Release of Mesh Align Plus v0.4.0
Eric Gentry writes:
Major upgrades have arrived with the latest release of Mesh Align Plus, v0.4.0 (always free and open source :). Fast, lightweight workflows for advanced editing and measurement features have been integrated into the addon’s Quick Tools tab. There are also new ways to grab and transfer coordinates, a numeric input mode for edge scaling, UI refinements, and other improvements. A brand-new, GIF-loaded wiki/tutorial and reference guide have also been created for this release (on github!), for those who like to learn visually in ~10 second clips. Or, watch the new YouTube video for this release (below).
Are there any plans to make Blender 2.8 also a piece of software that doesn’t need add-ons to have basic functionality? All these tinyCad, looptools, etc. are not even complete and then they really just add functionality that simply is basic stuff one just expects while modeling. Mesh Align Plus, wow, now I can rotate properly. Amazing! And it’s even for free. That’s fantastic.
Well, basically Blender is more or less just a “core program” whose functionality comes in form of plug-ins. As uncomfortable this may seem from your perspective, it makes Blender very light-weight and versatile, so you can focus on what YOU want to do with it (modeling, rendering, game, compositing, motion design, …) without having to deal with a bloated software and lots of chunks you don’t actually need. Ok… the UI is indeed bloated, but anyways ;)
Your last sentence seems quite sarcastic. Maybe you should step off your high horse and stop thinking you are entitled a FREE and OPEN-SOURCE one-fits-all solution and better think of the live and active community offering these plug-ins as something very positive.
@David, Right? Was it Bill Shakespeare who said, “It is better to have built Blender addons and be trolled, than to not build Blender addons at all…”?
No, I won’t get off that horse, because I am right. Blender’s core functionality is obviously modeling. Needing an add-on to get a vertex at a point where two edges intersect e.g. is simply ridiculous. Another add-on to rotate properly? Sure. The next one to measure something? Gorgeous.
When Blender cannot be free to have all that included, they should sell it. Last year, I think, there were 7(!) million downloads. Everyone could afford a € per month aka the cheapest subscription plan around.
Also, btw, Mr. Roosendaal knows (in general) that there are certain expectations: “The community is getting exhausted!”. That’s me…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA6C7zGtbKs
I’ve been doing 3D work commercially since 1995. It is not obvious that Blender’s core functionality is modeling. It seems to me that the core Blender functionality is 3D animation, not modelling.
In the 3D world, someone always seems to have a “better” idea. But better ideas are a dime a dozen. Ideas are easy to generate. Implementing them is much harder.
Yes, it would be best if Blender had all the best tools integrated now. But that’s not the way the world actually works. Who decides which tools and which are best? One person prefers one approach to doing something while another prefers a different way. Extensibility is a super-important capability that allows others to make independent decisions about features and priorities and to help provide direction for important core improvements.
Blender offers a wealth of tools for free. If they don’t satisfy your needs, you have at least two options. Purchase a commercial product (which may or may not have all the functions you need/want) or make the change/addition yourself. Kudos to Eric Gentry for doing the latter and helping others in the process.
I do not quite understand what the meaning of this comment is. Are you a rented troll? Are you frustrated? You do not like Blender, do not use it. There are many 3d software in the market. You can pay for it. Go ahead. For me personally, people who devote their time and talent to share with other people are heroes. They share with others. This is a great value.
@RANDOM DUDE
Your argument doesn’t make sense… If the addon gets a lot of attention and people think it’s the best way to work, chances are it’ll be added to the master build so that it automatically comes with Blender. If it doesn’t, people who like it can still install and use it…
As far as funding… Feel free to donate. Blender Cloud. Blender Development Fund. If you really like an addon, maybe the developer has a Patreon set up…
I guess your general beef seems to be with addons? I can’t think of another piece of software that doesn’t have the ability to install/use plugins/addons…
This add-on looks very useful, but is there any particular reason why it uses the terms ‘Points’, ‘Lines’, and ‘Planes’, when the universal convention is vertices, edges and faces?
Yes! It alludes to the fact that you can do things with implied/imaginary geometry or locations, like align free-floating points to each other (the center of a ring, the middle of an edge for instance)…or use an imaginary axis (like in the image above), or an implied plane of alignment, maybe, etc. :)
Actually I didn’t notice that the Addon uses different terms (they seemed natural to me anyway). But it makes perfect sense.
Really great add-on, it saved me a lot of time, thanks for creating such a wonderful tool :)
Fantastic, lots I can do with this tool! Thanks for your hard work/
Can we have “Align and distribute” feature?
This is a 3D version of the “Align and distribute” function in InkScape (http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/align-and-distribute/static/Inkscape-AlignAndDistribute-alignanddistribute-en.png)
(many other software have this function, such as MS Office.)
Being 3D, it should be possible to align along X, Y and Z axes.
Further, the MESHES of the objects are to be aligned.
For example, here are three use cases to align objects along Z axis:
1. Objects sitting on a table/ground: Align the bottoms of all objects to the plane.
2. Objects fitted to ceiling (or underside of a table): Align the tops of all objects to the plane
3. Objects lined up in abstract space: Align the origins of all objects along a line.
In some cases, all the other objects would be moved to align with the active object.
But if the reference plane is away, even the active object would have to be moved.
What an EXCELLENT tool, admirable work, you have make the world a little better with your work.
Thanks.