Selection Tool: does anyone actually use first two modes...?

[Tom W.]

Does anyone actually use 'Disabled Interactive Scaling Mode' or 'Single Object Interactive Scaling Mode' for the Selection Tool? Up until Update 4 I never strayed from the third mode ('Unrestricted Interactive Scaling Mode') so it was never an issue for me: I just completely ignored the first two modes. But now we have the wonderful fourth mode - 'Transform Mode' - I am regularly toggling between the third + fourth modes. Or rather, toggling between the third + fourth modes via the redundant first + second modes... What I would really like to be doing is toggling back + forth between 'Unrestricted Interactive Scaling Mode' + 'Transform Mode' with a single click.

 

I was going to post a Wish about this but thought I'd better check first: does anyone actually use the first two modes or could they happily be relegated somewhere else...?

 

Another option might be to hold down the Option key to activate the fourth mode temporarily...

 

I would like to move between the 3rd + 4th modes far more quickly + easily than is currently the case.

[Tobias Kern]

Hi,

 

I think best would be to separate the "Transform Mode" from the U-Key-Modes

and offer a new key to activate "Transform Mode".

 

… and I never used 1st and 2nd mode.

 

Greetings and Happy Easter

Tobi

[E|FA]

I have only ever used the second mode, so I don't even know if I should try the 3rd mode.  And I haven't looked at the new fourth mode yet.  

 

I think a better Wishlist request would be a way to toggle backwards between the UIO[] toggle modes throughout the interface.  This would give you a quick way to get between 3rd & 4th modes.  Maybe a Shift-U to toggle backwards?

 

I've just been spending a lot of time jumping between 2 of the 7 Reshape tool modes, and going backwards would save time and irritation.

 

[Tom W.]

14 minutes ago, E|FA said:

I think a better Wishlist request would be a way to toggle backwards between the UIO[] toggle modes throughout the interface.

 

I have long thought this too. I've been using Smart Options Display instead for Reshape Tool + Move by Points as it's quicker than cycling through all the modes using the U key, especially since it got a bit snappier in VW2024 (although perhaps I imagined that...).

 

But I kind of feel the Selection Tool is a special case. Modes 3 + 4 should be in their own mode group with holding down the Option key activating the opposite one like the Eyedropper Tool, or mode 4 should be in a mode of its own like Tobi says. The other tools I use all of the modes more or less equally whereas the Selection Tool feels like it has redundant modes that could be relegated somewhere else.

[Eric Nickerson]

I regularly toggle between the 1st and 2nd mode and never use the 3rd mode. It's funny how everyone gets used to different stuff. In 2023 and previous I would use my hotkey to go from 1 to 2 then hit the hotkey twice to skip past 3 and back to 1. Now in 2024 I am struggling a bit with mode 4. If I want to get back to mode 1 by hitting the hotkey past 4 the widget stays on when I get back to 1. I'm not sure if this is ok yet as I am still getting used to the widget. I do rather like mode 4.

 

I think I would like mode 4 to be it's own toggle separate from the first mode group.

 

Mode group 1: interactive scaling

Mode group 2: Marquee

Mode group 3: Transform mode (by itself - on or off)

Mode group 4: Translate/reposition

Mode group 5: Object/working plane

[Tom W.]

10 hours ago, Eric Nickerson said:

I regularly toggle between the 1st and 2nd mode and never use the 3rd mode. It's funny how everyone gets used to different stuff. In 2023 and previous I would use my hotkey to go from 1 to 2 then hit the hotkey twice to skip past 3 and back to 1. Now in 2024 I am struggling a bit with mode 4. If I want to get back to mode 1 by hitting the hotkey past 4 the widget stays on when I get back to 1. I'm not sure if this is ok yet as I am still getting used to the widget. I do rather like mode 4.

 

I think I would like mode 4 to be it's own toggle separate from the first mode group.

 

Mode group 1: interactive scaling

Mode group 2: Marquee

Mode group 3: Transform mode (by itself - on or off)

Mode group 4: Translate/reposition

Mode group 5: Object/working plane

 

I get where you're coming from but I'm not sure how this would work. If the three Interactive modes formed Mode Group 1 then one of those modes would need to be active at any one time. If Transform Mode was in a mode group all of its' own, would activating it (by hitting the O key) automatically disable Mode Group 1...?

 

That's why I was kind of thinking that Mode Group 1 should have two modes: Interactive (mode 1) + Transform (mode 2) with the U key toggling between them. In mode one (Interactive) you'd have access to the sub-modes relative to that mode e.g. 'Disabled Interactive Scaling Mode' or 'Single Object Interactive Scaling Mode'. And in mode two ('Transform') you'd have access to the sub-modes relative to that mode e.g. 'Translate + Rotate Mode', 'Re-position Mode', 'Align to Object' + 'Align to Working Plane'.

 

Hmm...

 

Thanks for the feedback/ideas! 

[Pat Stanford]

I use all the modes on a fairly regular basis.

 

I use the first mode when I know I am moving things and don't want to accidentally change their size.

 

I normally us the second mode for regular drawing.

 

I switch to the third mode when I occasionally realize that I need to resize multiple objects at once.

 

And I have not gotten into the habit of using the new 4th mode yet.  Maybe on the next project.

[EAlexander]

I use the first two modes the most and rarely use the third. How can you not accidentally resize things all the time? It's true, we all use the tools differently. 

 

I reset the Tilde hotkey to let me scroll through the options. Been doing that for so many years, don't even think about it anymore. 

 

Don't you dare suggest they kill those modes... I already lost screen plane amd I'm still angry about it 😂

[Tom W.]

5 minutes ago, EAlexander said:

I use the first two modes the most and rarely use the third. How can you not accidentally resize things all the time? It's true, we all use the tools differently. 

 

I reset the Tilde hotkey to let me scroll through the options. Been doing that for so many years, don't even think about it anymore. 

 

Don't you dare suggest they kill those modes... I already lost screen plane amd I'm still angry about it 😂

 

Ha ha ok! This was why I thought I'd post a discussion about it rather than charging straight in with a Wishlist item. But if the mode groups were split between Interactive + Transform would that compromise the way you (or Pat) work at all? All the options would still be there, just rearranged slightly. If you are not using Transform mode at all it may even be an improvement for you as would reduce the amount of clicks when cycling through the modes.

 

I have literally NEVER used the first two modes + have never accidentally resized an object when moving it! 🤷‍♂️ I do use Move by Points a lot though...

 

Thanks for the feedback.

[zoomer]

17 hours ago, Tom W. said:

Does anyone actually use 'Disabled Interactive Scaling Mode' or 'Single Object Interactive Scaling Mode' for the Selection Tool?

 

 

I do no more remember what the reasons was but at some early point of my

VW career I decided that Selection Mode 3 is not good for me and since

years, I only use Mode 2 !

 

I think it may have to do that the extra snap markers were disturbing,

unreliable or not consistent between object types.

And that it my lead to accidental geometry edits, when I usually just want

to move or resize things in a basic way.

 

And when I do need more complex edit options,

I double click on the object and use Modify Tool anyway.

 

But the last years,

Selection Tool in Mode 2 did everything I expect from a Select/Move/Drag Tool.

I never missed something.

[Tom W.]

4 minutes ago, zoomer said:

 

 

I do no more remember what the reasons was but at some early point of my

VW career I decided that Selection Mode 3 is not good for me and since

years, I only use Mode 2 !

 

I think it may have to do that the extra snap markers were disturbing,

unreliable or not consistent between object types.

And that it my lead to accidental geometry edits, when I usually just want

to move or resize things in a basic way.

 

And when I do need more complex edit options,

I double click on the object and use Modify Tool anyway.

 

But the last years,

Selection Tool in Mode 2 did everything I expect from a Select/Move/Drag Tool.

I never missed something.

 

Is the only advantage of using the second mode over the third mode that if you want to move multiple selected objects by dragging them you don't run the risk of resizing them by accident? For me, I regularly want to resize multiple objects at the same time so the benefit of having the third mode permanently active outweighs the risk of resizing them by mistake when I actually want to move them since this never seems to happen to me anyway!

 

But like I say, separating the Interactive + Transform modes in to two separate mode groups should affect any of these workflows, just make it a lot easier to toggle between interactive + transform quickly...

 

The main takeaway so far is that not many people seem to be using Transform mode yet so perhaps my question doesn't really affect them...? If you @zoomer only currently use mode 2 + start using mode 4 as well then at least toggling between the two modes only involved a double U tap each time. For me using mode 3 + mode 4 means a single tap once + a triple tap the second time...

[zoomer]

5 minutes ago, Tom W. said:

Is the only advantage of using the second mode over the third mode that if you want to move multiple selected objects by dragging them you don't run the risk of resizing them by accident?

 

I would have to test that all again.

I don't even really know what Mode 1 or 3 can do or are meant for.

 

What I do is usually to move or copy 1 or more things and I may resize (move an edge) of a single

rectangle, extend a Wall or other PIO.

 

For everything complex multi object editing I use the Modify Tool.

Like editing multiple DTM source polygons at a time, or editing Slab boundaries and such.

 

 

Maybe I just don't do any sophisticated things in VW 😉

[Tom W.]

26 minutes ago, zoomer said:

For everything complex multi object editing I use the Modify Tool.

 

Do you mean the Reshape Tool? Yes, I use this most times as well for resizing/reshaping things.

[zoomer]

1 minute ago, Tom W. said:

Do you mean the Reshape Tool? Yes, I use this most times as well for resizing/reshaping things.

 

Oh, yes. Reshape Tool.

The call it "Modifizieren Werkzeug" on the german forum ....

[E|FA]

5 hours ago, Tom W. said:

Do you mean the Reshape Tool?

I use the Scale Objects command if I need to resize multiple objects, which mostly happens if a DWG file is imported at the wrong scale.  

[Christiaan]

On 3/29/2024 at 6:16 AM, Tom W. said:

Does anyone actually use 'Disabled Interactive Scaling Mode' or 'Single Object Interactive Scaling Mode' for the Selection Tool?

Not me.