Attributes

2D CAD software for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
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Caddy
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 6:35 pm

Attributes

Post by Caddy »

Bonjour Eric

If I could do all by myself with Photoshop I would do it every time :D :D :D

You know allready I’m quarreled by the color setting. Please take a look at my proposal and let me explain.

— For lines: If you want to copy the line’s attributes from a certain line to some others you need to select that line and after you need to check the „Freeze“ checkbox, from this time the normal behavior of the panel will be disabled until the moment you uncheck. During „Freeze“ state it should be possible to change any parameter (line’s thickness, arrow types, etc…). In the next step you’ll select 1 or more lines you want to transfer the desired attributes, then press the „Set“ button - that’s all.

Beyond that with the „Freeze“ checkbox you will be able to prevent a naughty behavior ( :evil: :evil: :evil: ) by unwanted changings of your line’s parameters… meaning that you can draw a new line with the „frozen“ attributes until you unfreeze.

— For shapes: At least it is a subset of those features with the lines. If you „freeze“ you can transfer the attributes to existing shapes or create new shapes with the current parameters…
Attribute Panel 2.png
Attribute Panel 2.png (21.19 KiB) Viewed 13554 times
Cordialement
Hubert
debenriver
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:19 pm
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Re: Attributes

Post by debenriver »

I don't know Hubert – don't you think there is a danger of making everything all too complicated? Then you get a Adobe-like program which has so many features that it is hard to learn and somewhat non-intuitive – I'm thinking more of Illustrator than Photoshop here – Illustrator can be a bear to learn!

One really good thing about RealCADD is that it is intuitive and easy to get started, while being quite flexible and with considerable depth – so new users or less experienced users don't get put off from the start. And yet it has capabilities suitable for experienced and professional users.

I'm probably biased because I only use very thin (0.01 px) lines with very few attributes (arrows mainly for dimensioning, and dashes for witness lines) – so being able to copy a set of features is not something I would use much.

But of course I'm not the only pebble on the beach ... :D

George
Caddy
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 6:35 pm

Re: Attributes

Post by Caddy »

Hi George

I think we are not so far from each other. As you have mentioned about an intuitive use of a feature or consistency or continuity I prefer to stay a little bit conservative. But not very strong.

It takes some time before I’ve written my proposal. My proposal is based on my experiences during the last time working with RealCADD. There was two kinds of processes. First I was reviewing old dwg-drawings imported by RealCADD and to adapt them into rcad format. Second I was creating new drawings. For both, the old and the new drawings, their contents deal with mechanical engineering using a structured set of layers. Some other CAD uses to predefine attributes for each layer separately: line color, thicknes, dashed or not, arrow type or not, and so on. In RealCADD you don’t have it. And I’ll not ask for.

But my proposal is a small idea that can help to get a structured drawing much easier. My proposal needs to add 2 dialog elements for the lines and 2 equivalent elements for the shapes. Nothing will change as long as the user don’t takes notice of the additional elements. Those new elements generate for users like me a great progress to create the drawings. George, please take into account how long you are using RealCADD, the transition from intuition to routine is very small, I’m working now to get more routine. I think after 2 or 3 month I’ll have the same routine like you :mrgreen:

Hubert
Eric Pousse
Posts: 1064
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:31 pm
Location: Tours - France

Re: Attributes

Post by Eric Pousse »

Bonjour Hubert,

Currently RealCADD remembers the attributs of the last selected object and, without different choice of the user, applies them to the new objects drawn.
Eric Pousse
Caddy
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 6:35 pm

Re: Attributes

Post by Caddy »

Eric Pousse wrote:Bonjour Hubert,

Currently RealCADD remembers the attributs of the last selected object and, without different choice of the user, applies them to the new objects drawn.
Bonjour Eric

This is just one feature that could be nice and bad together. Nice if you draw the objects continuously. Bad, if you stop your continuous action by selecting another object with different attributes, may be on another layer. And then you want continue with the former attributes....

In some cases you will loose your color information. Another example.
Rectangle.png
Rectangle.png (5.44 KiB) Viewed 13502 times
You need to cut out a part of the rectangle. Breaking the polygon and adding the additional lines causes the loss of the former color information and more.

As I'd mentioned yesterday, in other CAD you have per layer its own attributes. Drawing new objects will be supported by those presettings. When you change the layer you will get automatically your associated settings. I’ll don’t ask for that. I only ask for small things. Please. It would be nice if you think about it.

Cordialement
Hubert
Eric Pousse
Posts: 1064
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:31 pm
Location: Tours - France

Re: Attributes

Post by Eric Pousse »

Bonsoir Hubert,

I do a new command "Apply attributes" in the menu Action to apply the attributes of the last selected object to all other selected objects.

I think that this will respond to your request.

Cordialement.
Eric Pousse
Caddy
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 6:35 pm

Re: Attributes

Post by Caddy »

Bonsoir Eric

Four weeks ago I joined with RealCADD. There was my hope to move everything from my old Windows laptop to my Mac. Still I’m thinking your program is a good choice. So I had some joy to bring up some improvements. Ok that’s fine but this not my target.

I was working for and with computers for a very very long time. However I don’t want to continue my old business since my workshop is waiting for me. So I want to use my computer to realize my ideas by creating the workshop drawings. Before I was meeting RealCADD I did it on my old Windows laptop. The bad thing: 2 computers on my desk. This is what I want to improve, my target: to remove my Windows laptop from the desk.

During the last week I followed your new designs of the parallels. Consequently I was hoping you’ll solve the issues with the parallels, but I was wrong. Beyond that I got a new idea and a possibility to use my old CAD with my Mac instead of the old Window laptop. This idea is good because I own the valid licenses for the old soft. So today I’d migrated my old Windows OS including all the soft to my Mac and it works now. I’ve reached my target.

Now I think you can understand, that I’ve stopped to follow you what will happened with RealCADD. You should read my report I send to you by mail at May 27. There are a lot of things to do for you. If you’ve questions, don’t fear to ask me by mail. Now it’s time to say Good Bye.

Cordialement
Hubert
debenriver
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Re: Attributes

Post by debenriver »

Now it’s time to say Good Bye.
Goodbye Hubert.

George
Eric Pousse
Posts: 1064
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:31 pm
Location: Tours - France

Re: Attributes

Post by Eric Pousse »

Bonsoir Hubert,

It is not a good news that you leave !
I hope the next version will make you change your mind.
And thank you very much for your contributions to make RealCADD better.

Cordialement.
Eric Pousse
debenriver
Posts: 696
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: Maine USA and Suffolk England
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Re: Attributes

Post by debenriver »

Hi Eric

I think part of the problem that Hubert was having with Parallels could be that he was using it on drawings imported from DWG or DXF.

The new dynamic parallels works pretty flawlessly on a new drawing as far as I have experienced. It does exactly what it says it does and does pretty much everything one would want it to. It is very nice.

But on my pre-existing drawings, where the material is imported from (in my case) DXF files, it is very buggy when you use dynamic. When you "pull" a new parallel line it appears OK – but it is not an "object" in that the Edit menu can't see it. And the moment you let go of the mouse button it disappears.

If you draw another parallel (somewhere else) the first parallel will appear again. If you can get it to stay visible, which does finally happen usually after drawing several parallels, and then manipulate it (lengthen it – move it etc), it will become an object and be visible. Even drawing a new line on one of these drawings and trying to pull a parallel from it does the same thing.

If you make a new layer on one of these drawings, and don't copy anything from the other layers, then it works perfectly.

I haven't experimented a lot – so it could be some other problem; but so far it seems only to be on drawings or layers of drawings that contain material imported from DXF. I don't know if imports from DWG have the same problem.

If you want me to, I can send you one of the files that it happens on.

Cheers -- George
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