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3dsmax navigation issues.

Why oh why cant I rotate my viewport while cutting, or say making a spline? Please tell me theres some kinda magic script, button or spell that will enable it. Plleeaase? ='(

The viewcube sux, autodesk! Ye fired!

Replies

  • Kamui
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    Kamui polycounter lvl 10
    I don't think you can rotate while creating a spline. Not sure why you would need to?

    Also, are you trying to make a complicated cut around several polys? Why not use the connect function? It works as an edge selection or a vertice selection.
  • renderhjs
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    renderhjs sublime tool
    the same thing is frustrating when drawing complex splines in max,- you cant pan & truck meanwhile - something each adobe package can however.
  • {scumworks}
    Its very very usefull when snapping curves around complex objects and forms. Theres probably a thusand ways to a cut line. Its not so much about the end result, as a matter of time, precision and ease =D

    Setting max to zoom at cursor helps a lil with the panning issue, its just more of a crude bypass..
  • Michael Knubben
    Oh scumworks, you're doing things wrong! It's not that you can't do it, it's that you're just dead wrong.
    Or at least, that's how Kamui's post reads to me. Ofcourse, he does helpfully offer some alternative methods to achieve the same effect, so I don't want to appear too mean.
    I've often wondered the very same thing, though, and would like to be able to rotate during all operations. In turn I would sacrifice the use of rotating the viewport when you're in front/side/etc. ortographic views, which immediately puts you in User view.
    I know people can stare themselves blind on their tool of choice and end up defending everything about it, but there genuinely are a few points that could be improved a lot in any software, and certainly a lot of points of debate, where there are more than one way to do something.
  • Kamui
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    Kamui polycounter lvl 10
    Frick, i wrote out a lengthy useful post and then PC decided to crap out.

    Anyways, MightyPea, to summarize: while yes i have been jaded by working with very stubborn maya users in the past, I assure that this was not the tone in my post.

    Now for scumworks, hopefully these different workflows will help you out.

    For the spline thing, try selecting the edges that you want your spline to snap to (or close enough because you might want to go across polys where there aren't edges) and then use the "create shape from selection" to give you a quick starting point. Then you can go and snap, up, delete, or add points as needed.

    for the cut thing, IMO, using connect can be much faster, especially if you have it hotkeyed. You can "ring" a selection of edges and split them all in half quickly (or with multiple connections) At that point, you can go in and manually edit the new points as needed, or connect new lines by selecting vertices.
  • Mark Dygert
    Damn it, PC ate my post.

    In short, yea it drives me crazy too, mostly with splines. I hate having to stop creating a spline, move the viewport and then go back into the spline properties (which are a desperate need of resorting) click on the last knot, and hit insert THEN I can start drawing again... so many wasted steps and mouse clicks.
  • Kamui
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    Kamui polycounter lvl 10
    Vig try my suggestion.
  • Mark Dygert
    Yea the cutting thing isn't really a problem for me, I mostly use the insert loop function in polyboost. Which will be coming to Max2010 soon enough. As for the spline issue, that's great and I do that if I have geometry that's already the shape I want. I use it for trim, pipes, wires, zippers you name it... But often I'm drawing splines on flat planes or where there is no geometry. I need to trace shapes while zoomed in, but constantly have to stop just to pan... Oh so very annoying.

    With all of the improvements they've added over the years, there really is no excuse for including something as simple as allowing pan or rotate when tools are active.
  • renderhjs
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    renderhjs sublime tool
    I had a script somewhere that merged selected splines into 1 - that save some pain as you can set each stroke as 1 spline and select them all and merge them allthoger to 1 spline in which you then simply weld the connecting edges.
  • J-K
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    J-K polycounter lvl 12
    You can pan while you're creating a spline, and have been able to for a long time! Just press *i* when you get to the edge of the window :)

    John
  • Jeff Parrott
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    Jeff Parrott polycounter lvl 19
    i makes your mouse cursor be the center of the screen I think is how it works. Something to that effect.
  • Mark Dygert
    sweet, thanks for the tip!
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