Camera Controls

[Junk]

Hi. I think this suggestion was posted in an older thread, so sorry for any thread pollution.

Currently, one can navigate around the Topogun viewport using Alt+<LMB, MMB, RMB> to orbit, pan, and zoom. It would be nice to have a second optional scheme. I like Modo's scheme: Alt+LMB, Alt+Shift+LMB, Alt+Ctrl+LMB lets you orbit, pan, and zoom. It's not just that I like my program X (I'm into ZBrush more than Modo), but it does feel intuitive and has some reasoning behind it, as follows...

1. I am using a Wacom tablet with a pen. The pen is currently mapped with it's tip and two side buttons to the three mouse buttons, but it could easily not be. I think one can config the pen for new apps inside some Wacom configuration app, but it might be beneficial to consider this added user complexity.
2. My left hand (I'm right handed) is usually left posted on the keyboard, intermittently pushing alt, while I partly use my thumb on the stylus switch to control the MMB and RMB behavior. For me, it feels a little awkward to use the stylus pen in this way, particularly because I pan and zoom frequently. Now, it's not that awkward since I love my Topogun, but awkward enough to put on a wishlist. I feel that my left hand could be doing more work. I'd rather depress an Alt+Shift than use the side buttons on the pen with my thumb. The left hand is on the keyboard anyways and it just feels like a more natural gesture.

I might just be spouting off a bunch of meta-garbage, but keeping the hands busy in art apps like this seem to kind of resonate on a more subconscious level. ZBrush almost makes a kind of game out of it, where the user needs to depress a key, start moving the mouse, then optionally release the key to shunt over to some other behavior. For artists, people typically very skilled with their hands, there might be something to keeping the hands active (but not overloaded), although I'm no cognitive scientist/psychologist.

Anyways, the post is long not because I have some kind of unnatural discontent with navigating in Topogun, lol. No, I like Topogun and will continue to use the app if this is never addressed, for sure. I just wanted to provide you with some ideas and feedback to help you guys make your decisions. I love the app and can't wait to see what's to come.

[BigJohn]

One thing I wanna add to this, is that I wish more apps would adopt (or give an option) to zBrush's silhouette navigation. Where you can completely navigate around the object by clicking outside the object's silhouette. The best thing about that is that it frees up the two buttons on the stylus to be used for actual functions.

In other programs, Topogun included, I always need to set the two stylus buttons to some mouse click in order to be able to navigate. But in zBrush, I can have them actually do something productive.

Other than that, I would love to have zBrush's auto Local Transformation, where the focal point for orbit and zoom is where the user last clicked. Topogun does this, but I have to go out of SimpleCreate, select some vertices, hit F, go back to SimpleCreate. All of that long process can be negated if it would just automatically orbit around where you last clicked.

[TeZzy]

Would be nice to toggle local transform on and off. Definitely speed up retopoing, especially in tight areas.

[umxprime]

+1 to local transforms
In modo and ZB zoom/orbit can definitely be local.
Anyway could there be this navigation model too ? :
ORBIT : ALT + MOUSE MOVE
PAN : ALT + SHIFT + MOUSE MOVE
ZOOM : ALT + CTRL + MOUSE MOVE
It's worth the implementation because when I/you work on a macbook pro there is no efficient way to do middle/left mouse clicks.

[motionblur]

A little late but I'm using Topogun in a combination of ZBrush and modo601 right now and apart from Topogun I am using the tablet for 95% of all the work so far.
I like Topogun's retopology features by far more than modo's still but a tablet control option is really needed. No matter if ZBrush or modo/blender type. Just something that is usable with a tablet. One one is used to working with that the alt-MMB pan otion feel really cumbersome, suddenly. And I've been prefering that type for years before that.

(edit) BTW - I know I can simply assign MMB to my stylus switch. Why I would still be all for modifyable camera control is that I feel it's best to unify as many controls over as many programs for me as possible. Apart fom ZBrush I've already unified my cam movement in my other Apps as well. It's just a little weird to re adapt all the time

[Cristi]

TopoGun has three navigation models, you can switch between them in the Preferences window. Indeed, a fully camera customization sounds nice, along with the silhouette camera transform, as seen in ZBrush.
The Local Transform gizmo can be turned off in the SimpleEdit's options (CTRL+SHIFT+T by default, the control name is "Transform").
You don't necessary have to select anything to focus on the area in question. If you have nothing selected, moving the mouse over the area to focus on is enough (and use the keyboard shortcut - F).