Option to Scale Object from Bottom Centre

[Kevin McAllister]

When I scale an object I almost always want it to sit on the ground plane. Right now 3d scaling scales from the centre of an object. There should be an option to scale towards the bottom centre point of an object.

Kevin

[Benson Shaw]

+1

Right, Kevin. Vectorworks is missing function for user defined & user editable object origin. Defining origin globally and for selection would be part of this. Even symbols with user defined insertion points are treated as center origin objects after placement.

Scale to center probably makes sense for many rescales eg, normally, I would want a sphere to remain located at same xyz during rescale. But obviously there is need for other modes.

-B

[PVA - Admin]

Excellent idea, submitting now.

This already sort-of exists for 2D objects like Rectangles, they have the "Box Position" UI that allows a user to pick the top/left/bottom etc point on the object and have repositioning/resizing operations keep this as an anchor point.

A similar ability when scaling 3D geometry would be useful as well.

Edited February 20, 2014 by JimW

[bcd]

Also - take a look at photoshop where the center point (insertion point/anchor point) can be dragged to a new position at will.

[Kevin McAllister]

Jim,

This would exist in 2d if there was a constrain proportions checkbox.... long wished for especially for PDFs and images. Otherwise you're randomly changing the size of one axis only. Ultimately sometime soon VW needs to treat all objects (2d/3D) equally and with x,y.z co-ordinates....

Kevin

[bcd]

My bad (somewhat)

This is what the Fixed Point Resize Tool does. Perhaps it could be incorporated into the current Selection Tool.

Then holding the Shift key and invoking this works a treat for proportional resize

We just need to add in the Scale by distance / and scale by factor functionality and we're off to the races.

[AndiACD]

Jim,

. . . . . with x.y.z co-ordinates....

Kevin

amen to that Kevin

[PVA - Admin]

That wouldn't be hard if they got rid of Screen Plane, but currently anything Screen Plane doesn't (and can not) have a Z value in the same way planar and real 3D objects do.

A lot of the problems in that area come from a huge chunk of our users wanting to remain in 2D and not have anything 3D at all, with a completely different set of users wanting to completely move into an integrated hybrid environment in preparation for the future. Currently we attempt to cater to both.

I am personally in the second camp.

[Kevin McAllister]

Catering to both doesn't work. That is very clear based on the current state of VW. When I worked with a theatre consultant they were constantly wanting to design multi-use spaces. Problem is these spaces were never very good at anything because of all the compromises. I coined the phrase "the multi useless space". VW has crossed into the realm of the multi useless space. Its time to regroup and decide on one clear direction for the future.....

Kevin

[AndiACD]

i'm still struggling with the interface since Working Planes got lost in translation, but i do understand that despite hating the way things are now, in order to get 3D to work as it should, that is what the basis of all VW should really be heading towards.

i'll SHOUT a lot when it finally gets the ruling nod, but as long as JimW continues to mediate so well with the Hierarchy, i can at least hope i will be able to continue to make good use of VW.

Hopefully by then the Extrude Tools will have been perfected(i yearn for the day EAAP does just that with absolutely ANY profile along ANY path without always complaining it can't! or reversing the profile so it can, but not doing what you want) and all other 3D Modelling Tools will behave as perfectly as they seem to elsewhere . . . . . Any advances on Fillet/Chamfer?

Grump over! At least until i need to use EAAP again!

Andrew

[bcd]

to the point of proportional resize.

If I resize a rectangle by dragging the corner point - enter the new width in the HUD and hold down Shift, I'm helpfully presented with the Angle extension line projected along the diagonal.

If this were clicktoable then we would have one way to effectively resize proportional by distance.