Toggle between OIP and work screen

[Delmer]

Here is likely a simple one I just haven't discovered yet:

Oftentimes I am in the object info pallet and would like to simply go back to the main work screen without clicking on it -perhaps I have a plug-in selected and don't want to insert it again. What I do is click back on the title bar of the main window but others must have more efficient solutions. I know its minor but it happens 100 times a day. There has got to be an alt-tab type toggle I don't know about.

[Kevin]

The escape key on the Mac works for me.

[Delmer]

And so it does on a PC. That's hilarious. Thanks!

[Delmer]

Its ridiculous that I have gone this long without discovering that, but I was also thinking it wouldn't be a bad thing if clicking in the work window took you back there without performing any command, the same way clicking on VW anywhere brings it to the front when you are in another program or your browser.

. . . and how about offset without duplicate . . .

[jan15]

Delmer,

I understand how you feel. I've gone 10 years without knowing that Esc trick, and it's bothered me all that time. But that's why I read these forums, to learn things like that.

As for duplicating in place: just un-check "Offset Duplications" in the "Edit" tab of VectorWorks Preferences. Or you could do "Copy" followed by "Paste In Place", which is handy when you want the duplicate to be on another layer.

[Delmer]

Yup jan15, I am aware of the duplication functions you mentioned, what I was wondering about was with the offset tool, which I use instead of move when items are not orthagonal, it seems to only be able to offset while leaving the original in place. As it is I will offset a line for example, and then come back and delete the original. I can of course drag a copy in the desired direction, tab to the length box and punch it in there, but deleting the original while offsetting would be a good option.

I don't stumble across things like I used to, kind of feel like I've learned most of it and do things the way I know how. Its good teaching or being around someone new in that respect for as they search for a way to do things they often find methds I did not know about.

Like hitting the escape key. I could probably add up seconds into hours of my life on that one. That's just too funny.

. . .

[CipesDesign]

DELMER, You probably already know this, but... if you "option-click" on and object it will give you a duplicate "in place" (eg: in the exact same location as the original). :-)

[alanmac]

Hi Delmer

You are not alone.

I was using VW for ages before I discovered the nudge tool. Sat there all the time in the menus, now I use it constantly. Much prefer how its used now in my copy of VW10 than the older 8.5 way I started using it, much quicker and easier to implement.

Here is something I found a fellow user didn't know. They complained that when using the selection tool, "arrowhead" to move objects they sometimes changed the object size rather than moved the object, due to the small size of the object etc.

I pointed out you can change how this tool works in the mode bar so as not to do this which he never realised, so now just keeps it in that mode unless he wants to edit something. Much happier user.

Regards

Alan

[Delmer]

It looks like we've chanced upon a worthy thread: "Things I now use constantly that I never knew about for years".

Though its slightly different, here's my contribution:

The option key on macs is slightly more conveniently located than the control key on a pc keyboard. When I started using VW on a pc I was really stretching my fingers and so made myself a new key that captures the ctrl button. It is a little longer than the spacebar and located just beneath it to make any of thos ctrl-__ combinations easily reached with one hand. -makes my keyboard look like it is wearing a brace for a broken jaw.

If anyone wants to go into production on it with me we can talk.

[jan15]

How do you make a new key? I mean one that works and has a recognizable keyboard code, as opposed to just looking like a key.

Can you make an entire keyboard, customized for CAD? With feet' and inches" on the numeric keypad and maybe some other special keys?

[Delmer]

This one's just a little wood and wire that mechanically depresses the ctrl key.

As for feet and inches, that would be wonderful, or of course we could just go metric.

[Delmer]

Here's one that a few (mainly pc users) may not know:

The mac keyboard distinguishes between return (next to " and above shift) and enter (on number pad). You may have noticed that while text editing one will give you a hard return and the other takes you out of the text dialogue. Likewise tabbing to, say, the X value while drawing a line, inputting a number and hitting 'return' locks that number and that is all, whilst 'enter' locks the number and tabs you to the next spot.

[jan15]

Same on the PC, and it's a terrific feature. When I first started using VectorWorks, I switched to mousing with my left hand so that I could enter X and Y coordinates quickly on the numeric keypad while moving the mouse.

[Delmer]

Now THAT'S taking an initiative. I wonder if one could find keyboards with number pads on the left.

A handy function that I only discovered a year or so back was that the 2D reshape tool in fence or marquee mode can stretch multiple non-polygon objects. I guess it should be obvious but I had originally used it only for polys.

[Ray Libby]

Check out X-Keys. I've always wanted to try this...

http://www.ymouse.com/

[Delmer]

The pedals! GOT to have the X-key pedals.

[jan15]

I like the extra keys. I'm sure there's an X-Keys in my future, since Focus stopped making the model 8200 keyboard I've been using for the last 8 years (with an extra set of Function keys above the regular ones, which gives 24 keys to assign to VectorWorks commands, eliminating the need for the Ctrl key; it also has an LCD display that lets you use the keypad as a calculator, and it has a key that sends the calculator value to the cursor location).

But it's really not necessary to move the numeric keypad to the left side. It turns out the left hand is just as good at mousing, after a few days' practice. After all, it's like using a chalkboard eraser. You can do that with your left, can't you?