Zoom functionality

[ChrisOsborne3]

Is there a plan to add zoom functionality to Forma (similar to ctrl+MMB in Revit)?

I'm unable to use a mouse and therefore don't have access to a scroll wheel, which is making zooming in Forma awkward.

[arne.bjelland]

Hi Chris and thank you for your question.

You have the option to zoom in/out by using the trackpad by simply pinch with two fingers. Remember you can also easily orbit and pan by using the trackpad as well so in many use-cases you are not dependent on a mouse at all. 

We have currently no plans for adding a zoom functionality by using ctrl+MMB in Forma.

Regards.

Arne

[ChrisOsborne3]

Thanks for the feedback, but I don't use a trackpad (or a touchscreen) as I work with a desktop PC.
I use a Wacom tablet (in conjunction with a Spacemouse) which works well in Revit. With Forma, I'm limited to being able to orbit and pan with the button on the pen, but there's no simple way to zoom.

Since pan and orbit are supported with keyboard modifiers, is there a reason that zoom isn't?

[arne.bassoe-eriksen]

I am unfamiliar with what the crtl+MMB action does in Revit but there is zoom functionality available in Forma that might get you closer to what you would like to do. And that is the possibility to use the "Zoom to fit proposal" or cmd+F or crtl+F on your keyboard. This will then zoom in on the object that you have selected. If you haven't selected anything it will zoom out to see your whole model.

Hope this helps while we look into more ways of zooming 🙂  

[arne.bjelland]

Hi again @ChrisOsborne3 ! I hope the tip from my colleague helped you with the "zoom to fit selected element" but I understand if it does not completely solve your user-need. We are currently working on making viewing interaction more consistent across the application, and I will bring up your case in this discussion. I will let you know if there is any update on this.

Regards.

Arne

[ChrisOsborne3]

Thanks for the tips. I'd expect that most users are able to use a mouse or a trackpad so this may be a niche issue, but I hope that you consider accessibility issues as you develop the product.

It would also be beneficial to provide support for 3DConnexion products (such as Spacemouse), similar to other web based CAD products. It's a very useful piece of hardware for working in Revit, although it doesn't work perfectly.

[arne.bjelland]

Hi! I can imagine the 3DConnexion is a very useful hardware and thanks for raising the awareness of this! I will bring it up in our discussions as we move forward.

Have a nice day!

Arne

[ChrisOsborne3]

Now that the 3D navigation controls in Forma have been unified, are there any further changes planned for navigation? Without access to a scroll wheel or laptop trackpad, zooming is awkward and time consuming with the only option being to fit to element.

The majority of other software (including Autodesk software) has the ability to zoom without a scrollwheel, and Forma has two button options for pan (MMB and shift + RMB), but none for zoom. Especially since Forma and Revit have increasing interoperability and are promoting a workflow that uses both together, it's confusing that the navigation controls are different between the two programs.

Currently I can't advocate for using Forma in our design workflow or our purchasing decisions with this restriction, so I hope that this is resolved to increase accessibility to the software.

[josh.goldstein]

Hi Chris! 

We're always open to improvement opportunities, and you've brought up a fantastic one!

I'm sorry it's taken us so long to get back to this. My team has recently shifted focus from 3D Sketch exclusively to filling in workflow gaps across the larger Forma app, and navigation is one of our focus areas (hence the recent mouse control unification).

We can and should provide a way to dynamically zoom using the mouse, and we could match the control scheme from Revit (Ctrl + MMB) for consistency.

Thanks for reminding us about this. I'll bring it up with the team and we'll get it on our roadmap. No promises on specific date, but it's probably something we can do in the near term. I'll post here when we have an update.