coming from Hexagon I really like Blender so far but I miss a few of my tools … maybe I’m just not smart enough to find them … so … let’s start.
In Hexagon I have an Edge Extract tool - what this does it will either fillet (which is similar to the Bevel operator in Blender) or it will extract along an axis … splitting the face underneath.
So far I haven’t found a corresponding function in Blender. I can duplicate and move an edge but this edge will be isolated and it will not split the face so that I have to position them until they look right and then I use the knife tool with the duplicated and moved edge as reference. A bit clumsy … is there a better way that comes close to how Hexagon does it?
Have you tried selecting the two edges, in Edge Mode (CTRL+Tab), and using the subdivide option in the specials menu (W-key)? You can press F6 after this operation to get some additional options.
I hadn’t but I gave it a try - it’s not quite the same. First of all the cut is at a right angle to the selected edges - which I could easily get used to but if I want to say, make a doorframe, I’d select 4 edged of a cube, activate my edge select tool, slide the edged a bit (in Hexagon, thhough that will be a separate question I’ll post, I can have them move relative to the geometric center so when I slide, all 4 edges either slide outside of my cube or slide towards the center which is what I’d want for a door cut.)
Next I’d select the 4 newly formed inner edges, extract them and move them towards the center so that my “to be cut out doorway” face is now formed. By selecting the same edges front and rear I can then connect the edges after I deleted the face to create the inner faces.
The only way I came close to achieve something like this in Blender was to apply a Loop Cut with the count set to 2. Then select one edge front and rear and slide it, memorize the amount, select the other two and slide with the amount I sild the other but with inverted value.
This takes much longer (because I have’t found out yet, how (if this is possible) slide things towards or away from the center)) and I end up with 2 other faces cut by the Loop Cut that didn’t need cutting so I’d have to dissolve all those edges which makes it take even longer.
There’s areas where Blender outperforms Hexagon by miles so I can’t really believe that something as easy as this edge extraction doesn’t exist and that you have to go through all those Loop Cuts + cleaning up.
You are probably looking for Rip Fill (mesh/vertices menu, ALT V) but possibly for rip (same place, V shortcut) and on an outside chance for split (same place, Y).
So you’ve been in Hexagon and now want doors in Blender.
While doors are a goal ways to get there might differ and what was officially approved and sound way to do it in Hexagon might not make sense in Blender. Get used. Learn tools.
…and that you have to go through all those Loop Cuts + cleaning up
does it make any sense now? What cleanup?
Clean out conveniently created quad topology (which later behind the scenes will be converted to fully defined surface patches - triangles; quad is not) and change that to n-gon face - surface which usually can not even exist because some points are off that plane you think is a plane? Why would i do that? N-gon is just another convenience for modeler; one does not need to stare at black hole when some faces are deleted and can cut the way using knife or J-key connecting selected verts. All other convenience functions - modifiers use math and math feels better when 2 is a base… 2, 4 and so on. Don’t you feel 1/2 is better than 1/3 ?
(because I have’t found out yet, how (if this is possible) slide things towards or away from the center))
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If the direction you want to slide coincides with normals - Alt-S and Pivot as Individual Origins would do the magic in edit mode. In Object mode you would need to press icon right to the Pivot selection - Alt- , :Manipulate center points.
… move relative to the geometric center so when I slide, all 4 edges either slide outside of my cube or slide towards the center
so, there is no face any more, just 4 edges and vertices which do not connect to the cube? If there is a face why not move that?
If that face was cut in the cube face, simple E - extrude face, cancel operation will create faces with no thickness around the extrusion. Again select face you just extruded and G move along normal. Or hit E and needed axis e.g. EX 2 which would extrude and move face 2 units on Global x and drag newly created perimeter faces along.
Finally, doors are separate element from the walls - hit P on that plane which represent it and model it as such.
Have you discovered I-key - inset? II - twice i - inset individual faces? Knife Project ?
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