CAD Like transform

Coding Released Scripts and Themes
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Hi everyone,
Released CAD like transform for blender 2.81+ / 2.93+ / 3.3+

download

bug tracker

Features

Precise Move / Rotate / Scale, predictable and intuitive snap

Works in both object and edit mode for mesh and curves
Support “Affect only” Origins / Locations / Parents

Snap from / to

  • Vertex
  • Edge / Center / Perpendicular / Intersection constraint axis - edge
  • Face / Center / Normal
  • Grid - local / global / user defined
  • Object origin
  • Objects bounding box
  • Average many snap targets

Constraints XYZ Axis and planes

  • Local
  • Global
  • User defined

Tutorials

The CG Essentials preview ( 9 min )

Maker Tales made an amazing work to provide comprehensive tutorial ( 51 min )

Change log

CAD Transform 0.95.0 (for blender 3.3+)

  • Fix ortho view sometimes not snapping
  • Fix “index” error with isolated geometry
  • Remove bgl module calls
  • Fix origin and bounding box snap

CAD Transform 0.93.2.beta (for blender 3.0)

  • Provide support for blender 3.0 planed bgl module removal

CAD Transform 0.93.1 (for blender 2.93)

  • Allow to define your own shortcuts in blender preferences for main tools (G/R/S)
  • Default to box select when not active

CAD Transform 0.93.0

  • Blender 2.93 compatibility
  • Snap to bounding box (shortcut B)
  • Bugfix snapping in camera view
  • Bugfix snap to curves / isolated vertex / edges
  • Moved tool icon right under regular blender’s transform tools

CAD Transform 0.91.0

  • Fix compatibility issues with blender 2.91

CAD Transform 0.0.9 beta.

  • Allow to scale reference image
  • Duplicate objects (mouse wheel / up - down arrow / D + enter amount on keyboard + enter)
  • BugFix constraint inverse when snapping to normal
  • Add constraint toggle order in preferences (local / global or global / local)
  • Support for isolate mode (will no more snap on hidden objects)
  • Add “World constraint” (shift+c) allow absolute grid placement about world, rotate/scale about world - basically set the global constraint to world
  • Support for 2.90+ API change : scene raycast
  • Support for 2.83+ API change : color management of widgets

In order to use “World aligned grid” (shift+c)
G/R/S + snap and left click to start action, then optionnaly shift+z to keep altitude, shift+c, and g to snap to grid.

85 Likes
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Awesome!! Thank you very much Stephen!

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This is amazing Stephen! You tackled the most annoying snap/transform “issues” in Blender quite nicely. Thank you for sharing.

It would be nice if you could demonstrate or explain Round option and Contraints. I couldn’t make use of those features.

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Rounding:
alt big steps
alt + shift small steps

Remember that it is only the beta 1 so i’ll wait a bit to push documentation as some features are still not there and workflow may change a bit depending on user feedback.

5 Likes
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You sir are a legend !

1 Like
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Arigato gozaimashite! You have just saved my life by preventing aneurysm! This tool solves all of my Blender transform problems, some of which are insane annoying! I will be watching for updates. =)

1 Like
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35344334353
353443343531280×872 280 KB

1 Like
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… once donations allow it :wink:

4 Likes
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hey stephen this is very cool! thank you very much, do you think it would be possible to make a snapping grid aligned with selected object or selected face ?

1 Like
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i mean to display an aligned grid to the object or to the face or even to a group of objects with a best fit plane or maybe selecting 3 vertices, just like in inventor, rhinoceros, solid, every cad pakage where you can create working planes or sketch planes

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Like this one?

but it’s not working in 2.8…

1 Like
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yees!!! just like that one :slight_smile: thanks Apec! :muscle:

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Making this an active tool with modal hotkeys matching blenders defaults makes it fit in really nicely.

I don’t understand the scaling though, what is used as the centre point?

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Scale and rotate are working the same way.
First click set the “pivot”, then free move to set a reference axis / constraint, click to confirm.
The length of constraint tripod is the base unit for your scale.
Scale / rotate occurs about the pivot.

2 Likes
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wow… amazing… thank you @stephen_leger

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Got it. My eyes were playing tricks on me in perspective view. I think this has a permanent home in my toolbar. Really great work.

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Highly recommended addon and easy to use, good job Stephen, may the vive la France be with you !

1 Like
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Amazing Addon, thank you so much.

Would it be possible to add support for this?:
image

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Great, finally we have it ! Thank you !
I would NOT like to push you effort too far but maybe some key modifier could be added
to have an object transformed&copied ? :wink:

Ps. Equivalents for Alt+D and Shift+D respectively…

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He answered it, once donations allow it :slight_smile:

Great work @stephen_leger !

2 Likes