I know MoI is very precise, but when you are drawing you always have to type the measure by hand. I always have think of a feature that let you set a precision for all what you are drawing with a fast toggle. For example i can set steps of 0.1 and then it will not let me draw something with more 0.000's in it, just multiples of 0.1. With the grid snap you can get a little bit of that, but if you want an angled line it stop working. Maybe this can work for limiting angles too.

This can be a really time saver.

The UI is almost there, maybe just replacing the "snap size" option in the "grid snap" pup up for the "precision" option.

Just an idea.

Hi ed, I'm not really following along with the angle part.

I don't think you would want to limit the angle by some small amount like 0.1 degrees since that is a really teeny tiny angular amount.


> For example i can set steps of 0.1 and then it will not let
> me draw something with more 0.000's in it, just multiples
> of 0.1.

Yup, this part is handled by grid snap.

If you only want to use points where the coordinates only have increments of 0.1 and not values like 0.182 or stuff like that, then set grid snap to 0.1 and it will do exactly that for you - every point that you pick will be locked to be an increment of 0.1 .

I'm not really following how what you are requesting is any different than what grid snap already does...

- Michael

With grid snap I cannot draw a line with a known length with some angle that is not 0 or 90º. Also, sometimes you want to start drawing at some point that do not match the grid, what do you do then? You can type the measure manually, but thats the point, what if you can have an option that makes anything you draw to have a limited precision, like 0.01 for example.

Hi ed,

> With grid snap I cannot draw a line with a known length with
> some angle that is not 0 or 90º.

Right... but that's because if you do something like a line of length = 5 and angle = 30 degrees, the endpoint will not coincide with the grid.

I don't understand how you want to make an angled line like that be coincident with the grid, when it is not physically possible to do it - how would a "precision" value make the endpoint of a length = 5 and angle = 30 fall on a grid point when that's simply not where the endpoint of that given angle and length properties actually goes?


> Also, sometimes you want to start drawing at some point
> that do not match the grid, what do you do then?

You can relocate the construction plane at your desired starting point, that also relocates the grid that grid snap will be snapping to.

Again I don't understand how a single "precision" value would be able to handle starting at some arbitrary point either. Right now I cannot see how what you are asking for is any different than grid snap and how it would not have the exact same limitations as grid snap.


> what if you can have an option that makes anything
> you draw to have a limited precision, like 0.01 for example.

But again - that's exactly what grid snap does - if you turn on grid snap and set a snap size of 0.01 then every point that you click will be in increments of 0.01 and you won't get values like 0.01224 or stuff like that.

If you only want every point that you place to be at some increment of 0.01 then set the snap size to that, and turn on grid snap and then it does that....

I'm sorry but I guess I need to have a much more substantial description of what you're talking about, I don't get how grid snap does not already do what you are asking about, other than things that are just not physically possible.

- Michael

Hi ed - do you maybe mean something like a "length" snap that would constrain the length of a line that you are drawing to go in certain incremental steps? (allowing it to vary instead of locking it to one specific value - you can already lock it to a particular value by using "distance constraint" which you can activate by just typing in the distance value you want).

Note that something like that would end up putting the endpoint coordinates at all kinds of different numeric coordinates - something like a line that has a length of 5 but an angle of 21 degrees does not have its endpoints located at some specific limited snapped precision value for its x,y,z coordinates.

I guess probably what you meant, is that correct? - when you talked about limiting the values that were used that confused me a lot because when you draw in a line, the length of the line is not actually what is stored in the 3DM file, it's the coordinates of the 2 endpoints that are the actual values that define the line.

- Michael

Hi ed17,

You could use array/curve if you want a defined distance.

Just draw a Line or a Curve and place a Point object at the startpoint and then type the distance.
The Point objects drawn can be used as snapping objects.

Often i use a circle or sfere object intersecting with a line in 3D space to find the right snapping point.
It is like using the classic compass when drawing on paper.

Yes! a length snap! sorry i just know a little bit of english and some times I end up saying weird things... What about that, is that feasible?

5-tab-tab-23-enter.

A 5 inch line at 23 deg angles. Should be able to script that with a box for length and a box for angle as a plugin. I suppose the advantage to have this as a plugin (It's already in the UI) is that the settings can persist until changed.

Yes, thats the current way of doing it but, what if you can do it without typing it manually? you could work a lot faster because, at least in my case, 99% of the time I work with an established range of measures, and if you want a very precise length you still can type it.

I just read de "joint double curvature jumbo" discussion and i think this "length snap" goes with keeping the eyes in the model, cause you don't have to look to your keyboard for typing a measure, you just see the screen!

Hi ed,

> Yes! a length snap! sorry i just know a little bit of english
> and some times I end up saying weird things... What about
> that, is that feasible?

Yup, a length snap should not be difficult to add - it will probably not by default get its own button on the bottom toolbar for enabling/disabling it though, it would probably be a setting under Options > Snaps for both enabling it and setting the snap distance.

I've added it to my todo list for things to add in to v3.

For others who are reading this - you can already make a line a specific distance by using distance constraint which you activate by just typing in a number and pushing enter. The "length snap" being discussed here would be for allowing different lengths instead of just one length but making the length of the line go in sort of "chunk" like steps as you move the mouse.

- Michael

Hi Burr,

> 5-tab-tab-23-enter.
>
> A 5 inch line at 23 deg angles.

You can also use Polar coordinate notation for entering in a combined distance/angle value like that.

To do that put in the distance then the < sign and then the angle all together, so for example doing the endpoint of a line at 5 units and 23 degrees away from the start point type:    5<23 and push enter and you will then get that result.

Think of the < (less than) symbol as looking similar to an angle symbol.

- Michael

length snap for v3! great!

Ah the polar coordinates thing. Sweet! I'll need pratice on thinking like that. You know us tropics dwellars! :o

I should be able to remember it for the angle entry though. Thanks.