How to model a square (starting with one vertex)?

Question

I have a simple question. What is the easiest way to model a perfect square starting with one vertex and just extruding that vertex around ?

Thanks @Old Man... so simple question but with so many things to think about it : ) — lemon, Jun 07 '16 at 19:20

score 9 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 07 '16 at 19:04

9

Or : Presuming the first vertex is selected :

E X 1 Extrude along X axis 1 unit

A A Double A, to first deselect the extruded vertex, but A again to select them all

E Y 1 Now extrude both two precedent vertices to make the square

edited Jun 07 '16 at 19:04

answered Jun 07 '16 at 09:06

lemon

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score 7 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 07 '16 at 09:09

7

while in edit mode:

With the vertex selected: "snap cursor to selected" using the menus or keyboard shortcuts Shift+S followed by U
add mesh (Shift+A) -> Plane -> Adjust properties using F6

answered Jun 07 '16 at 09:09

zeffii

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by far the best. simply add a plane! – X-27 is done with the network Jun 07 '16 at 17:50
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well i agree @X-27 and not... the question was about 'extruding' and about a quick way to make a square (few key strokes) – lemon Jun 07 '16 at 19:18
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it seemed the obvious method was missing :) who cares how a geometric shape is created, i didn't read ' extrude ' as being the important element of the question. – zeffii Jun 07 '16 at 21:16
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@zeffii agree with your comment – Jun 07 '16 at 22:02
So... the shortest way may be to have add a short cut on the add plane menu, so that you can add a plane in one unique key. – lemon Jun 08 '16 at 05:09
@lemon then I would point to a Question that covers adding shortcuts, like this one – zeffii Jun 08 '16 at 05:27

score 3 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 07 '16 at 19:05

3

Presuming the first vertex is selected (in edit mode) :

Alt+R Spins the selected vertices around the 3D cursor

Set : steps = 3, angle = 270 These parameters set the amount of spined vertices (3) and the angle we want = 3 * (360 / 4)... 3 because 3 = 4 minus 1

A A F Deselects the last (A), selects all (A again) and faces them all (F)

This method is better than the other answer (in my opinion), because you set the 3 and 270 parameters once and after that you can repeat Alt+R A A F as you want.

Also, you can make triangles, hexagons, etc... with it (just modify the steps and angle value)

edited Jun 07 '16 at 19:05

answered Jun 07 '16 at 08:54

lemon

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DV'd for same reason as your other answer. – TARDIS Maker Jun 07 '16 at 17:34
@lemon when you edit your post there is no need to leave redundant information – Jun 07 '16 at 19:10
Yes, but sometimes people does not understand the difference between the first post and the edited one (this gave me some negative appreciation sometimes)... so the thread is hard to follow... but concerning "the pure information" i agree with you – lemon Jun 07 '16 at 19:13
For instance.. "as a proof".. your edited answer can not be understood when you read the comments... – lemon Jun 07 '16 at 19:34
@lemon It's easy enough to click on the edited X hours ago to see the revisions. Keep in mind that SE is very different from a forum. All the information is in the answer, no the comments. If someone points out something in the comments that's relevant, it can be added to the answer easily enough. – TARDIS Maker Jun 07 '16 at 21:46

josh sanfelici · Answer 4 · 2016-06-08T10:09:36.693

-1

E X 1

E Z 1

E X -1

Select two vertices F

OK, we are in edit mode with a single vertex selected;

E is for extrude the vertex, X is for constraint the extrusion only on the X axis, 1 is for the amount of the extrusion (1 Blender Unit), then press Enter to confirm the extrusion. The same approach can be used for the others two vertices. Then you can select the two unconnected vertices and press F to close the quad, or select all vertices and press F to make also the face of the quad. Anyway, be aware that Blender is not intended to create precision geometry, as CAD systems do.

edited Jun 08 '16 at 10:09

answered Jun 07 '16 at 08:51

josh sanfelici

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Could you give more info as to what this does? I have the same issue with this one as I do with @lemon's. – TARDIS Maker Jun 07 '16 at 17:31
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sorry but TARDISMaker and cegaton, Josh answer is perfectly correct as the question is from @OId Man who is not a novice. Also, anyone (even a novice) can reproduce the key strokes steps to see and understand what is happening, step by step. But I may be wrong.. ? – lemon Jun 07 '16 at 19:32
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@lemon BSE isn't just a place to get questions answered. It's a library of answers. So how it's supposed to work, is that someone as the same issue, they google it, and they find the answer here. Also, we UV and DV answers based only on how accurate the information is, we also take into account the quality of how it's presented. Nine hotkeys in a grid isn't very easy to understand, and it could be very confusing to newer users. – TARDIS Maker Jun 07 '16 at 21:44
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I appreciate your answer but I also agree with @tardis maker. Stack Exchange is great because people are willing to explain things in great detail – Jun 07 '16 at 22:06
I agree with Lemon, Blender is so complex that every user has a different degree of comprehension of its behaviour, lots of Stack Exchange answers are difficult to understand even for me, but I cannot ask everybody to fully explain every step of their answers; anyway, I updated my answer! – josh sanfelici Jun 08 '16 at 10:13
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@joshsanfelici why can't you ask folks to explain what you don't understand? Isn't that the sole purpose of the stack exchange? Help us make the site better by asking for clarifications. – Jun 08 '16 at 15:39

How to model a square (starting with one vertex)?

4 Answers4