The IK engine could have a spring to feature that would make the bones tend to move more freely on some planes of access and harder to move on others. Like the hip joint in a person's leg. The leg can rotate sideways when I want it too, but it tends to just go back and forth for a lot of movement that I put it through.

Also, it would be helpful to be able to select objects in a group and assign bones to them, with the bones automatically adjusting to the size of the object and setting it's place in the bone hierarchy, using the object hiearchy as a template.

Another nice feature would be to have program compatability modes. I work in Dark Basic, and it would be helpful to be able to only use 3dc features that make sense to use for models that will be sent to dark basic.

Hope I'm not too late in the development cycle for these to be of any use.

Thanks,

Ben

Another idea is to allow us to use animations for texturing objects.  Texturing includes the bump map and transparancy map etc... This can really create some cool effects!

You could allow the user to show and hide groups of points and polygons. You could also allow us to invert which polygons are selected polygons.

Do these sound like good ideas? Or should I just shut up and let you work?

You could allow the user to show and hide groops of points and polygons. You could also allow us to invert which polygons are selected polygons.

Do these sound like good ideas? Or should I just shut up and let you work?

I look at everything written on this forum, but I tend to only respond if there appears to be a need.

The features of 6.0 are pretty much decided, but you never know. If you keep suggesting something you might come across a "must have" and I'll add it. But odds are you won't.

But, then again, yesterday I added something intended for 6.0 into 5.7 and something intended for 6.1 into 5.7. So you never know.

Richard

You could make a scripting engine for the various languages that people might use 3dc with. Script the scene with a dark basic scene exporter and a blitz basic scene exporter. Let 3dc set up the scenes in the native code of these compilers.

Another cool feature would be a size and area tolerance face picking tool. (Jeeze It sounds like I'm talking about picking zits or something.) This could really make some jobs a lot easier.

Another REALLY big one is code optimization. Some operations take longer then 5 minutes to complete on my 850 mhz laptop. When dealing with 1400 points and slightly fewer faces, this sounds like something that can really become more efficient. (I'm wondering if my virus scanner might be interfering with the 3dc scene logging process? That could certainly be adding this much time to my tool use.)

A universal cancel button would also be nice.

What do you think?

Another idea is to create a free form extrude operation that lets you pull the face this was and that and 3dc will create a smooth curved surface for each turn of the mouse.

I don't know if I explained that one very clearly, if anyone doesn't see the idea then let me know and I'll try to rephrase it.

Ok.. Here is a good one. Multiple object selection through the object hierarchy chart.

Ok another gotta' have feature would be import/export for blitz basic native object file format. Supposedly this is the file format that will support boned animation in blitz3d.

This one might be in 3dc already and I just didn't find it. Support for brushmap sizing and placement!

I would also like spline based velocity controls for the speed of an object in an editable chart form. And spline based morphing controls from mesh1 to mesh 2 in an editable chart form.

Oh yeah, and did I mention a physics engine? Those are cool!

Here's what I'd like to see in version 6.

I'd like to have full control over the distance levels for
export to MSTS.

Have my main model for say up to 200 meters, then
reduce the detail myself for the next step, so forth & so
on...

Patrick

Ok, I've been working with realsoft3d for a couple of weeks now. It's got some really cool modeling features that I think could really be helpful for 3dc. The most impressive one is the SDS objects. It's a nurbs object that pulls to a frame. You subdivide the frame and extrude it and the nurb object follows. It's very easy to make complex objects this way.

Another feature I'd like to see is being able to multy select objects in the object heirachy box. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to modify several objects at the same time! And being able to apply the boolean operations to more that two objects at once could also really make my life easier. Umm.. Update the predefined textures list in the povray interface! It's more conveinent for me to set the scene up entirely in 3dc than to have to modify it in both 3dc and povray. Umm.. Allow for object modifier keys. I'd love to be able to twirl an object by just selecting it and drag the mouse while pressing the alt key. I'd like to be able to scale the object with the shift key.. etc...

Give us metaballs! But don't just stop at metaballs. allow for metacubes and meta(user defined shapes) Allow us to scale bend and twist parts or all of the meta objects.

I'm glad you're considering the universal cancel button. This can really be useful!

Umm.. What else? Show and hide a group of objects! There are many many times that I'm working on objects inside of other object. It is a real pain to have to pull an inner object out of an outer object, modify it and set it back into the inner object.

Allow for selection hotzones on objects. When there are objects in the way of other objects or when the screen is too full of stuff it becomes difficult to get at the right object at times. Allow for us to select/deselect an object by clicking on the object's hotzone. Which could be the center of an object or the corners of an object.


I guess that's enough suggestions for now. And I should also remind you that even though I'm suggesting a lot of changes in the 3dc, I still use it and find that 3dc is really a useful tool. So try not to look at the suggestions as though I'm only criticizing you. I know it's hard to have someone constantly making suggestions for improvement for your work.

Anyhow, thanks for listening.

Ben

You can hide objects by rightclicking and select visible, click the top "visable icon" to bring it back....

You can also select a group or hierarchy and make it visible/not visible. You can do this in the hierarchy view also.

Richard

Cool! I don't know why I kept missing that all this time! Thanks!

hi all
       I think that one feature can make 3DCanvas more attractive for new and old users: hotkeys and even customizable hotkeys. U know that most of modelers using with LW, MAX and Maya  work keeping one hand on mouse and another hand on keyboard. People like to make things fast
       And another little suggestion: if I make UNDO I want that all selected faces or objects were revert to their previous state too. There is the same reason as in the first chapter - to keep modeling time.
                 thank u for ur time and sorry for my english

Yes Yes Yes.  I'll second keyboard shortcuts.

I would very much like to see some kind of hotkey system, expecially if they are defineable for and an all commands.  And the ability to add user defined buttons to tool bars or the object opperations box.  I think either of thoes would be very helpful for anyone building a significanly large models.

These are just some ideas that I got excited about this morning. They're animation feature ideas.

Make a set of special effects features for geomtry. Like a ripple option that ripples and scews a surface when it's moved or comes into contact with another surface. (I'm thinking of moving a bowl of jello type dynamics)

Make a bulge option for flexing objects that the user can define where the muscles actually contract.

Make a fold option that allows for skin to fold over on itself when the object is bent.

Make a dent option that dents an object based on collision with another object.

Make gravity an option.

Make bouncing an option.

I know these ideas will probably not go into 3d Canvas 6. But they are certainly "Oh Wow" features for me for some future release of 3dC.

I thought of several features maybe useful for modelling:
1. Remembering the last selection and give the user a
button to bring this selection back highlighted.
When I was modeling a bullet train, selecting faces
on the nose is painful, and I always hit the wrong
button or do other things after I finally got the
faces selected, so I hope the former selection can
be chosen again (not manually).

2. Scale the point size in UVMap selection dialog box,
so when the user zooms in, he/she won't see too
big points and can't find the lines.

I thought these two features can make the modelling
much easier. Thanks.