Click drag drawing on?

[Bruce Kieffer]

I feel like I'm the only person who uses Click drag drawing... Anyone else use it? I think there's less clicking using that setting. Is there some advantage to having it off?

[Diamond]

Don't believe the naysayers. Much quicker. Although many users find it hard. Just a mind body co-ordination issue. When doing tutorials I have to constantly remember that most don't use "Click Drag". Since it isn't the default, it isn't used.

For power-users "Click Drag" all the way.

[Bruce Kieffer]

When doing tutorials I have to constantly remember that most don't use "Click Drag". Since it isn't the default, it isn't used.

Exactly why I asked. I was going through a tutorial, and I things didn't jive!

[Pat Stanford]

One thing you can't do using click-drag is take your hand off the mouse to figure out where you want to click next.

With Click-Click you can start a line or poly, take your hand off the mouse to flip pages in a book (or drink you coffee) and then go back and continue.

Since you are effectively using click-click any time you are drawing a poly, it can actually be inconsistant to use click-drag for items that take two points.

It is a preference because click-drag is the way the earliest Mac apps (MacDraw, MacPaint) worked.

Use as you see fit, but I would suggest that you try both and see which works better for you.

[Diamond]

Thanks Pat. Can see the pluses for both.

My whole VW setup (including my workspaces) is about shaving off seconds whilst getting around the screen, which hopefully amounts to days over the period of a year. "Click Drag" is an integral part of that process.

[Pat Stanford]

If it works for you then great. It does not work for me at all any more.

I have found in the classes that I teach, it is always the most basic, most confused, slowest students who are the ones using click-drag. So I always show them the difference between the two options and let them choose for themselves.

[MullinRJ]

it is always the most basic, most confused, slowest students who are the ones using click-drag.

Well I guess I'm never going to take any of your courses :-P

Raymond (Tongue in cheek, all the way)

[VincentCuclair]

One thing you can't do using click-drag is take your hand off the mouse to figure out where you want to click next.

With Click-Click you can start a line or poly, take your hand off the mouse to flip pages in a book (or drink you coffee) and then go back and continue.

Or type coordinates on the number-/keypad.....!

[Bob Holtzmann]

My impression of click-drag drawing is it emulates the pencil for drawing. It seems to work well with the pen tablet, for drawing lines and polys, in a more preliminary sketchpad-like function.

[bc]

I find click-drag more tiring on my hand and do not see the time savings.

Using chopsticks was also tiring until I got used to it.

So I am willing to give it a try but before I do could someone give an example or two of how time is saved using click-drag?

Thanks

Edited May 31, 2011 by bc

[Matt Panzer]

I never use Click-drag mode. WAY back, there was a time that VW (MiniCAD, back then) required you to keep the mouse button down while typing in a distance in the data bar (even in Click-Click mode). I developed RSI in the extenders in my right hand. I later bought a kensington 5-button mouse and programed one of the buttons to a Click-Hold. This relieved my RSI a GREAT deal. NV later fixed VW so users could let go of the mouse to type in the data bar. So my opinion is that clicking and holding a mouse button longer than you have to creates more stress on your hand than clicking twice. Just my experience...

[bc]

My conclusion as well.

[Bruce Kieffer]

Maybe my mouse has a lighter touch. I don't notice any effort click-dragging. I have a Wacom Intuos2 and their 4d mouse. I did try (again) to work this morning with click-drag off, and OMG, I was going nuts with all the clicking required, back to click-drag.

[James Russell]

Seems like every second post here is the inverse feeling of the previous. Click and release all the way!

The amount of times I start drawing a shape from an edge or corner and then completely forget where it's going, pull out the plan, check a number, hover over a few smart points and then click. I can't imagine holding!

I guess it's evidently clear from above that both styles are in frequent use, better keep them both up.

J

[Jonathan Pickup]

an option would be to set a quick preference so you can change as often as you want.

Edited June 1, 2011 by Jonathan Pickup

[Matt Panzer]

Seems to me that users are married to one or the other. It's one of those "set it and forget it" prefs for me.

[Diamond]

Wow, this thread has brought out all the 'heavies'. I assumed that the more experienced users would be using 'Click Drag'. Clearly I was mistaken.

To cure any RSI I was suffering, I have found that repositioning my seating arrangement and monitor height has worked wonders. My keyboard was generally too high in relation to my elbow. By raising my chair height relative to my desk, raising the height of my monitor (eye height about 1/4 to 1/3 down from the top of my screen), and making sure my knees are slightly lower than my hips has reduced repetitive stress pain greatly and greatly improved my posture. Making myself sit correctly hurt a little for the first weeks but now that my core muscles have strengthened RSI now seems like a non-issue for me.

[Matt Panzer]

Very good advice Diamond. I have made many similar changes and they have helped, but any task that involves holding the mouse button down has a noticeable effect on my hand.

[Diamond]

Okay. You have me intrigued. Will give it a go and see if I notice any further hand/arm improvements.

[mike m oz]

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is another risk with the click-drag drawing method.

[Bruce Kieffer]

Okay. You have me intrigued. Will give it a go and see if I notice any further hand/arm improvements.

Please let us know how your "give it a go" goes. I'll be curious to learn if you can adjust to twice as many clicks.

[mar schrammeyer]

to me it only seems to make a difference with the line tool, walls, polygons all behave in click-click mode whatever the prefs setting?

Edited June 3, 2011 by mar schrammeyer

[Bruce Kieffer]

Huge advantage (my opinion) with click-drag and the zoom tools.

[AndiACD]

This one's really got my curiosity. Like many seem to have been users since MiniCAD, i too have stuck with Click-Drag. Never even bothered to assess the other option, but i think it's time to give it a go. My right index has fallen foul to holding for too many years.

Bruce, i have the same Wacom set up, and it just feels right, so we'll see if switching it off brings a different result for me. i hate excessive clicks too, that's why i love shortcuts.

i think my problem will be remembering to let go of the button . . . .

[Bruce Kieffer]

i think my problem will be remembering to let go of the button . . . .

Exactly!

I started this thread because I thought I was the only one out here who still click-drags. I think the count is more like 50/50. I do believe that mouse settings and tracking behaviors have a huge impact on one's choice to click-drag or click click. If I didn't use the Wacom mouse, it would probably be a different story for me.