Author Topic: Help - how to disable info about snapping coordinates in the bottom of Max UI?  (Read 4707 times)

2021-03-09, 09:23:17

Bormax

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Hi

I've asked the same question in Autodesk 3DS Max forum, but didn't get any respond from there. So I decide to post this question here, hope some of you can help me with this.

I use 3DS MAX for many years. I'm architect and working with architectural objects use snaps in my workflow almost all the time. There is one thing in UI which bothers me every day. I'm talking about small window in the bottom part of the Max window where you can find some tips what to do, something like the one you can see on attached screenshot. It's ok when snaps are OFF, but if they switched ON information about current point of snapping (type of snap and coordinates of the snapping point) appears in the same line replacing the tip for a 0.1 sec, after that tips appears again and they replace each other each 0.1 sec. On screen it looks just like blinking of that line even if I stop the mouse and some snap preview is shown on screen. This blinking actually does nothing, it's just annoying element which doesn't have any use for me.

Is it possible to disable this information about snapping coordinates at all still having snaps active?

2021-03-09, 10:20:25
Reply #1

Frood

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This is 2021.3, right? Noticed that too - another reason not to upgrade ('update'?) to .3 for us. I'd rather would like to see a fix than having to switch anything off, because especially the snap information is essential in daily work. All in all it seems to me another bad idea from the you-know-who-company to introduce major changes in minor versions. Now you have to test even those updates very carefully before upgrading.


Good Luck



Never underestimate the power of a well placed level one spell.

2021-03-09, 11:44:34
Reply #2

Bormax

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Yes, it's 2021.3. Working with Max 2014 and always using Endpoint+Middlepoint+Gridpoint snaps I wanted to disable this info line, because for me it's always felt like something which lowering viewport performance in heavy scenes where are tons of snapping points and each of them needs some power to check and show it's coordinates - it's just my guessing, maybe it is not so. Anyway this info was not annoying. But I don't like this blinking in current version of Max.
Do you know how to get back to 2021.2 with no pain of reinstalling everything concerning Max? Maybe it could help me with another issue (https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php?topic=32252.0)
« Last Edit: 2021-03-09, 14:01:23 by Bormax »

2021-03-09, 14:28:45
Reply #3

Frood

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I don't like this blinking in current version of Max.

It's absolutely horrible.

Do you know how to get back to 2021.2 with no pain of reinstalling everything concerning Max?

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any option to roll back gracefully. The concept of service packs seems to be gone, every minor version comes as a complete installer. I have just rage-uninstalled .3 on those nodes where I had it already deployed and installed a fresh 2021.0 again.


Good Luck



Never underestimate the power of a well placed level one spell.

2021-03-09, 16:13:48
Reply #4

Bormax

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Unfortunately I'm not aware of any option to roll back gracefully.

Sad.
Let's hope they will fix this blinking line issue.

And also sad that there are no responses from their own forum...
« Last Edit: 2021-03-09, 16:28:44 by Bormax »

2021-03-12, 09:32:56
Reply #5

Bormax

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I've asked about help on 3ds Max Programming forum and guy from there was very kind to wright the script which can toggle disable/enable that info line.
He doesn't mind if I share it, so you can use it too.

2021-03-12, 11:07:01
Reply #6

Frood

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Thank you for the effort and forwarding the file Bormax, but if I see it right (banned all .3 installations already and cannot see the effect in a .3 version), it completely disables the status panel when active. But the snap information is crucial for daily work and it's gone as well. It may work for you (being no longer disturbed) but without snap information any Max is just unusable for me.


Good Luck



Never underestimate the power of a well placed level one spell.

2021-03-12, 11:22:11
Reply #7

Bormax

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(banned all .3 installations already and cannot see the effect in a .3 version)
Did you mean you can't install it? In my case installation was absolutely normal.

But the snap information is crucial for daily work and it's gone as well. It may work for you (being no longer disturbed) but without snap information any Max is just unusable for me.

Sad that this tool is not solution for you.
Sorry for the curiosity, but why lack of information about snapping make Max unusable for you if you can see snaps preview on screen?

2021-03-12, 12:04:46
Reply #8

Frood

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Did you mean you can't install it?

Not at all, I just rolled back to .0 so I cannot check directly with a .3 installation. But since it disables the status panel prompts completely, all other useful information (including snap info) will be gone as well.

Sorry for the curiosity, but why lack of information about snapping make Max unusable for you if you can see snaps preview on screen?

It's about the coordinates. I can see them immediately there and yes, I need it all the time, especially z.


Good Luck



Never underestimate the power of a well placed level one spell.

2021-03-12, 13:07:28
Reply #9

Bormax

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It's about the coordinates. I can see them immediately there and yes, I need it all the time, especially z.
I see.
BTW, Talking about snaps, I was always unhappy with the necessity of switching between 2.5 and 3d snaps depending on 2d or 3d view I'm working at the moment. Normally I use 2.5d snaps in top/front/left... views and 3d snaps in perspective or isometric views. This script made me to forgot about this switching, maybe it could be useful for you as well, if you didn't try it yet.
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/viewport-auto-snap

2021-03-12, 15:36:30
Reply #10

Frood

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Thank you Bormax, I once had cycling snapmode type on a hotkey but never got used to it.

Good Luck



Never underestimate the power of a well placed level one spell.

2021-03-12, 15:44:58
Reply #11

romullus

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I struggle to understand the concept behind all those X,XXD snapping modes, so instead i use 3D mode only and axis constraint toggle. Works for me.
I'm not Corona Team member. Everything i say, is my personal opinion only.
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2021-03-12, 22:33:50
Reply #12

Bormax

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Thank you Bormax, I once had cycling snapmode type on a hotkey but never got used to it.

Good Luck

Frood, you don't have to use any hotkey to cycle snapmode, with this script it's happening automatically - you are in top view - 2.5d mode is active, you change view to perspective - 3d mode activated automatically! No need to change it manually whatever way. For my workflow the idea of this script works perfectly, I really don't remember when I switched snapmode myself :)

Original description:

This script, while active, will automatically change the snapping degree
(3D, 2.5D, 2D) in Max based on the type of view you're in.
Perspective, camera, user and light views will default to 3D.
Front, top, left, right, bottom, back, grid and shape views will default to
2.5D.
« Last Edit: 2021-03-13, 00:52:55 by Bormax »

2021-03-13, 02:18:03
Reply #13

Bormax

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I struggle to understand the concept behind all those X,XXD snapping modes, so instead i use 3D mode only and axis constraint toggle. Works for me.

Hi romullus.
The concept behind snapping modes is to make kind off limits between what you are snapping to and where you actually create/manipulate/modify objects.
Best example for that if you are drawing the line and you have box based on the zero plane which you want to use for snapping with Endpoint snap type for example.

2D snap mode - you draw the line on zero plane (xy for top/bottom views, yz for left/right views, xz for front/back views, xy used for axonometric/perspective views). With this snap mode you can snap only to the endpoints which are laying on zero plane (depending on view). All endpoints which are above or under zero plane are not taken in to account - you can't snap to them.

2.5D snap mode - you draw the line on zero plane only, but in this case endpoints which have some Z coordinates differ from 0 are taken in to account and vertexes which you create using snapping to those endpoints will be projected on to the zero plane. It's very useful if you need to draw some flat shape under existing 3D-object in front, top, left, right, bottom, back or grid view (2D-views). With architectural objects I need this all the time so this mode is most handy for me when I work in 2D-views.

3D snap mode - you draw your line in 3D-space, all endpoints of the object you are snapping to are taken in to account wherever they are located (as with 2.5D mode). Vertexes you create will get Z coordinates if they snapped to the endpoints which are not laying on zero plane. This mode is useful for axonometric/perspective views, but it's not very good for use in 2D-views, because it's difficult to control which point is going to be used for snapping if you have many of them laying on top of each other in your working view. In this example with box, working in top view you have at least 2 overlaying endpoints in each corner of the box and vertexes of your line could take Z coordinates from the top points of the box. So you can get some 3D-shape instead of a flat one.

For me as for architect who is working mostly with "rectangular architecture" best choice is 2.5D snap mode for work in 2D-views, and 3D snap mode for work in axonometric/perspective views. That's why viewport-auto-snap script (link above) is perfect for me.

Hope my explanation is not too messy :)


2021-03-16, 15:41:21
Reply #14

arqrenderz

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