Roll the View? [Pitch, Yaw, Roll]

Support Basics & Interface
#1

Often I align my 3dview to a selected polygon [Right Shift+Num7] in order to align objects, facilitate projection painting, et al…

Invariably, the alignment also comes with an undesired ‘roll’ of the 3dview.

My process to correct this is as follows:

  • TAB into ObjectMode
  • Rename the existing camera [CAM_Render]
  • Enable ‘Name’ display for CAM_Render [Don’t want to forget what camera is active]
  • Create a secondary camera [CAM_Modeling]
  • Change CAM_Modeling Focal Length to match ‘View lens’ [I like to model at 55mm… less distortion]
  • Enable ‘Name’ display for CAM_Modeling
  • Turn off ‘Passepartout’ for CAM_Modeling
  • Set CAM_Modeling as Active camera [Ctrl+0]
  • Select Mesh
  • TAB into EditMode [view alignment and selection thankfully preserved]
  • Zoom to selected [Ctrl+NumPeriod]
  • Zoom out a bit…
  • Pan a little bit…
  • Nicely frame my area of interest…
  • Align active camera to view [Ctrl+Alt+0]
  • TAB into ObjectMode
  • Select CAM_Modeling
  • Roll the camera view [R]
  • Possibly Dolly along ‘local Z’ [G+ZZ]
  • Select the Mesh
  • TAB into EditMode
  • Continue on as if I were normal

Okay… I can set up a start.blend to alleviate steps 1 through 7, and step 22 is not really a step but the resumption of the interrupted workflow, but that is an ungodly amount of putzin’ about just to roll the view.

Anyone know of an easier way to do this? A hidden ‘feature’ of which I am unaware? Input shortcut as of yet undefined? An addon that accomplishes this herculean task?

Thousand words, picture, all that :

RollTheView.jpg540×864 103 KB

Ctrl+Alt+MiddleMouse would be so much easier.

#2

Thanks for the reply RickyBlender.
The methods linked deal with the roll of an Object
To clarify, I do not wish to transform the rotation of an Object.
I want to roll the viewport. Ie… I don’t want to work on an upside down view of the mesh.

#3

I’ve been looking for that functionality quite a few times too… I doubt there is any.
It would be so helpful if we had a rotate gizmo for the view just like we got for objects, or if we could constraint the viewport transformation to one axis by pressing x/y/z when rotating

Good start prolly would be to write an addon that allows to bind keys to manipulate the view_matrix:
http://www.blender.org/documentation/blender_python_api_2_65_9/bpy.types.RegionView3D.html?highlight=view_matrix#bpy.types.RegionView3D.view_matrix

#4

@arexma
Glad you’ve given it some thought.

As it stands now with view rotations being immediate, it would require a separate methodology than the MiddleMouse method. One would never be able to select the gizmo. We’d need something like a -dare I say it?- Maya Viewcube.

This method could happily expand on the MiddleMouse method [Rather than creating a entirely new construct to deal with screen rotation] but would require the creation of a custom ‘Transform Orientation’ based on one’s selection beforehand.

Agreed. Hopefully someone, with a better grasp of the Blender Python API than I, will take up the task.

#5

what do you mean by
I don’t want to work on an upside down view of the mesh

you dont’ like the world to have the -Y in front instead of back?
but don’t think there is anything that can be done against that!

when you pick an object in viewport you cam rotate the viewport or rotate the object too!

happy blendering

#6

Sorry Ricky,

You have completely misunderstood the issue at hand.

Perhaps I have not explained it clearly.

Try This:

Open Blender.
Press NumPad0 to look through the camera.
Select the Camera bounds ( the rectangle in the middle of the screen )
Press R
Move your mouse.
You are now ‘Rolling’ the view.

There are numerous reasons why I would like to accomplish this with all views and not just camera view.

#7

blender does not have the transform using the Pitch, Yaw, Roll system
but i tought the given script would add this for object in viewport

but not for using the camera
and i must admit that i don’t use these methods
most of the time i prefer to constraint the camera with an empty

hope somone else can help you for the camera set up!

happy blendering

#8

Well, i might be also not understanding all the finesses, however if you Lock Camera to view, select it and R rotate you can view at your (previously aligned and looked at through camera) face from any rotation angle without awkward 3d space rotations…
Which is what you just described, actually. So, do the same, just not involving camera?

#9

Thanks for taking the time to reply, eppo, but totally unrelated to what I am trying to achieve.

I don’t want to Roll the camera view. That is easily accomplished.

I want to roll any view I choose without having to jump through so many hoops.

I am cognizant of the fact that it cannot be done and does require an inordinate workaround as outlined [step by step hotkeys an’ all] in my first post.

My only hope is if some sympathetic dev takes the time to read my post and decide that it is, in fact, an absurd amount of work to do this simple thing and decide to rectify the situation.

But thanks for taking the time.

Any takers ? Ctrl+Alt+MiddleMouse is wide open for this -hint hint-

#10

Actually i wouldn’t mind having R xyz and V key too. Can’t say i’m running often into this, but had to. +1

#11

Great Googly Moogly… There is an addon after all.
Roll The View