Proper 3d Cursor & Accessible Navigation

[Kevin McAllister]

I think its time VW had a proper 3d cursor with axis handles. We should be able to grab a handle and pull an object along a specific axis or pair of axes.

I would also like proper integrated 3d navigation like other 3d modellers. Right now VW navigation is all over the place (pan, flyover, translate, rotate view, walkthrough). They are all tools instead of integrated navigation. Also the boomerang shortcuts are fixed (I don't even have a middle mouse button so I have no way to invoke the flyover tool without choosing it in the toolbox). How about something modern and intuitive. All of the free modellers have even sorted this out.

There could be different automatic navigation modes depending upon whether you were in the design layers or sheet layers.

Kevin

[ray isaacs]

yes, yes, yes!

i'm trying to convince sketchup users in our office to use vectorworks as a "main base" for our projects. the 3d navigation makes them shake their heads and laugh.

ray

[AndiACD]

+another1

yes, yes, yes!

the 3d navigation makes them shake their heads and laugh.

ray

As Kevin says, Free CAD Apps seem to manage that much forward thinking . . . . .

In so many words.

Andrew

[Benson Shaw]

Good wish, Kevin! All of it.

+1

Please!

Vectorworks will not know which axis/plane you want to work with, so some modes or mouse jiggles or voice or key stroke constraints could add to the moment to moment control, eg normal to an obscured surface or edge, projected onto working plane, parallel to working plane by offset, etc. Include control for navigation, snapping and rubber banding from curved surfaces, etc.

Imagine a cursor which could help set out rails on the linked, banked turns of a roller coaster and then navigate the view through the ride.

There was also a recent post with an AI suggestion which could fit in here and elsewhere: Vectorworks could start learning the operator habits and support those (maybe my bad habits could be excluded from the learning curve)

-B

[AndiACD]

Benson i really like the learning user habits, particularly not the bad ones. Should also have an option to learn the bad habits you prefer though.

The Rails analogy is also just perfect. Something i've wanted for ever, again with the option to keep it flat if wished.

Great selection Benson.

[PVA - Admin]

The axes handles used by C4D spring to mind. Not only the ability to drag along X/Y/Z (as well as custom axes defined by the user) but the visual rotate "ring" handles would be very useful as well.

Found a good short demo of this logic here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMHK62WeCoY

Submitting now as two items, axis handle movement and ring axes 3d rotation.

(Looking into the 3d view handling now to see what the best suggestions to engineering would be.)

Edited November 26, 2013 by JimW

[Kevin McAllister]

Thanks Jim. C4D is a good reference.

Kevin