Orthographic Build Mode + Other Ideas

[Delvar]

To make editing easier i was thinking for these,

 

 

[*]Orthographic Camera!!!

 

[*]The ability to load an image as the background/sides of the build space, with 1. would allow easy layout of ship designs. https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/dev/editors/3dview/display/background_images.html

 

[*]split view showing 4 windows that can be set to different focal points or angles http://www.bspquakeeditor.com/images/bspfull2.gif

 

[*]Ability to modify blocks that have been placed down, having to copy/delete paste just to slightly resize a block is annoying

 

[*]Grouping of parts, so we could select some blocks, group then move them around, as if it were solid

 

[*]Allow pulling blocks off and let them float, not connected to your ship, currently modifying the insides of a ship is very time consuming requiring deleting chinks of the hull to get at the inside, Reassembly Game has a nice 2D editor that shows these ideas (this is just the first video i found)

 

[*]First person camera so we could 'Fly' around the ship with WASD instead of the turntable we have now.

 

[*]Camera light, so we can see dark areas of the ship without having to exit edit mode then turn the ship to get better light

 

[*]Edit mode doesn't modify the live ship until you 'Apply changes', I get fed up of being attacked part way through a build and have to quickly drop in engines or guns to deal with it, with the edit mode separated we could build whatever we like, get interrupted we still have a working ship, also those annoying times where you delete your cargo hold and drop all your stuff in a cloud of boxes!

 

[*]Ability to 'Hide' selected blocks/Groups so we can get into the core of a build, maybe a filter selection to hide only hull blocks

 

[*]Visible Grid lines, maybe just around the cursor

 

[*]Auto grid, so as you zoom in the grid/block size shrinks to match meaning we could zoom in, make tiny changes, zoom back out and continue blocking out the ship without having to adjust things manually

 

[*]bind the block size and grid snap, so snap is always 1/2 the block size

[cepheni]

A few of these sound like good advice. E.g. the separated build mode to allow creative builders the time they need with perfect light (and without crew requirements). It may come some time in the future. For now the devs attention is more on creating safe zones where no pirate attacks etc happen. That would at least partially help.