Snap to fractions of edge length
I think a useful feature for more CAD style modelling with Blender would be the ability to select an edge, and to have a menu in which you can put in fractional increments of the edge length, and Blender would automatically snap along these increments on the relative axis of the edge. Example case: You have an edge pointing in an arbitrary direction, and you want 8 objects sitting on that edge evenly spaced. Select the edge, type 1/8 into the menu, and move your object - it would automatically snap to the selected edge every 1/8th, along the local axis the edge is pointing towards. This would be very useful for speeding up modelling with a lot of parts that need to be aligned in the right place mathematically - the maths behind it wouldn't be too complicated, and it could even be used in array modifiers and such.
6 Comments
Your proposal talks about a place to type things and menus. It would really be in your best interest to include a mock-up of what you envision this looking like when a user makes use of it.
@Jason van Gumster: Thanks for the suggestion, will try to make an updated post soon - I kinda thought of this late at night and didn't have time.
I'm a simple man, I see proposals for improving any and all things snapping-related and I upvote.
I would like to see a more developed idea that works more intuitively. Could it be a modifier key setup? Something like: Holding down the control key makes is snap to 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 etc. The interface should show the division steps. What do you think?
@Emil Assarsson: That'd be fantastic as a quick modelling feature yes, but I think more advanced options such as being able to type the exact fraction you want would still be very useful - for the majority of purposes though, you could even use a similar interface to the "Align by Faces" addon, selecting the edge and model respectively, activating the command, and using either one of the two interface ideas. Personally I hadn't thought TOO much about the implementation itself - but I'm sure it'd be doable, and I personally would find either implementation really useful.
@Emil Assarsson: That'd be fantastic as a quick modelling feature yes, but I think more advanced options such as being able to type the exact fraction you want would still be very useful - for the majority of purposes though, you could even use a similar interface to the "Align by Faces" addon, selecting the edge and model respectively, activating the command, and using either one of the two interface ideas. Personally I hadn't thought TOO much about the implementation itself - but I'm sure it'd be doable, and I personally would find either implementation really useful.