Box command often creates box in wrong direction

[dcooke491]

Box command: When I move the cursor to indicate the direction to extrude the surface into a 3d form it often builds the box in the opposite direction.
How do I get it to follow my cursor?

Thank you

[Helvetosaur]

Short answer: you can’t (currently).

The Extrude command was modified in V6 to extrude in the cursor direction even if a numerical input that was opposite to the CPlane direction was supplied - i.e. if you pull the extrusion preview in the -Z direction but type a positive value like 10, it extrudes 10 units in the -Z direction. Previous to that positive values would extrude in the + Z direction and negative values in the -Z direction, the cursor direction was ignored. That modification that incited a lot of discussion and both positive and negative reactions.

The Box command, as well as the other primitives like Cylinder and Cone, still reacts the old way to numerical input - positive values go in the +Z direction, negative values in the -Z direction. The cursor direction is only used if there is no numerical input, otherwise it is ignored.

[dcooke491]

That’s very helpful thank you.

[anon (am)]

Is there any further clarity from McNeel on the issue? Sometimes the mouse direction matters, sometimes it doesn’t. Extrude* and Move now function differently and opposite.

There has to be a way to make mouse direction mattering consistent. I vote for it should matter and a negative numeric entry should reverse it. At least an advanced variable or something - how about MouseDirectionMatters, 0 or 1?

Extrude direction - #13 by Tom_P (was this an earlier heartburn discussion?)

[Tom_P]

thanks for linking.
there is more similar issues
for example

Box 3 point not using c-plane for extrusion height

@martinsiegrist, - known that the whole way along. It was part of the first post (CW v CCW defines the z orientation if the implied plane) The issue here is not so much understanding the behaviour of the tool but working out whether or not that’s how it should be behaving, given it’s different to most other geometry creation tools and it’s incredibly user unfriendly. The CW v CCW bit, or Right Hand Rule or whatever you want to refer to that behavior by was understood from the beginning and par…

and

Wish: Box_3Point -> height always in WCS direction

Hello, another wish: When creating a box with “Box: 3 points, height” the height of the box is directed either in Z positive or Z negative direction, depending on the way/order you set your first 2 inputs (width and length). So after specifying my first 2 dimensions and entering the 3rd one numerically, I am never sure that the box height is pointing in the right direction, in my case upwards from my construction Plane. I would like this command to behave in a way that positive values for …

Negative Height in Box: 3 Point, Height

Hey Guys So, for some reason when I use this tool, and the “height” always goes negative. So if I’m in regular Wolrd Top Cplane, and type 4’, I get the box going -4’-0" Anyone else have this prob? Rhino 6 SR8 2018-8-28 (Rhino 6, 6.8.18240.20051, Git hash:master @ d037927543424e8b3ce54e46b435866178a6349c) Licence type: Commercial, build 2018-08-28 License details: Cloud Zoo. In use by: Alan Farkas () Windows 10.0 SR0.0 or greater (Physical RAM: 16Gb) Machine name: DESKTOP-NUQN85K GeForce…

Bug - entering dimensions for box

Another similar, presumable CPlane issue, when trying to use scale in the Left view with ‘Project’ toggled on, I can only select points at Z=0. See below: [13]

[walther (Andreas Walther)]

Thank you Tom for this nice summary, I hope this one gets some TLC soon.

[anon (am)]

It’s (nearly) spring 2023. Have we heard any response from McNeel on this topic? Does the mouse direction matter or doesn’t it?

[Tom_P]

@anon

Does the mouse direction matter or doesn’t it?

for some commands it matters - for some it does not…
I totally agree that this is frustrating.
see my opinion in the post s linked above…
we can try to push this topic again - but me experience is, that the weekend is not the best time to do this…

kind regards - tom