Please set ABSOLUTE transform values when entering ABSOLUTE transform values!!
When entering ABSOLUTE values in the location transform channels while having multiple vertices (or edges, or more?) selected is NOT setting these ABSOLUTE transform values to the vertices but moves them relatively to each other from their current position (probably using some sort of average location of the selection or something)...
IMO this is not right, it's clearly prone to errors (the amount of models I had to redo, because I didn't know about this 'special' design choice and was clueless on why it even messed up, while working precisely all the way....). And I honestly can't think of a single use case to have blender enter values RELATIVELY to each vertex when we enter ABSOLUTE values in the text fields.
Especially because if we'd like to move RELATIVELY, we would've done that by just using the move function (
G
).
The only way now to set absolute location values so a selection now seems to be to first scale these PER AXIS to zero (Which first messes up the locations of all these vertices) ONLY to than being able to set their positions ABSOLUTE by entering the values. And we need to do that for EVERY AXIS we'd like to set absolute values to.
Honestly, to me this design choice makes little sense. I think it's unintuitive and clearly prone to errors. I would expect entering values in the transform text fields of the N-panel should just work like this:
- Select vertices
- Enter value for location channels you want to change in the respective text field(s) in the transform panel
- Done
Please Blender make entering ABSOLUTE values in the transform panel really set ABSOLUTE values to all selected items one on one. Not RELATIVE values, not move relatively to each other.
And if even anybody would have a (must be rare) use case for the way it works now, wich cannot be done by just using the ordinary move function (
G
) than at least give us the option to turn this behaviour off and let settings ABSOLUTE values be the default. That's what I would think these textboxes are made for.
Thanks for considering!
8 Comments
Please. A thousand times this. Why does it default to median when multiple vertices are selected??? Please please please se tall vertices to same absolute value when multiple are selected. Please.
I think what you actually want to do is scaling (s-zero-enter) rather then moving. There are also different spaces to chose from. For example you could align the vertices relative to the x axis of the camera or any arbitrary object. It's like a projection. I see no reason to change the behavior of the text box just because it's different in some other program. But if you would change it, it would end up a bit like merge at center, at a specific coordinate, on a chosen axis. I think it's nice that you can move multi selections with the help of a text box because you can also use math operators inside them. There are surely many other reasons for this behavior I guess.
No, it's not at all like 'merge at center'. Sorry, it looks like you didn't get the request. Perhaps you could re-read it and the comment below. It's all in there.
If I understood you correctly you did the following:
Selected vertices in edit mode
opened N-Panel
under item there is a the Transform section
if the selection consists of a single vertex, underneath it reads Vertex:
if an edge, face or multiple vertices are selected, instead it reads Median:
You entered a value in one of the x,y or z components and assumed the result would be that every single vertex in the selection should have now this exact coordinate. -
But instead what you got was that the median of the selection is on this coordinate. If you entered something for x afterward you then had to press s - x - zero to move them all in place. Maybe you want to let me know if I got it right this time. I fear I can't do anything about it. Maybe they could add an option underneath, besides the Global and Local option. But I don't think the word Absolute is a good description for this. It reminds me to much of the math function. Maybe Exact would be a possibility? Also, if you would activate said mode, how would you represent the current coordinate of the selected vertices in the text box? Maybe we could use the current Transform Pivot Point of the 3D View? Or instead of making a new option in the N-Panel just use the Transform Pivot Point from the beginning and add an option there?
It is true that the current behavior of the transform UI when multiple elements are selected in Edit Mode is to offset them from their median point (except bones edit mode).
Also, the UI is maybe a bit too inconspicuous about it?
Whereas in Object Mode, you can set the selected object's location by holding down ⎇ Alt , otherwise it affects the active object, which I'd argue to be a bit unintuitive.
Since Blender's ⎇ Alt = propagate to selection is quite an established behavior, perhaps what we should do for any kind of element is:
You seem to have misunderstood the request. I'm not talking about multi-selecting textboxes (which
altis for) , but about changing a single transform value of multiple selected vertices (or edges or whatever) at once. That's something completely different.No i am not talking about multi selecting textboxes (which aren't selectable in Blender). I am precisely talking about changing transform values on <whatever>, and pointing out how it is an inconsistent experience overall that could be fixed altogether.
Than we're clearly having different views and I have to respectfully dissagree with what you wrote.
When selecting a single vertex and entering a value for a location-channel the vertex gets that ABSOLUTE location value. Which is exactly as expected.
So when having multiple vertices selected it would make sense to do the exact same thing for all the selected vertices: have them all have that entered ABSOLUTE value for that transformchannel. For me that's as intuitive, logic and consistant as can be. But blender is not working like that now, hence this request.
Needing to use
alt, only because instead of having a single vertex selected we now have multiple vertices selected, is not only non-consistant, requires redundant extra clicks, is difficult for new users and prone to errors, it's also confusing, unnecesary and shouldn't be this complicated for such a basic operation which is expected to be default for such a thing. And than I'm not even talking about how similar things work in other software.As written; When somebody would like to move things relatively, so all selected vertices the G-key is super fine for that and first pick for blender users. So I doubt that anybody would try to do a relative positioning on selected vertices by entering values in the transform panel. I'm pretty sure everybody would just use something like
G X 20.When somebody would like the selected vertices to set an obsolute location on their average location or something similar, than that I consider an advanced feature little people would actually use. Sure, it could be useful, but it shouldn't be the default behaviour. That should be optional and turned off by default.
Normally in software it works with multiselection as I described; you select multiple objects, you set an absolute value in the textfield and all the selected objects get that exact same absolute value. That's the point of having textfields; to set absolute values. Not some interpretation by the software that we might need to set a location for an average location when we have multiple vertices selected... to me that assumption makes no sense. At least not as default behaviour. It's unintuitive and is preventing us from do simple stuff we actually do daily; just set absolute values for all the selected vertices.