Improve Editable Poly Modeling

[Xerges]

Please, focus on Editable Poly, it's what most Max users use to create something in Max.
Editable Poly needs some serious update.

+ Loop & Ring
    - Ring selection with shift is broken since 2 years ago, fix it (make a box with 2 segments, convert to editable Poly and see how ring and loop selection with shift fails half of the time... very frustrating)
    - Loop selection needs to add an option for: continuous loop selection

+ Circular
    - Circle loop should work on continuous edges selection (actually only works on loops)
    - GeoPoly should work on several faces selected (acting them as one), now it only work on individual faces

+ Extrude
    - FIX EXTRUDE: Polygons gets shifted when they're non co-planar, this is HIGH PRIORITY!
    - make extrude and inset work with shift, move: shift+drag=extrude, scale: shift+drag=inset
    - add segments to extrude/bevel/inset
    - make extrude smarter: remove internal faces, act like bridge when needed...

+ Cap
    - Cap should create quads, instead of a huge ngon

+ Detach
    - Editable Mesh has the option to Explode polygons into elements or objects, Editable Poly should be able to explode all its elements into separate objects

+ Selection
    - Fix Preview Selection Multi, if it gets fixed it'll be the best way to work
    - Double click on Polygon to select the entire Element
    - Edit Poly should work on the input selection, instead of overwrite the selection

+ Symmetry
    - Transform and Tools should have a symmetry option, so they work symmetrical without a symmetry modifier

+ Sculpting Tools
    - Improve current sculpting, like adding mudbox sculpting engine to Max

+ Retopology
    - Editable Poly should have an option to constantly project onto other meshes (this could live in Constrains)
    - Automatic retopology (with and without guides)
    - More and Better control over topology tools (Ribbon -> Freeform)

+ Normals
    - Editable Poly should be able to directly edit normals
    - Face Weighted normals should be the default

+ UV
    - Editable Poly should be able to edit UVs, without adding an extra modifier (Unwrap)

+ Fix Maya Navigation Mode
    - once Maya gets axed you have to make ppl comfortable in Max

+ Snaps
    - Swift Loop should work with snaps

+ Tools Visibility and Shortcuts
    - Some very useful tools are hidden from the user: insert loop, PolyShift Move, Edit Soft Selection... give them default shortcut and its place on the default Right Click Quad
    - Unify Modeling tools under the same roof, they are scattered all over the place
    - Grow/Shrink with shift+mouseWheel

[Kranos_Orphydian]

why only Editable poly and not in the same measure the edit poly  modifier. Why would someone even use Max is he doesnt layers its edits with the Edit Poly at least ?

[Kranos_Orphydian]

I assume the OP was also reffering to Edit Poly modifer. I think this is even more used than Editable poly. If not there is little reason to use Max for modeling.

[martin.coven]

There are a lot of things on this list, but I wanted to mention selections have been improved in the latest 2021.2 updated.

• Use CTRL + Double Click on the next selected component to select a loop
• Use CTRL + Double Click on a a component further away to select a limited loop
• Use ALT + the same as above to remove a loop or limited loop
• Use SHIFT Click to point to point select

[Kranos_Orphydian]

@martin.coven in these situations the inability to edit your original post on this forum comes short. Given how long some ideas are still around more often then not there is the need to update them. This only make the users creating more ideas than necessary.

just out of curiosity how hard will be to implement something so trivial like a quad cap or grid fill how its called in other software ? there are already some scripts that do this so what is keeping the dev to do minimal updates to editable poly and edit poly modeling tools ? Maya in two releases updated most of its modeling tools just like that and refined them with great keyboard consistent interactions. 

BTW can we unified max and Maya naviagations so that when using Maya navigation in Max we can use the smart extrude and duplicate options with max  already ?

[Kranos_Orphydian]

@Xerges 

- FIX EXTRUDE: Polygons gets shifted when they're non co-planar, this is HIGH PRIORITY!

- make extrude smarter: remove internal faces, act like bridge when needed...

can you provide some images!

Also, about removing internal faces and acting like bridge. Very interested in that. Following Arrimus tutorial he often has to remove newly created faces when doing panel detail with extrude tool. I m not sure how it supposed to work to give every time the desired results. Maybe you could develop on this!

[Kranos_Orphydian]

@Xerges "FIX EXTRUDE: Polygons gets shifted when they're non co-planar, this is HIGH PRIORITY!"

Smart extrude seems to give straight z axis extrusion regarding the selections share the same plane or not that's because it's using the Move world axis I suppose

With the Edit Poly extrude tool you usually extrude with o amount then just move up the newly created faces using Z axis. Or are you talking about something else?

In Maya, extrude acts in the same manner, the difference is that there you have a Manipulator at hand with extrude tool and World/local coordinate switch button and you can do that right away before dropping the tool. Maya also has The Translate  Y option for Extrude tool (which achieve the same thing) but that is hidden by default along with many others not used so often. Blender has the fastest solution: You press E for extrude then Z to constrain to Z axis.

@joeaf9321 

"-add interesting functionalities like Taper, with the curve part and the beveling, Twist option, Option to make it round/square/hex toward the end of the extrusion."

Can you explain more and provide some scripts software that do this? In particular the last part of chnaging the shape towards the end of extrusion.

I know with Extrude aling curve you get Taper ammount and taper curve and twist. In Maya this is kinda built in the default extrude and this are vaialble without previously createing  acurve by using the Auto Generated mode.  It creates a straight spline and aligns it with the selection normals.

[Kranos_Orphydian]

also, separate ideas but gathering most of the suggestions out there on:

Extrude/Bevel polygons : [Extrude/Bevel Polygon, Extrude Along Spline tools] Unified with further enhancements: act smarter l...

Inset: [Inset Tool] A full-fledged tool on par with competition: Offset Even, Edge Rail, Quad Corners, Mana...

Hinge from Edge: [Hinge from Edge tool] Hinge from Center, Hinge from Vertex, Quad corners, Width segments and other ...

Cut tool: [Multi-Knife/Cut tool] A unified, fast, interactive and precise tool for the different cut operation...