2025 - Onscreen View Control

[Matt Overton]

On 8/15/2024 at 6:22 AM, Jeff Prince said:

 

It just further demonstrates how existing customers on this platform don't matter.  I don't want to support those social media platforms or be troubled trying to clean up my tracks afterwards.  I made the mistake of posting in the Facebook vectorworks group before.

Most existing customers don’t know these forums even exist and many have been put off by the old school nature of forums. So really why wouldn’t they hit media where the customer base is?

[Matt Overton]

Hopefully this is gearing up for a touch first version in the Vectorworks family of products?

 

[Jeff Prince]

7 minutes ago, Matt Overton said:

Hopefully this is gearing up for a touch first version in the Vectorworks family of products?

 

That would be nice.  Maybe one day it will run on an iPad.

 

17 minutes ago, Matt Overton said:

So really why wouldn’t they hit media where the customer base is?

My comment was more about why aren’t they posting the video here too?  They can pimp their stuff wherever they want, but to turn their back on this community is telling.

 

I can’t imagine many principles of firms or software purchasing decision makers bother following companies on social media, when most pay their junior staff to post/like/subscribe their company content.  It’s all become a deep cesspool of shallow minded content, for the most part.

 

Everything I see from young LAs seems Revit focused and is based on Architects influencing them.  You have people like this, who have no clue about practice,  pushing info like this:

https://land8.com/should-landscape-architects-really-make-the-switch-to-revit/

 

Sadly, influencer culture is probably going to ruin actual professional critical thought.  All the kids trying to generate side hustle income are becoming the “experts”.  And then they don’t even really practice the profession, they just become video makers once they have an audience.

[Pat Stanford]

14 minutes ago, Jeff Prince said:

My comment was more about why aren’t they posting the video here too?

For anyone who wants to see it it has been posted here too. Just scroll back to the first post in this thread.  

[Jeff Prince]

16 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

For anyone who wants to see it it has been posted here too. Just scroll back to the first post in this thread.  

ah, added after the fact.

[Elite Exhibits]

@Andy Broomell I modified my Workspace so oft used Tools / Items are single letter key strokes - or I have just memorized what VectorWorks indicates that Shift-C is  (... for example)

 

Piano playing leads one to also use two hand simultaneously with VectorWorks.

Moving the Mouse / Cursor to some part of the screen is akin to turning the page of the music, mid concerto. It is not at all possible to do with out a distinct break in the work flow.

 

 

Peter

 

[Elite Exhibits]

22 hours ago, Tom W. said:

That's a bit of a sweeping statement re the Component Edit dialog!! It might not serve a function in your workflow but it definitely does mine.

 

@Tom W. I am not against the Component Edit Dialog or how it aids your workflow ...

 

What has happened with VW is a series of additions that rear their ugly heads and only serve to complicate & aggravate. 

 

Unified View

Component Edit Dialog

and the classic Screen Plane / Layer Plane

 

 

     ...to name a few

 

While I assume that there is an Excellent Stair Tool in VW Architect or a functioning Stage Ramp Tool in Spotlight,  I am able to turn these off in my specific WorkSpace - They do not appear in our workflow when we least need interference. Some NEW items have created unwanted ramifications without a desirable benefit. The ability to turn them off when they are not used / needed is important. One only has to look in the Preferences to see what others may desire in their workflow while some do not. 

 

If VW keeps this train of thought

     (... a preference to Have or NOT Have is the key)

         then user customizable efficiency will continue to be a key feature of VW.

 

Peter

 

[Andy Broomell]

1 hour ago, Elite Exhibits said:

I modified my Workspace so oft used Tools / Items are single letter key strokes - or I have just memorized what VectorWorks indicates that Shift-C is  (... for example)

 

It sounds like you're still fully activating the Flyover tool, which in the absence of a 3-button mouse cannot be done in the middle of some other operation without interrupting that operation. For example, if you're in the middle of selected edges with the Fillet Edge tool, then need to rotate the view to selected other edges, hitting Shift+C will obliterate what you've already selected. With a mouse you can use Ctrl+MMB to flyover in the middle of using a tool, but as far as I'm aware there's no equivalent with trackpad only.

 

That's the point others are trying to make because the Onscreen View Control solves that quite elegantly. Plus I think it's a great interface for newer users to quickly get into navigating a 3D model. And if it anyone prefers to not use the new OVC, I'm sure you'll be able to turn it off 🙂

[Pat Stanford]

24 minutes ago, Andy Broomell said:

It sounds like you're still fully activating the Flyover tool, which in the absence of a 3-button mouse cannot be done in the middle of some other operation without interrupting that operation.

Actually it can be accomplished using the Boomerang Mode functionality.  In the middle of drawing, hold down the space bar and Boomerang mode will be activated with the Pan tool active.  Choose a different tool (like flyover tool) and use it as necessary while still holding the space bar. When you release the space bar you will be back in the middle of your previous operation.

 

But the dexterity to do this will takes far more piano playing skills than I have.

 

There are people who want to keep two hands on the keyboard at all times. And people who want one hand on the mouse and one on the keyboard. (and people who just want the brain implant to put what they are thinking on the screen). Both are OK and both will always be part of VW.

 

As I have said numerous times here, please don't think that they way you use VW is the correct way for anyone except you to use it.  Just because you don't need different layer scales (or layer scales at all) or viewports, or classes and layers, or top/plan does not mean that many/most of the users don't use them either. Ignore what you can and make suggestions to fix things that are deal killers to you, but please don't say anything that you don't use should be removed because the only reason it is there is because someone else thought it was necessary for their use.

 

My $0.02

[Andy Broomell]

4 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

Actually it can be accomplished using the Boomerang Mode functionality.  In the middle of drawing, hold down the space bar and Boomerang mode will be activated with the Pan tool active.  Choose a different tool (like flyover tool) and use it as necessary while still holding the space bar. When you release the space bar you will be back in the middle of your previous operation.

 

Fascinating... you're right! 

 

4 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

But the dexterity to do this will takes far more piano playing skills than I have.

 

Yep! 🤣

[Pat Stanford]

Boomerang mode has been part of the program since at least Minicad 5 in the early 90s.

 

I am a little surprises @Andy Broomell that you didn't know about it. But like so much of VW, discovery is part of the problem.

 

Extremely deep program. None of us know the whole thing. I am always amazed at how much I don't know. I am probably still using the capabilities of about VW8. But the newer parts that I do use are critical to what I do.

[Elite Exhibits]

@Pat Stanford Thanks ...

 

@Andy Broomell  I will agree that some of these abilities / features / short cuts are not front n center in the HELP and often come to light when you see someone else and go WTF ? How does that work ...

 

A recent reply from Tech Support indicated that the solution to my question was simple - though it was something that did not correlate to any other part of the VW interface, so why would I think that it would be a solution in this instance. Go figure ...

 

Peter 

[Kevin McAllister]

12 hours ago, Elite Exhibits said:

@Andy Broomell I modified my Workspace so oft used Tools / Items are single letter key strokes - or I have just memorized what VectorWorks indicates that Shift-C is  (... for example)

 

Piano playing leads one to also use two hand simultaneously with VectorWorks.

Moving the Mouse / Cursor to some part of the screen is akin to turning the page of the music, mid concerto. It is not at all possible to do with out a distinct break in the work flow.

 

 

Peter

 

 

So you're still switching to the Flyover tool and then back to another tool? Just using single key keyboard shortcuts.

My comment is about wanting a boomerang style switch to the Flyover tool without using a middle mouse button, so you can rotate the view without disturbing the current tool mode. Your method doesn't allow for maintaining selections within tools - eg. rotating to select additional edges when using the 3d fillet tool.

 

KM

[Kevin McAllister]

10 hours ago, Andy Broomell said:

 

It sounds like you're still fully activating the Flyover tool, which in the absence of a 3-button mouse cannot be done in the middle of some other operation without interrupting that operation. For example, if you're in the middle of selected edges with the Fillet Edge tool, then need to rotate the view to selected other edges, hitting Shift+C will obliterate what you've already selected. With a mouse you can use Ctrl+MMB to flyover in the middle of using a tool, but as far as I'm aware there's no equivalent with trackpad only.🙂

 

Ha I just used the same example and then saw your reply.....

KM