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Quickest way to switch to openGL perspective view


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Here is something I often want to do: go from a top-plan wireframe view of something, to a perspective projection, openGL render, and ideally a "top left" or similar orientation.

 

As far as I can make out, I need to go through three dropdown menus to achieve this. First I have to switch from top/plan to left isometric, then from orthogonal to perspective, then from wireframe to OpenGL. That's very tedious so I end up using saved views - however, this is also far from ideal as it will throw me out of any container objects, as well as to a viewpoint that is not necessarily centred on the objects I am working on.

 

Am I missing something - is there a straightforward way to do what I want?

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The only immediate way I know of doing this is to use the Default Render/3D projection buttons in the quick preferences bar. But you are fixed to one setting at a time.....712905455_Screenshot2020-05-21at12_39_36.thumb.png.8daa32305060df1cc2a8963a31f47718.png and then use the numeric keypad to get the correct View.

 

 

Edited by markdd
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25 minutes ago, markdd said:

The only immediate way I know of doing this is to use the Default Render/3D projection buttons in the quick preferences bar. But you are fixed to one setting at a time.....712905455_Screenshot2020-05-21at12_39_36.thumb.png.8daa32305060df1cc2a8963a31f47718.png and then use the numeric keypad to get the correct View.

 

 

Thanks.

 

This doesn't seem to work whilst I'm within a container object though. For example if I am editing within a group - I have those preferences set to openGL and perspective - but when I switch to a "left isometric" view, I get an orthogonal wireframe (in isometric view).

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How right you are. I've never noticed that behaviour before. Probably because I don't really use those buttons that much. I always use the Open GL keyboard shortcut. shift+cmd+G. 

 

Perhaps there is a scripting option?

Edited by markdd
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Yes, I've checked those too.

 

This has always confused me. Now I realise why I was never quite sure what was going on: it's because it doesn't work when you're inside a group.

 

I think this is a bug rather than a wish. I don't see why that behaviour would be intentional.

 

Actually ... it is kind of mentioned in this thread, in JimW's post on the first page.

 

 

That's from 3 years ago and pretty much none of that has been fixed as far as I know, so I'll put this on the long list of annoyances that will probably be with us for many years to come.

 

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OK, the following script will change the projection to Normal Perspective and the Render Mode to Open GL.

 

If you go to Tools:Plug-ins...:Plug-in Manager and then to 3rd Party you can create a new Plug-in Command, click the Edit Script button and paste the script below into the window.

Then edit your workspace to add the command and give it a keyboard shortcut.

 

If you really wanted to get fancy we can add the view to change to as well, but you would have to have different versions for each different view. I don't think you can over-ride the keypad view commands or it would be kind of nifty to be able to hit (say) Option-1 on the keypad and get it to switch the view and change the render mode.

For now you will have to change the view and then run the script.

 

Procedure OpenGLandPerspective;

{May 25, 2020}
{©2020 Patrick Stanford pat@coviana.com}
{Licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License}

{No Warranty Expressed of Implied. Use at your own risk.}

Begin
	DoMenuTextByName('Projection',5);
	DoMenuTextByName('OpenGL Render Chunk', 1);
End;

Run(OpenGLandPerspective);

 

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11 hours ago, Pat Stanford said:

OK, the following script will change the projection to Normal Perspective and the Render Mode to Open GL.

 

If you go to Tools:Plug-ins...:Plug-in Manager and then to 3rd Party you can create a new Plug-in Command, click the Edit Script button and paste the script below into the window.

Then edit your workspace to add the command and give it a keyboard shortcut.

 

If you really wanted to get fancy we can add the view to change to as well, but you would have to have different versions for each different view. I don't think you can over-ride the keypad view commands or it would be kind of nifty to be able to hit (say) Option-1 on the keypad and get it to switch the view and change the render mode.

For now you will have to change the view and then run the script.

 


Procedure OpenGLandPerspective;

{May 25, 2020}
{©2020 Patrick Stanford pat@coviana.com}
{Licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License}

{No Warranty Expressed of Implied. Use at your own risk.}

Begin
	DoMenuTextByName('Projection',5);
	DoMenuTextByName('OpenGL Render Chunk', 1);
End;

Run(OpenGLandPerspective);

 

 

Thank you for this - very kind of you!

 

I've set it up (I'm currently on 2018)

 

It works perfectly when I'm within a group - which is great. This will be very useful.

 

When I run it outside of a group though I find that it first changes the projection to perspective, but I have to run it a second time to get it to change to OpenGL. This is not too much of a big deal as it's quite easy to just hit the shortcut button twice.

 

Would it be straightforward to make it change the view as well? If it could also change to, say, left isometric that would be really helpful. I don't atually mind which direction the view is; what's more important is that I can see what's going on in 3d, and I can then easily fly around to the angle I want, if it's different.

 

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  • 2 years later...
10 hours ago, Pat Stanford said:

I think this will do what you want.  The number is just the position of the line you want in the Perspective or sub sections of the Render menu items.

 

DoMenuTextByName('Projection',2);

DoMenuTextByName('OpenGL Render Chunk', 1);

Is there an equivalent for the menu that lets you choose the view (top/plan, front, left iso etc)?

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