ZBrush has a feature that allows you to release the Alt key while moving a model, for quick access to the Scale mode. Is there any way to disable that? It’s driving me nuts. There’s already a shortcut key for Scaling (Ctrl/Cmd-RightClick, Drag), which is already very efficient. I find the switch from Move to Scale unnecessary and a nuisance, because when I’m done moving, I naturally release the Alt key and the mouse button at pretty much the same time. But when I do that, if the Alt key gets released a fraction of a second before the mouse button, then the Move gets undone, and the entire amount I’ve moved the model turns into a scale factor to Scale my model. Keeping the Alt pressed longer each time just to prevent scaling feels very unnatural, and I eventually forget it at some point. This makes painting onto a model using Spotlight very difficult, because when the model gets accidentally scaled, it doesn’t match the Spotlight images anymore.
Are you ‘moving’ the model with move(letter W)? There’s sliders in the geometry panel and smaller value adjustment in the Deformation panel.
Hi Doug, no, I’m moving the entire model using Alt-RightClick, Drag. (i.e. similar to panning the view in other apps). ‘W’ moves only the current SubTool, not the whole model (“Tool”). So, in terms of other 3D packages (if we disregard the 2.5D canvas of ZBrush), all I’m doing is panning the view, but occasionally ending up with an undesired zoom effect instead.
To replicate:
- Load any model (“Tool”), put it on your canvas, and enter the 3D “Edit” mode
- Press and hold down Alt
- Press and hold down the right mouse button anywhere on your canvas
- Drag the mouse to move the model (i.e. pan the view)
- Release Alt before you release the right mouse button (and end up with a sudden Zoom).
P.S. This is a convenience feature of ZBrush, but I don’t want that convenience, because it keeps causing accidental scaling of the model (i.e. zooming in/out of the view). I thought I’d get used to it, but this has been bugging me for months. If this feature were implemented so that it would keep the amount you drag the mouse while Alt is down as a normal move, and only scale by the amount you drag the mouse AFTER you release Alt, then it would have been fine, because in that fraction of a second, the mouse would hardly move. But for some reason, Pixologic decided to convert the whole prior motion of the mouse to a Scale effect the moment Alt is released, thereby cancelling the Move entirely and ending up with a sudden Scale jump (i.e. a sudden Zoom effect).
Under Preferences there’s a setting for R click navigation.
Not sure if I’m following. That setting enables/disables the right-click navigation completely. It has no effect on the auto-switch from Move to Scale. When that setting is disabled, you can’t Move the model either, and you’re left with just left-click navigation, which has the same auto-switch problem as right-click navigation (plus the extra requirement that you now have to click-drag either an empty area of your canvas or its border bands).
Do you have the Axis plug? Have you customized your UI at all? Everyone’s’ workflow is different, I don’t have the problem you do. I did put a couple cfg files on the forums, still trying to get the ‘perfect’ one.
There isn’t a way to disable it.
FWIW, I never use right click for this. I always left click.
I understand your frustration, however, I really think that this is just a muscle memory thing that you should actually practice… once you have it under your fingers, you won’t even think about it (until you switch to another 3D app ;)).
I play a musical instrument and the same principles apply… take your time. Don’t rush. Be deliberate until it’s second nature:
When moving, simply never release the alt key.
When scaling, hit alt, and release immediately after clicking mouse button.
When doing either, never release the mouse button until your view is where you want it.
As long as the mouse button is clicked, you can sort of “toggle” an inadvertent zoom by re-pressing alt.
Of course, you can fallback to the move/scale/rotate buttons. I switch to using them when zoomed way in on a model (but now I’m going to practice right-click navigation for when I’m zoomed in. Thanx!).
I agree Thor. It’s a muscle memory thing. When it’s a physical necessity like on a musical instrument, it’s understandable (like the need to fret electric guitar strings a fraction of a second before you pluck, so that the sound isn’t muffled), but in the case of ZBrush, this seems completely unnecessary. I’ll send a feature-request to the ZBrush guys to give us an option to remove that feature that requires unnecessary learning. A feature request to remove a feature :). I love ZBrush and use it for quick sculpting tasks, but I don’t use it enough to build the muscle memory for such an unnecessary thing. Still, I get it right 99 percent of the time, yet that 1 mistake messes up the scale of the model relative to the textures… It hurts when you know that someone spent extra time to build that “feature”. Thanks for your reply though; it’s good to know I’m not missing some setting somewhere. I was hoping someone would say “edit this hidden attribute” in this or that file…
Cheers.
Still waiting for this feature…
use Autohotkey to remap [caps lock] to alt+right click
or assign any key you like …