I hate having to constantly switch between views and I dont like having multiple smaller windows open for multiple views.
Is it possible to set number pad keys to automatically set view upon press (meaning no need to hit enter):
numpad 1 = front
3 = right
7 = top
And holding shift while click these does the opposite (shft+numpad 3 = left, 7 = bottom, etc)
Also, hitting the numpad period key automatically zooms to the selected object. This is so much faster than commands: z, enter, s, enter. That’s four strokes that can be done in one.
Lastly, just the fact that you dont have to hit enter after each command in blender makes it so much faster and somehow better to work in.
PLEASE tell me there’s a way I can set this in Rhino 6. Im begging. And eliminate the ENTER command PLEASE. I mean think about and try it yourself. Why for example do I have to hit enter after each command typed??? Why cant I just hit L and I can immediately draw a line? There’s no good reason for the need to hit enter every time. It’s a waste of keystrokes.
Because there are about 400 commands that start with “L.” Unless you want to limit the number of commands you can quickly access from the from one regular keyboard to 26, the cost-benefit here is…debatable.
Why? Well, the Rhino isn’t Blender. You shouldn’t expect the same behaviour across all CAD software.
You can start the line directly without using the enter by click on the proper icon.
If yo use command line, how the Rhino should know, you want to sketch line instead of e.g. length, line through points, layout, load script, loft and so on http://docs.mcneel.com/rhino/5/help/en-us/commandlist/command_list.htm
Thanks Nathan. Is it possible that it’s an option that can be added in the settings? As someone who works on 3d models in both rhino and blender for 12 hours a day as my job, I really do believe the efficiency of one keystroke commands is far superior and would be a big evolutionary step forward for Rhino. I know the instinct for people not familiar with the one keystroke command to immediately dismiss it as a non issue, but having used both, I can tell you it’s a very pleasant experience and makes modeling so much better. How can I bring this up to the developers and people in charge? Thank you.
Hi Jim,
As I just responded to Nathan, if you haven’t experienced a one keystroke command workflow, it’s hard to explain just how much better it is. I’d recommend you try blender for a while to see what I mean–but it will take you some time to get comfortable with it…you probably wont like it at first because it will seem counterintuitive.
How they deal with other commands is through pop up menus, which is very fast.
Shft A and Shft S bring up different menus for adding objects, selection options, etc.
Number pad to set views.
Right click to bring up a menu of options relevant only to the item(s) selected (wont show you options that wont work for that selected object/surface).
I think Rhino should continue to evolve and not assume it’s perfected it’s workflow. And maybe not get stuck in an antiquated way of doing things just because “that’s how we’ve been doing it since day one” mentality…that’s as dangerous to evolution as “if it aint broke, dont fix it”.
I would love to see Rhino steal Blender’s best ideas like the single key commands and popup menus.
Just putting it out there because despite Blender awesome as a modeling program (I wont even get into how amazing non destructive modifiers are for the time being), Rhino is still my go to for documenting my models and for creating watertight models for 3d printing.
Thank you.
Uh we’re all people who use Rhino every day along with other software for our jobs, don’t try to claim some special insight, gimme a break.
Your solution to too many "L"s is Alt-L? You’re aware you can already do that in Rhino, right? Numeric input is pretty important in Rhino, how is overriding the numpad supposed to work? How is context-sensitivity any kind of magic bullet when it reduces the number of available options from “everything” to “merely enormous?”
When I watch YouTubers at work editing their videos, it’s interesting that the real pros usually have extra keyboards and StreamDecks and what have you strewn with macros, and I wonder, gee is that something I would find useful? And the answer is not really, there’s just no need to make a dedicated button to CTRL-ALT-SHIFT-F, I can just start typing FlowAlongSrf and oh there it is.
Rhino has MANY, many tools–on top of which it’s a development platform you are encouraged to expand upon–and MANY different users in different fields with completely different workflows and priorities as to what should be a “top level” one-shot button and what should be hidden away in a context menu or whatever. 99.99% of requests to improve Rhino’s interface over the last 25 years have gone nowhere primarily due to ignorance of this. Of course Rhino’s interface is kind of…outdated and awful, but there is simply no more modern paradigm that actually fits with its scale.
I am claiming to have an insight here, one that I didn’t see until I got deep into Blender. Im sharing that insight as I believe it could improve Rhino.
how is overriding the numpad supposed to work?
It’s aware when you’re in a command that requires a numerical input.
How is context-sensitivity any kind of magic bullet when it reduces the number of available options from “everything” to “merely enormous?”
It provides a submenu of options relevant strictly to the selected item. It’s not enormous but I get your point.
I can just start typing FlowAlongSrf and oh there it is.
This is the “if it ain’t broke” mentality trap I was afraid people would fall into.
I suppose if you dont even want to entertain the idea of evolving, you dont need to. Just stick to what “works”.
Evolve into what? NEEDING 3 keyboards? You can already set up all sorts of keyboard shortcuts, which you said are necessary anyway in your ideal world, so we’re 90% there already.
You don’t seem to even want to entertain any ideas of improving so you’ve already decided to shoot down anything I say. I never said anything about extra keyboards. Im just proposing suggestions for improving Rhino. No need to get upset.
Im not proposing a complete remake of Rhino–just asking for the possibility of an option (maybe in settings) that turns on a one keystroke command workflow similar to blender. And if you dont like it, you can turn it off. Simple.
Are you a developer for Rhino or someone of influence with the development team?
So…that’s not an improvement. You want to make Rhino worse for the sake of saving a few keystrokes, sometimes. And saving extra keystrokes is not even in the same league as saving redundant mouse clicks, so… yeah you need to think through the consequences of these ideas fully to figure out how to actually make them work.
Yes, it is an improvement. I wish to make Rhino better by allowing an option of a single keystroke command OPTION in settings. Nothing about “redundant mouse clicks”. Don’t know where you got that idea.
Sorry/not sorry that I didn’t lay the entire foundation and exact methodology of implementing this change.
If you want your ideas taken seriously YOU need to take them seriously. You can’t propose what you consider revolutionary UX changes without making some effort to address what are the blazingly obvious issues to anyone who actually uses Rhino every day. Without that it’s DOA, you’re not proposing anything.
I use function keys for something like this. F5 brings up top view, F6 right view, etc, and F9 swaps the view (front/back, right/left, top/bottom) These things can be set up in options->keyboard.
However much I Blender input like as a (former) Blender dev this is not possible in Rhino. There is no fully customizable keymap is in Blender, and the way the Rhino architecture has been set up makes it near impossible.
As said you might be able to do that via a plug-in, but that’ll require low-level input event handling sorcery and it’ll likely very hard to maintain - assuming you can succeed in the first place.
One stroke command isn’t really tier 1 at least for me.
If I type “_line” command, I see 9 subcommands. With one stroke command I am not able to select the proper subcommand.
I’d like to use the numpad keys, too, because I was used to switching views from 3ds max, Softimage XSI and Cinema4d.
8: Back
4:Left, 5: Top, 6: Right
2: Front
1: Bottom
…or something. I like to think of the numpad like a little cube or pyramid with the sides as views.
However, for me it would work if at least CTRL-numpad keys were possible - which they aren’t, but which would be doable I believe.
In case you didn’t know: SPACE can be used like ENTER in commands. I have my left hand placed by the keyboard all the time, and press SPACE with the thumb. 1000 times a day (if it’s a really productive day).
It makes NO sense to make one-letter commands in Rhino, because of the command line. It’s a brilliant concept, which should remain by all means! You have to get used to it, but chances are high you will love it when you understood it.
If you want to really hack that key system (which I won’t recommend), you could use AutoHotkey. You can do literally anything with it. (I wrote me a script that allows for dynamic zoom in AutoCAD and ArchiCAD e.g.)
