New gizmo and snapping systems and call for applications to become beta testers for Tvori on Quest
January 28, 2020
We've heard a lot from our users that they're missing the way to control objects placement in space with more precision and accuracy. Overall this is one of the major challenges for VR creation tools.
You can lose lots of time and feel uncomfortable without a powerful and simple in use tooling for objects alignment and scale. For instance, in case of snapping one object precisely to another or rotating it strictly to 10 degrees, it would be painful without a smart snapping system.
You can lose lots of time and feel uncomfortable without a powerful and simple in use tooling for objects alignment and scale. For instance, in case of snapping one object precisely to another or rotating it strictly to 10 degrees, it would be painful without a smart snapping system.
New gizmo and snapping systems
We've been exploring many options for controlling objects in 3D, 2D and VR, and came up with a solution for convenient and accurate, but at the same time, quick way to control objects, without losing the feeling of ease of creation in VR.
We are happy to share the results of our R&D, and introduce you to a completely new Gizmo tool as well as improved snapping. Our major focus was on your feelings of ease and fun while creating inside Virtual Reality.
We are happy to share the results of our R&D, and introduce you to a completely new Gizmo tool as well as improved snapping. Our major focus was on your feelings of ease and fun while creating inside Virtual Reality.
New Gizmo Tool
We've implemented 2 new gizmo modes: Classic and Rectangular. Additionally, Bound mode based gizmo was improved too, so it became easier to switch between modes on the fly without releasing the gizmo.
Classic gizmo mode
Classic mode provides the control of scale, axis rotation, and intuitive snapping. You are enabled to use all three functions at once! These improvements enhance accuracy and make object's controlling fast and easy.
Moreover, in the Classic gizmo mode there's a new additional function of a proportional scale mode.
By the way, the most attentive users may notice how the classic gizmo instruments of 3DsMax, Maya, Blender, Unity, and etc. are adopted to our Classic gizmo mode and improved for the design process in Virtual Reality context.
Rectangular gizmo mode
This mode will be mostly useful and convenient for working with interfaces and buttons. Besides that, you can modify sizes quickly by using all three axes. We also added a new disproportionate scaling mode to Classic gizmo.
In general, the rectangular mode simplifies the process of scaling objects, which are disproportional along any of the axes or the ones, which are proportional along three axes at once.
In general, the rectangular mode simplifies the process of scaling objects, which are disproportional along any of the axes or the ones, which are proportional along three axes at once.
Additional gizmo improvements
Moreover, now it's possible to choose the coordinates system for gizmo operation: Local or World.
Try out to switch between gizmo modes on the fly with a button on the controller.
The next integral part for any design application is a Guid or auto Guid instrument. It allows you to moderate the size and position of a certain object respectively to another one. Hence, it was quite challenging to adapt this function to VR as there is more snapping and rotation freedom.
New snapping settings
Precise selection has always been a crucial part for working in VR. Besides the usual auto snapping to the world grid, which adaptively adjusted the snapping step to our size, thanks to user requests there's now the possibility to customize snapping settings. For example, if you know that your ascetics are multiples of size 10 cm, these settings are definitely worth using. You can set the step you want and arrange objects with snapping to some grid with this step.
Snapping to snap points by gizmo handles
With any snapping modes activated in gizmo, special snapping points are activated in all available modes when gizmo handles are used. That is why you can make object alignment more accurate and convenient.
The next integral part for any design application is a Guid or auto Guid instrument. It allows you to moderate the size and position of a certain object respectively to another one. Hence, it was quite challenging to adapt this function to VR as there is more snapping and rotation freedom.
Now you can align and adjust objects relative to other objects with a gizmo by "sticking" a gizmo control of one of the axes to the surface of another object, and then by sliding it around.
Surface Snapping mode
Gizmo is good, but what about free-mode snapping when the object is in your hand?
To do this, we have implemented snapping on surfaces familiar from traditional 3D software, when you can snap an object to the surface of another object and slide over it. This could be done in different ways in VR. With a focus on UI design, where there is often an interface plane, a canvas, an application window, we decided that it would be most useful not to constantly snap to the surface of an object, but to indicate a point on another object with the first click, as the basis for a certain temporary local coordinate system / plane and move the object already in this coordinate system.
We also wanted to be able to not only move but rotate, with rotation aligned to the object you are snapping to, and switch between movement and rotation on the fly, like in the first Gizmo mode (Bound based).
There is support of snapping to the surface of multiple objects and also additional visual highlighting and indicators for clearer understanding of how exactly the objects will be snapped to each other.
Tvori is coming to Oculus Quest soon
We're extremely excited to announce that we're starting development of Tvori for Oculus Quest. In order to apply for Tvori's Private Beta Testing on Quest, press the button below and please fill in your details in the application form. We'll contact you later.
By the way, we've rebranded our landing pages with new exclusive use cases and current value propositions for customers with various backgrounds. Check out tvori.com and let us know what you think.
Other improvements
- Fixed issues with missing objects from Unlit materials when working with the AR brush.
- Fixed issues with colouring and removal of locked objects.
- Fixed issues with a visibility of clips.
- Improved the assignment of materials on imported images.
- Fixed exporting issues of irrelevant and unnecessary objects from a scene.
- Fixed an issue with incorrect preview size of the camera.
- Improved the copying of complex linked and grouped objects.
- Improved an overall stability of the processes and fixed various bugs.
- Improved a message.
Don't hesitate to give your feedback on this update and share your thoughts on the UI/UX design functions via any social networks below or send a message at hello@tvori.com.
It should be intuitive and fun to create in VR with Tvori. If it is not, make sure to let us know!
It should be intuitive and fun to create in VR with Tvori. If it is not, make sure to let us know!
