Speed Modelling Challenge #164 – Blow me!

[jeric_synergy]

@jeric_synergy - I remember experiencing inconsistency of mouse-direction to manipulate shift/inset a few months ago with the multishift tool, which put me off from using it at first.

No, it's not normals.

The ROVE TOOL is a combination Translate&Rotate tool, that as it happens would be the perfect tool to create a French horn or tuba. (well, if they could squeeze Scale in there too, then it would be perfect.) I'd love to use it more, but it's maddening.

Try this:

• equalize all LWM vuports, wireframe mode
• make a sphere
• select a chunk of points in the middle of the sphere, i.e. not the edges, in the BACK vuport
• invoke the ROVE TOOL
• try moving some points. No issues.
• The bigger blue circle on the ROVE TOOL is the rotation handle. In the BACK view, rotate your selection.
• Now try the same thing in the TOP view.
• Now try the same thing in the RIGHT view.

The ROVE TOOL operates correctly in the BACK view, but in reverse in the other two vuports. This inconsistency is the issue: if it worked the same (but wrong) in all the vuports I'd grit my teeth and put up with it, grudgingly, but it's not even wrong consistently. (And it doesn't become right if you reverse the vuport viewing direction.)

As a user, I'm never quite sure which way the rotation handle is going to work, so it pisses me off. It's little things like that, that make one avoid Tools, and eventually, entire software packages. It jars the user experience.

I have a hard time believing this tool even made it out the door with this obvious problem. WHAT was the coder thinking?

(And even if the coder came up with some mathematical rationale, I don't care. The UI is wrong. Make it work in all vuports like it works in the BACK vuport.)

[akaracquel]

I appreciate the long explanation - you've helped me learn a new tool, thanks I see what you mean by the inconsistency

What i went through with multishift made me wonder if there was some kind of background setting/switch which could make tools ignore +/- or change/reverse the mouse movement/direction.

[jeric_synergy]

One of the handy things about the Rove Tool is the explicit on-axis translation constraint, without holding down CTRL. Just grab the little circles on the end of the crosshairs and movement is constrained to that axis.

If only it didn't have that one bug!!! Maddening.

[akaracquel]

the little circles

Thanks for that detail it helped me get to the otherside of what the?!!

[jeric_synergy]

Dagnabit, I found another Rove bug, nothing fatal, but geeze.

Detailed at the end of this post:

http://3dproj.com/2012/04/04/brass-i...-its-problems/