Boxcutter 71V is an update. As always docs are being updated.
First and foremost shoutout to AR and Proxe.
AR dropped the transformation system on us and Proxe was a major factor in it’s implementation. Also Proxe continued working tirelessly on things up to the final cut to ensure the result was of the highest level. As a result an astounding amount of bugs were resolved resulting in the most solid iteration of Boxcutter yet.
I wanted to lead this release with an overview first.
Shoutout to the users: they promote the tale. Keep on using #hardops and #boxcutter hashtags! It keeps us going!
Introduction
715 was rather major and we wanted 716 to be major too and on path as well. So for that reason I am pleased to announce 71..V.
I was hoping it would be interpreted as a transformative but also familiar since V is roman for 5. But also Vs look cool.
Shift + V – Viewport Menu
Shift + V will bring up the alignment submenu allowing for changing view system.
Object is typically used for surface but view is more like traditional boxcutter. Now users can change this on the fly.
Re-Origin System
Next to shape on the top-bar are options for changing the origin that shapes (boxes) receive during cut.
Corner : default corner as origin.
Face center: Utilizes the face center. My new favorite. I love having this as my new default.
Bounding box center: Utilizes the origin center of the shape. Almost as useful as the above.
Active element origin: utilizes the origin of the object being cut into as the origin. This one is unusual but also useful and essential in the right situation.
The d-pie also contains options for rapid use when it comes to changing cutter origins on the fly.
Internally we discuss alternative approaches to the D pie but for now origin options are located here.
The n panel also contains options for origin but the D pie is where it is at.
Transformation
I should have led with this. But I like theatrics. Translate, Scale and rotate are readded to Boxcutter as of 71V. That is what I meant by 715 being “transformative”.
During draw tab will pause the shape.
Translation (G)
Pressing G will allow for translation.
X / Y / Z to constrain to axis during translate
Shift click dragging the offset dot will also translate the shape.
Rotation (R)
During draw or pause pressing R will allow for rotation.
This changes things like reset array which is now shift R.
During rotate X / Y / Z will affect axis which will also affect translation. We aim to improve support down the road and have an advanced support system to supplement.
Rotation will also utilize the same axis as before last operation.
The mini helper (ctrl + D) allows for angle rotation amount adjustment.
Scale (S)
Scale will be based on the origin chosen and can also be constrained to a particular axis. All 3 in conjunction can be quite useful for getting shapes in line.
Alt + D : Toggle Dots
Alt + D during pause will toggle dots off. Also dots will hide when ctrl is held.
Viewport Hotkey Unlock and View Pie
View pie will allow tilda ~ to change the viewport inside of boxcutter to position the view. This also unlocks numpad 1, 3 and 7 for reuse in addition.
Numpad period to focus will also work in pause mode making Boxcutter feel much more natural.
Release… Lock
Release lock is intended to be a more stepped approach to drawing with boxcutter.
This behavior adds lazorcut lock which is related and is also connected to quick execute.
This is a typical draw. I draw the shape and jump to extrude and release LMB to cancel. While this is optimal for mouse use it is not as optimal for tablet or touch use.
This is release lock by itself in action. Notice how it pauses after the first draw. Before extrude.
Release lock is located in the topbar for rapid behavioral toggling.
Notice that ctrl and shift clicking also toggles adjacent options related to this parameter. This can get confusing but as long as you know about the connected options it will make more sense.
Lazorcut Lock
Lazorcut lock is located in behaviors and is capable of pausing lazorcut automatically so the user can view and adjust the result prior to apply.
The process of pausing lazorcut (cut through) allowed us to examine how well lazorcut worked and improve it for good resulting in a stronger release.
Quick Execute + Lazorcut Lock
Quick execute + Lazorcut lock results in a cut that goes through the form but pauses short of applying. This can make boxcutter behave quite interestingly and has become one of my favorite ways to cut.
With lazorcut lock off Quick Execute behaves normally. This is due to the fact that with quick execute every cut jumps to lazorcut.
Smart Apply / Apply Slices
Behaviorally I like to test behaviors in hardops prior to adding it to boxcutter. One workflow I was experimenting with was apply.
Apply slices will now apply all mods except for the last bevel and weighted normal. Similar to smart apply. This makes slices capable of being destructively managed while also speeding up performance by consolidating useless modifiers on slices.
Apply slices was supposed to do this but with the unique combinations of mods in use we needed a more streamlined solution.
Recut (mod behavior)
Recut is a mod behavior for slice that gets back the mesh that was taken away via boolean activity.
Knife Mark (mod behavior)
requires hardops
Quadremesher is able to utilize marked edges for retopo calculation. That gave me an idea. What if we could cut in edges for that retopo.
I hope to show more on this in the future but surely there are other uses for cutting in “marked edges”.
Knife mark is locked to be single use for now. We find that new behaviors trick new comers.
Knife Material Fix
Knife has nuked materials for so long it was part of the tooltip. I am pleased to announce this is no longer an issue. Cut and no longer lose materials.
Blue box is meant to be silent but effective. Like a scythe.
Autohide to Omit Solids
Custom cutter used to hide shapes in the marked collection with autohide. Not just cutters. This behavior was a nuisance and has now been resolved.
Now users can use meshes as custom cutters without the other meshes that are solid being hidden. This should make custom feel much more natural for general use.
Hook Support
I can be a bit obsessive. I was obsessed with having hook support back. I love nothing more than cutting and adjusting (when blender is fast) on the fly. Special care was taken to make sure hook modifiers function as intended.
Ngon Backspace Fix
The thing about me and bugs is I never ever let them go. To me a single bug can hold off a release because I care about the experience put forth.
Ngon had a bug where when backspace to undo a point was used. The shape would cease draw and be in paused state.
This bug was the worst. And it made ngon much more hard to use and undo on the fly.
I am happy to say it has been resolved.
Additional / Misc
Weld fix for small scale
Inset shift to live
Circle Scale Improvements
Mirror Improvements
Shape Options
Tool Test
In closing
AR set the stage for this release with transformation but Proxe was vigilant with the bugfixes and integration. I am always proud of seeing the team work together and grow over the course of an update. Proxe is one of my favorite people to work with and get coding advice from.
I don’t like to talk about the things that I can’t show but there is much to look forward to.
Someday everything will change. And I mean everything.
Your greatest complaints are kept close to my chest with best intentions on fixing them.
I can’t wait to help you.
So much is happening beneath the core but it will be coming out soon. I want everyone glad they are using our tools. While it seems like we “add and add” we also aim to slim and refine to keep things quick and accessible.
I remain grateful for the support of everyone using / recommend / loving our products. We truly aim to change the way cutting and hard surface is done and we can’t wait to show you what’s next…
#hopscutter also has a long playlist for those who need to learn.
From Imagination To Creation 