TOOL PALETTE

GENERAL INFORMATION:

• The Tools palette floats: it will never be hidden by other windows.
• All Tool Palette tools are listed here in a special form, i.e. MOVER (D). The letter (which also appears on the palette button when it is UP) can be used to select the tool (type D to select the Mover).
• Some Tool Palette buttons have a red dot: holding down the option key while typing their letter or clicking the button (or double-clicking the button) will display a modeless dialog used to set tool options or allow numerical operation. Most of these dialogs are self explanatory and will not be covered in detail.
• Tapping the spacebar switches between the current and previous Tool.
• The Tools palette can be switched to a horizontal format if desired. Clicking its Zoom box causes the switch. It can also be closed to save screen space. To reopen it: select Tools from the Windows menu (only available if a Project exists).
• Scroll/Zoom operations (the Hand (A) and the Zoomer (Z)) are not undoable, since they don¹t actually affect the model (only your view of it). Setting the 3D Cursor is also not undoable.
• Tools are not used in the Camera Window (editing a model in this view is not yet supported). Clicking in this window (with any tool) is discussed in the Camera Window section.
• In most cases, the Prompt Window at the bottom of the screen lists the modifier keys available with the current tool.

ARROW (A). Used to work with individual points. The Arrow has a dialog (the Snap Palette) which is covered separately. This dialog has a slightly unusual interface, and you should read its description before using it.

• Click a point - switch the selection state. This varies from the usual modifier rule. Note that a click and a drag (below) are very different.
• Click and drag a point - move the point. No effect on selection.
• Click in space - set the 3D Cursor.
• Option-Dragging either the Camera or Focus moves BOTH at once.
• Command-click a point - snap the cursor to that point. Command-clicking in space (more than about 4 pixels from any point) snaps the 3D Cursor using the current Tool Mode (See Snap Palette).
• Option-click - create a new selected point.
• Option-shift click - create a new deselected point.
• Option-command-double click - delete a point.
• Holding the Control key down causes the Arrow (A) to behave exactly like the Object Arrow (C) (with the control key UP). This allows easy selection and movement of objects.

• Click - create a new (selected) point and anchor/continue a spline.
• Click & Drag - as in click plus create and adjust handles on the new spline. Holding the shift key will constrain (45°) the movement.
• Command-click - (on existing points ONLY) Connects a new spline to an existing point. Command-clicking in space (no existing point) beeps and does nothing. There is no limit on how many splines may pass through a single point: a standard mesh usually has 4. When joining a spline to a point with existing splines, PatchDance generally does not join splines: you cannot affect existing splines while adding new ones. (There is no way to define this when any number of splines may be present).

MARQUEE (M). Changes selection of points in an area. This is a standard Mac tool, but it has extra capabilities that are NOT standard. The result depends on the modifier keys when the mouse button is RELEASED; the marquee/lasso color is updated to reflect this. Try dragging in a window and pressing the various keys to see it in action. You cannot change between the marquee and lasso on the fly (mainly because we couldn¹t decide what should happen).

• Command - Changes the Marquee to the Lasso. (Additive)
• Default - Select. Marquee color changes to current select color.
• Shift - Deselect. Marquee color changes to current deselect color.
• Option - Swap selection. Marquee color is the current ghosting color.

HAND (H). Drags the view window (moves the view). Standard Mac tool. Always affects at least TWO windows (i.e., moving the Down view to the right (east) also moves the North view to the right). Shift constrains (90°). This has NO EFFECT on the Camera View.

ZOOMER (Z). Zooms and recenters the view. ALL windows are recentered (since they share the same center) but only the clicked window is rescaled (unless Command is down). Having different scales in the modeling windows is often useful but can become very confusing. Watch the rulers!

• Drag - a box appears: the contents of the box will be rescaled (expanded) to fill the window, centered appropriately.
• Click - Zoom in (double) and center the window on the click point.
• Option-Click - Zoom out (half).
• Command - apply the scaling effect to all Modeling windows.

ROTATOR (R). Rotate selected points around the 3D Cursor in the current view. Rotation is always in the plane of a modeling window. The optional dialog allows numeric or quick rotations (1°, 45°, etc)., and a readout of the rotation angle when using the tool interactively, and a checkbox to control Interactive Lathing. This readout can also be used as a protractor.

• Option-Click - set the 3D Cursor (center of rotation). Add Command to snap.
• Drag - a line (actually a spline handle) appears between the arrow and the 3D Cursor. Moving the mouse (dragging the handle) causes the current selection to rotate. The handle can be snapped (at the beginning and/or end of the drag) by pressing the Command key (current Snap mode) and is used to align rotated objects. The length of the handle is not important.
• Shift - constrains the rotation (45°). Pressing the shift key works as expected; if the shift key is down when the mouse is clicked the START position of the drag is also constrained - this allows you to easily rotate in exact 45° increments.
• Control - activate protractor. (Also happens when nothing is selected). The rotation dialog is opened if closed, and rotation data is updated regardless of the Return Data checkbox. Shift and Command work as usual; shift allows easy measurement from the horizontal or vertical axis.

MOVER (D). Move (drag) the current selection.
The optional dialog allows numeric moves, readout of interactive move results, and buttons to get and set the current cursor location. Move To moves the 3D Cursor from its current position to the position in the edit fields, and all selected points move with it (the same amount). Move By performs a relative move by the amounts in the edit fields, Move Back reverses this action. A checkbox activates Interactive Extrusion.
Two tool modes are supported: Both use the command key to Snap. Mode 2 is set when the Caps Lock key is down. The current mode (Mode 1 or Mode 2) is switched when Control is down.

• Mode 1 (Default): Drag - the selection moves with the mouse. Shift constrains the move (45° ).
• Mode 2 (Caps Lock key down, Control switches between modes) Click (NO drag) - The 3D Cursor

SCALER (S). Scales the current selection. The optional dialog allows numeric scaling and several quick scaling options. Inverse Scaling uses the reciprocal of the edit field values. This acts like an

• Undo, or it can be used by itself: inverse scaling by 1.5 is the same as scaling by 2/3.
• Option-Click - set the cursor (scaling center).
• Drag - scale relative to cursor in TWO dimensions.
• Shift-drag - constrain movement (45° ). Moving at 45° scales evenly (both directions) in TWO dimensions.
• Control-drag - scales (evenly) in three dimensions.

OBJECT (O) creates objects. Dragging produces the current object set on the object palette (default: circle by diameter). There are many options and most operations can be performed numerically. Most captions change to reflect the selected object type.

• Return Data fills in the edit fields with data corresponding to an interactively created object.
• Fill Base fills (makes patches) in plane figures (i.e., a circle becomes a disk). This has no effect on native 3D objects (Spheres) or the ³sides² of extrusions, which are always made into surfaces.
• Construct Numeric creates an object per the edit fields; Cursor Center uses the current 3D Cursor location for the new object center.
• Extrusion and convergence require a depth to work.
• The dialog displays the name/type of object selected.
• A few operations use one drag followed by another, notably arcs and the 3 point circles and quadrilaterals. For these, click and drag a baseline, then click and drag the object. This type of operation can be canceled by clicking outside the Modeling Window.
• Clicking the button also brings up a popup menu that allows you to choose an object type and mode without opening the dialog. Any numeric values are the defaults or the last (globally) set values from the dialog. The first two items in the menu switch between the default (graphic) menu and a compact text version, and toggle Fill Base mode.
  

• Click a point - displays spline handles connected to that point.
• Drag a handle - adjust a spline by moving ALL visible handles on a point. With option, moves only the clicked handle (not the opposite handle, if any).
• Drag a point - move the point (same as standard arrow). With option, moves only the clicked point (not the handles), creating a corner.
• Command-drag - matches the lengths of all moving handles (normally only the direction is matched). This produces a fair (matched slope) curve. The effect is similar to adjusting the weight handle on a NURBS spline, in programs supporting this feature (Sculpt3D and form€Z are two common examples).
• Command-option-double click - Deletes a point/handle. Deleting a handle actually moves the handle on top of its point (converts the spline end to a Segment).

The effect of the command and option keys on handles lasts only as long as they are down: if you wish to produce a corner or fair curve, you must ALWAYS hold the appropriate key down while dragging EITHER handle or they will instantly realign. Option-dragging a point (to create a corner), however, does NOT cancel when the key is released (but you may smooth the resulting corner by adjusting either handle without the option key).

A maximum of 4 handles can be active at once. If a point is connected to more than 2 splines, it will be necessary to click both ends of the spline you wish to adjust. This normally occurs only with mesh objects. When such a point is clicked, the normally hollow arrow will change to solid, to show that one point was chosen.
When a point or handle is clicked, the cursor changes to a Drag Arrow (no arrow ³shaft²) to show that you clicked on a valid point or handle.

OBJECT ARROW (C). Operates on connected objects.
Clicking on any point of a connected object affects all points:

• No modifiers - select.
• Shift - deselect.
• Option - swap selection.
• Drag - move entire object (shift constrained). No effect on selection.
• Control - not currently used. Using the Control key with the Arrow(A) has the same effect as the Object Arrow (C) WITHOUT Control.

• Drag - not currently supported. This tool is primarily designed for use with Inverse Kinematics, and will not be fully functional until that feature is added.