Command key to repeat in LW or g key to repeat tool in Maya...

[LordPhobos]

I think this is the one thing about Modo that I am absolutely needing. The ability to hit "g" and repeat the command I just executed is something I could really use, especially when it comes to things like "join average"ing vertices or any other repititious task. Anyone have any ideas?

[StephanD]

Similarly in Maya you can hit the g key to quickly reactivate the same tool. How do I do something like this in Modo? I'm looking for a global key stroke not specific to just one tool.

Most tools can be repeated without re-activation,is that what you mean?


LordPhobos:you can easily save your own custom tool or use macros then assign a hotkey to the functions you use the most.

Progressively,Modo becomes more and more personalized and in a way,evolves with you.That's the beauty of it.

[LordPhobos]

The beauty of the "g" button in Maya is that it is not tool-specific. I thought of the idea of making my own macros for commonly used tools/commands, but what I feel I would run into at that point would be a huge list of key commands that I have to memorize just so I can remember which keys perform which recorded macro. The "g" key just tells Maya to redo whatever the last issued command was.

For example, imagine if you will that you have an object that you made that is open on one side, and what you intend to do is to weld another object onto the open end of object #1. If you only have to weld three sets of vertices then it's not a big deal. But what if you have to weld, say, 45 sets of vertices? Now, I know that there are probably macros to deal with situations like this, but stay with me here. :) What you end up having to do (or at least what I do) is to select one set of the vertices you want to weld, then go over and hit the "join vertices" button. Then you go back and select two more vertices, then go back over and hit the "join vertices" button again. That's an awful lot of ground to cover when you work at 1600x1200 like I do.

Now, if there was a "repeat last command" key, like there is in Maya, the situation would be much simpler. I would select one set of vertices, go over and hit the "join vertices" button, and then go on to select another set. But instead of now having to go back to the "join vertices" button, I would instead just hit "g" (or whatever key). This way I can quickly fire through each set of vertices, selecting them, hitting "g", selecting them, hitting "g", in a really fast method. It seems trivial, but it speeds up my modeling times so much.

I hope that makes some sense. It's a really handy thing to have, especially when you're so accustomed to it. :) I'd even just be happy with having it as a script that I could assign to a key, but I am no programmer, so I'd have to beg the community for help (which is also the dual purpose of this post, lol).

Thanks!

[Dion Burgoyne]

The <SHIFT> key will do that....

Create a bevel, shift, click on the screen, continue with the new bevel...

Works the same for every creation tool

[Dion Burgoyne]

The Join Vertices key like any other command in modo can be fired quitely, if you go to your command history (bottom right corner) after firing the command once. You will find the command

In this case

vert.join [0]

In there... If you right click on it, you will notice that you can map that command to a key... Doing so makes that command fire quietly from that point forward, you no longer have any dialog box to worry about.

This is also the same command that can be used as a button, so if you open your form editor, and find or make a form that you want to use it in. Simply select "New Command" and type in (or paste in) vert.join [0] now you have a new button that fires vert.join every tool in modo is a command, so anything can be mapped to a key, or made into a menu item.

[c-g]

The <SHIFT> key will do that....

Create a bevel, shift, click on the screen, continue with the new bevel...

Works the same for every creation tool

I don't think this is what the original poster is after. There are plenty of times that I want to be able to repeat the last command. Bevel with x inset--->repeat--->repeat. Currently the only way to do that is with a macro and that will tie you to a hardcoded inset value and would only be a bevel tool.

[LordPhobos]

Thank you for the tips, Dion. That thing about holding down the shift key was new to me.

I think the beauty behind the idea that I'm suggesting though is that it doesn't require you to map a key to a command, nor does it limit you to only creation tools. It would be something that would be used for most any tool, even down to the simplest of them.

Another example would be that the same key would control repeating the vertex-join command tool as well as the creation of a box. Say you needed to make a bunch of boxes. You make one by holding down Ctrl as you drag out the size of the box. You hit "Q" to deselect it. Then you just hit "g" again to reissue the "create cube" command, hold down Ctrl, drag out box #2, and repeat. When you're all done, you select your first set of points to weld and weld them, then select sets of points that you want to weld and hit "g" again and it will this time remember the "join averaged" command and repeat that.

I would think, though I assume I am wrong, that this would be relatively easy to program as a script. I don't know much about scripting, but I would think that if you just had a script that stored whatever the last command was and then recalled it when the assigned key was pressed that it would work. How to get that to run at all times is probably not feasible, though.

[LordPhobos]

I don't think this is what the original poster is after. There are plenty of times that I want to be able to repeat the last command. Bevel with x inset--->repeat--->repeat. Currently the only way to do that is with a macro and that will tie you to a hardcoded inset value and would only be a bevel tool.

Actually, the way I had it pictured (the way it works in Maya) is just to initialize the last command, not to repeat it exactly (though I see how your described way would be extremely valuable as well). I was just thinking along the lines of it "turning on" that last used tool again, not necessarily repeating it exactly. But I think it could be useful either way. I just see the idea as a way of automating repetitive tasks. :)

[Steve McRae]

This is a needed feature.

The shift key works well for what it is designed for but does not cut it in this instance.

Once the tool has been 'put down' you have to activate it again.

It is hard to convey how helpful this is unless you have gotten used to using it.

[Dion Burgoyne]

middle mouse button

Without dropping the tool, hit the middle mouse button

So select a polygon, B to bevel, inset and shift a bit, hit the middle mouse button

[c-g]

Actually, the way I had it pictured (the way it works in Maya) is just to initialize the last command, not to repeat it exactly (though I see how your described way would be extremely valuable as well). I was just thinking along the lines of it "turning on" that last used tool again, not necessarily repeating it exactly. But I think it could be useful either way. I just see the idea as a way of automating repetitive tasks. :)

Well I really meant that with the repeat you would have the tool activated and the active state would be at the last value used (ie bevel x) You could still adjust it since the tool was active but you wouldn't have to manually get it to the X starting point.

[LordPhobos]

middle mouse button

Without dropping the tool, hit the middle mouse button

So select a polygon, B to bevel, inset and shift a bit, hit the middle mouse button

That's a very helpful hint! I was unaware that you could do that. The real trick though would be using it on tools where you have to select a new component or set of components after the tool has automatically dropped itself, like when doing multiple "join average" vertices. I keep going back to that example because it is repeatedly the one thing that I keep doing and then I think to myself "Dang, I wish I had that 'g' key feature" after I've gotten through about 20 welds. :banghead:

Your input here, Dion, is invaluable. Thank you so much for supporting us in such a way.

[jscott]

Also about the merge verticies. You don't have to merge pairs. You can just select a bunch of verts and hit merge then adjust the distance if needed. I usually set it for something small like 1 mm so that only verts really close to eachother will merge. Like when you are attaching parts or merging verts that you just snapped into position.

-jscott

[Dion Burgoyne]

Well if you needed to change selections and do the exact same bevel or something, the easiest way is to map "Apply Tool" to a hot key. You'll notice that modo keeps the settings you last used on a tool, if you select a polygon, turn on the bevel tool, and rightclicked on the bevel tool in the Tool Pipe you can see that you can "Apply" the tool, which will make it work with it's last used settings

[Steve McRae]

I really hope that the posters orginal question, about getting a function in modo that is similar to Maya's 'g' key is not lost in all of this.

It is really a helpful thing to have; once you get used to it, it is hard to give up. Any maya user will tell you this.

=)

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