Idea to improve ViewCube/Camera workflow efficiency

[Anonymous]

Greetings Autodesk!

I'm Andreas and have been using Alias proffesionally for a couple of years and want to contribute an idea I have for the viewing ports to make switching between the views more efficient using the view cube.

As working in the Automotive industry can put alot of strain and agitation on your wrists and hands while working long hours, I have developed a hotkey system to efficiently devide the tasks between my hands. One of the few "unessecary" movements I do with my hand is reaching for the ViewCube wich is located in one of the corners. As I prefer to use the ViewCube and not the seperate Layout buttons (mostly beacause this is 6 hotkeys I dont have space for, also i would end up switching between them in confusion) I'd like it to be more accsessible.

My idea of how to solve this is by, for example; with the addition of a button the ViewCube would be temporary spawning right next to your mouse location. Exactly like the transform CV tool opens the menu by hitting "space", you could implement the same method for the viewing.

So shift+alt activates the camera movement, and by clicking shift+alt+ctrl/D/E (any button really as this could be hotkeyed to personal preference when the function exists, I just added examples that fits the hand/finger placement) the ViewCube would be right there close to your mouse to switch the view, saving me many meters of movement per day. I imagine this function will not apply to everyone as they are already used to how it works today, but I imagine they would adapt as it would come, also for your workers this does not sound as a priority 1 type of work but from a programmers perspective it cannot be to much work as you guys already have the written code for the transform CV tool.

Hopefully my example is understandable and not already discussed as I could'nt find any similar threads on this forum. Don't hesitate to ask me any further questions on the topic.

Thanks for reading,

Scortea

[bob55]

Thanks for your input.  We'll take you're suggestions under review.  

What if while you hold the ALT-SHIFT, you could click the arrow keys to rotate about the cube ( as if you were selecting the arrows around the viewcube).  

Our usability guys will have an opinion I'm sure.

[Anonymous]

Hi bob55!

Personally I'd like to not need to move my hand off the mouse. With that said I think the arrow keys suggestion is great option aswell!

[bob55]

You make a good point about moving off the mouse.  Let me think about it.

[tekbot]

I just want to add to this suggestion.  Let me know if I should move this to another thread.  

After 22yrs of Alias my wrist and elbows are getting worked over and Im always looking to reduce keystrokes and mouse miles. 

I love the general idea that a single hotkey combo could pop up the view cube to switch views.  I probably would use the view cube a lot more. 

Idea:  Assign hotkey to the viewcube sides oppose to the layout views.

This way users really never leave the perspective window for general modeling.   This will reduce 1 key stroke for switching between views(i.e top > persp) and offer users the ability to stay focused on the perspective window regardless of which method of changing views they prefer.  

Rock on,

Kevin

[bob55]

These are good ideas and I'll be entering a improvement requests to capture them.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Totally like the idea! This would save me many mouse miles as well!

@tekbot

I think Scorre mentioned hotkeying the viewcube sides and said this consumes hotkey space that he does not have. Moreover getting confused in assignment. Actually I agree with him and like the idea of a menu similar to the Transform CV Tool more, but these two things do not exclude each other and could come in some kind of re-work of the viewcube 😃

[tekbot]

I just noticed you can now Hotkey the viewcube.  YES!   When did this get added?  

Hotkeys > Special > Viewing...

[bob55]

We added it at some point in 2019.  In 2020.2 we added also allow you to control the view cube with the arrow keys (while Alt-Shift is pressed).  If you are in a planar view (eye-view and eye-up perpendicular to a window axis) selection of the arrow keys will rotate the camera 90 degrees.  If you are not in a planar view Alt-Shift Arrow keys will rotate your camera the degree specified in General Preferences->Viewing->View Step Angle.

[Anonymous]

@bob55 

Happy to see it was developed! Been discussing this at my workplace (Volvo/Polestar) and some of my colleagues are grateful for this. Yet, I saw a trend with the younger ones on the team who are more prone to using hotkeys that they all agreed about my idea. They all love how the Transform CV tool pops up & would love the same for the viewcube.

If you think about it, every mouse menu are alot of buttons compiled into a 3 button combination. And the only reason you get 6-10 functions connected to a 3 button combination is that they are so close to the mouse location. Within the transform CV tool, by hitting space; one has access to many functions relative to CVs very fast.

Many of them agreed upon having a 3 button combination similar to the original; so Shift+Alt+W/D  (I think W for "Wiew" would be cool ^^). Important to leave the mouseclicks free in this combination so one could navigate the pop up with Left Clicks; Switching Views, Switching Orto/Persp, Squeezing the view & everything that belongs to the drop menu next to it aswell.

I know this idea is directed to the uttermost proffesional users, which maybe covers (idk, 20%? of the userbase) you guys have; but honestly. That is also the user who spends the most time in this software and also as I quickly noted how your younger users responded very well to this I realized, developing this is an investment into the future 😉

Thanks for reading!

Scortea