[Bf-committers] UI Rotation enhancement.

[Matt Ebb]

On 18 Oct 2004, at 12:32 PM, Alexander Ewering wrote:

> On Sun, 17 Oct 2004, Matt Ebb wrote:
>
>> I know the feature that Campbell's talking about in Max. To clarify - 
>> it uses the selection as the centre of rotation when you rotate 
>> (orbit) the 3D view.
>
> Sorry, stupid me here. I must be missing something, like always.

Yes, you are missing something, like always ;)

> Could you please explain to me how this feature is in any way 
> different from
> pressing the Numpad DOTKEY on a selection? You *know* that key, don't 
> you?

Of course I know that key. This is very different.

The Max feature is not a command, like the dot key. It does not 
translate the view or change the scaling, or make the view point at the 
selected object. It changes the centre of rotation when the view is 
orbited (in Blender dragging with MMB).

Here's a kind of simulation in Blender. Open this file: 
http://mke3.net/rt/testorbit.blend.zip

* It should be in camera mode with the camera selected, with the cursor 
as the pivot point (which is located at the cube).
* Press R to rotate the camera, then middle mouse click so the camera 
is now orbiting around the cube
* Right mouse click to cancel, select the sphere, then snap cursor to 
selection.
* Select the camera again, press R to rotate the camera, then middle 
mouse click so the camera is now orbiting around the sphere.

We've just changed the centre of the camera's rotation from the cube to 
the sphere.

With the feature in Max, there's no changing cursors or anything - it 
just happens automatically that with this turned on, the 3D View uses 
the selected object as the centre of the orbit (when you use the Max 
equivalent of Blender's MMB orbit), instead of using the middle of the 
screen like Blender seems to now.

It's just as 'blocking' and involves the same 'stupid confusing mode' 
as Blender, when you orbit with MMB. It's just changing what you orbit 
around.

Did I mention it's a very useful feature? Well, it is :)

Matt
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