Current Issues
It is very difficult to grab, rotate and scale objects using basepoints.
Proposal
Add a a keybord shortcut which will let user select basepoints during grab, rotate and scale operations allowing precise transformations in easy way.
Grab with basepoint
Workflow:
- Select object
- press G (grab)
- press B (basepoint)
- click on vertex to specify grab basepoint (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- move object to desired place (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- click to put object
alternatives like entering X, Y, Z to restrict axis
or enter numeric value for move distance also works
Rotate with basepoint
Workflow:
- Select object
- press R (rotate)
- press B (basepoint)
- click on vertex to change rotation center (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- click on second vertex to define rotation reference (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- click on third vertex to define rotation angle (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
alternatives like entering X, Y, Z to restrict axis
or enter numeric value for rotation angle also works
Scale with basepoint
Workflow:
- Select object
- press S (scale)
- press B (basepoint)
- click on vertex to change scale basepoint (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- click on second vertex to define scale reference (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- enter numeric value for scale, or click on third vertex to define scale value (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
alternatives like entering X, Y, Z to restrict axis
also works
Duplicate with basepoint
For consistency similar behavior should be added to duplicate operation:
Workflow:
- Select object
- press Shift+D or Alt+D (duplicate)
- press B (basepoint)
- click on vertex to specify duplication basepoint (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- put object to desired place (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- click to put object
alternatives like entering X, Y, Z to restrict axis
or enter numeric value for move distance also works
Grab with basepoint restricting translation axis
Example how grab with basepoint works with translation axis restriction:
Workflow:
- Select object
- press G (grab)
- press B (basepoint)
- press Z to restrict translation axis
- click on vertex to specify grab basepoint (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- move object to desired place (hovering on vertex snap is activated)
- click to put object
Multiple duplication proposal
Working on basepoint proposal also got idea about another useful enhancement - ability to make multiple duplication:
Workflow:
- Select object
- press Shift+D or Alt+D (duplicate)
- and then press M (multiple)
- click to put object (object is duplicated, but still remains selected)
- click to put another object (object is duplicated, but still remains selected)
- click to put next object
- another mouse button click to end operation
alternatives like entering X, Y, Z to restrict axis
or enter numeric value for move distance also works
Multiple duplication with basepoint example
In this case similar tasks like duplicating objects and putting in precise places could be done a lot faster.
Workflow:
- Select object
- press Shift+D or Alt+D (duplicate)
- press B (basepoint)
- and then press M (multiple)
- click to put object (object is duplicated, but still remains selected)
- click to put another object (object is duplicated, but still remains selected)
- click to put next object
- another mouse button click to end operation
Mirror with basepoint example
For consistency similar approach could work on mirror operation as well
Workflow:
- Select object
- press ctrl+M (mirror)
- press B (basepoint or baseplane)
- click on three points to define mirror plane
- or click on two points to define mirror axis and then Z if plane is on Z axis
- or click on two points to define mirror axis if view is orthogonal
Benefits
Ability to grab, rotate and scale objects precisely. Functionality especially useful for architects, interior designers, but also will be beneficial to many blender users.
