[Addon] Display Tools ( v. 1.6.0 )

Coding Released Scripts and Themes
1

Hello guys, here i post my new addon, called Display Tools.

The addon it´s designed to provide several tools for display tasks with objects in blender.
We all know that blender don´t treat some selections very well, and some object properties or features are only available individually, making changes to all objects a time consuming task, specially when you have a project with a lot of objects.

The tools work based on your selection and change properties on all selected objects at once. If you don´t have any object selected, then the changes will affect all the objects, i find this behaviour very fast for my workflow.

The main features of the addon are:

-Fast Navigate mode (YAY:eyebrowlift:) : Modal operator to display wire/bounds display while orbit/panning/zooming and more common operations. Very similar of fast navigate for sculpt.
I always wanted this feature because it´s extremly useful to navigate on large polycount scenes. Cancel with “STOP” tool or pressing “ESC” and “SPACEBAR”.

In Fast Navigate mode you can also choose visualization of wireframe/bounding box mode, to use while edit mode is on, activate a delay option for delay the response on return to normal viewport modes, set the time maount for the delay and show/hide particles with a percentage setting too.
When you have delay on, the addon measures the movement of mouse for returning to normal viewport, so if you don´t move the mouse it remeains on fast mode.

-Display tools : Tools for change the display of viewport, and object visualization.
Same behaviour here, it´s based on your selection or for all objects if nothing is selected

-Shading Setup: Tools to do batch changes on objects like disable double-sided, activate shadeless material, wireframe and bounds extra overlay, x-ray…

-Scene Visualization: Here a combination of global display properties of N Panel, and Simplify from scene settings can be access directly from toolshelf.

-Modifier Tools : Activate/Deactivate all modifiers of selected objects at once,
expand/collapse and apply/deletion of all the modifiers, and an operator to put a dummy simple deform modifier for improve a bug/bad behaviour on viewport performance when you have subsurf modifiers, batch select of subdivison level for all/selected objects with a sub-surf modifier, dummy/delete dummy search for dummies automatically, but BREAKS if you have any simple deform modifier setup, so beware of the issue, i´ll try to fix this soon.

NEW VERSION 1.6.0 : No feature changes, support for 2.7x tabs.

And here is the link for download :
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65106662/space_view_3d_display_tools.py

Link to the wiki page :
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D_interaction/Display_Tools

1 Like
2

wow, this will be definetely very useful, thank you very much!

3

Looks extremely useful, mass property editing as been missing from blender and is very needed.
I’ll give it try as soon as I get an opportunity.

4

Hi JordiArt,

your addon is a great idea imho, very very useful.
I just tried it on 2.63.14 rev 49165 on os x 10.7.4.
Just some reports:

on line 34of the file, “category”: “3d View” should be “category”: “3D View”, otherwise it creates a new category.

Fast Navigate doesn’t work, and if Show Particles is activate it return error:

<particles.draw_method = 'DOT'
-TypeError: bpy_struct: item.attr = val: enum "DOT" not found in ('NONE', 'RENDER', 'PATH')>

Same error in Scene Visualization if Show Particles is active.

In Modifiers Tool, clicking on the first top button (renderability on) it activates instead Simplify on Scene Visualization.

Expand-collapse doesn’t work.

The only drawback I found is that it is much intrusive in the tool panel, mostly a blender GUI fault, maybe you could replace the couples of on/off buttons with a single checkmark.

Moreover I think it should relate to Properties panel, rather than the Tool shelf.

Please, keep up the good work, it will be a must have!

Thank you very much,
paolo

5

sounds intriguing, does anyone have any screen shots(on pasteall or wherever), or this addon in action; or ever a YouTube demo video?

6

3Duaun,
why just don’t you install it and try yourself, easier than watch a video, and you could help to revise it.

paolo

7

thanks for the replies folks, very apreciated feedback.
Paolo, thanks for the testing. I only tested on a windows laptop and none of the issues you mention have ocurred for me… so it seems an OSX related thing? some other user or windows\linux users having the same issues here?
On other side, the design it.s intented to be as is because i model with maximized viewport and its designed to have all you need on toolshelf to don’t have to go back and forth to properties or have N panel visible.
I know its personal choice but i like to have the tools available this way.
Anyway, any feedback will be wellcome.
As soon i can i’ll post a video showing the addon functionality

8

Great addon, thanks a lot for your work!

it would be great if i could enable all options individualy. so i can keep my toolbar clean.
e.g i only need fast navigate and the Modifier Tools.
Some more feature requests: While fast navigating automaticaly disable “ouline selected” (almost doubles the fps) when mouse released outline selected get eabled again.

Another feature request would be the integration of the script which disables “Double Sided” for all meshes. cant find the link for the script atm.

Edit: same here collapse/expand didnt really work. only one time collapse…
quote: “…Moreover I think it should relate to Properties panel, rather than the Tool shelf.”
agree+1

9

it would be great if i could enable all options individualy. so i can keep my toolbar clean.

Some people prefer to have functionality on various addons, some all the functionality in one, i´m on last group, but you can always minimize tabs and redistribute tools as you like

While fast navigating automaticaly disable “ouline selected” (almost doubles the fps) when mouse released outline selected get eabled again.

Good idea, i´ll take into account, and want some more :wink:
i

Another feature request would be the integration of the script which disables “Double Sided” for all meshes. cant find the link for the script atm.

That´s what the double-side tool on/off make on “Shading Setup” tab, it changes the selected objects or all objects if you don´t have any selection, the on/off behaviour it´s designed for fast changes and for you don´t have to go to properties/object data to check if that object before have checked or not the value. That behaviour is on all tools provided.

collapse/expand didnt really work

Due to blender´s window draw methods, the response may not be immediatly, just move the mouse over the modifier stack to check it works.

I think it should relate to Properties panel, rather than the Tool shelf

Agree it make more sense by the consistency side, but i have explainded why it´s on toolshelf, it´s part of an intented behaviour for ( in my opinion ) fast workflow for modeling/navigating on 3d viewport maximized with only toolshelf visible, just for having more space and all the tools in same place.

Hope this night or tomorrow have some time to make a video, i think it will be more explanatory for sure :yes:

Edit:I just tested with the very last builbot win64 build, r49377 and confirmed all work as expected

10

…to blind to see.
great, thx a lot!

11

Updated the link for correct the “3D View” Category issue mentioned by Paolo.

<particles.draw_method = ‘DOT’
-TypeError: bpy_struct: item.attr = val: enum “DOT” not found in (‘NONE’, ‘RENDER’, ‘PATH’)>
I´m looking at blender python api 2.63.17 and certainly there are more draw_method enum types for me…
http://www.blender.org/documentation/blender_python_api_2_63_17/bpy.types.ParticleSettings.html#bpy.types.ParticleSettings.draw_method
I can´t test on mac, i don´t know if mac build it´s too old or don´t have this type of particle visualization, which is odd for me… someone can help?

…to blind to see.
great, thx a lot!
:wink:

12

when hitting “update settings” of Scene Visualization i got an error message using blender r46461 under win7 64bit

bugpst.jpg1920×1200 214 KB

after lunch i will try it with r49377

13

JordiArt, addon of the year, for me. Very thanks.

14

When ParticleSystem is set to Hair, it shows only ‘NONE’, ‘RENDER’, ‘PATH’ display options.

paolo

15

Now i understand the problem. i haven’t take into acount that situation, hope to fix soon… and thanks for take a look.
Dave62 can you test on recent build and see if the bugs persist? or post the exact object and tool settings to try to reproduce it

16

yep, did it: works flawless with r49390:)
thx, good job!

17

Fast navigate with Show particles ON it doesn’t work for me.
After switch Show particles Off it works, but particles are hidden until I switch them On by hand in particle panel.

Attachments

fast_navigate.jpg968×668 295 KB

18

Well, new version with all the particle-related bugs fixed.
Paolo´s issue was related to not taking into account hair type of particles.

Fast navigate with Show particles ON it doesn’t work for me.
After switch Show particles Off it works, but particles are hidden until I switch them On by hand in particle panel.

I´m pretty sure it´s solved as above in new version, please, can you test it?

Also i´ve added a percentage slider for dynamically hide particles while fast navigating.
For now when you exit fast navigate the global percentage returns to 100%, soon it will save previous value for return to it.

Let me know if there are any issues and thanks everybody to test it! really excited to help on blender development from mi little part :wink:

19

works, very very useful addon, thanks

PS: only one thing, would be possible to activate Fast navigate for zooming scene by mouse wheel?
Now it works for rotating and panning.

PS2: my big scene is for example in solid mode, I choose Bounding box mode and activate Fast navigate.
But solid is changed into Texture and viewport is switched between very slow Texture a very fast Bounding.
I think it would be better to retain original shade mode (solid ?) and wire (bounding) fast mode for navigation.

20

Last update for tonight! i´m very happy with how it´s going this addon… some cosmetic/arrangements on tools for better visual appeal i think :wink:
Version 1.1.5 updated at same link above on first post.

Mouse wheel works too… maybe you can change your windows drawing method on user preferences and try if some mode works best?
For more reliable zooming, hold “CONTROL” + “MIDDLEMOUSE”

But solid is changed into Texture and viewport is switched between very slow Texture a very fast Bounding

Just select all objects or select nothing and press “SOLID” on Display Mode Tab, then fast navigate as you expected to