Michael is it possible to change Orientation picker defoult orientation when pick Cplane. It will be good to chane Z on Y? It loks like it alwas is turned. Axis that you think has to be front Y alwas is Z. I always have problem trying to understand where is left and front when setting CPlane. I only understand where is TOP. For example I never use front and left view when CPlane is set, becouse I have no Idea where is what. I think everybody has that problem. I think it is becouse people associate this picker with world coordinate, and they think they look stright on it, and the primary axis have to be front, but it is turned. I know I can rotate this picker to set how I like, but it is tedious work to do it every time. So is it possible to change defoult primary axis to Y?



Also whanted to ask why MOI is Z-Up orientation?

Andrei,
Options -> View -> Axis labes

use this settings


P.S. In my opinion, Z-up is more natural.

Hi Andrei,

> So is it possible to change defoult primary axis to Y?

There is no way to alter the orientation picker itself, but like Max shows above you can change the labeling of axis directions in MoI to something else other than the default standard system, that's under Options > View > Axis labels. That will change the displayed labels for x, y, z directions and also change x,y,z coordinate input to be interpreted as those directions as well.


> Also whanted to ask why MOI is Z-Up orientation?

Well, it's the standard way that engineering designs have used for many centuries now... When you lay down a blueprint on a flat table top, that's the "plan" view, with x and y axis directions mapping to the tabletop, with the added z direction mapping to height above the table.

If you prefer the "left handed" type system that is more oriented around a vertical computer screen as the base position, set your axis labels option as Max shows above.

Generally things that are oriented around any kind of physical construction use the z-up system since that's been the standard way for a long long time greatly predating computer systems.

- Michael

I changed labels but still get the same result :) Prime axis it top :)

Hi Andrei,

> I changed labels but still get the same result :) Prime axis it top :)

Yeah "Top" is the primary plan view, when you orient a cplane, that will be the primary focus for what is being set.

The labels should change which things are labeled as x,y, or z though.

- Michael

I think this situation when primary axes is Top, confuse people when they switch to front or left view. I use it only in top view and some times in left when need to flat curves. In other cases I use it in 3D view becouse it is hard to imagine what is in left or front.

Hi Andrei,

> I think this situation when primary axes is Top, confuse people when they switch to front or left view.

Ok, but yeah if the front or left views are confusing you in that situation just don't use them, do your planar drawing in the Top view after you have positioned your cplane, just temporarily ignore the front or left views if those ones bother you at that particular time.

- Michael

I work this way for a long time. And the case of this topic was an idea to extend my workflow on left and front view in Cplane mode. That is why I asked to change prime axis to make more sence when using CPlane. It is not critical for me I have no problem using 3D and top view when using Cplane, just wanted to know if it is possible.

This may be able to be solved by the ability to "save a cplane"... If we had this then we could save the orientation, like with "paste part", then that cplane could be used when needed.

Can we get "save cplane"?

Hi Burr,

> Can we get "save cplane"?

I do want to have that, I have not quite figured out where to put it in the UI yet. I haven't been able to quite decide whether these things that involve lists of items should go in sections inside the scene browser or whether they should be baked inside of individual commands like the Image command...

- Michael

I think in browser would be good!

Michael, I think that may be it will be good to save those CPlanes not in list but as some kinde of markers on surface from what Cplane was made. And you do not have to look through the all list to find Cplane that you need but just click on that marker and restore Cplane. It will be much more convinient.

Also wanted to ask you for script that will set Cplane without any menu and cplane picker, just run sortcut and click on surface to set Cplane. One click script. With checked - Apply to all views and Orient ortho views.

Also I wonted to ask you why grid disapear on object surface if I set Cplane on it? It is around it but not on object. I think it will be good to see it on surface to make sure where Cplane is set. Something like in Spaceclaim.

Why couldn't someone write up a script like Dinos did with the Lighting Options?

Maybe combine custom view/camera coordinates as well.

Therefore, in the interim, it would be non-intrusive, and you could save all the C-planes and views you wanted.

Just a thought.

""""""Therefore, in the interim, it would be non-intrusive, and you could save all the C-planes and views you wanted""""""

You can already save views in MoI. There is a script for that. It only works incrementally though.

But that's not the issue, or a solution to what he wants.

What he's after is the "default z direction" when creating a cplane. As is now, if you went to set the cplane to the side surface of a cube, then the Z axis will be pointing in the direction of that surfaces normal, as opposed to "up in the current z direction". If you could save a cplane as some type of object, then you can have the direction come into the current view, however you want.

It's easy enough to do with the add cplane dialogue now, but I think with his workflow, he is trying to get everything down to just "single actions"......

Nothing wrong with that. MoI is the king of speed modeling.

Hi Andrei,

> Michael, I think that may be it will be good to save those CPlanes not in list but as
> some kinde of markers on surface from what Cplane was made. And you do not have
> to look through the all list to find Cplane that you need but just click on that marker
> and restore Cplane. It will be much more convinient.

That would be convenient as an option, but I don't think it would be feasible as the only way to do it, it's just too easy for there to be too much on screen clutter if they were only controlled by on screen markers alone. So there needs to be a central list somewhere so that if you have say 30 saved cplanes you don't necessarily have to have 30 markers showing on screen all the time.


> Also wanted to ask you for script that will set Cplane without any menu and cplane picker,
> just run sortcut and click on surface to set Cplane. One click script. With checked - Apply
> to all views and Orient ortho views.

That's only going to save you one single click - the regular cplane picker just takes 2 clicks already, one to snap it on to the surface and then if it has the orientation you want just right click after that and you're done. It's not really worthwhile to have a special script for that just to avoid one single click...

- Michael

Hi Andrei,

> Also I wonted to ask you why grid disapear on object surface if I set
> Cplane on it? It is around it but not on object.

That's just how grids work in MoI for all cases, it's the same whether you set a cplane or not, the grid draws underneath all objects instead of mixed in with them, to keep it from cluttering up your view of your objects.

- Michael

I have to agree with the marker option, they could be managed as selectable items assigned with an object name or style.

-

I mean markers like this. And also you can have list of them, no problem. But imagine you have 10-20 saved Cplanes, and you will spend a lot of time trying to remember how it was named to find it. It will looks something like this - may be this one, ouh no, mabe that one also no, how I name it can not remember, etc... But with markers on surface it is very inuitevly. Also one surface can hold a couple of markers, it will be good if surface is not planar to have diffrent Cplanes on this. It will looks like this: Command- save Cplane, select surface where to put marker and this is it. Also it will put it in the list I think no name needed, but you can include this option. Then MOI automaticly place and resize these markers, may be in upper left corner. Also it will relocate markers if surface was trimed.

Also it can put markers and hide them imediatley(some option), but when you run command to restore saved CPlane it iwll show you all saved markers on surfaces. I think it will good to not to have a lot of stuff on screen.

Hi Andrei, some good ideas there, it will probably be a while before I'll be able to really explore them though. Things involving a lot of UI tend to be very time consuming to implement well.

In the meantime, just to make sure you're aware, you are able to draw directly on planar surfaces in the 3D view just by snapping the points you're drawing onto the plane...

For example if you are drawing a circle you can snap the center of the circle onto any planar surface in the 3D view and the circle that is drawn will be oriented onto that plane, without needing to directly set the cplane as a separate step.


> Also it will relocate markers if surface was trimed.

Things like this that require various different commands like trim to also modify different lists of things are quite difficult to implement, just as a general note...

- Michael