Input Problems with Common Mac Hardware

[the-real-tokai]

Many Mac systems have keyboards without a numpad (Apple Wireless Keyboard, MacBook keyboard) and mouses without a middle mouse button (e.g. "Apple Magic Mouse".) The current input offerings of the application therefore make it very hard (if not impossible) to navigate the interface of ngPlant. For example my trees always root in the middle of the view port and I can't move them down (or the camera up) to better see what I am doing (while I have a numpad on my keyboard I don't have a middle mouse button on my Magic Mouse. 😄 )

I'm not sure if there are alternative ways to navigate the viewport (middle mouse button functionality) or activate the different camera/ perspective options (numpad functionality), but it would be nice to have that (or if they already exists, then they should be documented.)

The "Emulate NumPad" option in the preferences doesn't seem to have any obvious effect on keyboard control (besides + and - all normal keys just produce a "beep").

Perhaps the trees also could "root" more at the bottom of the viewport by default rather than starting out in the centre of the screen.

Version: ngPlant 0.9.13 (OS X)

[stager13]

"Emulate NumPad" option expects "Command"+Digit combination. (Digit - '0'-'9' keys). Also use "Alt"/"Meta" key together with mouse control to emulate 3rd mouse button.

[the-real-tokai]

OK, "Alt"+"Shift" to move the camera seems to work (I didn't tried the double-modifier-combos ;) ). Should be in the documentation/ wiki. 😄

In CINEMA 4D it is possible to do camera operations with the 1-2-3 keys (pressing "1" key to move the camera, "2" to zoom and "3" to rotate in combination with the left mouse button/ moving.) That is very intuitive and comfortable to use, IMHO. Dunno how other 3D packages are doing it. Might be an idea to add for a future version.