A Request

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debenriver
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A Request

Post by debenriver »

Hi Eric

When you are considering the next version of RealCADD I wonder if it would be possible to include a separate "Nudge" – at the moment the Snap grid in Preferences controls the nudge amount (using the left-right-up-down arrows). I find that I regularly want to change this depending on scale, size of things I am drawing and so on. And it's quite a long process to keep going back to preferences to do it.

Perhaps another small box at the bottom left could be used to enter the nudge amount? If it could be in the units that the drawing is in (mm, m, inches etc) like the snap grid is, that makes it easy to imagine how much the nudge will be.

I almost never draw with a grid on, so I only use that function to control the nudge amount. But of course other users will be drawing with the grid on...

One other thing - the shortcuts for Align don't seem to work very well. I find that on first opening a drawing they simply move the two objects (by the nudge/snap grid amount) But once you have done an align from the menu, subsequently they work OK. I've tried changing the shortcuts to different keystrokes (via system preferences) but that seems to be the same (except it doesn't move the objects) – first time nothing happens - after you've done it via the menu once (for each align) it works OK for that drawing. I don't know if that can be fixed – or even if it's just my computer setup perhaps?

By the way – the new Layer layouts menu is great – I use it most all the time even on fairly simple drawings, in conjunction with Views. And being able to draw perpendiculars from end points etc. is also great – it's made a real difference to the speed and ease of drawing (for me anyway). :D

Cheers -- George

EDIT – I was also wondering if it would be possible to add a measuring tool – so you could click on the screen once - go to a different place and click again and know how far you've travelled in the x and y directions. Or perhaps better click-drag and see how far you're travelling. It's not for really accurate measuring, more to get an idea of how far to make a parallel, or position something - that sort of thing. At the moment I just draw a line, which is OK. Perhaps the Mouse position window could indicate the distance between clicks? It doesn't need to be anything permanent - just direct screen reading. Not really important either!
Eric Pousse
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:31 pm
Location: Tours - France

Re: A Request

Post by Eric Pousse »

Bonjour George,

Thank you for your request.

Personally I don't use very much the left-right-up-down arrows to move objects.
I prefer the duplicate and move menu (cmd M) and enter the values of the move.
But why not a new value for the arrows. And the question is where and how change it?

I think that I saw the problem with the shortcuts for Align, one or two times and after I couldn't reproduce it.
It is strange.

For your idea of a new "measuring tool", perhaps that can be done with the mouse position pallet by adding a line "Last click : x = .... y = ...." and another "Delta from last click : dx = ..... dy = .....".

Cordialement.
Eric Pousse
debenriver
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:19 pm
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Re: A Request

Post by debenriver »

Good morning Eric

Nudge. I use the Move menu for moves and duplications too - all the time. But the way I draw (or maybe it's what I draw) things often seem to need a small move of a single object - just a few mm. It's maybe because I don't use the grid? Anyway depending on the scale of things I tend to have Snap grid set to a drawing-specific number (often 1mm or 5mm) and use the nudge for moves that are a small multiple of whatever I've set it to. It's very quick for that sort of adjustment.

I wondered if you could have a little box along with the icons bottom left where you could directly enter a number - which would be the nudge amount in whatever units the drawing is set to. Not complicated with any sort of menu - just direct entry. Like the zoom box but just click on it and enter a number.

Would that be separate from Snap grid? Or would it change that too?

Pretty much everything on boat drawings is positioned by Position, Height and Offset with reference to three data: Zero Point; DWL; and Centreline – which are essentially the x,y and z coordinates – but we use the names instead. I like to make distances a multiple of 5 or 10 mm when possible, because it's easier for builders to measure. Hence setting the Snap grid to 5mm on a lot of drawings!

Measurement Adding a dx and dy from last click to the Mouse position would do the job. Can you add distance travelled as well - so you can measure angled distances - without the window getting too big?


Align It is strange. But it happens regularly when you first open a drawing. The Option-Arrow key moves both objects instead of aligning them. If you do the align from the menu the first time, it is usually OK thereafter (you have to do all four aligns - doing one doesn't make the others work). As I mentioned, I've tried assigning different keystrokes to the Align because I wondered if it was anything to do with the arrows themselves - but in that case it simply doesn't work at all the first time – and then works after you've done it manually.

Cheers -- George

EDIT - Nudge is also very useful for positioning text and labels exactly where you want them. George
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