Activate Tools on Press for Right Click Select #74085

New Issue

Julien Kaspar · 2020-02-21T17:56:12+01:00

Julien Kaspar commented

2020-02-21 17:56:12 +01:00

I discussed this feature with @WilliamReynish and @ideasman42 to improve the Active Tools implementation for Right Click Select.

Current Issue

When using Active Tools in Right Click Select and activating the Tool by click & dragging in the viewport, there is currently a drag threshold.
This means that within 3-10px the Tool won’t be executed which can make fine tweaking a hassle.

The reason why this drag threshold is implemented is because LMB press is setting the 3D Cursor, no matter which Tool is currently active.
The drag threshold is there to make a distinction between a press & a drag to solve the conflict.

While this makes setting the 3D Cursor more accessible from any Tool, it causes this issue for Active Tools.

Proposal

We can introduce an option in the keymap preferences to “Activate Tools on Press / Drag”, similar to the setting in Left Click Select to “Activate Gizmos on Press / Drag”.
This option would then make sure the drag threshold is removed and Tools are immediately executed.

To make setting the 3D Cursor not outright impossible, it needs to be remapped when the option is used and any Tool other than the Cursor Tool is active.
One solution is Shift + LMB, similar to how Shift + RMB is used in Left Click Select.
The only Active Tool that has a conflict with this is the PolyBuild Tool.
But perhaps it could be acceptable to not be able to change the 3D Cursor when that Tool is active since the PolyBuild Tool is not using the 3D Cursor in any way.

Another shortcut could be Alt + LMB, since this has no conflict in the keymap.
But unfortunately this would make this option unavailable for users who use “3 mouse button emulation” since Alt + LMB is already in use for navigation.

Going for either solution, there is the possibility to add more functionality to the shortcut.
Since Shift/Alt + LMB drag is free, it would also be assigned to a “transform.translate” operator to move the 3D Cursor while dragging.
This will make changing the 3D Cursor location more intuitive while not having to switch back to the Cursor Tool all the time.

In the case that Alt or Shift is used in combination with LMB click/tweak to set and move the 3D cursor, another adjustment needs to be made.
The gizmos are currently activated by LMB clicking on them in Any combination with modifier keys. Alt should be excluded from these modifier keys for it to be more effective, so that users can set the 3D cursor through any gizmo.

And of course if users would like to keep using their usual model operator workflow, they can keep the Cursor Tool as the default and nothing would change.

I discussed this feature with @WilliamReynish and @ideasman42 to improve the Active Tools implementation for Right Click Select. **Current Issue** When using Active Tools in Right Click Select and activating the Tool by click & dragging in the viewport, there is currently a drag threshold. This means that within 3-10px the Tool won’t be executed which can make fine tweaking a hassle. The reason why this drag threshold is implemented is because LMB press is setting the 3D Cursor, no matter which Tool is currently active. The drag threshold is there to make a distinction between a press & a drag to solve the conflict. While this makes setting the 3D Cursor more accessible from any Tool, it causes this issue for Active Tools. **Proposal** We can introduce an option in the keymap preferences to “Activate Tools on Press / Drag”, similar to the setting in Left Click Select to “Activate Gizmos on Press / Drag”. This option would then make sure the drag threshold is removed and Tools are immediately executed. To make setting the 3D Cursor not outright impossible, it needs to be remapped when the option is used and any Tool other than the Cursor Tool is active. One solution is Shift + LMB, similar to how Shift + RMB is used in Left Click Select. The only Active Tool that has a conflict with this is the PolyBuild Tool. But perhaps it could be acceptable to not be able to change the 3D Cursor when that Tool is active since the PolyBuild Tool is not using the 3D Cursor in any way. Another shortcut could be Alt + LMB, since this has no conflict in the keymap. But unfortunately this would make this option unavailable for users who use “3 mouse button emulation” since Alt + LMB is already in use for navigation. Going for either solution, there is the possibility to add more functionality to the shortcut. Since Shift/Alt + LMB drag is free, it would also be assigned to a “transform.translate” operator to move the 3D Cursor while dragging. This will make changing the 3D Cursor location more intuitive while not having to switch back to the Cursor Tool all the time. In the case that Alt or Shift is used in combination with LMB click/tweak to set and move the 3D cursor, another adjustment needs to be made. The gizmos are currently activated by LMB clicking on them in **Any** combination with modifier keys. Alt should be excluded from these modifier keys for it to be more effective, so that users can set the 3D cursor through any gizmo. And of course if users would like to keep using their usual model operator workflow, they can keep the Cursor Tool as the default and nothing would change.

Campbell Barton was assigned by Julien Kaspar

2020-02-21 17:56:12 +01:00

Julien Kaspar commented

2020-02-21 17:56:12 +01:00

Added subscribers: @WilliamReynish, @ideasman42, @JulienKaspar