Tutorials ModelCraft help Reference
Tool list
Every ModelCraft tool with its key, what each click does, and what you can type into the value box while it works.
Written for ModelCraft 0.3. The same help is inside the app: press F1.
The status bar's tip always says what the current tool wants next. EscEsc cancels what a tool is in the middle of.
Drawing tools
| Tool | Key | Clicks | Type in the value box |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line | LL | Start, then each next point. Stops when a face closes, or on EscEsc | A length toward the pointer; [x,y,z] a point; <dx,dy,dz> an offset (Length) |
| Rectangle | RR | First corner (ground or a face), opposite corner | Width and depth: 4m,3m (Dimensions) |
| Circle | CC | Center (ground or a face), a point on the edge | Before the first click: sides, 24s or 24 (Sides). After: the radius (Radius) |
| Polygon | NN | Center, a corner | Same as Circle; starts with 6 sides |
Editing tools
| Tool | Key | Clicks | Type in the value box |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select | SpaceSpace | Click, double-click, triple-click, drag a box. See Select things | With one dimension or edge selected: a new length, which resizes the model |
| Push/pull | PP | The face, then the distance. Double-click a face to repeat the last distance | A distance; negative goes the other way (Distance) |
| Move | MM | From a point, to a point. Hold ⌃Ctrl or ⌥Alt to copy | A distance toward the pointer, <dx,dy,dz> or [x,y,z] (Distance). After a copy: 3x or /3 |
| Rotate | Center (on a face to turn in its plane), start direction, end direction | The angle in degrees (Angle) | |
| Scale | SS | The point that stays, a reference point, the new size | A factor: 2, 0.5 (Scale) |
| Eraser | EE | Click or drag over edges, groups, guides and dimensions | nothing |
| Tape | TT | From an edge: a parallel guide line. From a point: measures and leaves a guide point | The offset (Offset) or the distance (Length) |
| Dimension | DD | Two corners (or one edge), then where the dimension line goes. See Dimension and resize | The offset (Offset). Right after: a new length, which resizes the model |
Move, Rotate and Scale work on the selection. If nothing is selected, they take what you click first (a face brings its edges).
Camera tools
| Tool | Key | Drag to |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit | OO | Turn around the center of the view |
| Pan | HH | Slide the view |
| Zoom | ZZ | Zoom: up is in, down is out |
| Extents | ⇧ZShift+Z | (a button, not a tool) Fit the whole model |
You rarely need these with a mouse: middle-drag orbits, right-drag pans and the wheel zooms with any tool. See Orbit, pan and zoom.
Organize
| Button | Key | Does |
|---|---|---|
| Component | GG | Makes the selection a component |
| Group | ⇧GShift+G | Makes the selection a group |
| Explode | none | Turns the selected groups and components back into loose geometry |
Place component
Not on the toolbar: click Place next to a component in the Components panel. Click once where the component's origin goes; the tool then returns to Select.