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2021 Architecture Wishlist


Tom Klaber

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I have to add my experience.

Same as @Tom Klaber here, initially was disappointed (maybe little shocked) with 2020 icons but I thought I will somehow adapt to new icons look... actually I never did and overtime I see how wrong it is. 

I am on the Mac and I use solely light theme as I find it less visually disturbing and lighter on eye even though new icons to me look more correct on dark theme.

 

Please hire guys that are passionate about graphic and UI design. I dont want to be critical but I got a feeling that this side of software is not covered properly/not cared about...

As I mentioned in other post about 2020 tool icons I really like quality of VW promotion videos, in my opinion taste for quality there is really high so quality is already there just bring it to software.

 

In current state there is too much going on in one single icon. Some icons without proper spacing touching each other in top bar...Please get rid off all the gradients, outlines, shadings that make eye tired and dramatically simplify design.

Looking at the screen all day long it doesn't help at all. I prefer to have drawing/model itself stand out and palettes with icons fading away as much as possible.

 

I am convinced changing merely icon look (not necessary whole look of UI) surely is not resources demanding. 

I would be even OK to go to pre 2020 version.

 

While I do care how things visually look I am definitely more concern about how tools function and work. That is highest priority. In ideal scenario it should go hand in hand.

Looking forward to see correction and improvements in UI design part.

 

I appreciate all the hard work that goes into development of vectorworks.

Thanks for effort and good luck.

Snímka obrazovky 2020-08-14 o 9.53.33.png

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I have to add my experience.

Same as @Tom Klaber here, initially was disappointed (maybe little shocked) with 2020 icons but I thought I will somehow adapt to new icons look... actually I never did and overtime I see how wrong it is. 

I am on the Mac and I use solely light theme as I find it less visually disturbing and lighter on eye even though new icons to me look more correct on dark theme.

 

Please hire guys that are passionate about graphic and UI design. I dont want to be critical but I got a feeling that this side of software is not covered properly/not cared about...

As I mentioned in other post about 2020 tool icons I really like quality of VW promotion videos, in my opinion taste for quality there is really high so quality is already there just bring it to software.

 

In current state there is too much going on in one single icon. Some icons without proper spacing touching each other in top bar...Please get rid off all the gradients, outlines, shadings that make eye tired and dramatically simplify design.

Looking at the screen all day long it doesn't help at all. I prefer to have drawing/model itself stand out and palettes with icons fading away as much as possible.

 

I am convinced changing merely icon look (not necessary whole look of UI) surely is not resources demanding. 

I would be even OK to go to pre 2020 version.

 

While I do care how things visually look I am definitely more concern about how tools function and work. That is highest priority. In ideal scenario it should go hand in hand.

Looking forward to see correction and improvements in UI design part.

 

I appreciate all the hard work that goes into development of vectorworks.

Thanks for effort and good luck.

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I have to add my experience.

Same as @Tom Klaber here, initially was disappointed (maybe little shocked) with 2020 icons but I thought I will somehow adapt to new icons look... actually I never did and overtime I see how wrong it is. 

I am on the Mac and I use solely light theme as I find it less visually disturbing and lighter on eye even though new icons to me look more correct on dark theme.

 

Please hire guys that are passionate about graphic and UI design. I dont want to be critical but I got a feeling that this side of software is not covered properly/not cared about...

As I mentioned in other post about 2020 tool icons I really like quality of VW promotion videos, in my opinion taste for quality there is really high so quality is already there just bring it to software.

 

In current state there is too much going on in one single icon. Some icons without proper spacing touching each other in top bar...Please get rid off all the gradients, outlines, shadings that make eye tired and dramatically simplify design.

Looking at the screen all day long it doesn't help at all. I prefer to have drawing/model itself stand out and palettes with icons fading away as much as possible.

 

I am convinced changing merely icon look (not necessary whole look of UI) surely is not resources demanding. 

I would be even OK to go to pre 2020 version.

 

While I do care how things visually look I am definitely more concern about how tools function and work. That is highest priority. In ideal scenario it should go hand in hand.

Looking forward to see correction and improvements in UI design part.

 

I appreciate all the hard work that goes into development of vectorworks.

Thanks for effort and good luck.

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@drelARCH Agree.

 

I think it is telling that promo videos do not use the real UI - but invented a better one - because it is clear that the current UI looks too dated to be the face of a new release. 

 

A hidden line representation of a door would be much easier to decipher then that brown rectangle.  Looking at it now - the door and window are in elevation - while other thinks like the wall and stairs are represented in axon, while the heal tools are in plan.  It is just plain hard to use.  I was not a fan of the old icons - but I do think they did a better job.

 

I understand it is easy to complain - and that this will required a large investment to pull off - but the UI is so important.  Both for everyday users and to attract new ones.  

 

 

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4 hours ago, Tom Klaber said:

@drelARCH Agree.

 

I think it is telling that promo videos do not use the real UI - but invented a better one - because it is clear that the current UI looks too dated to be the face of a new release. 

CORRECTION - went back to take a look at the 2020 - and I think they do use the actual UI except that it is B+W.  I think in 2019 they created a faux icon set for the promo videos - but that no longer seems to be the case.

 

 

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On 9/17/2019 at 12:28 AM, Tom Klaber said:

5) Viewport Styles: Like most other objects - Viewports should have styles so you can globally change the settings of similar viewports.  Often we need to make changes to the RCPs which requires a new class - and then we need to change the class visibility or class override settings for each RCP viewport.  If there was a style, this change could be made centrally - save time and cut down on errors where one sheet is missing some information. 

 

Not to sound like a broken record but I'm going to anyway....

Viewport styles should include "time of day/year" controls for lighting.

 

Want to take some of the load off classes - embed lighting scene control and solar information in the viewport.

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On 9/16/2019 at 10:28 AM, Tom Klaber said:

Never too early - Here are some of my wishes for 2021 - please add as you see fit.

 

1) New Stair Tool:  This tools should be easier to use and be able to be edited graphically.

 

2) Multistory Void Objects: It is a pain to coordinate voids across layers or even across objects in the same layer.  A void object that simply cuts whatever it crosses would be very useful for shafts and nitches and runs of all kinds.

 

3) More and better Window and Door options.  Windoor me, please.  Why can't we have XX configurations on Sliders - or XXX (Triple Track Sliders).  So many great doors and windows in the world.  Let's try and add 2 each release for the foreseeable future. 

 

4) Base / Crown Molding tool:  I used to think this should be apart of the wall style - but I now think this should be its own tool.  I think you should be able to select a custom profile, and then select the walls you want to attach that base to.  It should automatically be cut by doors, have a 2D representation, and allow voids for reveals and flush base/moldings.

 

5) Viewport Styles: Like most other objects - Viewports should have styles so you can globally change the settings of similar viewports.  Often we need to make changes to the RCPs which requires a new class - and then we need to change the class visibility or class override settings for each RCP viewport.  If there was a style, this change could be made centrally - save time and cut down on errors where one sheet is missing some information. 

 

6) Better and More Responsive Interior Elevation Tool:  This tool is almost good.  It needs to be more responsive, and we need to move the tag over to annotations.  It is now almost the last annotation that needs to be on the design layer.   Maybe this can be merged with the space tool so the boundary defined by the space tool to generate the interior elevations - and then we can tag them as required in Annotations.

 

7) New GUI - let's be honest - the new icons are not great and seemed rushed just to allow dark mode.  I would be fine with the GUI you show in the promo videos.  Just implement that.  You have already designed it!  The icons are cleaner - the dialogs are cleaner - nothing fancy - it just feels on-purpose. 

 

😎 (8)More and better connection with outside rendering software.  The Lumion connection is (was - no longer working for 2020) great.  Twinmotion is an obvious second one.  I would be fine with engineering resources being used for Renderworks to be used for other things if we can use purpose-built 3rd party solutions.  

 

9) Class Mapping on Copy:  There was a plugin that did this - but this should be built-in.  Anytime you copy from one file to another, you should be presented with a dialog to map the classes if they do not match - and these settings should be remembered.  It is almost impossible to clean files as every time objects from older projects get brought over - it messes up the class structure.

 

10) Better Custom Cabinet Tool: This is one of my favorite tools from 2019 - but it could be better.  Clearer class control, easier "Sink" option that eliminates the top (unless the new void objects can be incorporated into symbols - then sinks will cut the cabinets and counters themselves!) 

 

Looking forward to all the great things in 2021!  

 

Standing by this entire list.  #8 can be considered done.  New stair tool is just the old stair tool with some control handles - seems to be better for sure -but still having to choose what stair I want before hand negates it.  I love the error "Stairs can only turn in the same direction, please make sure all stair turns are either all left or all right."  Paraphrase - but not the design freedom I was hoping for.

 

Viewport styles for the love of god.  Just does not seem to be complicated to me.  Just a global control over layer and class settings that can be applied.  We can do it with the eyedropper - just give us a setting that does the same thing and auto updates.  

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I'm not sure if 8 can be considered done without testing it for real (maybe you have).

 

When the datasmith export to Twinmotion came out a while ago, it turned out that it had various bugs that made it unusable (for me at least). It's great now to have a direct link, as long as it actually works, and I'm not going to assume anything actually works until it's been tested out by users.

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4 minutes ago, Tom Klaber said:

 

New stair tool is just the old stair tool with some control handles - seems to be better for sure -but still having to choose what stair I want before hand negates it.  I love the error "Stairs can only turn in the same direction, please make sure all stair turns are either all left or all right."  Paraphrase - but not the design freedom I was hoping for.

 

Does it still create an object made out of a load of surfaces rather than solids? So still looks horrible in section and can't easily be converted to generic solids for customisation?

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7 hours ago, line-weight said:

When the datasmith export to Twinmotion came out a while ago, it turned out that it had various bugs that made it unusable

 

At least when using transparent "imported C4D Materials"

(Which always, in OpenGL showed only the Thumbnail View - with unwanted Gradient

for transparent Materials)

which you could have avoided for OpenGL display by overwritng those Materials for VW

with Standard Shader settings.

But with VW 2021, these Gradients came into Twinmotion via Datasmith, as hefty like

in OpenGL - although I have overwritten my transparent C4D Materials with standard

VW Shader Settings .....

 

With VW 2022, this unwanted Gradient (from Preview) also happens in OpenGL ...

...ahm ... Shaded Mode ..... although barely visible in VW and now less visible in

Twin Motion - but still there.

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