[Bf-funboard] Direct Mesh Manipulation Mode

Petter Myrlid Sundnes post at petter.ms
Mon Apr 18 14:32:20 CEST 2005


Hi people

As an interaction designer and 3D modeller, I have come up with a concept of
polygonal modeling which would work very well as a "mode" within any 3D
application, and I call it Direct Mesh Manipulation (similar to a tweak mode
with added functionality).

When working with polygons, many applications feels like poking clay with a 10
foot pole. What I would like to see (in any 3D application for that matter), is
the ability to work more directly with the mesh, without having to do a bunch
of
operations to get simple modifications. Example of such features available
today
is spin quad / rotate edge. Before such tools, we had to delete the polygons,
and then rebuild them in their new direction.

What I am trying to show here is a mode in which you only need to use the mouse
to do multiple operations. LMB means left mouse button and is used for
selective and modification operations. RMB means right mouse button and is used
for the creation of new geometry. MMB (middle mouse button / scrollwheel) is
used for selection growth/shrinkage and undo/redo.

Check out this GIF anim of what I am explaining below:
http://petter.ms/forum/DiMM.gif

############################################################################

- Click RMB is creation mode by default.

- RMB on an empty space, and a vertex (point) is created. Continue to click RMB
to create more vertecies and edges, and close it into a polygon by RMB clicking
the first vertex. If an existing vertex is clicked, the polygon created will
share that vertex with its neighbour polygons. The "depth" placement of new
vertecies should be the approximate averate of its parents or neighbours
(unless its the first vertex created, which will be created similarily as in
Modeler).

- Click RMB on an edge will start the creation of new edges between each click
on a neighbour edge.

- Click RMB on a polygon and it duplicates (same as ctrl+d in XSI, or bevel in
LW without any shift or inset).

- Click LMB on any of the 3 types (vertex, edge or polygon) and it adds it to
the current selection. If a different kind of selection is made, say you have
selected 2 polygons, and then click on a vertex, all polyselections goes away
and you start adding to a vertex selection.

- Click and drag RMB on a selected element with any number of other elements
selected as well, they get
extruded/beveled/smoothshifted/duplicated/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
Vertical mouse movement decides length of extrusion and horizontal
mousemovement decides inset amount.

- Doubleclick RMB on an element, and the previous extrusion amount gets applied
to that one element.

- Press and hold LMB on an element will "tweak" that one element or several if
multiple elements are selected (same as Drag and Move in LW). Once mousebutton
is released no change is made to the selection.

- Doubleclick LMB on an empty part of the screen deselects all current
selections. Spacebar does the same as well as exits/applies any changes done
through numeric input.

- Doubleclick LMB on a vertex or polygon, it selects all connected vertecies or
polygons ( same as select connected ] in LW). Doubleclick an edge and it
selects the edgeloop.

- Scroll MMB grows the current selection in a radial manner for both single
selected vertecies and polygons, while a selection of 2 vertecies (1 edge) or 2
polygons, grows the selection in a edge/poly-loop manner. (similar to Modo)

- All operations are undoable, and by pressing MMB as well as scrolling upwards
you go forward / backwards in the history stack.

- Forced work mode can be done by deactivating any of the 3 different types of
elements (similar to Wings3D and trueSpace). By disabling edges (by a graphical
toggle button), it enables you to work in vertex and polygon mode only.

- Features such as lasso selection and and box selection can be enabled by
pressing a keyboard shortcut, i.e. Shift + LMB and Shift + RMB and perhaps
Shift + MMB for paint selection (or Ctrl + LMB). Otherwise, selection is done
through clicking LMB on a pr polygon basis.

- All camera / viewport movement can be done by holding down the Alt-key and
using LMB for panning, MMB for zoom and RMB for rotation.

############################################################################

It could be implemented as an alternativ Edit Mode in Blender, say if you press
Shift + Tab to enter this alternative mode.

As a future goal for Blender, I think It should be customizable in the same way
as Cinema 4D and Silo. Abstract functionality away from the GUI, then build a
designer oriented but 100% customizable and flexible interface around it.

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