I would like to be able to click icons that will act as if I have pressed an actual keyboard key. Here is an example menu where:
a) clicking on the left side Alt (or another key on the left) will act as a single press and hold of the keyboard’s Alt key and will stay active until I press and then release the left mouse button. That could be very handy for those who use a 3d mouse and want to safely select objects or control points with a rectangular region while not leaving the 3d mouse with their left hand. Pressing the Alt icon and then dragging with the LMB to select a bunch of control points will be equal to the regular holding the actual Alt key and region select.
b) clicking on the right side Alt (or another key on the right) will act as holding down the keyboard’s Alt key and will stay active until I press the same icon again. Pressing the right side Shift in this menu will let the user add many objects to the selection. Pressing the Shift and Alt will let the user do the same, but this time also with active safe region selection.
Any hope for implementing this much needed functionality into Rhino 9?
I also propose to make a few extra buttons inside this new toolbar that will simulate pressing a combination of two keys, such like “Ctrl+Shift” etc. That will enable a convenient selecting of sub-objects with the LMB of the regular mouse while the user still holds his or her left hand on the 3d mouse.
Example A:
Press the “Ctrl+Shift” icon (the new proposed icon) with the LMB to activate the “one-shot” input (deactivates itself after step 2 below);
Pick a face, an edge or an edit point of a polysurface. 3. Rhino selects that very sub-object. No need to physically hold the Ctrl+Shift keys.
Example B:
Press the “Ctrl+Shift” icon (the new proposed icon) with the RMB to activate the “hold” input (the icon stays active unless the user presses it again to deactivate it);
Pick any type of multiple sub-objects freely;
Press the same icon again to deactivate it. No need to physically hold the Ctrl+Shift keys.
I’m aware of these, but the reasons for my proposal are different. I have the Osnap panel hidden all the time (I use the saved space for other custom icons on the bottom). I also have 'DisableOsnap Toggle assigned to my mouse (Logitech G502) to toggle the Osnap. However, the idea is to use a 3d mouse and still be able to run various actions that are dependent on pressing or holding the following keyboard keys or a combination of them: Ctrl, Alt, Shift (without the need to release the 3d mouse to reach the keyboard). Hence my request for making a simulation of those keys via their corresponding icons inside a Rhino toolbar.
Examples:
Safe select (with a region) around control points and other objects without the need to reach the keyboard to hold the Alt key (a simulation of one-shot Alt is needed). Helps with selecting small objects or control points through other large objects closer to the camera, preventing an accidental picking of any closer large object;
Safe select (same as above, but multiple times) and add multiple control points and other objects without the need to hold Shift+Alt all the time (a simulation of held Shift+Alt is needed, deactivated by pressing the same icon again to turn if off);
Single remove from selection without the need to hold the Shift key (a simulation of one-shot Shift is needed);
Multiple remove from selection without the need to hold the Shift key (a simulation of held Shift is needed, deactivated by pressing the same icon again to turn if off);
Select multiple objects (a simulation of held Shift is needed, deactivated by pressing the same icon again to turn if off);
Remove from selection multiple objects (a simulation of held Ctrl is needed, deactivated either by right-click or by pressing the same icon again to turn if off). While this could be executed via the _Select command at the moment, the latter can’t select sub-objects, unless I open the “Selection filter” and set the desired options inside (which takes more than and requires to open “Selection filter” just for that action);
Move vertical of objects that are not yet selected (a simulation of held Ctrl is needed, deactivated by pressing the same icon again to turn if off). This, in my opinion, is a better way to repeatedly move vertical than the current ! _Move _Vertical command used multiple times. The latter requires a right-click to be activated again every time, followed by a couple of left-clicks to set the initial point and the target point/distance. A simulated Ctrl press by a dedicated icon that process will require 3 times less mouse click, because the “Move vertical” mode will stay active all the time and the user only needs to press the LMB once per move each operation.
If you hold the Ctrl key and move some control point(s) or object(s) multiple times, you will notice that it’s considerably faster and more convenient than using the ! _Move _Vertical repeatedly. No need to use the Gumball.
Perhaps having a simulated Enter key, as well as LMB and RMB inside macros could be implemented, too. I had numerous issues with setting custom macros due to the inability to simulate Enter, Ctrl, Shift, Alt, LMB and RMB inside. “Enter” and “EndEnter” didn’t work sometimes in macros, too.
OK, you grab a SpaceMouse with the left hand and a regular mouse with the right hand. How are you going to simulate pressing the Ctrl, Shift, Alt, Ctrl+Alt, Ctrl+Shift and Shift+Alt (having two versions each: one-shot and continuous press) inside Rhino without additional hardware such like foot pedals or mind-reading device from the future? How are you going to simulate pressing those keyboard keys directly inside Rhino with the left mouse button without reaching the actual keyboard?
And how are you going to simulate: Enter, Ctrl, Shift, Alt, LMB and RMB inside the macros? Many users will benefit from these once they are made possible in the future Rhino releases.
