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[Raxx]

What you see on the screen isn't necessarily how it's picked since I use separate passes for point, edge and face picking, all using Anim8or's software pipeline. Just because only part of a pixel is visible it doesn't mean that it picks any differently than if it were all visible.  When picking is enabled for multiple things selecting a face at a steep angle will be closer to the user that the point so even if the point is within range the face could be chosen instead since the part of the face that the mouse is over is closer to the user.  This doesn't happen if face selection isn't on, of course, like for the topo tool.

BTW does the change in color of the topo tool help?  I thought it would since you can tell when you're over a valid end point.

Yes, I'd observed that it's not necessarily the same, however in a lot of cases it still holds true that the picking for points is blocked in in the same areas that it's hidden (blocked by the edge/face that's closer to the user than the point). This shouldn't be happening! In the below video, #1 is a case in which it's not highlighting edges even though it's clearly hovering over them at the endpoint. #2 is the case that I've been describing, in which it seems like the edges or faces being rendered on top of the point are preventing the point from being highlighted.

Changing the color does help, though the color doesn't differentiate between whether it's connecting to an edge or connecting to a point. How about this:

• Not hovering over any element: Yellow dashed line with no end point under mouse.
• Hovering over edge: Orange dashed line and orange endpoint
• Hovering over point: Orange dashed line and yellow endpoint
• Using Ctrl to make a new edge in mid-air: Yellow dashed line and yellow endpoint

Or something like that.

[Unobtainium]

Glad to see all the updates, Steve. Thanks. Haven't tried the new versions after the color/theme change, which looks nice btw, I guess I'm in for a pleasant surprise the next time I open the latest version.

[ronaldefarmer]

In object mode, I have noticed that if, while faces are selected, you toggle between face select and point or edge select, the selection grows. Is this the intended behavior? On a similar note, what about including a function to reduce face selection?

[Steve]

ronaldefarmer: Yes, this is intended.  There was a bit of discucssion about it and that's what then consensus was on how it should work.  As for face reduction, what did you have in mind?

[Steve]

Raxx: Check out build 1229.  I finished a rewrite of the point/edge/face picking code. Hope you like it!

nemyax: I fixed the Topo Tool and  Move/Rotate Points/Edges/Faces for mirrored meshes so that they follow the mouse correctly when you click on the left side.

Note: I can't reproduce your connected-extrude bug for mirrored meshes.  Can you see if it's still broken?  If so, please send me an example (like the one in your e-mail).

[nemyax]

I couldn't reproduce the connected-extrude weirdness, so it must be OK now.
These are the issues I've found with 1229:

• The mirror side detection fix works only with fast select enabled.
• Conversely, the new picking heuristics work only with fast select disabled. When it's on, you can't pick points at all. They are highlighted in topo knife (elsewhere, they aren't), but you can't tweak them. Strangely, when you have only point picking enabled in topo knife, you drag edges.

And here's a little wishlist:

• It wouldn't hurt if the picking distance for points were increased again. This one can be pretty high and still cause no inconvenience.
• Please make Frame Selected mirror side-aware like the transform tools.

[Steve]

"...The mirror side detection fix works only with fast select enabled. ..." Yes, don't know what happened, should be easy to fix though.

" ... Conversely, the new picking heuristics work only with fast select disabled. When it's on, you can't pick points at all. They are highlighted in topo knife (elsewhere, they aren't), but you can't tweak them. ..."  These work OK for me. I test using Meshes, Subdivision Meshes and Mirrored Meshes. Which are you editing?  Is it in Wireframe, Flat or Smooth?

[ronaldefarmer]

As for face reduction, what did you have in mind?

Maybe just a function that, with multiple faces selected, deselects faces that share a point or edge with an unselected face--sort of the opposite of shift+G.

[nemyax]

Steve
Both meshes and subdivs. It turns out this only happens for me on 64-bit Windows 10. I ran a previous build, and it was the same. I haven't reported it, because I've only recently upgraded the OS and hadn't used Anim8or there, so I didn't know. On another computer (Wine under 32-bit Linux) I have none of these troubles and everything works fine.

[Steve]

nemyax: What graphics do you have?  Is there an updated driver that you can install?  I've tested it on 64b Win7 and 64b Win8.1, both with NVIDIA graphics cards.  I'll try it with the cars removed so it will use the Intel integrated graphics.

[nemyax]

GeForce GTX 650. I just updated the driver to version 364.51, but that didn't help.
Anim8or also works well on a 64-bit Windows 7 machine that has a Radeon.

[Raxx]

Hey Steve, the mouse picking is great now! I think points could use a few more pixels in radius/priority over edges (still battling more than I like over edges when trying to move points), but other than that I'm very satisfied. Thanks for taking the time to improve it

I have a few bugs to report, there seems to be strange behavior between smooth shaded and flat shaded. May be related to nemyax's issues:

• When "Smooth Outline" or "Flat Outline" is disabled, subdivision meshes still show the outline/control mesh.
• When "Smooth Points" or "Flat Outline" is disabled, it still shows the points for meshes and subdivision meshes.
• For the Topo tool, when "Smooth Points" or "Flat Points" is disabled and "Outline" is still enabled, then it still highlights points and when clicking to move them, it moves the edge and not the point. Basically, Topo tool ignores the shading UI preferences and manipulates elements regardless of if they're enabled/disabled/shown/hidden.
• Interestingly, left-side manipulation no longer works correctly when "Outline" is disabled and moving points/edges via the topo tool. Of course, if the previous three issues are fixed then I think this'll become a non-issue.

[slex]

Can anybody please tell me how to put back 'Parameters' pop-up window to the left upper part of the workspace like it was in version 1222 and older?
 Now I often have to move it aside and up because it covers the object or it's too long and partially below the screen

[Steve]

Raxx: ... For the Topo tool, when "Smooth Points" or "Flat Points" is disabled and "Outline" is still enabled, then it still highlights points and when clicking to move them, it moves the edge and not the point. Basically, Topo tool ignores the shading UI preferences and manipulates elements regardless of if they're enabled/disabled/shown/hidden. ...
I changed a bit of code everywhere when rewriting the picking code - I'll get this all working.

To make sure we're on the same wavelength, ane these correct?
1) As far as the Topo Tool enables, an earlier discussion concluded that it should ignore the Point/Edge enables and assume that both are enabled, correct? Highlighting should of course do the same (for consistency).
2) If points or edges aren't being drawn, then they should shouldn't be usable for the topo tool (or any other tool for that matter).

Arrrrgh!  I meant to say "Shouldn't"!

[Raxx]

Hey Steve,

1. There may be cases where the user wants to make a long string of cuts right next to points. The easiest way to do this is to disable points so that only edges can be cut. And of course, there may be instances where the user only wants to connect or manipulate points. How about, when the topo tool is selected it automatically enables the p/e modes/buttons if they're disabled, and then if the user wants to cut edges or points only, they can enable/disable whichever? By the way, currently if points are disabled and edges enabled, the topo tool doesn't highlight or work on edges when the mouse is on or near a point.
2. This is useful I suppose, more so than not. If the user wanted it to not be usable then they could either group it or layer lock it. I assumed it was supposed to work the other way since fast select doesn't work on elements when outline/points are disabled for that shading mode.

I've been thinking about this for a while now, but I think it would be far more useful if outline/point draw preferences could be set on a per-shape basis (other per-shape preferences would be nice as well, such as showing textures, materials, X-ray, etc). An option in the shape properties could be, "Override default viewing preferences", and when that is enabled then per-shape options could be selectable. Blender has this type of feature. Later if/when panels are implemented, per-shape viewing preferences would be a snap for the user to set.