3DxViews Buttons in Inventor

Questions and answers about 3Dconnexion devices on Windows.

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
TonyIorfino
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:47 pm
Location: Danbury, CT

3DxViews Buttons in Inventor

Post by TonyIorfino »

I would like to suggest that the Top, Left, Right and Front 3DxViews should allow you to click the button again to get the opposite side view. For example, if I click the top view button and the click it again, I get the bottom view. (Left twice would give me Right, and Front twice would give me Back.) This is like clicking on the same arrow, twice in a row, in the "Common View" box. In fact if you can access the code used there the hard work may already be done for you.

If this could be done, then we'd only need three buttons for views instead of four, and it would free up one of the buttons for another command (possibly Isometric View, or leave it up to the user).

In future versions of the hardware the actual buttons could be oriented in a "cube" shape, like your logo, with T on top, F on the left and R on the right (the middle could still be cut out for the 2D button). However, please don't put this off for future hardware development only. I would like to see this available as a driver update for current devices as well, and hopefully as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Tony
TonyIorfino
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:47 pm
Location: Danbury, CT

Post by TonyIorfino »

Does the lack of response here, indicate a lack of interest, or is everyone at 3DConnexion too busy working on the next version of hardware/drivers to agree or disagree?

I've also been wondering why the Top, Left, Right, and Front 3DxViews refer to a fixed set of views defined by the original T, L, R, and F views in Inventor. I have one of my buttons tied to the F6 key, which gives me my current Isometric View, but as you know, in Inventor, you can redefine your Isometric View. I would like the 3DxViews to correspond to the currently set Isometric View instead of the original Isometric.

Thanks,

Tony
ngomes
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3321
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:22 am
Contact:

Post by ngomes »

Hi TonyIorfino
TonyIorfino wrote:or is everyone at 3DConnexion too busy working on the next version of hardware/drivers to agree or disagree?
There is some truth in this (we are indeed working on release 3.1). Do accept our apologises for not getting back to you any sooner. We do try to respond as soon as possible but some posts do fall through the net.

Regarding the following suggestion:
TonyIorfino wrote:should allow you to click the button again to get the opposite side view
Is an interesting and original one but we are faced with some constraints in implementing since we need to be consistent across several applications. Additionally, there is the issue of provide a user interface (since some customer will prefer the original behaviour).

Regarding your second suggest:
TonyIorfino wrote:I would like the 3DxViews to correspond to the currently set Isometric View instead of the original Isometric.
Here the issue may be the application API. We will have to research to see if this is possible. Again, there is the problem that changing the behaviour might confuse users.

Again, we are sorry for leaving you hanging for so long. We do appreciate feedback and other comments from our customers and the last thing we want is to frustrate the efforts of those that try to improve our products.
TonyIorfino
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:47 pm
Location: Danbury, CT

Post by TonyIorfino »

ngomes,

Thanks for the reply but, sadly, it seems from your response that I will not soon be seeing either of these "improvements".

I wanted to say that I don't really care about applications other than Inventor, but then I realized that I use my controller with five different 3D applications (Inventor, DWF Viewer, Autocad, CADKEY, Google Earth), and of those only Google Earth would not have a use for double clicking the view button. All of the "CAD" programs can make use of every view in a view box, not just the Top, Front, Left and Right. How do you handle applications that don't need any predefined views? You just don't assign those buttons. Any application that I can think of that uses the predefined views, could also use the opposite views.

As for confusing users with interface changes, you must do it so that both old and new options are available. You would have to include both Top View and Top-Bottom View, for example. Personally, I think that a little market research would show you that once both views are available from the same button, no one will want to work the old way again.

Thanks,

Tony
ngomes
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3321
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:22 am
Contact:

Post by ngomes »

Hi TonyIorfino,
I do hope you understand why it is not possible for us here, in the Forum, to commit to both new features and UI changes. Making those changes depends on a process that involves Engineering and Product Marketing at 3Dconnexion in addition to our customers.
Personally, I very much like your suggestions. Creating a "Top-Bottom" command under the "3DxViews" category would be a good approach.
If we were to implement this feature in the "3DxInventor" add-in, how exactly should it work, in your opinion? For example, should follow the "double-click" feature of the normal mouse? Or should the add-in first check the current view and then act accordingly (if "Top" view, then change to "Bottom" view)?
The distinction is important: Inventor animates the view changes and that causes a delay of a couple of seconds.
TonyIorfino
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:47 pm
Location: Danbury, CT

Post by TonyIorfino »

ngomes, thanks again for the reply and please know that I do understand that you cannot make promises here.
if "Top" view, then change to "Bottom" view
Yes. I don't want to have to double-click, just click when I'm already in a front view to get the back view. In fact double-click should not do anything and should be ignored. If I want the secondary view, I should expect to click twice (not double-click).

Or, you could set a variable each time the button is selected which sets the function of the next button press. You could reset the value to the default (i.e. T, L, F, R) if the view is rotated away from the standard view or retrieve it if Last View command is invoked and takes you back to the standard view.

Thanks,

Tony
ngomes
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3321
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:22 am
Contact:

Post by ngomes »

hi TonyIorfino. Thanks for the suggestions, we will take it from here.
Checking that the view has changed is tricky since there are a multitude of ways of changing it (3D device, mouse, commands). I think checking the current view and act accordingly may be feasible.
TonyIorfino
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:47 pm
Location: Danbury, CT

Post by TonyIorfino »

Can anyone at 3Dconnexion say if this suggestion has been given any serious consideration? Is it being worked on? Should I give up hope of it ever showing up in a future release?

Thanks,

Tony
TonyIorfino
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:47 pm
Location: Danbury, CT

Post by TonyIorfino »

I just installed v3.5.6 and this improvement has still not been implemented. Can anyone at 3Dconnexion say if this suggestion is being given any serious consideration? To whom should I pose the question if not here? I really think this would be a benefit to anyone who uses your products with CAD or CAD-type software.

Thanks,

Tony
TonyIorfino
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:47 pm
Location: Danbury, CT

Post by TonyIorfino »

OK, v3.6.6 and it's still not here. Although I do see an assignable command called Common View, under the Inventor Custom Functions that does something similar to what I've asked for. When I assign "Common View" to a button, hitting it once gives me the Inventor View Box, hitting the button again exits the command, but interestingly, hitting the button a third time shows me the Free Rotate reticle. So assigning two commands to one button/command is possible! Now, if it can be done for that command, why not for the view buttons?

Just curious, I just noticed the Common View command, has it been around for more than just this version of the software? I just checked with an associate who is running v3.6.4 which has the command, but I just upgraded from v3.5.6 and I'm not sure I had seen it there.

Please let me know if this is in the works, sometime before I retire, or if no one on the forum can let me know, then please tell me whom I may ask?

Thanks,

Tony
stuartmp
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:11 am

Post by stuartmp »

I think there should be a toggle option so you can have one button toggle a command for example the parallel / perspective command
TonyIorfino
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:47 pm
Location: Danbury, CT

Post by TonyIorfino »

YES!!

This has finally been implemented in the SpacePilot Pro.

Thank you!

(Shouldn't I get a free SpacePilot Pro for suggesting it? :D )
Post Reply