[vortizee]

Virtual Axis:

Currently a surface or a vertex can be easily moved orthogonally, but when an it lies in a plane that is rotated, there is no way to move it perpendicularly to that plane other than by using Extrude by Normal. If one can move it by x,y,z axes, why not Move by Normal?

The way to do this is to use a modifier key to define a temporary set of axes by the normal itself. The virtual Y is the normal. Virtual x and z can be defined by being perpendicular to it but at what rotation to determine the origin? Read on:

The X or Z axis needs to be determined by examining the lines forming the plane's surface. The X axis direction (of rotation about the Y axis) is made perpendicular to one such line by suggestion (the line being highlighted). Moving the mouse may change the suggested rotation of the virtual X-axis by selecting another line defining the surface as that to take perpendicularity from. Commit the virtual axis by a right click and the virtual Y and X axes are defined, thus defining the third axis too. Now the surface of vertex can be moved orthogonally to the rotated plane.

Deselecting the surface cancels the virtual axes.

Extrude Vertices:

This could benefit from a virtual axes direction too. Extrude out or in by dragging one of the corners could be limited to the plane of one of the surfaces adjoining the vertex or surface defined by a group of selected vertices by similar methods described above.

This is not good enough. We should be able to extrude the vertices in or out by a distance, as dragging a corner of a selection of vertices would not result in a consistent distance where a shape is bidirectional (L shaped) and rotated. For example, this method would expand a shape along a rotated plane by a defined distance from each vertex, along a direction in-or-out averaged by the perpendicularity of two lines in the desired plane of expansion (ignoring any other lines not in the plane).

Hierarchy Highlighting:

Right clicking a group or object in Hierarchy View could give that object or group a highlight color in the Hierarchy View, signalling some importance defined by the user as required.

Hierarchy Hide:

When a Hierarchy List becomes unmanageably long, selecting a large number of objects and groups for Hiding in the hierarchy list could make it easier to manage navigating the list. They should collapse into a "+" widget. Clicking that cancels the collapse. Collapsed lists are temporary and ignored by the Save and Save As commands.