Transform, Rotate, Scale Manipulation and Selectability

[kdiddy13]

I finally have been able to find time to work on a character for animation. I've found one aspect of character design to be particularly exasperating: Having to switch between selection mode and your transform tools.

I have several suggestions to impliment a change, they are all based on the idea that the transform tools can also act like the selection rectangle or lasso:

1- Have a modifier key combination take you into selection mode. I can't remember what's already taken for screen manipulation, but something like Ctrl-LMB for rectangle, Shift-Ctrl-LMB. Let go of the modifier and it goes back to the transform tool. Simple if all the modifiers haven't been taken already...

2- Allow the transform tool to always be capable of selections and deselections. Then when you click on a point that has been selected, you can move it. Give it a couple (2-5?) pixel radius of confusion, ie. you don't have to click directly on the pixel, you can just click close enough.

3- Allow the transform tool to always be capable of rectangular selections and deselections. Then have a manipulator compass appear in the center of the selected objects (again, like Maya). This would also allow for manipulation in 3D space, as you could have a 3D translation arrow set (x,y,z), 3d rotation 'globe' (x,y,z,perp to camera), or scale (obviously not 3d in this case). The arrow set would only show in 2d until it was turned off axis from the camera, then the 3rd Z arrow would show up. Again, the manipulator points would have a circle of confusion about them.

As I'm writing this, I would love a simple improvement like option 1, but option 3 is probably my favorite, if only because it increases the functionality and ease of use in 3D (one of Moho's big strengths). And let me emphasize that I don't want Maya from Moho. Maya does that fine. What I am hoping for is a more streamlined work flow, and by looking at a tool that I think works very simply and well, I think Moho will only benefit.

Thanks for listening.

LM, just out of curiosity, was Softimage your 3d program back when you were doing 3d? The separation of manipulator from selection tools is reminiscent of Soft.
________
HOME MADE VAPORIZER

[Lost Marble]

LM, just out of curiosity, was Softimage your 3d program back when you were doing 3d? The separation of manipulator from selection tools is reminiscent of Soft.

No, I've never actually used Softimage. I think the separation of the selection tools comes more from a Photoshop-type workflow.