Lasso select backfaces too
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SreckoM
- Posts: 187
- Joined: 24 Jul 2010, 22:18
- Skype: srecko.micic
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Memag
- Posts: 339
- Joined: 08 Aug 2010, 23:37
- Location: Tits
Re: Lasso select backfaces too
No,or not at the moment.
How I would like to have component selection is:
- select front components (raycast) with left click and drag,
- normal select components (through) with middle click and drag.
And that could be a behavior for all the selection tools, eliminating rectangle raycast and additional fuss with new tools.
Select clusters would be removed from middle click, but there is still cluster filter so...
Also double left click to select loop (poly,edge,point), double middle click to select ring (edge) would be nice as well.
How I would like to have component selection is:
- select front components (raycast) with left click and drag,
- normal select components (through) with middle click and drag.
And that could be a behavior for all the selection tools, eliminating rectangle raycast and additional fuss with new tools.
Select clusters would be removed from middle click, but there is still cluster filter so...
Also double left click to select loop (poly,edge,point), double middle click to select ring (edge) would be nice as well.
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tomalc
- Posts: 16
- Joined: 27 Apr 2010, 16:24
Re: Lasso select backfaces too
Hello,
Softimage selection modes are great but should be consolidate in a single tool imho..
When using the selection tool, I'd like to change its basic behaviour faster (input mode and filter)..
My "ideal" (well it's just some random thinking) selection tool behaviour would be Something like :
-left button : single click input (ie. raycast)
-middle button : rectangle / segment (segment would select all targets on the segment's path)
-right button : lasso / free-form
-mouse wheel to adjust the selection area (used by raycast, free-from & segment : width in pixels)
...
So maybe a few global options could be enough :
-lasso/free-form & rectangle/segment toggle (draws a selection area or a selection path)
-lasso/free-form drawing with click-drag or per click (click-clik-clik(how to stop?).. useful for precise selection sometimes)
-need (or not) to surround the selection target (be it object or component)
-raycast in shaded mode
--just pops in my mind (possible brain fart..) :
--deep selection : ie. in any mode, selects all targets under the selection ray/path/area (vs top/first raycast, ie. a single click with this is equivalent of an infinite selection segment coming from the eye)
--deep selection depth (int 0-n) ? : 1 = raycast, 0 = all targets, n for optimization/special cases purpose..
--for complex situations, a step-by-step mode could be handy (preview the current items to add/remove to the selection : modulate/choose with arrow keys, enter to validate (some applications worked like this when 35 spheres was a complex situation !)
...
These options should be able to be set super fast, and the user should be able to know the current tool's behaviour without having to open Softimage's preferences or a menu, maybe with viewport slate or a dynamic toolbar or PPG (and maybe even icons, I prefer text buttons, but for simple toggles that need to be changed hundreds of times each session I think icons are good)..
...
Then, it should provide a simple way to modify the selection filter using very few modifier (sticky or not, ie. alt and z : these key are faster to use than F7-F11 and nobody use the pan&zoom tool anyway). Something like this (component/object) :
-modifier 1 : Island (include all connected components) / Branch (select the object in branch mode)
-modifier 2 : Loop (select point/edge/polygon loop) / Model (select the object's model in branch mode)
-modifier 3 : in step-by-step mode, the arrow keys could be use to select ambigious situations (which loop) and fine tune component selection (grow/shrink selection). It should affect the current step only. (only problem I see is that right handed people like me will have to either leave their mouse or travel across the keyboard leaving their left hand away from the most used keys (shift-ctrl-alt-space-tab-esc)...
-shift & ctrl for the usual add/toggle/remove from selection...
...
Last but not least : the selected polygon preview is very distracting no matter what color you choose, it should use a transparent overlay color, not those solid dots that hide everything, and/or just highlight the selected polygons edges...
BWT there is an issue/bug when using mixed display settings (which have to be used for most scenes) :
-if the selected component is not directly visible (ie an edge that has another edge on top of itself from top view) you can't see it is selected... I think selection highlights should be drawn on top of the 3D, or xRayed...
...
And while I'm day dreaming, having the possibility to use a selection filter that mix items from different topological level (ie. an object and some edges of another object and some points of another one). This is very handy for fast modeling (no need to use some convoluted temporary cluster constraint setup or transform each topological level one by one).
The only application I've used that handle this selection behaviour was FormZ.. But the goal is to work faster than now, so this multi-filter capability should probably be a different behaviour of the selection tool, available only in step-by-step mode ? :
-with multi filter on, using the arrow key could cycle between the possible targets (ie. if mouse is on an edge : edge, edge loops or object ?)
-maybe up-down arrows to change topological level / left-right arrows to modulate/choose components ?
...
I can't wait to try the new viewport sdk (I'm on 7.5, update is next week for me
).. I'll have to learn some CPP though, so this tool will probably stay on my todo list 
but from the 2012 sdk's documentation such selection tool seems very doable (bar the selection highlight issue I guess)...
Sorry for the long post, but even though I think Softimage's selection tool is very powerful, I find it's not user friendly (read slow) if you don't remember the 10+ shorcuts and preferences it takes just to switch its filter and some of its very basic behaviour.
Thomas Le Calvé
Softimage selection modes are great but should be consolidate in a single tool imho..
When using the selection tool, I'd like to change its basic behaviour faster (input mode and filter)..
My "ideal" (well it's just some random thinking) selection tool behaviour would be Something like :
-left button : single click input (ie. raycast)
-middle button : rectangle / segment (segment would select all targets on the segment's path)
-right button : lasso / free-form
-mouse wheel to adjust the selection area (used by raycast, free-from & segment : width in pixels)
...
So maybe a few global options could be enough :
-lasso/free-form & rectangle/segment toggle (draws a selection area or a selection path)
-lasso/free-form drawing with click-drag or per click (click-clik-clik(how to stop?).. useful for precise selection sometimes)
-need (or not) to surround the selection target (be it object or component)
-raycast in shaded mode
--just pops in my mind (possible brain fart..) :
--deep selection : ie. in any mode, selects all targets under the selection ray/path/area (vs top/first raycast, ie. a single click with this is equivalent of an infinite selection segment coming from the eye)
--deep selection depth (int 0-n) ? : 1 = raycast, 0 = all targets, n for optimization/special cases purpose..
--for complex situations, a step-by-step mode could be handy (preview the current items to add/remove to the selection : modulate/choose with arrow keys, enter to validate (some applications worked like this when 35 spheres was a complex situation !)
...
These options should be able to be set super fast, and the user should be able to know the current tool's behaviour without having to open Softimage's preferences or a menu, maybe with viewport slate or a dynamic toolbar or PPG (and maybe even icons, I prefer text buttons, but for simple toggles that need to be changed hundreds of times each session I think icons are good)..
...
Then, it should provide a simple way to modify the selection filter using very few modifier (sticky or not, ie. alt and z : these key are faster to use than F7-F11 and nobody use the pan&zoom tool anyway). Something like this (component/object) :
-modifier 1 : Island (include all connected components) / Branch (select the object in branch mode)
-modifier 2 : Loop (select point/edge/polygon loop) / Model (select the object's model in branch mode)
-modifier 3 : in step-by-step mode, the arrow keys could be use to select ambigious situations (which loop) and fine tune component selection (grow/shrink selection). It should affect the current step only. (only problem I see is that right handed people like me will have to either leave their mouse or travel across the keyboard leaving their left hand away from the most used keys (shift-ctrl-alt-space-tab-esc)...
-shift & ctrl for the usual add/toggle/remove from selection...
...
Last but not least : the selected polygon preview is very distracting no matter what color you choose, it should use a transparent overlay color, not those solid dots that hide everything, and/or just highlight the selected polygons edges...
BWT there is an issue/bug when using mixed display settings (which have to be used for most scenes) :
-if the selected component is not directly visible (ie an edge that has another edge on top of itself from top view) you can't see it is selected... I think selection highlights should be drawn on top of the 3D, or xRayed...
...
And while I'm day dreaming, having the possibility to use a selection filter that mix items from different topological level (ie. an object and some edges of another object and some points of another one). This is very handy for fast modeling (no need to use some convoluted temporary cluster constraint setup or transform each topological level one by one).
The only application I've used that handle this selection behaviour was FormZ.. But the goal is to work faster than now, so this multi-filter capability should probably be a different behaviour of the selection tool, available only in step-by-step mode ? :
-with multi filter on, using the arrow key could cycle between the possible targets (ie. if mouse is on an edge : edge, edge loops or object ?)
-maybe up-down arrows to change topological level / left-right arrows to modulate/choose components ?
...
I can't wait to try the new viewport sdk (I'm on 7.5, update is next week for me
).. I'll have to learn some CPP though, so this tool will probably stay on my todo list but from the 2012 sdk's documentation such selection tool seems very doable (bar the selection highlight issue I guess)...Sorry for the long post, but even though I think Softimage's selection tool is very powerful, I find it's not user friendly (read slow) if you don't remember the 10+ shorcuts and preferences it takes just to switch its filter and some of its very basic behaviour.
Thomas Le Calvé
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Memag
- Posts: 339
- Joined: 08 Aug 2010, 23:37
- Location: Tits
Re: Lasso select backfaces too
Thomas,
how would you perform rectangle/lasso raycast selection, I didn't quite get it?
I took selection behavior from Silo ,which is quite effortless at modeling and selecting stuff. Too bad it's not developed further.
While at Silo, it has multi-selection mode which works for components, it's reducing (if not eliminating) the need to switch basic comp.sel.filters via keyboard shortcuts.
It also utilizes "pre-selection highlight" which enables you to perform single component operations, without selecting it, just by hovering over it.
Something like SI tweak tool with highlight.
Another great thing is split edge loop which performs as bevel edge if at least two continuous edges are selected.
What is best is full mouse customization, which gives you amazing control over your tools and workflow.You can map the tools you use most on mouse buttons,wheel and modifier keys (eg. CTRL+lclick= tweak tool, CTRL+rclick = extrude,CTRL+SHIFT= split loop/bevel edge, CTRL+mouse wheel = grow/shrink selection,CTRL+ALT+rclick= cut poly etc).
And it speeds up things quite drastically.Also, tool parameters are not controled by PPG, but they are interactive in the viewport so you can drag out your extrusion, bevel, inset...
while you still have the operation parameters available for more precise input.
There is a "pick test tool" example in SDK workgroup, I imagine it's quite possible to adjust it and make custom tool out of it.
Only thing, I'm a code idiot.
Cheers!
how would you perform rectangle/lasso raycast selection, I didn't quite get it?
I took selection behavior from Silo ,which is quite effortless at modeling and selecting stuff. Too bad it's not developed further.
While at Silo, it has multi-selection mode which works for components, it's reducing (if not eliminating) the need to switch basic comp.sel.filters via keyboard shortcuts.
It also utilizes "pre-selection highlight" which enables you to perform single component operations, without selecting it, just by hovering over it.
Something like SI tweak tool with highlight.
Another great thing is split edge loop which performs as bevel edge if at least two continuous edges are selected.
What is best is full mouse customization, which gives you amazing control over your tools and workflow.You can map the tools you use most on mouse buttons,wheel and modifier keys (eg. CTRL+lclick= tweak tool, CTRL+rclick = extrude,CTRL+SHIFT= split loop/bevel edge, CTRL+mouse wheel = grow/shrink selection,CTRL+ALT+rclick= cut poly etc).
And it speeds up things quite drastically.Also, tool parameters are not controled by PPG, but they are interactive in the viewport so you can drag out your extrusion, bevel, inset...
while you still have the operation parameters available for more precise input.
There is a "pick test tool" example in SDK workgroup, I imagine it's quite possible to adjust it and make custom tool out of it.
Only thing, I'm a code idiot.
Cheers!