Added descriptions for each constraint type, including common usage

restrictions/limits to reduce confusion

1 files changed, 49 insertions, 27 deletions

diff --git a/source/blender/makesrna/intern/rna_constraint.c b/source/blender/makesrna/intern/rna_constraint.c
index 0bb3a8bbcff..4ced8326560 100644
--- a/source/blender/makesrna/intern/rna_constraint.c
+++ b/source/blender/makesrna/intern/rna_constraint.c
@@ -49,38 +49,60 @@ EnumPropertyItem constraint_type_items[] = {
 	{0, "", 0, N_("Motion Tracking"), ""},
 	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_CAMERASOLVER, "CAMERA_SOLVER", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Camera Solver", ""},
 	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_OBJECTSOLVER, "OBJECT_SOLVER", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Object Solver", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_FOLLOWTRACK, "FOLLOW_TRACK", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Follow Track", ""},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_FOLLOWTRACK,  "FOLLOW_TRACK", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Follow Track", ""},
 	{0, "", 0, N_("Transform"), ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_LOCLIKE, "COPY_LOCATION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Copy Location", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_ROTLIKE, "COPY_ROTATION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Copy Rotation", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SIZELIKE, "COPY_SCALE", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Copy Scale", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_TRANSLIKE, "COPY_TRANSFORMS", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Copy Transforms", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_DISTLIMIT, "LIMIT_DISTANCE", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Limit Distance", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_LOCLIMIT, "LIMIT_LOCATION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Limit Location", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_ROTLIMIT, "LIMIT_ROTATION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Limit Rotation", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SIZELIMIT, "LIMIT_SCALE", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Limit Scale", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SAMEVOL, "MAINTAIN_VOLUME", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Maintain Volume", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_TRANSFORM, "TRANSFORM", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Transformation", ""},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_LOCLIKE,   "COPY_LOCATION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Copy Location", 
+	                            "Copy the location of a target (with an optional offset), so that they move together"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_ROTLIKE,   "COPY_ROTATION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Copy Rotation", 
+	                            "Copy the rotation of a target (with an optional offset), so that they rotate together"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SIZELIKE,  "COPY_SCALE", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Copy Scale", 
+	                            "Copy the scale factors of a target (with an optional offset), so that they are scaled by the same amount"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_TRANSLIKE, "COPY_TRANSFORMS", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Copy Transforms", 
+	                            "Copy all the transformations of a target, so that they move together"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_DISTLIMIT, "LIMIT_DISTANCE", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Limit Distance", 
+	                            "Restrict movements to within a certain distance of a target (at the time of constraint evaluation only)"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_LOCLIMIT,  "LIMIT_LOCATION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Limit Location", 
+	                            "Restrict movement along each axis within given ranges"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_ROTLIMIT,  "LIMIT_ROTATION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Limit Rotation", 
+	                            "Restrict rotation along each axis within given ranges"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SIZELIMIT, "LIMIT_SCALE", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Limit Scale", 
+	                            "Restrict scaling along each axis with given ranges"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SAMEVOL,   "MAINTAIN_VOLUME", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Maintain Volume", 
+	                            "Compensate for scaling one axis by applying suitable scaling to the other two axes"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_TRANSFORM, "TRANSFORM", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Transformation", 
+	                            "Use one transform property from target to control another (or same) property on owner"},
 	{0, "", 0, N_("Tracking"), ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_CLAMPTO, "CLAMP_TO", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Clamp To", ""},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_CLAMPTO,   "CLAMP_TO", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Clamp To", 
+	                            "Restrict movements to lie along a curve by remapping location along curve's longest axis"},
 	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_DAMPTRACK, "DAMPED_TRACK", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Damped Track",
-	                            "Tracking by taking the shortest path"},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_KINEMATIC, "IK", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Inverse Kinematics", ""},
+	                            "Point towards a target by performing the smallest rotation necessary"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_KINEMATIC, "IK", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Inverse Kinematics", 
+	                            "Control a chain of bones by specifying the endpoint target (Bones only)"},
 	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_LOCKTRACK, "LOCKED_TRACK", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Locked Track",
-	                            "Tracking along a single axis"},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SPLINEIK, "SPLINE_IK", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Spline IK", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_STRETCHTO, "STRETCH_TO", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Stretch To", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_TRACKTO, "TRACK_TO", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Track To",
-	                          "Legacy tracking constraint prone to twisting artifacts"},
+	                            "Rotate around the specified ('locked') axis to point towards a target"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SPLINEIK,  "SPLINE_IK", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Spline IK", 
+	                            "Align chain of bones along a curve (Bones only)"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_STRETCHTO, "STRETCH_TO", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Stretch To", 
+	                            "Stretch along Y-Axis to point towards a target"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_TRACKTO,   "TRACK_TO", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Track To",
+	                            "Legacy tracking constraint prone to twisting artifacts"},
 	{0, "", 0, N_("Relationship"), ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_ACTION, "ACTION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Action", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_CHILDOF, "CHILD_OF", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Child Of", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_MINMAX, "FLOOR", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Floor", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_FOLLOWPATH, "FOLLOW_PATH", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Follow Path", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_PIVOT, "PIVOT", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Pivot", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_RIGIDBODYJOINT, "RIGID_BODY_JOINT", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Rigid Body Joint", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_PYTHON, "SCRIPT", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Script", ""},
-	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SHRINKWRAP, "SHRINKWRAP", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Shrinkwrap", ""},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_ACTION,     "ACTION", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Action", 
+	                             "Use transform property of target to look up pose for owner from an Action"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_CHILDOF,    "CHILD_OF", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Child Of", 
+	                             "Make target the 'detachable' parent of owner"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_MINMAX,     "FLOOR", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Floor", 
+	                             "Use position (and optionally rotation) of target to define a 'wall' or 'floor' that the owner can not cross"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_FOLLOWPATH, "FOLLOW_PATH", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Follow Path", 
+	                             "Use to animate an object/bone following a path"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_PIVOT,      "PIVOT", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Pivot", 
+	                             "Change pivot point for transforms (buggy)"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_RIGIDBODYJOINT, "RIGID_BODY_JOINT", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Rigid Body Joint", 
+	                                 "Use to define a Rigid Body Constraint (for Game Engine use only)"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_PYTHON,     "SCRIPT", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Script", 
+	                             "Custom constraint(s) written in Python (Not yet implemented)"},
+	{CONSTRAINT_TYPE_SHRINKWRAP, "SHRINKWRAP", ICON_CONSTRAINT_DATA, "Shrinkwrap", 
+	                             "Restrict movements to surface of target mesh"},
 	{0, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL}
 };