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

Yep, Michael I know about this drawing on surface. I just wanted to share some Ideas abot Cplane with you :)

Hi Andrei, so I guess it would help me to know what it is you'd be looking to gain by having a saved cplane on that planar surface in your example there, rather than just using the automatic alignment that comes just from snapping onto that surface already... I could maybe guess a few reasons why that could be useful but it might be good for me to know more specifically why the direct on surface drawing is not working for what you need already, maybe there are improvements I could make to it.

- Michael

Drawing on planar surface is very good, I just have habit to set Cplane and open it in TOP view, It looks for me more convinietn to draw, that is why I asked for simple script to set Cplane and the tourn on TOP view. But I can also dray in 3D view on surface. Everything is already good drawing on surface. But when you have to draw on non planar surface or on 2 non planar surfaces and then project it. I use Cplane and set Cplane from view.

Hi Andrei, so it sounds to me like possibly more stuff for drawing directly onto a non-planar surface might possibly solve those issues better than more cplane setting options... it is a somewhat tricky area though.

- Michael

Drawin on non planr surface sound really good! Have no Idea how to make it precise, just do not know logic that you are going to implement.
Another Thing that is reaaly needed is the ability to move Cplane picker in ZXY coordinate! It will be very usefull when drawing on non planar surfaces!!! For example I alwas need to move picker a bit forward from sruface. This feature would be greate!

Hi Andrei,

> Have no Idea how to make it precise, just do not know logic that you are
> going to implement.

I don't know either yet, it's a kind of tricky area because it might involve different options for how the curve follows along the surface... That is something that I'd like to look into in the future though, it seems like it would be a kind of broader solution.


> Another Thing that is reaaly needed is the ability to move Cplane picker! It will be
> very usefull whe drawing on non planar surfaces!!! For example I alwas need to move
> picker abit forward from sruface. This feature would be greate!

You can do this currently - after you place the cplane picker, you can drag on the origin point of it to relocate it, and if you have on straight snap you will be able to track along the surface normal for that relocation as well...

- Michael

Never know about that it is possibel to move Cplane Picker in XYZ!! Talking with you open a lot of secrets for me!!!! Thank YOU!

You're welcome Andrei!

- Michael

Michael one thing notice, when set Cplane, Rotation style is around Z, and it rotates around world Z, not Cplane? Looks like it would be goot to rotate around Cplane Z.

Hi Andrei, are you talking about the 3D view rotation? When that is set to the option of "Rotate around world z axis", that is normal that it does not rotate around the construction plane's z-axis. That view rotation option is meant to keep your head pointing in the upwards world direction. It would be kind of weird to make it rotate around the construction plane z axis because there will probably be some amount of "tilt" in how you are currently viewing the cplane. So either the tilt would have to be zeroed out, making for a shift in the view when you set the cplane, or there would be a kind of left/right tilt that would stay fixed as you did the rotation. Either one is kind of strange.

If you want the view to rotate without regard to the world z axis direction, you can do that by setting the option under View > Rotate/Pan/Zoom options > Rotation style = "Free Rotation".

- Michael