What Camera Mode Do You Use?

[PeterC (PC)]

Lol Ok I'll grant it's not a big sample size at the moment, but I'm literally the 1 only guy using Mirai mode?
I didn't even know there was a Wing3D mode haha.. Not bad, sim to Mirai, but only mouse-wheel zoom yea? I use scrollwheel zoom all the time, but still like the option to do a more precise mouse-move zoom at times.
Hmm.. 3dsmax mode isn't bad (use max, so used to it).. But nah, sticking with Mirai.. hard to fight muscle memory after all this time :}
Still, if certain modes are cut, we'll (begrudgingly) adapt I'm sure heh..

[oort]

PC,
It is very good to see you posting again...

Does holding down the Alt key while zooming for a smaller zoom (dolly) factor not give you enough precision? Just curious...

oort

[PeterC (PC)]

Hey oort, thanks. And yea that would be precise enough. If anything bumped Alt up to 5% vs the default 1% as that seemed way too slow. It's not so much a precision issue though. I know, I know, precise IS the word I used I should have said more smoothly or more naturally.. not jumping mechanically by increments which are inevitably too fast/slow. Just something about being able to zoom in fast, then slow down and fine-tune in one fluid motion. Every other camera mode has mouse control for Tumble,Track, and Dolly.. not sure why W3D mode would be the one exception? Hoping to reserve Alt/Ctrl for other uses maybe? *shrugs*

[oort]

PC,
You said "If anything bumped Alt up to 5% vs the default 1% as that seemed way too slow"... I assume you are aware of Edit > Preferences > Camera Tab > Under "Scroll Wheel" adjust "Alternate Zoom Factor"??? Maybe you want the precision to automatically adjust based on some movement???

oort

[PeterC (PC)]

Yep, that's what I meant. Up'ed the alt zoom to 5% (default scroll zoom I still have at 25%)
And yes I do like the amount of zoom to "automatically adjust based on some movement".. mouse movement
I mean theoretically we could use the scrollwheel clicks or keyboard presses to control Tumble and Track too.. And using the right combination of modifier keys to pan and rotate around at larger/smaller increments we could achieve any camera position we want.. but isn't mouse movement based rotation/panning so much more intuitive, natural, efficient and just better? :] Well, same goes for dolly/zoom I think.
The scroll-wheel is fairly decent at handling it, and if you're dead-set on excluding mouse dolly from W3D cam mode (why though?) then so be it.. the scrollwheel alone would be 'good enough'. Given the choice though I'll keep using a mode that has both, that's all I'm saying :}
I do use both btw, wheel for general level-of-zoom jumps, and mouse for closing in on details etc.. I could scroll-scroll-scroll close enough (and hope I don't 'jump' a level too much and the mesh gets clipped by cam, forcing me to back away again) then switch to Alt-dolly and scroll-scroll-scroll-scroll-scroll-scroll-scroll-argh!-scroll in at some constant set rate :} But simply swooping in, in one fluid speed variable motion is so much easier & faster to me.

[oort]

PC,
I gave Mirai a look and now I see what you mean about the nice smooth fluid zooming you can do when you hold down the scroll wheel. The thing I don't like about Mirai is that you have to hit Q to pan. I am lazy and only want to use one hand to control the camera.

Maybe optigon could add fluid zoom to Wings3D. Maybe some other name is better???

Holding down Alt while scrolling would be the same. Then continue holding down Alt but hold down the scroll wheel and move the mouse to fluid zoom. I hope this makes sense... I also hope that it is possible...

Since it would be an enhancement and not a change it shouldn't mess up people who are accustomed to Wings3D camera mode.

oort

[optigon]

The difference is that Scrolling is incremental.. like the clicks that some scroll wheels have, and mouse movement is based on distance. A scroll wheel implementation can only be incremental. The only button left on the Wings3d camera mode that could work for analog scrolling would be hold mmb and drag.

[oort]

optigon,
Isn't hold MMB drag used for pan in Wings3D Camera mode. That is why I was hoping that adding the Alt modifier to hold MMB drag could be used for fluid zoom.

oort

[optigon]

It is, but only when the camera is already active, ie MMB has been clicked. However, holding down the MMB and dragging while the camera is not active, is still available. The programming would be like:
- If MMB pressed and MouseMotion is greater than 5 pixels -> Start Scroll.
- If the MMB is release before the mouse has moved 5 pixels, then enter camera mode as usual.

[PeterC (PC)]

Yep, nice isn't it?
I agree that Q was kind of a bizarre choice for panning.. It's muscle memory to me by now but I'd be willing to unlearn it if it changed.. BTW you say "I am lazy and only want to use one hand to control the camera" but then you go on and on about Alt key modifier
Am I missing something about the Ctrl key by the way? Why not W3D mode MMB to start.. Once started.. mouse move to track, MMB hold to pan, and Ctrl+MMB hold dolly? (I'm hardcore used to MMB hold = dolly, so it would be a small nightmare to unlearn that, but I could probably manage)
W3D mode seems to require a 3 button mouse anyway, so why the absence of the Ctrl key being used as it is in other cam modes?