Translate tool confusion

I frequently find that when I select the translate tool SU displays the protractor from the rotate tool? I often have to switch back and forth between some tools to get the translate tool to work as expected. Also when using the rotate tool and selecting a specific axis SU infers some axis other than the one I chose.

the move tool, when you hover on the small red crosses, will allow you to rotate instead of just moving.

in the web and the pro versions you can turn this off. @Danimaupin can we turn it off on an ipad as well ?

Yes…

I will admit to being confused about what the OP is asking though? Does this satisfy that?

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I think so, for the first part. Because a translation is also a lateral movement. it’s probably latin, we use it that way in french
(I always found the movie “lost in translation” weirdly titled because of that)

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I wasn’t asking to do anything, but complaining about behavior I did not understand. Now I know about the “Show Move Tool rotation grips” option. However, it’s not clear when the rotation grips appear. What are the prerequisites? If I create a new document and a new rectangle, select the rectangle, and select the translate/move tool, the rotation grips (red crosses) and the protractor do not appear no matter where I hover on the rectangle. But in another document every time I select a component, then the translate tool, the rotation grips appear.

I’m probably going to turn this feature off because I rarely rotate anything around its center and I find this feature’s presence confusing.

They appear on groups and components.

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Yes, translate is a valid term, but in SketchUp the tool is called the Move Tool, so using that term will allow others to understand your questions.

As was pointed out above, the rotate handles appear when using the move tool on groups and components only, not on raw geometry. If you are not working with groups and components you should research and understand these, they are crucial for working successfully in any version of SketchUp.

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Another thing about them is if you have multiple groups selected individually, then the rotate handles will allow you to rotate all the selected groups at once, which use a lot.

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Assuming for some reason grouping those groups is not desirable… I’ve been aggressively creating and nesting components and groups.

For me the rotation grips often interfere in selecting the point I want to use to specify my translation and the protractors that appear are a visual distraction. If this were a feature I was using I’d probably be complaining that it doesn’t also work on basic geometries.

It is what it is, and isn’t for me at this time. I can see the rotation grips would be useful for folk doing conceptual design.

And why is that??

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That’s actually why the toggle on/off in the options was added. There was a debate between use cases as to how annoying it was. They actually had it removed for a few builds, and the opposite camp came out loud and clear.

I think the toggle was the best solution and there could actually be a few more toggles for other tools as well.

:slightly_smiling_face:

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