In 2D graphics programs like Gimp, you can shrink and grow a selection, which is different from scaling a selection. Is this sort of operation possible with meshes in Blender? Or is there a plugin for this functionality?
ctrl-+ keys will expand selection, ctrl–(minus key) will reduce selection. not always that precise, depending what you have selected. if you have an edge loop selected, and you want to select the adjacent edge loops, it works very well. if you have the vertexes of a face selected, and expand, it will only select the next vertices at ‘right angles’, not those diagonally. ( if that makes sense in three dimesions. just try it and see, it will make sense. )
jim ww
Let me clarify my question by giving an example.
I add text, and let’s say it’s a letter R. I convert to a curve, then to a mesh. Now say I want to bulk up or slim down that R. Like I want to turn it into a bold R. Do you see what I mean?
you want to mess with Ext2 when it is a curve or text
[and if you turn that up you may want to turn down width, it takes a lot of tweaking and is font dependent]
also, ext1 will make it thicker [extruded text…]
Yes, use Alt+S to slim/fatten
Alt-S isn’t working for me with a mesh. So I assume it’s just for curves?
Here is another example, because there have been times when I would like to use this kind of function on a mesh when curves are not possible as they are with text objects.
Say I want to slim down this O. In this simple example, from what I understand of the currently existing tools, I would have to do it in two operations- I would scale the outer ring down, and scale the inner ring up. For more complicated and irregular shapes it wouldn’t be so straight forward. So I’ll put this on my list of programming projects as a would-be-useful plugin.
If it’s only with text that you want to do that, you’d just have to modify the Width parameter of the text object (Editing buttons).
Martin
Alt-S DOES work with meshes. The mesh just has to be 3D
Beautiful. I can work with that. Thanks all.
also if you are using alt S to slim/bulk out a mesh or portion of a mesh, remember to first do a ‘ctrl N’ for ‘recalculate normals outside’. otherwise when you do alt S ( scale along normal ) some of your verts might be scaling in the wrong direction, while others behave correctly.