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Author Topic: Displayed Grid orientation [alternatives]  (Read 10663 times)

MvGulik

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Displayed Grid orientation [alternatives]
« on: October 02, 2014, 08:20:18 am »

Currently, when you rotate a set view [Left/Right, Top/Bottom] (with grid display active). The displayed grid orientation switches back to the [Front/Back] orientation.
This behaviour has as strong point that you always know how the grid is orientated when the view is not in one of the perpendicular view's. (Although I'm not sure if that matters that much to most modellers.)

I'm just a very general/noobie modeller. But in relation to the current displayed grid behaviour I sometimes fantasize about alternative behaviours. Including wondering if they might have any substantial benefits over the current system.

Idea 1: (Semi variable)
- The displayed grid orientation stays as is (for the current viewport), until a other [Front/Back, Left/Right, Top/Bottom] view is selected for that viewport.
Not to sure about Ortho view, but it could maintain/pick-up the current grid orientation for the current viewport.

Idea 2: (Auto variable)
- The orientation of the displayed grid changes, based on the viewing angle in the viewport.
Or, if you rotate a view from a Left-view towards a Top-view, The orientation of the displayed grid changes when the rotation passes a certain angle threshold.
(I figure this one has some critical aspects to make it work smoothly and to be useful, instead of being more of a hindrance.)

As the general idea here is to have some optional variable orientation of the displayed grid.
Idea 3:
The most simple way to set/switch the grid orientation would probably be a general 'Default Grid Orientation' setting. Where you could set the orientation from the default [Front/Back] displayed grid orientation to one of the other two. (Although I figure a more integrated+smooth behaviour here would work better. Provided there are any substantial benefits to it in the first place.)



PS: I don't have any real solid experiences with other modellers, and how or what they do in relation to this subject. Feel free to add your experiences on the subject if you have them. (I do have Blender, but eye-balling its beautiful UI is just about the most I did with it.)

Main reason for writing this ... was writing and thinking about it.  :)
« Last Edit: October 02, 2014, 08:20:55 am by MvGulik »
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Steve

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Re: Displayed Grid orientation [alternatives]
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2014, 04:28:03 pm »

There was a bug in build 1097 that drew all the grids in the X-Y plane, and caused multiple problems when you have more than one working window. I fixed it in the latest drop 1112.

Here's how it works:

All views along an axis (Front/Back/Top/Bottom/Left/Right) show a screen aligned grid. Options->Grid->ShowScale toggles numeric labels on the grid.  All other views except for Perspective views, show a ground-plane grid (in the X-Z plane).  I'll probably add one to the Perspective views as well once I work out the dimensions in some reasonable way :)
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MvGulik

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Re: Displayed Grid orientation [alternatives]
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2014, 02:20:27 am »

:)

I remember finding the orientation of the default (view not along a axis) grid a bit odd at some point (I had not used anim8or for a long time). But never made the jump that it used to be on the ground plane.

Ps: Will scene mode eventually get a grid to? I know v0.95 had one, but after that version it disappeared again.
« Last Edit: October 04, 2014, 02:22:03 am by MvGulik »
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Steve

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Re: Displayed Grid orientation [alternatives]
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2014, 06:07:40 pm »

MvGulik: #098-028 - File->ConfigureUI->ShowGrid doesn't show grid in Scene editor.

Looks like I accidentally dropped a line of code when cleaning things up.
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MvGulik

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Re: Displayed Grid orientation [alternatives]
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2014, 06:38:45 pm »

Roger. :)

Quote
(Build 1114) Fix #098-028 File->ConfigureUI->ShowGrid doesn't show grid in Scene editor.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2014, 04:59:37 am by MvGulik »
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