Elongator Tool

Lengthen or shorten a component or group along one of its axes without distorting it: the geometry is cut by a plane and only the part beyond the plane is moved.

How It Works

1. Hover a component or group (or select it before launching the tool to work on it only)
2. Hover a face of its bounding box: the handle (cube) at the center of the face and the cutting plane are displayed
3. Click to start stretching, then move the mouse along the axis or type the new dimension
4. Click (or press Enter after typing) to apply

Moving the Cutting Plane

• In 1-cut "from edge" mode, three cutting planes (one per axis) are displayed on the instance
• Click a plane, move the mouse and click again to place it; or click-and-drag, then release
• Placement follows inferences: snap to an edge or vertex to cut exactly where you want
• The most opaque plane is the one used for the stretch
• Near the face handle, the handle takes priority (it turns red)

Keyboard Controls

• Ctrl (Option on Mac) = Toggle between "from edge" and "from center" modes
• Alt (Cmd on Mac) = Toggle between 1 cut and 2 cuts
• Input field = Before clicking: number of cuts (1 or 2); after clicking: new final dimension
• Esc = Cancel the operation

Tips

• "From edge" mode: the opposite face stays in place, the object stretches on one side only
• "From center" mode: the object stretches symmetrically on both sides
• 2-cut mode: the object is cut at one third and two thirds, ideal to preserve both ends (frames, moldings…)
• In 2-cut or "from center" mode, the cut stays at the center of the object
• Other instances of the same component are previewed and modified too
• Locked elements are ignored
• A handle hidden by geometry is shown as a small icon
• Preserves details, unlike the Scale tool