Pie Menus (2.66) - Update 01/28/13

IMPORTANT: PLEASE USE MOST UPDATED VERSION FROM GIT FOUND HERE
AND FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Click Downloads
  2. Click Branches
  3. Select the type of archive you want (usually zip)


    Failure to get the latest version might result in crashes and instability in Blender.

After a lot of polishing work and new features we would like to announce another iteration of the Piemenus script. This is based off the original Code work of Uncle_Entity and I thank him for his hard work and help. These menus are a work in progress and I will continue adding more menus as needed. Also, thanks to Patmo141 who has become an integral part of the pie menus team! I could not do it without him.

http://i.imgur.com/2dRBC.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/sOcZH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vjZii.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/02STwsd.png

To Coders:

If you are a coder and like making your own menus, please submit the code to this thread and I will incorporate them into the addon if they fit the general theme of what the addon is supposed to be. (IE. Making some aspect of Blender more efficient)

To Artists:
If you are an artist and would like a specific menu in place you can request it in this thread and wait patiently, or contact me at seanolson (at) purpleboogers.com and we can discuss moving your menu idea up to the top of the queue. (I do have two hungry dogs and an 19 month old toddler to feed :D)

Now, on to the fun stuff!

Download:
Test Build 1/28/13
Legacy Download (Old Versions):
Test Build 1/09/13
Version 1.0.1b
Version 1.0
Version Alpha

To install:
Go to File->User Preferences->Addons Tab
At the bottom of the window press the “Install Addon” button
Navigate to the downloaded file (piemenus.zip - be sure to turn off file filters at the top of the window so you can see the zip file)
Click Install Addon

To activate:
Search for “pie” and place a checkmark next to “3D View: Pie: Menus”

Default Keybindings:
The default keybinding overwrite the Blender Default keys. Turning the addon off should revert this change.

Tab - Mode Select - Choose between Object, Edit, Sculpt, Vertex Paint, Texture Paint, Weight Paint, and Pose Mode
Ctrl+Tab(Edit Mode) - Selection Mode - Choose between Vert, Edge, Face, and any combination of those selection types
X (Edit Mode) - Delete Menu
Ctrl+T(Sculpt Mode) - Sculpt Texture - Quick access to Texture panel options often changed by sculptors
A (Sculpt Mode) - Sculpt Stroke - Quick access to Stroke options often changed by sculptors
V (Sculpt Mode) - Brush Control Menu
Q - Numpad Views - Quick access to the orthographic views without using the numpad
Z - Shading Mode - Choose between the various shading modes offered by Cycles or Blender Internal
. - Access the various Pivot options in one menu
O - Proportional Editing
Ctrl+Space - Widget Selection
1 (Sculpt Mode) - Grey Brushes
2 (Sculpt Mode) - Red Brushes
3 (Sculpt Mode) - Tan Brushes
1 (Particle Mode) - Particle Comb Pie

Modifying Keybindings:
Keybindings can be changed by going to File->User Preferences->Input Tab and searching for “pie” or by just clicking the “Keybindings” button in the pie menus section of the “N” panel.

Please note: Like with any function in blender, if there is a conflict of keys, the 2nd binding (and any subsequent ones) will not work. Make sure there is no conflict for your own sanity.

Themes:
The addon is tied into the themes system - so it should look good with any theme you desire!

Updates:
10/21/12
*Updated Keymaps to use Blender default keys and remove Q+Button Scheme
*Added 3 menus for sculpt brushes on buttons 1, 2, 3 in sculpt mode
*Fixed Bug in themes that made text appear in wrong color

10/29/12
*Added options to turn on/off individual pies
*Added option to turn on/off the center “clock” widget
*Added 1-click access to pie menu keybindings
*Switch positions of box & rendered on shadeMenu
*Made “deadspot” in center of pie a bit bigger
*Added customize options for radius to define how far mouse travels before dis-activating pies
*Make Boolean Scrollbox for Individual Menus in UI
*Changed Keybinding method to be less cpu instensive
*Various Code Refactor

10/31/12
*Fix Issue with front view on viewMenu
*Added Edit Mode Delete Menu

1/9/13
*Welcome Patmo141 to project!
*Created bitbucket git code repository for project: https://bitbucket.org/liquidape/blender-pie-menus
*Converted Pies to use radians instead of degrees
*Added ability to have icons
*Added ability to have floating buttons that are not part of the “pie” appear outside the pie. These are selected via exact click instead of angle based.
*Allow various shapes for pies including: Oval, Circle, Diamond
*Allow for auto-arrangement & for absolute placement of pie items
*Allow for a more “pizza” shaped pie menu as an option.
*Added options for local view and ortho/perspective toggle to the view menu as floating buttons
*Added a “no-click” functionality.
–Use on pie items - Press hotkey down, move mouse in direction of item, let hotkey up
–Use on external items - Press hotkey down, move mouse directly over item, let hotkey up
*added proportional editing menu
*added manipulator menu
*updated to new API

1/28/13
*Border respect - the pies will not show up half way off screen - for a default of .3 seconds(customizable) the menu will be in “gesture mode” where just gesturing in the direction of the pie slice you want will select it, even if mouse does not travel through it. After that time expires, the menu defaults to how it would work in center of screen. (Example: You activate pie on very border - the pie is not right under the mouse since it does not have room, if you gesture north inside of .3 seconds, it will choose the north pie, after that time expires, you would place the mouse visually above or in the north pie to choose it.)

*Added particle mode to mode menu
*Added particle combing pie - only works when hair particles are active on object
*Added slider functionality to pie menus
*Added “Brush” Control pie in sculpt mode (default V key) to control
*Added double size mode for mac retina
*Added options to tune shape of pie menus
*Split modal code to separate file
*Fixed bug with icons turning grey when they should not
*Added functionality for radio buttons

–Todo–
Working Copy:
*Make icons for all current menus

Bugfixes:
*Fix issues with alternate keymaps

Features:
*Numeric Entry
*Smooth Snapping
*Sub-menus Support
*Right Click operation
*Custom Menus - Build an “Oven” Script so users can bake their own pies
*Context sensitive pies with activation via right click
*make currently moused over icon “grow”
*Add quadview option on viewmenu

Requested Menus:
*Nothing here

1 Like

This is GREAT :smiley: :smiley: :D! You convert it into an - easy to use - add-on. I got it working nicely here. BIG thanks to you and Uncle Entity. I’ll look a bit more about this add-on.
Thanks again, man! I’ve been waiting for something like this for years, really, seriously.

nice addon, however, i would much rathur see this in C, since drawing and events are seperate from actual menu entries, so we just need a switch somwhere to say use radial menues and just use the menues that is being passed to it

@liquidApe. Thank you for the hard work. This is one of the longest waiting features for me!

I have considerable experience with CAD systems which make heavy use of mouse gestures / pie menus, so IMHO, I’d like to make some comments on efficiency:

  • activation of a pie menu should be … NOT via keystroke. i.e. would it be possible to activate this by RMB dragging rather than hitting some key on the keyboard? i.e. if we had to activate a key to rotate the view, it would be cumbersome, but as it is, we just hit the MMB on the mouse. So possible to RMB drag to activate the menu, then hold in the button. When the cursor moves over the desired menu, it is triggered… (pls refer http://blog.capinc.com/2011/11/solidworks-tech-tip-the-most-addictive-functionality-in-solidworks-mouse-gestures/ which is IMO the best implementation of this yet)

  • currently I have to click a menu to activate it. Would it be possible for a menu to activate by moving the mouse over it? This promotes muscle memory, whereas if I have to click the actual button it lengthens the click cycle.

  • The pie menus are quite close to one another and only below the initial mouse position. Can they be moved somehow to form a circle around the mouse position? I’m not sure if there is a reason they can NOT be above the mouse?

  • The menus are not context sensitive at the moment when using the default settings, meaning that when I’m in edit mode, edit mode functions are not available. When I’m in object mode, it should be object mode specific. Heck I see this addon to go all the way and even be available in the node editor / NLE to store most used functions!! LOL okay that’s my christmas whishlist right there!

Thank you thank you thank you for your work. It is HIGHLY appreciated and needed

driewiel

will be nice to replace/add custom commands and scripts to menu.

Awesome! Pie menus are fast and efficient in every app I’ve used, but they are also very personal. Everyone has their own favourite adaptation of pies, so it’d be nice if the user had some options to adjust, such as the radius of the pie, which options are in which pies, and even the ability to add their own pie!. I know someone could just edit the addon themself (which I know I’ll be doing this weekend :wink: ) to suit their preferences, but it’d be nice if such customisability were implemented in the addon (perhaps a panel in the User Preferences). Personally I think the ability to make a custom pie (involving blender’s operators and my own scripted ones) is the most important feature :slight_smile:

Also, I don’t really like the whole Q+something hotkey system you’ve got there (though this is just my opinion and personal preference) - I’d rather the pies replace the hotkey that blender already uses - for example, switching between faces/verts/edges is ctrl+Tab (in edit mode only [context sensitivity is important and, in my limited coding experience, pretty easy to implement]), so instead of having the pie menu for the same function Q+S, just make it ctrl+tab by default! Less shortcuts for the user to learn, and less awkward finger tangling!

Lastly - is there any possibility to put icons to each slice? Reading text is a little slow (though I guess you’d get better over time with muscle memory) so an icon for each will help the user to visually recognize the function quicker.

I think that’s all I can think of for now :slight_smile: thanks for the awesome addon man!

Thank you very much for this, looks great.

@dConclusionman: Thanks!

@mfoxdogg: I agree. C would be better - but I don’t really have the knowledge of Blender base level source to do this nor do I have the svn access or want to navigate the political minefield that is surrounding anything Blender UI. Consider this proof of concept - if it’s well received perhaps it will be integrated in a more full manner.

You could set up the menus to use tweaks for the dragging. There is a bug currently in blender which stops binding of modifiers to mouse keys. Hopefully this will get in so you could have more stuff based on hold mouse button 4 and a key binding. I’m trying to build it with the idea of one hand on mouse, one on keyboard.

This could probably be an option that could be implemented

The menu locations are hard-coded with coordinates - just look in the py files name pie_whatever menu you are looking for. Some of the menus are above the mouse. It just made sense in some of the menus to put them in this format - if you have better suggestions of layout on certain menus, draw a picture and post it to the thread!

Some context sensitivity could be build in - (some already is) - a lot of this can be build in through the keybindings, which my hands are tied on until aforementioned bug is fixed Not sure about seeing context of what is clicked or what is under the mouse, that would require more research.

@RoN43 - I agree! It’s much easier at the moment than before, but you still need to dig into the python. I would like some sort of drag drop but might have to wait on c implementation.

@gregzaal - I plan on a customization section with radius, etc - as for the dragging operators onto the pie - I agree at the coolness, don’t know about feasibility. Will require research. On keybindings - as stated before - my hands are tied - I agree with you that they should take over the original keybinding, but I did not want to mess with anybodies setup - Feel free to change em to the other one and then be sure to uncheck the original in keybindings. For icons, I’m pretty sure I could do that - just have to learn how. I’m not an expert coder by any means, I just have the unique ability to bang my head on the code until it works!

@Artales - your welcome!

Okay guys, I’m out for the week on vacation - I’m sure I’ll check in occasionally, but not hourly :slight_smile:

This is a fantastic addon. Blender definitely needs it. But it is still a few problems with it. Those are quite important.

  1. You missed 2 views right (or left with numclock off) shift +7 and ctrl + rightshift +7. They are connected with normals.

  2. lists allow you to use numbers as shortcuts so I can press Ctrl + Tab and 3 to select the face option or W 1 for subdivide. I dont want to lose this aibility in pie menu because it is still the fastest one (use clockwise).

Also if i may have a suggestion. It will be awsome If i would be able to create my own menus. Nothing fancy just an extra option in T panel with existing pie menus(that u can open to see buttons that are connected to them) and button to create new pie menu. So i can hit it and choose how many buttons in menu i want. Then i hit buttons in new list and add the command for correct options just like adding shortcuts in user preferences. Because right now i only use Pivot options and Stroke options. And having the ability to create those few special menus would be fantastic.

only posting this here because ape has done the other addon as well… maybe he can make this one?
i dont personally need it, but i have seen lots of people on here without a numpad.
edit i mean Ctrl +1, Ctrl+3, Ctrl +7 not shift :slight_smile:
NumLock could be swapped to Ctrl_Toggle.
http://imageshack.us/a/img692/7978/numpadb.jpg

yiiiiiaaaaaahowwww i love it…!!!

SW, that script would be nice incorporated with a few other scripts that people have been using in the dyntopo thread
first release by user “sick” and “Mad Minstrel” i believe…

you could make an ear object for instance make them a primitive,
then with their addon you can boole and mirror them to your mesh… etc…
same for making arms, hands etc…
some things don’t need to be 100% remodeled all the time, just tweaked.

my recuest is to add icons to the menu like this


  • MAKE THE READIAL MENU CUSTOM WHIT DIFERENT SHAPE LIKE THIS.


Another example whit icons


It’ will be great with the icon :smiley:

  • it is possible to add smooth snapping feeling to those buttons for more precise selection
  • and an small magnification like the mac dock to the selected button

@liquidApe
thans for this great work really thanks

You are a saint!!! I LOVE your addon!!!

nice!!! @LiquidApe great!!

Really cool addon. Also looks nice. I was think however that one should be able to select an option without having to click on it. For instance it would be a lot faster to just change the view by dragging the mouse over or past the option and then have it automatically select it. Maybe this would work by having to hold the mouse button and then upon releasing it, the option would be selected.

Pie-Menus in modo, an example for ispiration

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