DOT Grid – feature request

Would it be possible to implement “Dot Grid” as an option that’s part of the standard Grid command settings/configuration?

For example, my screenshot below is taken from QCAD. There is a check box option in that particular program titled “Solid grid lines” – checking it shows the typical horizontal/vertical “LINE grid” at the user specified interval. Unchecking that option shows the “DOT grid” where points are located at the intersections of the user specified interval. The important thing to note here is that it’s not creating point geometry, it’s purely a graphic/view display setting.

The biggest reason for wanting to have the DOT grid option is mainly for legibility of linework. I do a lot of illustrative patterning work, and it can get a bit confusing trying to decipher linework from the grid the larger the designs become. For this reason, the DOT grid display is much easier on the eye IMO.

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sounds like a good feature. For now you could just do an array of points at whatever distance you like in X & Y and just lock that layer.

I agree this would be a useful display option for the Grid. I have used this grid mode in other softwares and found it to be easy on the eyes.

I have logged this request (RH-32117). I have placed this request in the Rhino category, not just for Rhino for Mac, but Rhino for Windows as well.

3 Likes

For the time being, with a black background, try darkening the grid lines (dark grey) so that they are barely visible on your screen.

For any other background color, use the same color slightly darkened. Just enough subtle contrast so you see it.

Silmilar effect, though not exactly the same as grid points.

You can also try the script below… Sets the background from a list of 5 grays from white to black or a picked color. Also sets the minor grid lines to be 15 points lighter/darker than the background, major grid lines 30 points. Backgrounds lighter than mid-gray get darker grid; darker than mid-gray gets lighter grid. Can be tweaked as necessary.

–Mitch

SetBackgroundColorLB.py (1.6 KB)

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thanks, Just testing here on Windows. Is one of these the default? Just if I want to reset.

Randy

Don’t think so… I guess I could add an entry “reset to default”… I don’t actually remember what they are, I don’t think I have any default installs left here, will have to check on a student’s computer.

–Mitch

Hi Mitch,
I get;
background 173, 178, 184
major 147, 152, 158
minor 164, 170, 176

Happen to be sitting at my Mac, so I hope the same as windows, will be there in a minute.

Randy

Doesn’t look like it… Just realized there is a reset to default for all the colors. Doing that, I get:

157,163,170 for background
129,134,140 for major grid line
147,153,160 for minor grid line

So looks like I might need to code a reset differently for each.

–Mitch

Your right, I will have to go back to my mac and double check.

Confirmed… Mac Rhino is different than Windows Rhino.

Here is an updated version with a ‘reset to default’ choice, plus a better way to globally customize the grid contrast. In the script, if you modify the value of “step” at the top, you can change the overall contrast. Larger values=more contrast, smaller values= less contrast. I have it set at 15 by default, make it something like 10 if you want very subtle, or larger than 15 if you want the grid to pop more. I hard-coded the grid values for black background as the standard values are nearly invisible. I suppose I could make a sort of weighted multiplier based on value, but that’s too much work. Anyway, FWIW.

Edit: script updated, removed old one, download from post #18 further down…

Attention - @alain I am now getting instant crashes with the script on MacRhino 5.1. It works in the WIP, must be something 5.1 doesn’t like about the list box method… As soon as you pick something and OK, it crashes… Beware!

–Mitch

Thanks Mitch, I will check it out in a bit. Just a side note, I added a ListBox to a script I use almost everyday and it crashes Rhino, 5.1 or WIP ??, almost overtime, but it does work sometimes. It doesn’t crash while I use the ListBox to pick my options, but it does once I get to the end to place my text. File is probably up here somewhere. FWIW.

«Randy

Yeah, I experienced this too - the last time I tested in 5.1 it crashed for awhile then started working… Something really unstable there. If I have time, I can replace the listbox with a getstring function, that at least doesn’t crash. Really great would be the implementation of the rhinoscript method ‘popup menu’ on Mac, it pops up your choices under the cursor.

–Mitch

that would be great, thanks Mitch.

Randy

Hi,
I can’t duplicate the crash in 5.1 by running your script but the crashes are probably caused by the different versions of Rhino sharing incompatible resources. Does it help if you delete ~/Library/Application Support/McNeel/Rhinoceros/MacPlugIns/IronPython/settings/version.txt just before launching Rhino? In the latest wip (5C53w) both the python standard lib and rhinoscriptsyntax files are stored under the application bundle.

Side note, I was running a script with a list box to choose text size and it crashed Rhino twice. I commented out the list box and hard coded the text size and it ran perfect the last 3 times. I am running 5.1 (5B161). All times this morning WIP is not running.

I have attached script.JobInfoTextNew.py (2.9 KB)

Randy

Thesis not the version I have and it says I am up to date. Just opening the WIP.

I have 5C41w

There’s also a bug in the script for picked colors that have values that are close to 0 or 255, I need to fix that… Will put out a new version later.

OK, I’ve found a better way to do this I think, I’m going to re-write the whole thing… Maybe done tomorrow, gotta go home now.

OK, so now I’ve re-written the thing entirely… Here are three versions:
…LB uses a listbox to choose option
…GO uses a get option command line interface (may be best for Mac)
…Popup uses a popup menu - this is Windows-only for now, until a scriptable popup menu is implemented.

SetBackgroundColorLB.py (2.1 KB)
SetBackgroundColorGO.py (2.9 KB)
SetBackgroundColorPopup.py (2.2 KB)

–Mitch

Randy,
Sorry that was an internal release. There will be a new one very soon.
Alain

Thanks Mitch, still in the process of transferring my old mac stuff to a newish one. I will check them out later.

Randy