Snapping & precision modeling improvements #73993

Team
Commissioner: @dfelinto
Project leader: @mano-wii
Project members: @ideasman42

Description
Big picture: Improvement of existing features and implementation of new ones for precision modeling.

Use cases:

Architectural works.
Interior design.
Mechanical design.

Engineer plan:

Changes concentrated on bf_editor_transform and bf_editor_mesh.

Work plan

Milestone 1
Minor changes and improvements.
Time estimate: ?

- Improvement of existing Features.
- - #66420 (Transform: Snap Options: Midpoints and Perpendicular)
- - #66423 (Edit Mesh: Improve 'AutoMerge')
- - #66422 (Transform: Snap to the intersection geometry with the axis constraint)
- - #66426 (Transform: Support snapping for Edge and Vertex Slide)
- - D13310 (UI: Individualize option to use snap by space type)
- - #66424 (Transform: Perform on a base point)
  - - Translate
  - - Rotate
  - - Scale
- - #106008 (Transform: Support navigation)
- - #69342 (Transform: Make 'Absolute Grid Snapping' a new Snap Mode)
- - XXXXX (Transform: Support Snap with options for Snap to Grid)
- - #66427 (Transform: Snap to Grid in Perspective performed at ground level)
- - XXXXX (Transform: Support snapping for Trackball)
- - XXXXX (Transform: Change the current behavior of the incremental snap)
  - - Snapping according to the distance to the snapping point and not to the grid
  - - Make the incremental value adjustable
- New Features.
- - #75913 (Tools: New tool to add and subtract prismatic volumes)
- - XXXXX (Tools: New tool for "drawing" edges on a specific offset)

Unknown Milestone
Big changes.
Time estimate: ?

- #66425 (Tools: Support for extended modes: Knife and Bisect)
- #70865 (Transform: Support for snapping to Lattice objects)
- #78434 (Transform: Support snapping to faces for objects with DispList (Curve, Surface, Metaballs and Text))
- #85790 (Transform: Snap support for Grease Pencil objects)
- #73031 (Transform: snap cursor to selected ignores geometry position with modifiers)
- D6912 (Transform: Add Live Orientation Mode)
- XXXXX (Transform: Hot mode switch: Ability to switch snap type during using tools via hotkeys)
- XXXXX (Transform: New 'Snap With': Cursor)
- XXXXX (Transform: Improve interface drawing of the 'Snap With' Closest (drawing boundbox))
- XXXXX (Transform: Snap to the origin point of objects New snapping option? Only when the origin is visible?)
- XXXXX (Tools: New tool for creating Arcs)

Branch:
https://builder.blender.org/download/patch/PR105941/

Relevant links:

!105941 (WIP: Snapping & precision modeling improvements)
#45212 (Absolute Grid Snapping Corner Cases)
https://blender.community/c/rightclickselect/rmhbbc/

**Team** **Commissioner:** @dfelinto **Project leader:** @mano-wii **Project members:** @ideasman42 **Description** **Big picture:** Improvement of existing features and implementation of new ones for precision modeling. **Use cases**: * Architectural works. * Interior design. * Mechanical design. **Engineer plan:** * Changes concentrated on `bf_editor_transform` and `bf_editor_mesh`. **Work plan** **Milestone 1** *Minor changes and improvements.* Time estimate: `?` * - [ ]*Improvement of existing Features.* * - [x]#66420 (Transform: Snap Options: Midpoints and Perpendicular) * - [x]#66423 (Edit Mesh: Improve 'AutoMerge') * - [x]#66422 (Transform: Snap to the intersection geometry with the axis constraint) * - [x]#66426 (Transform: Support snapping for Edge and Vertex Slide) * - [x][D13310](https://archive.blender.org/developer/D13310) (UI: Individualize option to use snap by space type) * - [ ]#66424 (Transform: Perform on a base point) * - [ ]Translate * - [ ]Rotate * - [ ]Scale * - [x]#106008 (Transform: Support navigation) * - [ ]#69342 (Transform: Make 'Absolute Grid Snapping' a new Snap Mode) * - [ ]XXXXX (Transform: Support `Snap with` options for Snap to Grid) * - [ ]#66427 (Transform: Snap to Grid in Perspective performed at ground level) * - [ ]XXXXX (Transform: Support snapping for Trackball) * - [ ]XXXXX (Transform: Change the current behavior of the incremental snap) * - [ ]Snapping according to the distance to the snapping point and not to the grid * - [ ]Make the incremental value adjustable * - [ ]*New Features.* * - [ ]#75913 (Tools: New tool to add and subtract prismatic volumes) * - [ ]XXXXX (Tools: New tool for "drawing" edges on a specific offset) **Unknown Milestone** *Big changes.* Time estimate: `?` * - [ ]#66425 (Tools: Support for extended modes: Knife and Bisect) * - [ ]#70865 (Transform: Support for snapping to Lattice objects) * - [ ]#78434 (Transform: Support snapping to faces for objects with DispList (Curve, Surface, Metaballs and Text)) * - [ ]#85790 (Transform: Snap support for Grease Pencil objects) * - [ ]#73031 (Transform: snap cursor to selected ignores geometry position with modifiers) * - [ ][D6912](https://archive.blender.org/developer/D6912) (Transform: Add Live Orientation Mode) * - [ ]XXXXX (Transform: Hot mode switch: Ability to switch snap type during using tools via hotkeys) * - [ ]XXXXX (Transform: New 'Snap With': Cursor) * - [ ]XXXXX (Transform: Improve interface drawing of the 'Snap With' Closest (drawing boundbox)) * - [ ]XXXXX (Transform: Snap to the origin point of objects *New snapping option? Only when the origin is visible?*) * - [ ]XXXXX (Tools: New tool for creating Arcs) **Branch**: https://builder.blender.org/download/patch/PR105941/ --- **Relevant links**: * !105941 (WIP: Snapping & precision modeling improvements) * #45212 (Absolute Grid Snapping Corner Cases) * https://blender.community/c/rightclickselect/rmhbbc/

A good candidate for this roadmap might be to enable snapping before tool activation (https:*developer.blender.org/T73874#876956). Useful for tools like knife, measure etc. But might also be helpful for transforming using explicit basepoint (https:*developer.blender.org/T66424)

I am glad this is all being worked on, and thank you to everyone whose working on this, and here are my thoughts 4 what they are worth, i think Transform on a base point (https:*developer.blender.org/T66424) is the most time saving feature of all of these, but i understand if its too much work and needs to be planned for Milestone-2 but until then, I understand @mano-wii had an add-on called "snap utilities"that can do something similar, if its still working it would be nice if the full version of the add-on was included in blender, also there is this patch calledDestructive Extrude (https:*developer.blender.org/D5336) i have tried it on a bone studio build, its nice in certain situations but its not consistent, it would be nice if it was added for review somewhere on this list.. and once again thank you guys 👍👍👍👍👍👍

I am glad this is all being worked on, and thank you to everyone whose working on this, and here are my thoughts 4 what they are worth, i think **Transform on a base point** (https:*developer.blender.org/T66424) is the most time saving feature of all of these, but i understand if its too much work and needs to be planned for **Milestone-2** but until then, I understand @mano-wii had an add-on called **"snap utilities"**that can do something similar, if its still working it would be nice if the full version of the add-on was included in blender, also there is this patch called**Destructive Extrude** (https:*developer.blender.org/D5336) i have tried it on a bone studio build, its nice in certain situations but its not consistent, it would be nice if it was added for review somewhere on this list.. and once again thank you guys 👍👍👍👍👍👍

The problem is that holding some keys during operation turns into some kind of a finger pushups during intensive work.

I looked through these suggestions but not sure if there is one to allow snapping to faces along normals? As a gamedev artist i find current camera based approach not productive. Here is illustration from devtalk from another user.

Simple example is retopology of cylinder. Right one is expected lowpoly, but middle one is current result with Face snap enabled

I looked through these suggestions but not sure if there is one to allow snapping to faces along normals? As a gamedev artist i find current camera based approach not productive. Here is illustration from devtalk from another user. ![43e166dbe0f8f52ecae81f48f664ca536a7ff055.jpeg](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F8742552/43e166dbe0f8f52ecae81f48f664ca536a7ff055.jpeg) Simple example is retopology of cylinder. Right one is expected lowpoly, but middle one is current result with Face snap enabled

In #73993#989870, @zelfit wrote:
I looked through these suggestions but not sure if there is one to allow snapping to faces along normals? As a gamedev artist i find current camera based approach not productive. Here is illustration from devtalk from another user.

Simple example is retopology of cylinder. Right one is expected lowpoly, but middle one is current result with Face snap enabled

Because such kind of snap is not a "snap", it is workflow-dependent tool approach, that is needed for specific case like cylinder retopology.
It have nothing to do with camera based snapping approach and its productivity.
There are some realizations by different people (such as AFX with Quadwrap and Retopoflow authors attempts), and shrinkwrap modifier as well.

> In #73993#989870, @zelfit wrote: > I looked through these suggestions but not sure if there is one to allow snapping to faces along normals? As a gamedev artist i find current camera based approach not productive. Here is illustration from devtalk from another user. > ![43e166dbe0f8f52ecae81f48f664ca536a7ff055.jpeg](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F8742552/43e166dbe0f8f52ecae81f48f664ca536a7ff055.jpeg) > Simple example is retopology of cylinder. Right one is expected lowpoly, but middle one is current result with Face snap enabled Because such kind of snap is not a "snap", it is workflow-dependent tool approach, that is needed for specific case like cylinder retopology. It have nothing to do with camera based snapping approach and its productivity. There are some realizations by different people (such as AFX with Quadwrap and Retopoflow authors attempts), and shrinkwrap modifier as well.

Edge Constraint.mp4
plz guys, Edge Constraint from Maya\3DSMax is veeery useful especially on complex mesh loops.

MACHIN3tools 0.8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H_gjtJ8J5s

[Edge Constraint.mp4](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12784542/Edge_Constraint.mp4) plz guys, Edge Constraint from Maya\3DSMax is veeery useful especially on complex mesh loops. MACHIN3tools 0.8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H_gjtJ8J5s

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Snapping & precision modeling improvements #73993