Hello list !
I'm more a reader than a writer for now, but I want share my quick
experience (one week) on Maya.
It's a personal point of view and I'm curious to know your opinion about it.
I like HotBox ! Relatively quick to access, probably not as quick as a
direct shortcut but can manage more quick tools with just a combo : shorcut
+ mouse move direction.
For now, I use it to select component (one of the more repeated action
during a day of work) but I have problem with its "context behavior" :
- it doesn't select components of my current selection, but those of
the object under my mouse cursor.
- get strange selection result (components of the first one) when I use
the "select all" command in a second time, with many objects in component
mode.
*1)* Why the hotbox component selection behavior isn't the same as with the
F8 to F12 keyboards ?
Is there a way to remove this "context behavior" ?
workaround :
- F8 to F12 keyboards : I don't konw for you but just my own opinion
is that isn't easy to use (too far from "alt" navigation keyboard and need
to look keyboard to select the good one)
- alt + q + left click : ok but another shortcut just as a workaround
and the layout of each button component aren't the same than the main
hotbox menu.
*2)* "Channel Box/Layer Editor" window is not bad for a quick access to
last tool :
- Is there a way to automatically expand the last input "operator" when
we select an object.
For example when I create a cube, I need to expand (one clic) and then
tweak param of With, Height, etc.
*3)* On preference option, we can highlight border edge, but is there a way
to just set a different color (ok ok like softimage I admit) instead of a
not really elegant and visible strong edge.
*With Modeling Toolkit active :*
*4)* A cool thing is the shift + translate to extrude edge, but it would be
good if that work with face too !
*5)* With components, discrete mode (SRT increment snap : "J" on keyboard)
doesn't work on this mode.
*6)* Is there a direct tool like the "Extract Polygons (keep)" in softimage
?
Actually I need to :
a) "Duplicate Face"
b) "Extract Faces"
And that pollutes my outliner hierarchy with a group of 2 objects plus one
transform object.
c) clean outliner hierarchy
*7)* "Transform options" of the modeling toolkit :
YES really good to see and edit numerical local transform value of
component !
BUT is there a way to do some math operation like other text box ?
And it would be good to have this on the "ChannelBox/LayerEditor" (ok ok
like softimage too) to regroup a little bit all informations.
*8)* Actually, snap tool must be activated before begin transformation, it
would be good if it can be activating during the operation (like Softimage
and probably other applications).
Small thing but can be really useful.
*9)* The transformation ability of the text box may be expanded to more
"complex" operation like : 45+8/(45*4)
*10)* With the viewport on shaded mode, is there a way to make an object in
wireframe, unselectable (like template) BUT "snapable" ?
Well, I see a lot of modeling tools and options that seems very cool and
very productive and I hope that maya can be more userfriendly in a near
future.
For now and before make my final choice of software I will continue with
Softimage.
