Preferences - Navigation / Orbit Default
By default, this checkbox should be enabled when the user first launches Blender (until deselected by the user, as with all preferences can be changed.)
It makes little sense for the view to choose some arbitrary position in space to rotate around, when an object is selected. I'm not saying there is NOT a good reason, but generally an artist is expecting the rotation to happen in some way that makes sense.
As a new user, led to many "what the heck is wrong with this program?!" thoughts until I spent some time with search engines and learned about the magic checkbox (and along the way, read bad advice ala "use fly nav instead!")
7 Comments
In object mode, it is hoped that the mouse can be used as the center of rotation.
Obviously, but the cursor pointer moves on the 2D screen as the scene rotates in 3D space. The mouse cursor does not "lock" to the click point, and then the view rotate around a stationary mouse cursor.
The new user is presented with a cube. It's likely they will click on it, and try to orbit around the object. Which seems more user-friendly?
Camera view orbits the cube.
Camera view orbits wherever you clicked your mouse, using a non-visual zdepth point of reference, while mouse cursor slides all over the screen.
If new user HAS NOT selected the cube, then #2 WILL BE the behavior. I see no reason that #1 is not a helpful default for the new user.
By default view rotates around 3dc and it make sense :D
It makes no sense at all to a new user. The cursor moves in the viewport with the rotation, and does not maintain any sort of lock to give the user feedback on where to click differently.
Not to invoke "other applications", but I've literally been doing 3D for over 25 years. Infini-D, Strata 3D, FormZ, Lightwave, Cinema 4D, Max, XSI.
Blender was the first 3D application I've ever used that I spent the first hour trying to figure out how to control the viewport navigation with a mouse.
I agree - I think this would be more intuitive to new users.
There's also a few other setting's I think should be changed as default - an "on by default" user poll would be cool!!
The rotation point isn't arbitrary, all though it may seem that way. If you press "." on the numpad your view than jumps to and pivots around the selected object / vertex - I'm sure you probably discovered that in your googling.
Lock Camera to View is another. Blenders default scene provides the user with a camera, but hides a check box so the new user wonders why F12 doesn't ever match the layout view.
An on by default user poll would not work. Polls are a voting system, and with so many options, it's impossible without a lot of polls and voting.... that the Blender team may or may not even take into account.