Constrain axis of movement / snapping based on view?

[Owen Walz]

I'm wondering how to ensure that I'm only moving an object along the axis that I can see with a given view. IE, if I'm moving an object in 3D from a side view with no perspective, movement is limited to Y and Z axis, or if viewing from the top, Z movement cannot occur from snapping.

This seems to happen on its own some of the time, and other times I move something only to find out it's slipped into another location in the unseen dimension. I've tried holding shift, and this doesn't seem to solve the issue.

Any particular sort of workflow or plane setting that would help with this?

Thanks,

O

Edited November 23, 2013 by Owen Walz

[Benson Shaw]

Setting the drawing to Screen Plane may be what you need. It's in the menu Plane mode pulldown. Drawing will stay in this mode until switched to some other mode.

-B

[VincentCuclair]

There is a snap 'constraint' for this that appears in the snaps dialog when in 3d view/tool.

Otherwise you can create a working plane and constrain to this.....

[Kevin McAllister]

I think it may be the opposite actually. You're probably set to Screen Plane (or Automatic in a 2d view). If you're in Layer Plane or Automatic you can drag across the layer plane (ie. across the floor). If you want to go in another direction you need to create a working plane. Its just not super intuitive like in other programs where you just grab an axis arrow....

KM

[PVA - Admin]

If you hold down the Shift key, it should lock you to one of the main axes in those scenarios.

[Owen Walz]

Thanks guys. I'll take another look at these options (screen plane, constraints).

I hear you Jim. Shift does seem to lock to an axis, but doesn't always prevent snapping to / movement along the unseen axis.

Any chance there's a way to map a keyboard shortcut to switching to / from screen plane, in case that's the best solution? Haven't found one yet. Maybe that's an advantage to working planes.

[Owen Walz]

Or on that note, a way to map the constrain to working plan snap? Seems to be missing from the keys section in the workspace editor.