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MidPoint Cursor

What is it?

The MidPoint Cursor tool places the 3D cursor at the midpoint between opposing faces with interactive rotation control. It's perfect for finding the center of objects, creating symmetrical models, or positioning objects precisely in the middle of spaces. The tool works by raycasting from a selected face to find the opposite face, then placing the cursor halfway between them.

Access and Shortcuts

  • Pie Menu: Utilities > MidPoint Cursor
  • Operator: damtools.midpoint_cursor
  • Modal keys:
  • Phase 1 (Face Selection):
    • Click → Select face to start raycast
    • ESC/Right Click → Cancel
  • Phase 2 (Rotation Adjustment):
    • X/Y/Z → Select rotation axis
    • Mouse → Rotate around selected axis
    • Shift + Mouse → Snap to 5° increments
    • Ctrl + Mouse → Snap to 30° increments
    • Alt + Mouse → Snap to 45° increments
    • Space/Enter → Confirm cursor placement
    • ESC/Right Click → Cancel

Workflow

Basic Steps

  1. Activate MidPoint Cursor
  2. Hover over faces to see highlighting
  3. Click on a face to start the raycast
  4. If an opposing face is found (within 10 units), the cursor is placed at the midpoint
  5. Use X/Y/Z keys to select an axis for rotation
  6. Move mouse to rotate the cursor around the selected axis
  7. Use modifier keys for angle snapping
  8. Press Space or Enter to confirm

Rotation Control

  1. After midpoint is found, the tool enters rotation mode
  2. Press X, Y, or Z to select the axis to rotate around
  3. Move mouse horizontally to rotate around the selected axis
  4. Hold Shift for 5° snapping
  5. Hold Ctrl for 30° snapping
  6. Hold Alt for 45° snapping
  7. Press Space or Enter to confirm the final cursor position and rotation

Parameters

  • Face Selection: Which face to raycast from
  • Any mesh face in object mode
  • Highlighted in green when hovering
  • Raycast Distance: Maximum distance to find opposing face
  • Fixed at 10 Blender units
  • Cursor Rotation: Interactive control of cursor orientation
  • X, Y, Z axes with color-coded gizmo
  • Angle snapping options (5°, 30°, 45°)
  • Visual feedback with rotation rings

Tips

  • Perfect for finding centers of symmetrical objects
  • Great for positioning objects in the middle of spaces
  • Use with Origin to 3D Cursor to center objects
  • Works best with relatively flat, opposing faces
  • The colored rotation gizmo makes it easy to visualize the cursor orientation
  • Use angle snapping for precise alignments
  • Combine with other cursor-based tools for complex positioning workflows
  • Works in both orthographic and perspective views

Known Limitations

  • Only works in object mode
  • Maximum raycast distance is fixed at 10 units
  • Requires mesh objects with faces
  • May have issues with complex geometry or non-manifold meshes
  • Raycast is always perpendicular to the selected face
  • Cannot adjust the midpoint position directly (only rotation)
  • Works best with relatively flat faces

See Also