2021 - Teaser Tuesday: Work Smarter with User Interface Improvements

[JuanP]

An organized workspace brings clarity to your workflow.Vectorworks 2021 comes with the new Smart Options Display, a customizable interface that keeps your most-used tools at the tip of your cursor, as well as the Quick Search, which helps you find the tools you need without slowing down your process.

 

 

 

With these UI upgrades, you can clear your design space of any superfluous tools, making it easier to focus on your design. Tell us what you think below!

[Tom Klaber]

Does quick search work on PC?

[JuanP]

3 minutes ago, Tom Klaber said:

Does quick search work on PC?

Yes, it is a Mac/Windows feature,. Use the keyboard shortcut (F) or click the icon on the Title bar (Mac) or Menu bar (Windows)

[Sebastian Vidales]

😍

[Urstanner]

👌

what about the dimensioning tool?  Are there any plans for dynamic dimensioning in 3d?

[Tom Klaber]

It seems we are inching towards a command line!

 

Is there any AI in this?  Are the tool suggestions predictive or contextual - or is it just access to the tool pallets at the mouse point?

[Mark Aceto]

On 8/25/2020 at 7:09 AM, JuanP said:

Yes, it is a Mac/Windows feature,. Use the keyboard shortcut (F) or click the icon on the Title bar (Mac) or Menu bar (Windows)

Sounds like we could also map that Quick Search shortcut to a mouse button... 

 

So how about that Rhino gumball?

 

Edited August 27, 2020 by Mark Aceto

[MaWi]

Wow, very nice implemented! Much better than the archicad pet pallete!

 

Nice to hear that even more will be possible in the future ... and that a good foundation has been created.

 

[line-weight]

This might make working with multiple panes across more than one monitor much more feasible. All depending on the implementation of course, and assuming that the other multiple pane usability issues are sorted out.

[Mark Aceto]

Looks like the options are:

• Basic Tool Palette (with possible access/configurability to other tool palettes)
• Tool Modes
• Recent Tools (or favorites?)
• Views

Being that I use a numpad for views with my left hand (mouse in my right), I'm hoping that I can configure something else for views, like the Organization menu item (since I can't make that a palette that I would just leave open at all times).

 

I definitely see an advantage here as a workaround to switching back and forth between Spotlight and Designer, and playing Whac-A-Mole with tools/palettes.

[Samuel Derenboim]

Can something like this be used in worksheet mode?

[JuanP]

2 hours ago, Urstanner said:

Are there any plans for dynamic dimensioning in 3d?

Not that I'm aware of - You might want to submit a wish request in the forum.

 

2 hours ago, Mark Aceto said:

Sounds like we could also map that Quick Search shortcut to a mouse button

The Smart Options Display can be mapped to the middle mouse, however Quick search must be launch from the keyboard shortcut.

 

2 hours ago, Mark Aceto said:

So how about that Rhino gumball?

I'm not familiar but will bring this up to our R&D team.

 

2 hours ago, Tom Klaber said:

t seems we are inching towards a command line!

 

Is there any AI in this?  Are the tool suggestions predictive or contextual

 

Command line, not sure about this one, but maybe at some point.  There is some intelligence in how the quick search will prioritize and list search results based on your prior search history.  If you are talking about the Smart Options Display then it does not utilize AI, it just provides point of use access to tools. I will bring this up to R&D as well.

 

thanks for all your feedback.

[Mark Aceto]

Thanks for the quick reply, @JuanP! At this point, I just want to get my hands on VW21 because these teasers are so brief that they're raising more questions than they're answering, and I optimistically expect that the videos are underselling the power below the surface that we're about to discover very quickly once we start using the app.

[Mark Aceto]

3 hours ago, Tom Klaber said:

It seems we are inching towards a command line!

 

Is there any AI in this?  Are the tool suggestions predictive or contextual - or is it just access to the tool pallets at the mouse point?

 

TEASER TUESDAY: WORK SMARTER WITH USER INTERFACE IMPROVEMENTS

 

"Moreover, Vectorworks will make suggestions based on your search and most-used tools."

 

That sounds pretty AI to me. I also recall this feature being demoed a few years back (41:54 in video), so I wonder if we'll get some of the other features mentioned in that section of the keynote:

• Class Pen and Fill editing in the Nav Palette (40:05 in video)
• On-Screen Shortcuts (40:46 in video)

(video should start at 41:54).

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2020 by Mark Aceto

[Tom Klaber]

I can not tell if contextual rather than personal recommendations is the future - where VW will guess what you are likely to based on the object you are modifying or maybe based on the last operation preformed.  I am sure I have patterns - but it does not feel like I do - I am a hot mess - jumping around like a jack rabbit - so there might be less perdicitve value in the workflow than I wish there was.  

 

That said - the thing you did last is most likely the thing you will do next is an amazingly good sorting method.  Followed closely by the thing you do most is the thing you are most likely to do next.  So VW might be on the right track here. 

 

(SIDE NOTE - I use this for my active paper filing - it is amazing.  A single pile - and the thing you needed last goes on top.  It is most likely the thing you will need next.  Over time - your single pile is sorted from most used to least used. - Does not work for archiving.) 

[Mark Aceto]

(deleted)

 

Edited August 25, 2020 by Mark Aceto

[Mark Aceto]

31 minutes ago, Mark Aceto said:

• Class Pen and Fill editing in the Nav Palette (40:05 in video)

 

Although this is extremely welcome, the Nav Palette is just a watered down version of the Organization dialog. An Organization Palette that could be left open onscreen at all times would save thousands of clicks. This is basically what Rhino has had for years.

[Matt Overton]

"Sack every betatest who didn't scream the following about quick search.

Get rid of tabs - I don't care if it's menu, tool or command they are just getting in the way of me finding the right tool."

Edit : Oops looks at still and realizes mistake there is and "all" button.

continued...

 

Also are results weighted to favour more modern tools or will I end up needing to turn it off when people use legacy tools because they are in the search results?

 

 

Edited August 25, 2020 by Matt Overton

[Ian Lane]

9 minutes ago, Matt Overton said:

"Sack every betatest who didn't scream the following about quick search.

Get rid of tabs - I don't care if it's menu, tool or command they are just getting in the way of me finding the right tool."

Edit : Oops looks at still and realizes mistake there is and "all" button.

continued...

 

Also are results weighted to favour more modern tools or will I end up needing to turn it off when people use legacy tools because they are in the search results?

 

 

 

Hi Matt,

 

Not only is there an "All" button, but there is also a preference in VW prefs to remove the tabs and just show all your results all the time if you don't want the visual clutter.

 

Your search results will be customized to what your previous searches and selections are.  There is no weighting to modern or legacy tools.  The weighting is based on what the search term is, and what your selection was from that search term.  It basically uses search term keywords and tracks what you selected from those keywords.  If you select a lot of legacy tools they will show up higher in the list but as you use other tools they will get pushed down.  And the closer the exact match is the higher it will appear.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Best Regards,

Ian

 

 

[zoomer]

That remembers me to Bricscad Quad Menu, which I meanwhile really like.

 

Will it be also context sensitive in VW ?

I don't think that is already "Artificial Intelligence",

but in Bricscad, when nothing selected, you will get more Tools for Object Generation

and general administration Tools, while when something is selected, you would get

more editing Tools, only those which are applicable to that special selection.

[Matt Overton]

3 hours ago, Ian Lane said:

 

Hi Matt,

 

Not only is there an "All" button, but there is also a preference in VW prefs to remove the tabs and just show all your results all the time if you don't want the visual clutter.

 

Your search results will be customized to what your previous searches and selections are.  There is no weighting to modern or legacy tools.  The weighting is based on what the search term is, and what your selection was from that search term.  It basically uses search term keywords and tracks what you selected from those keywords.  If you select a lot of legacy tools they will show up higher in the list but as you use other tools they will get pushed down.  And the closer the exact match is the higher it will appear.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Best Regards,

Ian

 

 

Thanks Ian, that helps... now I'm feeling teased.

[Mark Aceto]

@JuanP next year, call them Trigger Tuesdays.

[zoomer]

Maybe a chance,

to have no more need to try to migrate your Workspace !

(Because you have put so much effort especially in organizing and cleaning up your Tool Icons and Palettes.

A need to just reset all VW Preferences for a new Version isn't such a hassle)

[Tom Klaber]

On 8/26/2020 at 3:13 PM, zoomer said:

Maybe a chance,

to have no more need to try to migrate your Workspace !

(Because you have put so much effort especially in organizing and cleaning up your Tool Icons and Palettes.

A need to just reset all VW Preferences for a new Version isn't such a hassle)

I fear it is the other way around.  That every new version will need to be retrained from scratch - and you will be clicking on wrong tools as those pop-up menus will be in a different order than you are used to.

 

Can your 'preference profile' be transferred to new versions?

[zoomer]

2 hours ago, Tom Klaber said:

Can your 'preference profile' be transferred to new versions?

 

Oh, not sure.

I think I created the VW Settings from scratch each time as there aren't that many.

 

But since 3-4 years I always tried to migrate my Workspace with my GUI customizations.

And for me it was quite successfully so far.

No problems and crashes like in earlier Versions, just a few new Icons missing here and there.

 

But if VW has ordered its Icons and Menus in a proper sorting and context sensitive,

there may be no more need to customize it manually.