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Locus display user configurable


Art V

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It would be nice if there could be an option to control the display of a locus in both 2D and 3D.

AutoCAD and the dwg based likes have an option to control the display of a locus, e.g. as a point, a cross, a cross-hair with circle or rectangle etc.

Something similar would be useful in VW as well.

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Agreed, especially about fixed pixels sizes, it is ALWAYS the incorrect UI choice these days.

Submitting requests for:

1) Locus display types - Point, cross, X, boxed cross, boxed x, sphere.

2) Locus display size control. - Similar to Smartcursor size controls

3) Locus affected by zoom level - I would think this would go next to Zoom Line Thickness.

(A new hire in a meeting here asked once why we still had the locus tools and proposed we should remove them. You should have heard the booing and seen the thrown objects, good times.)

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

The only reasons that hasn't happened yet are purely technical backend things. I'm pretty sure this is going to happen eventually, there are just a lot of tools that would need tweaking to adapt to this, like Sweeps and other geometry/plugins that use loci internally.

But no, this guy was convinced that "Snap to Grid" was a fine substitute for loci. I corrected him, with a stick.

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But no, this guy was convinced that "Snap to Grid" was a fine substitute for loci. I corrected him, with a stick.

Good to hear you put this grid aficionado back in the doghouse :)

More seriously now, if there is going to be a combined 2D/3D locus I hope it will be possible to have an option to always show some loci and hide the rest in non-wireframe view.

Currently we have the option to not show 3D loci in anything other than wireframe. But in case of critical reference loci I can use the 2D locus to keep visible in non-wireframe mode as well whereas 3D loci can be hidden in non-wireframe view.

(yes I could use two classes for this but would rather avoid that)

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Its possible that something like an "Override Loci Visibility" checkbox in the Object Info Palette of the Loci could be added, though that seems like it could get cumbersome to manage very quickly. I'll add a few notes to the case and see if something sleeker can be devised that still keeps users from having to juggle multiple classes.

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Don't worry, it'll stay. I think the best way to address things being disabled permanently would be improvements to our template and Migration Manager systems, so that for a given user an item could be turned off "permanently" without the need to alter defaults on settings that some users love and some hate.

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Its possible that something like an "Override Loci Visibility" checkbox in the Object Info Palette of the Loci could be added, though that seems like it could get cumbersome to manage very quickly. I'll add a few notes to the case and see if something sleeker can be devised that still keeps users from having to juggle multiple classes.

Well... in my case this type of use of reference loci for which I would like to control visibility vs the common loci is only for really critical points that should be marked and visible at all times as these server as reference for setting out things.

So a solution that could avoid adding at least two more classes to the mix would be nice. The current visibility option for 3D loci (only wireframe or not) is too coarse for practical purposes.

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I've never understood why loci visibility was separated out. Why couldn't they be automatically placed into a loci class unless the user specified otherwise. Then you turn the loci class on and off.

Now being able to set whether they're seen in different render setting I get. But that should be a preference under each render mode, not a universal preference. Makes way more sense this way.

KM

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

I think it's just because that tool/UI is an extremely old one, most likely with the changes that lead up to full multicore/GPU utilization etc it will be revisited. Part of the reason loci show as a set pixel size is because its still firmly rooted in the old Core graphics system, so one way or another it will be changed.

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Kevin, I agree with you regarding visibility setting per render mode instead of just a choice between wireframe-only or all modes.

Jim thanks for the explanation of why the locus is as it is, let's hope the transition to the new graphics system will be completed soon (i.e. no later than VW2018) as based on this and other topics it could potentially solve multiple issues.

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