Settings that need faster access

[Jim Rogers]

In my other drawing program "repeat last" is activated by pressing the "+" plus key on the numeric key pad....

[RMorrison]

I'm trying to better understand how you would use the "Repeat Last Command" in Chief. Could you give some examples of cases that this would be handy?

Personally, I don't see much benefit to a "repeat last" command. If you're executing a command, it doesn't take any more time to just execute the actual command than to do a "repeat command" keystroke.

Sticky commands like Copy, on the other hand, have some benefit. But I think we're already covered pretty well for this, although I think the sticky-copy function could be quicker, such as selecting an object and hitting CTRL. (I have this button mapped to my mouse thumb button.)

[WHirsch]

I'm trying to better understand how you would use the "Repeat Last Command" in Chief.

Making objects parallel/perpendicular is the one area that I would find this most useful. This tool is rather unique to Chief. It's pretty darned innovative, and it would be improved, IMO, if I could select the object that I wanted to make other objects parallel to, and then click on the objects needing to be changed.

[louis]

I think he wants a sticky pin for the make parallel tool.

[WHirsch]

I think he wants a sticky pin for the make parallel tool.

Well, yes... but what good would that do, unless they completely change the way the tool works ?

[ebdesign]

I think I agree w/ Warren. Sometimes I can't keep straight the proceedure. It's opposite/different than the trim/extend tools.
Why do I think the "make parallel" & the "trim/extend" tools should work the same? I don't know. Seems to make sense.
Jim

[WendyWelton]

Doug,

As I think about it, I'd love to have the Sticky Mode be hotkey assignable. For some reason, moving the mouse to find a button takes me at least 5 times as long as my fingers finding a key, any key - and if it's a key I don't have to think about, we've just cut the time in half again, if not better.

The same reasoning is why I find Repeat Last so useful in astuff. I don't have to even think which key is the hot key. I did something. I want to do it again - hit the space bar. The + key would be lovely also.

I think the editing tools are where I would use it the most. For creating walls, doors, windows etc - the tool stays live. For copy, make parallel, fillet, etc - you have to click the tool again. The Sticky Mode works if you want to trim multiple things against the same line, fillet multiple corners of a polyline... But, if you're running around a plan trimming one thing here and another thing there, a Repeat Last would be very helpful.

The challenger for you Chief Dudes would be what gets repeated. Undo seems to be frequently confused about what exactly constitutes the last action! I would want it to be the base command, not the components. In other words, Trim, not the fence or the Sticky Mode.

[Allen42acj]

Break line tool
Delete,so you just click on what you want deleted rather than the 2 clicks.

[Glenn Woodward]

While we are talking about hotkeys and shortcuts, I am going to take the opportunity to plug one of my favorite requests.

If anyone has used Generic Cad or Visual Cad, you will know how fast and easy the 2 letter shortcuts are.

You can have a 2 letter shortcut for any command - all customisable.

2 letter shortcuts (without having to hit Enter after the 2 letters, which I believe you have to do in autocrap) are intuitive - LI for line, ZO for zoom out, SN for snap object, how easy is that!.......Most of the hotkeys and key combinations are so obtuse that I very rarely use any hotkeys. With a single letter or key shortcut, you soon run out of logical keys. Having to press Shift+Q as a Wall shortcut isn't really a shortcut. Or how about Build Framing, - ever tried to Press Ctrl+Shift+S as the shortcut? You have got to be joking, that's not a shortcut. How easy to just tap B and then F...done!
They are easy to remember.
You don't need to press 2 keys at once.
They are fast - left hand on the keyboard and right hand on the mouse.

Please Chief, have a look at how fast, efficient and easy this method of shortcuts and hot keys is.

[Allen42acj]

Hi Glenn
We can set our own hot keys in X1..And make a printable list of them..

[Glenn Woodward]

Allen,

The way Chief implements hotkeys and shortcuts is very cumbersome (and that's being generous!!).

Lets see now...the shortcut for Floor Defaults is Ctrl+Shift+Y (Oh...i see how logical that isn't!).
All 3 keys have to be pressed at once!
That means at least 2 hands - 3 would be nice!

What I am suggesting is a system that uses 2 letter shortcuts.
eg, Floor Defaults could be FD (logical). This means you hit the F key and then the D key (not both at once and no Enter - I believe autocrap uses an enter after the 2 letters...and they only introduced the 2 letter commands after they purchased and scuttled Generic Cad). Thats it, so simple!

I know I can use single keys for shortcuts in Chief, but you soon run out of keys and they very quickly becom illogical.
And yes, I know I can make a printable list of shortcuts in Chief, but by the time I look up the shortcut and execute it, it's faster to use the menu!
And trying press 2 keys or, heaven forbid, 3 keys at once is almost impossible.

The 2 letter shortcuts don't really need printing out - they are so easy to remember!
What do you imagine a shortcut for Snap Object would be...SO - so simple!!!
Snap Midpoint...SM
Offset...OF
Current Layer...CL, etc, etc.

If you are really interested on seeing how easy and fast this is for youself, I suggest you download a copy of Visual Cad (I think General Cad works the same) and havw a play without even looking at the manual. just try guessing the 2 letter shortcuts and see how you go.

[gawdzira]

Have any of you worked with Maya? Here is a screen shot of the "hot box" (no lewd comments please). This is a menu that is activated by holding down the space bar. A tap of the space bar does another command. The location of the menus is mouse centric. The menus that are displayed are customizable to a certain degree. Each of the words displayed are links to pull down menus which some have sub menus. There are 5 locations (shown with my crude red numbers, and the center) which are completely customizable for commands.

You could have all your wall building commands in the 1st quad, edit tools in 2nd, cad drawing tools in the third... The workflow would be:
Hold the space bar> Click at the "1" location and drag north to start a wall

The thing that makes this so fast is that your eye does not have to travel. You are looking at your cursor anywhere on the screen and that is where your menu will appear. When you have set up your "hot box" and learn to work with it you fly through commands.

Autodesk probably has proprietary domain over this but if they don't....

[WendyWelton]

I very much wish Select Same worked on more things. Or - a Properties Painter kind of thing. Or - some better way to do bulk edits.

I just finished converting 1/8" prelims to 1/4" finals. How frustrating to have to aim and click on each text block individually to change the size - because I can't find a way to group select that still lets me edit. If I catch even one arrow in a selection set, I don't get access to the properties I need to change.

[Maureen Giattino]

I think we're talking the same thing here.
I wanna see ALL the properties, not just the layer: & I just want to see them to confirm correct layer, defaults, material, etc; not get into the dbx unless I want to change something.

If a "properties pallette" stayed open all the time (similar to how the library/project browser does), how would it display properties of individual items when needed? Just select the item, & the pallete changes? That would be great.

Here's another suggestion:
Figure out a way to keep the Layer Display Options dbx open all the time. Maybe this is tied to the properties pallette/open item dbx somehow.

Jim

These are top priority items for me. The properties box would need to be editable; it would be really frustrating to see it all and know you have to change one thing and have to go back through the dbx to do it. Maybe a click on an item in that property box pops up the dbx on the correct tab.

Sometimes it feels like I spend more time in the dbxs than drawing; I would really like to reduce dbx fatigue. Too many tabs!

[Maureen Giattino]

Glenn,

I'm with you on the short cut keys. It's a great start to have single keys but the ability to have multiple key strokes is needed. I currently use Hot Keys, but would like to see the current X1 system expanded.