Add 'Rotate Parameter' to ALL Objects & Lamps

[Anonymous]

In so many of todays designs there are so often items like handrails, posts, gable ends, trims of all descriptions, fences & railings, mouldings, many different accessories etc, etc, that are required to be rotated to suit the design. Even on a simple raking ceiling there is no parameter in the Lamp settings to rotate the lamp to suit the ceiling slope.

I would Add 'Rotate Parameter' to basically ALL Objects & Lamps, as you never know where or when that elusive need may arise, and the Rotate command is the one I consistently need to most that is not available.

PS - I know I can add the command to a Library part, however if it is placed by the AC programmer, then it's there for all to use and they will do a far better job anyway.

[TomWaltz]

I'm not sure ALL is a good idea.

Do you want to rotate your toilet at a 45 degree angle? Don'f fence posts need to be plumb/vertical (with the panels only sloped)?

While I agree that SOME objects should be able to be rotated on an X or Y axis, we need to be careful not to introduce other problems in the solution.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure that having the parameter with the option to rotate every part would be a bad thing. Just make sure that the default is zero degrees.

[Anonymous]

TomWaltz wrote:
I'm not sure ALL is a good idea.

Do you want to rotate your toilet at a 45 degree angle? Don'f fence posts need to be plumb/vertical (with the panels only sloped)?

While I agree that SOME objects should be able to be rotated on an X or Y axis, we need to be careful not to introduce other problems in the solution.

Some Library parts obviously don't need to be rotated (or the likelyhood rare at best - ie the toilet), however, as we in Australia are on the side of the planet to start with, most things get the oportunity to be rotated at one time or another, and yes, especially the fence posts!

[Geof Gainer]

A truly user-friendly implementation of this would be to include a rotate icon in the 3D pet palette, so that when you're in model view, you can click on the object's hot spot and rotate it "live". The plane of rotation could be constrained with the shift key.

With the ease of the pet palette feature, I'd call this "essential". The reason being that I'm often throwing together quick schematic models for clients where diagonal struts, bracing, and the like are key to the design. Avoiding the burden of calculating, then typing in an angle or x and y coordinates would allow me to crank out these options effortlessly.

Imagine how quick it would be to piece together a custom handrail with the Basic Shapes' 'Elbow' and 'Cylinder' objects once they have rotate ability on the fly...

[Erika Epstein]

Geof wrote:
A truly user-friendly implementation of this would be to include a rotate icon in the 3D pet palette, ...

Update to 9 and you will find it exists.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Erika wrote:

Geof wrote:
A truly user-friendly implementation of this would be to include a rotate icon in the 3D pet palette, ...

Update to 9 and you will find it exists.

Well to clarify, there isn't an icon specifically for rotating a light source in 3D, but rather the various light sources have editable hotspots to allow you to rotate them (and change other geometries) while in the 3D window. Use them as all editable hotspots... with the 'stretch' button in the pet palette.

But, in response to the original post ... I agree. While the general light sources all have an editable angle, not all of the lamps (the original question) cannot be rotated in 3D. Some allow the emitted light to be rotated, but not the fixture (e.g., flourescent).

Karl

[Erika Epstein]

Karl wrote:

Well to clarify, there isn't an icon specifically for rotating a light source in 3D, but rather the various light sources have editable hotspots to allow you to rotate them (and change other geometries) while in the 3D window. Use them as all editable hotspots... with the 'stretch' button in the pet palette.

Karl

Karl,
As usual, you are correct

Laurence et al, I agree, more objects need the ability to be rotated without editing the scripts.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Well, I don't know about as usual. But, you taught me something new in your post, Erika, because I haven't used AC light sources in a looong time and so didn't realize all of the wonderful editable hotspots that they have now, making it so much easier than ever before to aim and size the light in the 3D window. Thanks for making me look! 😉

Karl

[Haneef Tayob]

The rotate wish comes up often & is something I would really like to see.
What if you're designing a museum to house a Duchamp's sculpture "Fountain" ':)'


When newcomers to archicad ask how to draw sloped walls, the usual response is to say they must use the roof tool.
or when they ask how to slope a slab, we all rush to say they must use the mesh tool.

What happens if the rotate parameter is provided to all elements, would a wall which is sloped be turned automatically into a roof? Or if you want to slope a slab, it converts automatically to a mesh. This way some dimensions will not be lost. Just a thought.