front, top, right, left, back or iso views and you can set your camera to ortho or perspective.

It is like anything, it takes a little practice but once you are used to it you can really pump out the drawings.

> In Sketchup you only get the R,G,B edges on objects if
> you have that option turned on in your settings <...>

Where is that option in SketchUp exactly?


> You can click a button and put your view into front, top,
> right, left, back or iso views and you can set your camera
> to ortho or perspective.

One thing that's always seemed odd with SketchUp is no support for a split view, it can be convenient sometimes to see things like both a plan and elevation view at the same time...

- Michael

< Where is that option in SketchUp exactly?
Menu Window/Styles and then Colors by Axis
(that is different of Style itself bottom page where you can choose Pencil, markers Oil paint etc...but can works of course together !
in this case choose first any artistic style then color by axis! )

<you get a thin line that matches R, G or B
(similar inside Moi of Helpers line X,Y,Z with Straight Snap enable but in colors ;)