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Remove the Prefix "Renderworks" from Backgrounds, Textures, (and Styles) Catagories


Tom Klaber

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The resource browser categories are listed alphabetically - but 3 categories have the pre-word "Renderworks" - why?  Its been years and it still takes me 4 extra seconds to find what I am looking for.  It should just be "Textures," "Backgrounds," "Render Styles" 

 

Since it is included in the base package - no need to promote Renderworks as a sperate thing.  

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3 minutes ago, Tom Klaber said:

Since it is included in the base package - no need to promote Renderworks as a sperate thing.  


Agreed. I also want to just roll the Final Quality and Fast Renderworks into the Renderworks Style system. Render Styles (i'd be fine dropping the "works") handle this concept much more neatly than the sort of spread apart way you work with lighting and backgrounds when not using a Style.

This would also help shorten the length of names listed in the Render dropdown so that it would be easier to tell which one was active rather than "Renderworks Sty-" being the listing constantly until the menu is clicked.

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34 minutes ago, JimW said:


Agreed. I also want to just roll the Final Quality and Fast Renderworks into the Renderworks Style system. Render Styles (i'd be fine dropping the "works") handle this concept much more neatly than the sort of spread apart way you work with lighting and backgrounds when not using a Style.

This would also help shorten the length of names listed in the Render dropdown so that it would be easier to tell which one was active rather than "Renderworks Sty-" being the listing constantly until the menu is clicked.

 

Yes!

 

Fast

Final Quality

Custom

 

....so clean.

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Oh, yes! This is a ball of yarn with Vectorworks.

 

Can we clean up Design Layers and Sheet Layers? Classes, layers, stories, sheets, viewports, and references are perfectly clear. 

 

Can we consolidate three locations on the drawing screen for classes, layers, and sheets?

 

Can we eliminate A/B naming? Top/Plan should be Plan. Dims/Notes should be Annotation. 

 

Can we eliminate random abbreviations? Furn should be Furniture. Building Equip_Appliances is awkwardly long, while Ent Stage, which is in the same list, is awkwardly short.

 

Can we eliminate the underscore? This isn't a DOS.

 

Can we consolidate imperial and metric tools?

 

Edited by ThreeDot
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On 2/16/2018 at 8:36 PM, ThreeDot said:

Oh, yes! This is a ball of yarn with Vectorworks.

 

Can we clean up Design Layers and Sheet Layers? Classes, layers, stories, sheets, viewports, and references are perfectly clear. 

 

Can we consolidate three locations on the drawing screen for classes, layers, and sheets?

 

Can we eliminate A/B naming? Top/Plan should be Plan. Dims/Notes should be Annotation. 

 

Can we eliminate random abbreviations? Furn should be Furniture. Building Equip_Appliances is awkwardly long, while Ent Stage, which is in the same list, is awkwardly short.

 

Can we eliminate the underscore? This isn't a DOS.

 

Can we consolidate imperial and metric tools?

 

 

I got the same feeling reading this as I did when I read Marie Kondō's The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up.  It's like a weight is lifted.  You throw that stuff away - life is simpler - you can concentrate on the things you really love - and almost immediately you can not even remember that you ever needed or wanted those things.

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On 2/17/2018 at 2:36 AM, ThreeDot said:

Oh, yes! This is a ball of yarn with Vectorworks.

 

Can we clean up Design Layers and Sheet Layers? Classes, layers, stories, sheets, viewports, and references are perfectly clear. 

 

Can we consolidate three locations on the drawing screen for classes, layers, and sheets?

 

Can we eliminate A/B naming? Top/Plan should be Plan. Dims/Notes should be Annotation. 

 

Can we eliminate random abbreviations? Furn should be Furniture. Building Equip_Appliances is awkwardly long, while Ent Stage, which is in the same list, is awkwardly short.

 

Can we eliminate the underscore? This isn't a DOS.

 

Can we consolidate imperial and metric tools?

 

I have no problem with the underscore as it can be useful for compatibility with systems that don't properly support spaces and you don't want to use hyphens in your class names for other reasons.

 

Other than that I agree with this and Tom's original request. Thought I wouldn't mind having RW as a prefix for things specifically for Renderworks to differentiate them from non-renderworks things, this could be an option so that it could be turned off for those not wanting this.

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On 3/15/2018 at 11:56 AM, Art V said:

I have no problem with the underscore as it can be useful for compatibility with systems that don't properly support spaces and you don't want to use hyphens in your class names for other reasons.

 

Users can certainly choose to use underscores for naming files, classes, or whatever, but the built-in resource library should be organized, labeled, and tagged in a manner that conforms to (a) UX/UI best practice and (b) proper language standards. There is no technical limit on naming resources correctly. Capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, and grammar matter in life and in software.
 Underscores have no place in the user interface. 

 

The current Vectorworks resource library is a mishmash of poorly named, poorly organized files. It looks like files were received from third-party vendors and dropped into the resource folder without much attention to organization or naming. Why does this matter? Inconsistent organization makes it difficult to browse for resources quickly. Incorrect spelling makes it difficult to search resources accurately. Incorrect grammar is sloppy and unprofessional, in any setting. As with anything in life, lack of care on small stuff signifies lack of care on big stuff.

 

Vectorworks needs to improve the resource library. Not just the files that reside in the library, but the procedure for how files are added and maintained over time. Maintaining a good library has always been important, but even more so now that users increasingly rely on accurate 2D, 3D, and BIM components. New resources should be added on a regular basis, and outdated resources should be removed. Resources should be organized, named, and tagged properly. Resources should be audited regularly to ensure that they adhere to current Vectorworks standards and best practices, meaning that old resources may need to be updated as Vectorworks evolves. A clear and flexible organizational structure should be established up front, so that resources can be properly organized and maintained over time. “Misc” is not a category. You get the idea.

 

5aabf3034e7dc_ScreenShot2018-03-15at4_00_03PM.thumb.png.d90f005ce355d2926927bf1bf74c87c3.png

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3 hours ago, ThreeDot said:

Users can certainly choose to use underscores for naming files, classes, or whatever, but the built-in resource library should be organized, labeled, and tagged in a manner that conforms to (a) UX/UI best practice and (b) proper language standards. There is no technical limit on naming resources correctly. Capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, and grammar matter in life and in software.


No disagreement there, though proper language standards depends a bit on the language, but a more consistent naming etc. would certainly improve things.

 

3 hours ago, ThreeDot said:

Underscores have no place in the user interface.

I disagree with this, but at least it should be used in a consistent way if it is going to be used.

 

4 hours ago, ThreeDot said:

A clear and flexible organizational structure should be established up front, so that resources can be properly organized and maintained over time. “Misc” is not a category. You get the idea.

What may seem clear and flexible now may be considered a bad choice later on and what is best practice may differ by profession. As a saying over here goes (though it can't be translated one on one into English): Evolved/progressive understanding (of something) is the child of wisdom gained in hindsight.

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