Rhino BETA Feature: Cursor Crosshairs

[mary (Mary Ann Fugier)]

Cursor Crosshair

We’ve improved the Rhino BETA to include more display controls for crosshair style cursor.

What is the Cursor Crosshair?

The Rhino BETA offers an option to replace the Rhino style cursor with a crosshair style cursor.

• Cursor Crosshair
  
  

Cursor Crosshair Options

• Slider to specify the crosshairs in pixels.
  If set to 0, the crosshairs will fill 100% of the screen.
  

  
  
  If set to 50, the crosshairs will fill 50 pixels on the screen.
  
  

• Display the Crosshair Aligned with View
  

  
  
  Crosshairs can now be locked to stay vertical/horizontal on screen (useful in Perspective, e.g. tracing photo-textured meshes) instead of always following the C-Plane axes.
  
  

• Control the color of the crosshairs that are displayed.
  In Options → Appearance → Color, go to Crosshair Color and click the color swatch to pick the color.
  

  

Why were these added?

The goal of these new tools is to make the CAD user more comfortable and more productive when drawing or drafting in Rhino.

Users want to do as much as possible in Rhino, and not head out to other software. Having control over how the cursor is displays can assist with many different tasks in Rhino.

How to enable Cursor Crosshair?

To turn on crosshairs, go to the Options command, on the Modeling Aids page under Smart Track and Guides, and enable Display Cursor Crosshairs.

Cursor Display Options

• Cursor Crosshair
  
  
• Default Cursor
  
  
• Display Both the Cursor and the Crosshairs
  
  

Resolved Issues

• RH-96037
  Simplified crosshair display with option to display both the Cursor and the Crosshairs
• RH-96147
  Crosshair aligned with view

Troubleshooting:

Do you still not see the crosshairs?

• In Options → Appearance → Color, verify that the crosshair color is how you want the crosshairs to be displayed.
• Crosshairs Automatic “Black/White” Switching
  Crosshairs now auto-switch color against the background on their own
  The Black/white switching for crosshairs does not need the Black/White Switching option to be enabled. RH-89741

Try It

Download Rhino BETA…

[gdigiro]

Hi Mary Anne,

I’m working on some very precise drawings, and the current ‘default’ cursor is preventing me from achieving this. Is there a way to make the cursor look like the one in AutoCAD? I’ve tried searching through old discussions but haven’t found an answer. Hopefully this crosshairs enhancement will be the solution I’m looking for!

[gdigiro]

Now I am running WIP 9 with you post instructions, but it looks just like Rhino 8. The idea is that it should only display the crosshairs as the cursor.

[mary (Mary Ann Fugier)]

Hi @gdigiro,
Are you using Windows?
Here are the instructions for Windows.

Turn on crosshairs here.

Make sure the color shows up well on your background.

Now take a command that asks for a point like Polyline:

Let us know if this helps.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Fugier

[davidcockey]

@mary The original poster may want to replace the cursor with crosshairs, not add crosshairs to the existing cursor.

@gdigiro

The idea is that it should only display the crosshairs as the cursor.

[mary (Mary Ann Fugier)]

@mary

The Rhino WIP offers an option to replace the Rhino style cursor with a crosshair style cursor.

Done.

Thanks, @davidcockey.

[davidcockey]

@mary

Done.

Will it be in the next public WIP release?

[gdigiro]

Hi Mary,

Thanks very much your answer.

As OSW10 in Rhino WIP9 no changes of the crosshairs cursor yet event ought I followed your instructions.

I take a picture because with a screens pic the cursor is “hidden”.

So,

@davidcockey

@mary The original poster may want to replace the cursor with crosshairs, not add crosshairs to the existing cursor.

@gdigiro

The idea is that it should only display the crosshairs as the cursor.

@davidcockey

Will it be in the next public WIP release?

Regards,

Giovanni

[mary (Mary Ann Fugier)]

@gdigiro
This is not in the WIP yet, because we need more input.

You showed me what you have and it is what you don’t want.

Can you send an image of what you expect to see?
This is really the most important part. Sketch it up or draw it in Rhino.
Or take a screen capture of your favorite CAD package, and we will try this again.

You will be notified here by “Brian Gillespie” when there is something to test.
But until then, there is nothing in the public build.

Thanks for your help.
Mary Ann Fugier

[davidcockey]

I’m not @gdigiro but what I’d like is simply two crosshairs, nothing else.
The ability to set the crosshair length and color is desirable.

[mary (Mary Ann Fugier)]

Other popular cad packages have crosshairs that look like this:

And by default fill 5% of the screen.

Or can be increased to full screen with 100%.
I think the aperture “square” at the center makes it easier to see the cursor.

Again, we know what you don’t want, but we need to try an narrow down what we are asking for here.

[davidcockey]

@mary

And by default fill 5% of the screen.

Or can be increased to full screen with 100%.
I think the aperture “square” at the center makes it easier to see the cursor.

Again, we know what you don’t want, but we need to try an narrow down what we are asking for here.

This would work for me.

@gdigiro needs to respond.

[davidcockey]

One other comment about what you showed. The center square needs to be not too small, perhaps on the order of 2% or 3% of screen size. When I’m positioning the crosshairs I don’t want the center square to be distracting.

[mary (Mary Ann Fugier)]

We logged: RH-96037/Simplify-Cosshair Cursor

I am sure there will be no aperture size control added for this WIP.
However, simplifying to only show the crosshairs may be possible.

It is logged and we will know more after the developers do a review.

Thanks again.
Mary Ann Fugier

[gdigiro]

Like this:

So Mary,

This is the idea I have in mind for a crosshair cursor option.

I hope will be implemented.

[gdigiro]

@davidcockey

I’m not @gdigiro but what I’d like is simply two crosshairs, nothing else.
The ability to set the crosshair length and color is desirable.

Exactly!

[gdigiro]

Also another cursor option is to use shorter crosshairs, if desired:

[gdigiro]

@mary

We logged: RH-96037/Simplify-Cosshair Cursor

I am sure there will be no aperture size control added for this WIP.
However, simplifying to only show the crosshairs may be possible.

It is logged and we will know more after the developers do a review.

Thanks again.
Mary Ann Fugier

Thanks very much Mary and teams to improve Rhino 3D.Also thank to David Crockey to understand exactly my request.

[mary (Mary Ann Fugier)]

@gdigiro

@gdigiro

Also another cursor option is to use shorter crosshairs, if desired:

I am not sure this is what you are asking, but I will repeat it here for others.
This is above in the original post.

You already have control over the size.

1. Go to Options → Advanced.
2. Type “cross”.
3. Pick the down arrow to the right of Rhino.Options.Appearance.CrosshairScreenLength.
4. Type in the length in pixels that you want the crosshairs to be on the screen.

[gdigiro]

I understand,

The only thing remaining is to hide the default cursor in this option.