Rotate and duplicate (with modifier key held)

[Intuos5]

When I use the rotate widget, I cannot duplicate the object I am dragging with any of the modifier keys. Please add this option, because hitting duplicate before rotating an object kills the flow for me.

[GarryP]

An interesting suggestion.

Would the keyboard modifier work only when using the rotation handle or would it also work when rotating via the corner handles?

Which keyboard modifier would you like to use to duplicate while rotating? (Shift is already used to constrain the rotations angle.) And if not the one which already works with drag-duplication – Ctrl on Windows – why not?

Would this modifier work in conjunction with – or further modify the functionality of – the existing RightMouse modifier in some way, or not?

Also, do you think that this modifier-key-duplication should also work with the shearing functionality?

And, if so, what would happen to the way the existing modifier keys work with that (e.g. Ctrl+Shear shears both sides the same)?

Like I said, I think it’s an interesting suggestion, but I think it needs some more ‘meat on the bones’, so to speak.

[Intuos5]

24 minutes ago, GarryP said:

An interesting suggestion.

Would the keyboard modifier work only when using the rotation handle or would it also work when rotating via the corner handles?

It should work for both. Basically, whenever you invoke a rotation, you should also be able to duplicate the object.

25 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Which keyboard modifier would you like to use to duplicate while rotating? (Shift is already used to constrain the rotations angle.) And if not the one which already works with drag-duplication – Ctrl on Windows – why not?

I prefer Alt for that, coming from Adobe. But for some reason Serif decided to use Ctrl instead and goes against the convention.

27 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Would this modifier work in conjunction with – or further modify the functionality of – the existing RightMouse modifier in some way, or not?

I don't think I understand what you mean with Right Mouse modifier.

28 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Also, do you think that this modifier-key-duplication should also work with the shearing functionality?

And, if so, what would happen to the way the existing modifier keys work with that (e.g. Ctrl+Shear shears both sides the same)?

No I don't think you need to copy an object when shearing. For rotation, the purpose is clear: to create radial duplicates of an object, either from the transform centres (in the transform panel) or from a custom object origin. With shear, the object remains in place and therefore it won't be (as) useful as for rotation (e.g. think of it as being able to create sun rays around a circle). What would your use-case be for shear?

[GarryP]

15 minutes ago, Intuos5 said:

It should work for both.

I agree – it makes sense to make it available for both – just thought I’d check.

16 minutes ago, Intuos5 said:

But for some reason Serif decided to use Ctrl

Ctrl seems perfectly reasonable as that’s normal for the Affinity suite – again, just thought I’d check.

16 minutes ago, Intuos5 said:

I don't think I understand what you mean with Right Mouse modifier.

On Windows – I don’t know about MacOS – you can hold the right mouse button down while dragging to make the rotation occur at the opposite corner of the shape to that which you started dragging from.

16 minutes ago, Intuos5 said:

What would your use-case be for shear?

I had no particular workflow in mind when I asked the question.
It just seemed a reasonable thing to ask as:
(A) if a modifier key were to be introduced to duplicate while shearing, it might conflict with an existing modifier;
(B) someone else might want it.
Maybe someone else can think of a good use for it.

I wonder if duplicating while rotating might, perhaps, complicate something like power duplicate? I don’t have any proof that it will, but it’s something worth thinking about.

All-in-all, I think being able to duplicate while rotating would be a useful thing to have, as long as it doesn’t adversely affect something else.

[Intuos5]

It's standard functionality in Illustrator and from experience, I can tell, if it is implemented like I suggested, there wouldn't be any conflicts.

[Seizmic]

A variety of patterning options would be ideal.

EDIT: Could this not be done with "power duplicate" if we could simply select a new origin for the center of rotation before applying the function?