Tools

Tools & Modes to Create, Select, Edit and Modify

This page details the (separate) operation modes of user interface tools and devices (keyboard, mouse, 6DOF, etc.) You may also want to look at the general overview of User Commands.

Tool Mode

There are (*actively) 4 HUD items in the toolbar that display the tool mode:

• 3Dmouse: [tool] - Subset of mouse tool functionality with two modes:

  • Camera - (Blue) Fly or Orbit the currently selected camera.
  • Glyph - (Red) Modify the actively selected glyphs (and grids).

• zStylus: [tool] - Similar to the regular mouse tools with additional 6DOF interation.

• mode: [node type] - Applies to the mouse and keyboard (but not Spacemouse nor zStylus).

• tool: [tool type] - Applies to the mouse and keyboard.

• *Note that the 3Dmouse: [tool] & zStylus: [tool] is only visible when a SpaceMouse or zSpace device is installed.

tool mode is displayed in the toolbar (mode: [Glyph]) and determines what type of objects are selected, created and operated on.

There are (*currently) 3 modes:

• Camera - Allows selecting, operating and creating new cameras.
• Grid - Allows selecting, modifying and creating new grids.
• Glyph
• *We plan to add a mode for Lights & HUD (custom user interface).

Create

• Create - Tool (also N key) will generate a new node based on the current mode and selection.
  • mode: Camera - Will generate a new camera attached to the root camera.
    • *Future feature will allow camera's to be attached to sub-grids (and maybe all glyphs).
  • mode: Grid - Will generate a new sub-grid attached to the currently selected node (the parent can be either a glyph or grid).
  • mode: Glyph - If a root glyph is currently selected (or no glyphs at all) then a new root glyph (pin) with sub-torus is created and auto-distributed (based on number of siblings) onto the current (root or sub) grid. Otherwise a new glyph is attached as a child, with distribution and topo type based on the parent glyphs topo.

Select

• Allows you to select glyphs (or grids) by picking individual items, branches or selecting a region (with filters).