Is it hard to grab 17 millimeters typing g .0017 ?
Did you know that when you do precise work, such as 3D printing model, it is easier to set the Scene> Units> Metric> Scale to 0.001. From now on all your extruding and grabbing typing values are in millimeters, like 23 is 23 millimeter, not 23 meters like usually.
Ofcourse u have to set object x,y,z scale to 1000 and check Clip start and end values.
Why do you have to scale it by 1000, and what should start/end clip values be.Thanks
Scene Scale is default 1 and when you set it to 0.001 its 1/1000 from 1, so all existing objects are 1000 times smaller. U just compensate that to set object xyz scales to 1000 and u can Apply Scale (Control+a) after that.
Clip start and end values are also 1000 times smaller so raise them up, especially Clip End.
I think what you are saying is that in addition to changing the scene units you should also change the Scale setting to .001 - if you put 1000 in the scale box the display goes haywire.
After making those changes, using the keyboard shortcuts for translation i.e. “g x 10 enter” will translate 10mm in the x direction. But display units show up in centimeters. Also if you type something directly into the translate boxes, it will still move in units of meters unless you explicitly type “mm” after the translation command.
Is there a way to make all units display in mm and to have all translations be in units of mm?
I think what you are saying is that in addition to changing the scene units you should also change the Scale setting to .001 - if you put 1000 in the scale box the display goes haywire.
After making those changes, using the keyboard shortcuts for translation i.e. “g x 10 enter” will translate 10mm in the x direction. But display units show up in centimeters. Also if you type something directly into the translate boxes, it will still move in units of meters unless you explicitly type “mm” after the translation command.
Is there a way to make all units display in mm and to have all translations be in units of mm?
Also, with this setup (units .001, scale .001) if you add a mesh, they are still added with the old dimensions, i.e. meters, and fill the universe. I think scaling hasn’t really been completely implemented yet. I wonder is it better to just use Blender units and then when one is completely done, to scale the entire drawing to mm for e.g. 3D printing?
ok, this really just isn’t working. with the settings as above, add a mesh plane (it adds a 2m plane which engulfs the univers). scale it down so it fits on the screen, box select 3 vertices to get a point (is there really no way to just add a vertex?) Now ctrl+alt+sfit+C to move that point to the origin (really? ctrl+alt+shift+C to center?)
Now g x 207.8 I’m expecting the thing to move to 207.8 mm, but it moves off screen again, looking at the properties pane it appears that its transform vertex is “-10m” along X, but in the right tool panel, the translate vector says 20.78cm. The latter is what I want, but that’s not what shows on the screen. Also these two parts of the interface should show the same answer no?
Because of your transform scale (u have scaled in object mode I think without apply scale (Control+a)) it shows in edit mode that your transform vertex location in local mode is different than transform vertex location in global mode.
Now if you swap from Metric to None, the primitives you add the dimensions will be in mm, not meters. But then have to click Meter again, same scale factor to translate objects in mm per unit.
Thanks very much for trying to clarify. I’m afraid I’m noob enough that I don’t even understand the explanations. I’m not sure what you mean Tynka by “scaled in object mode without apply scale”. I was thinking that the unit and scale settings were relative to the whole drawing so that object or edit mode shouldn’t matter (I guess I was wrong on that). The terminology is a bit unclear, but when I say drawing, I mean whatever I do while in the current session (and any other sessions which use those saved prefs). Are units/scaling attributes of an object?
It is confusing to say the least. All I know is that for several functions to work properly in Blender, apply scale is needed. Solidify mod the main one, if you want a precise wall thickness.
Just leave it alone and treat one blender unit as a cm and go from there.
When I do models for shape ways, I treat a blender unit as an inch. Then when I upload, I set the scale for inches.
Scene> Units> Metric> Scale to 0.001
Object scale must be 1 (Apply scale)
Now it seems that all good modeling tools understand millimeters and speed up your work.
Eg. G5 = Grab 5mm
Eg. E11.27 = Extrude 11.27mm
Eg. I2 = Inset is 2mm
Directly: Grab, Extrude,Inset, Outset (addon), Solidify command, Bevel command
(without typing mm)
Indirectly: Solidify modifier, Bevel modifier
(type mm after value)