Hi Everyone.

i will make this brief:


i was wondering if there was away we could force move along eliv/normal only as a temporary script: ie once executed the move tool would return to normal function until script was run again.


my idea is a combo of the orient tool script:script: /* CPlane */ moi.view.setCPlaneInteractive(); and the straight snap options running/working together as you can already do but in a script.


a great example would be a sphere. i could run script: then where ever i click next on the sphere will be used to grab normal/eliv constrained to that only axis....until release

i think a tool like this would make for amazing work flow!


ps could it be possible to turn the orient tool into a sort of gizmo that you could move object using the 3 aligned arms.

Hi Neil, maybe you could show an illustration of how you want to use it?

The Transform > Move tool will already give you the option for tracking along a surface normal if the base point for the move is on a surface.

For example like this:



Is it that you want to turn off the other kinds of straight snaps?

Here's a script that will turn off tangent, perpendicular, and x/y plane straight snaps and re-engage them when it is triggered a second time:

if ( moi.drawingAids.straightSnapAngle == 0.0 ) { moi.drawingAids.straightSnapAngle = 90.0; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableTangent = true; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnablePerpendicular = true; } else { moi.drawingAids.straightSnapAngle = 0.0; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableTangent = false; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnablePerpendicular = false; }


> ps could it be possible to turn the orient tool into a sort of gizmo
> that you could move object using the 3 aligned arms.

In the future I would like to look into some animation-style gizmo type controls. Probably the way you would do something like that now would be to set the construction plane, after you do that regular moves will go in that plane and when straight snap is engaged it moves in those axis directions.

- Michael

Hi Michael,


the script you did is working in part...still needs turn off vertical snapping as well....



i also cranked the active distance to 1000 and keep active distance to 1000....this helps slam it to force normal. :)



is it possible to trigger this behavior when using just the left mouse button move? as i click where i click it uses that normal....and locks to that path of travel.

Hi Neil,

re:
> the script you did is working in part...still needs turn off vertical snapping as well....

Try this one:

script: if ( moi.drawingAids.straightSnapAngle == 0.0 ) { moi.drawingAids.straightSnapAngle = 90.0; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableVertical = true; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableTangent = true; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnablePerpendicular = true; } else { moi.drawingAids.straightSnapAngle = 0.0; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableVertical = false; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableTangent = false; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnablePerpendicular = false; }


> i also cranked the active distance to 1000 and keep active distance to 1000....this helps slam it to force normal. :)

Another way is you can hold the Shift key down to force straight snap to activate. When you hold Shift the closest straight snap line will engage no matter what distance you are away from it.


> is it possible to trigger this behavior when using just the left mouse button move? as i click where
> i click it uses that normal....and locks to that path of travel.

The MoI term for the "left mouse button move" is object dragging. But sorry no, an object drag is initiated while you are object selection mode, not while you are in point picking mode so the base point for it is a somewhat different case.

- Michael

thanks Michael.



yes i use shift to lock but you still have to be subtle to find what you want sometimes......could you please include cranking those settings to 1000.....on off as with the snaps please:)


i find it to work really just how i like !

Hi Neil, sure give this one a try:

script: if ( moi.drawingAids.straightSnapAngle == 0.0 ) { moi.drawingAids.straightSnapAngle = 90.0; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableVertical = true; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableTangent = true; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnablePerpendicular = true; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapActivateDistance = 6; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapKeepActiveDistance = 12; } else { moi.drawingAids.straightSnapAngle = 0.0; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableVertical = false; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnableTangent = false; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapEnablePerpendicular = false; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapActivateDistance = 1000; moi.drawingAids.straightSnapKeepActiveDistance = 1000; }

- Michael