Suggestion: improve smart track guides

Rhino
1

Compared to Rhino, Plasticity has the advantage of visual feedback provided by the lines. The smart track guides appear to remain visible longer, which helps to combine across multiple corners. And then you can also draw vertically upwards immediately in the perspective window without having to pan the view completely and without using keyboard shortcuts (apart from pressing shift) or having to switch to another window or CPlane. I understood this example from a student who gave it to me.

2

Hi UAS -

In the Rhino 9 WIP, you can set the guides to remain visible in the viewports.
-wim

3

Hi Wim,

Thank you for your reply, but I don’t see how it would work. Do you mean “Display cursor crosshairs"?

M-Aids
M-Aids1238×1396 97.3 KB

4

Hi UAS -

It’s an option in the AddGuide command.
-wim

5

You can draw lines away from the CPlane by holding CTRL FYI.

6

Thank you for your reply, do you know how it works on MAC?
neither control nor command does work for me.

7

Hi UAS -

I can’t say that I completely understand what you are asking, but to clarify what Intuos wrote:
On macOS, when you, e.g., run the Line command and click and hold command when you place the first point, you are in “elevator mode”. Moving your mouse up or down will allow you to place the first point on a different z-elevation than the current CPlane.
-wim

1 Like
8

Hi Wim, Hi Intuos

Thank you very much for your tips on ‘AddGuide’ and ‘elevator mode’.
I have tested it and ‘AddGuide’ can certainly be very helpful in certain situations. Often, you don’t want to insert permanent ‘guides’. It is often a matter of the (smart track) ‘guides’ remaining visible a little longer, depending on the context, in order to improve interaction, and then disappearing again. In Plasticity, you just have to press ‘shift’ to do this, but you don’t need to call up an extra command.

The ‘elevator mode’ probably has its advantages, but I found the interaction difficult at first.
In the example above, we can see how easy it can be to work in different planes and get visual feedback (angle and length of the line) where you are currently working.

That was the point of my suggestion.

Thank you very much