Alt-click existing object

[Barry Kelly]

Alt-clicking (Syringe tool) an existing object in the models selects that object ready for a new instance.
This is fine.

But I just had pointed out to me that in version 12 alt-clicking on any node (hotspot) of the object will result in the original placement hotspot of that object being active for the new instance and not the node that you Alt-click on.

In previous versions you would be able to place the new instance by the node (hotspot) you Alt-click on.

For example place a chair with the centre hotspot.
Now Alt-click a corner node of the placed chair.
In version 11 and previous you will now be able to place a new chair by the corner node.
In version 12 you can only place the chair by the centre node unless you open the object settings to change it.

Is this a bug or a feature?
I would say bug!
I like the old way.

Barry.

[Erika Epstein]

I've missed this feature. Wastes so much time not being able to place elements smartly.

[Anonymous]

Hotspot clicking seems to work again in AC15!

[Karl Ottenstein]

Peter wrote:
Hotspot clicking seems to work again in AC15!

Thanks, Peter! That makes my day. Mostly. I'm realizing now that we need an iconic feedback in the eyedropper to distinguish between hotspots and hotlines.

For example, the default object in the US template is Armchair 01 15. You can click on corners of this chair, thinking you are eyedroppering (great word, eh?) a hotspot - and then find the insertion point at the middle of the front of the seat. Selecting the object, it turns out that the actual hotspots are out in space, around the corners. If one is smart enough to click in the wild blue yonder on one of these hotspots, then things work.

For objects that have hotspots on their actual geometry, things are as they used to be.

This new 'glitch' is because hotlines / hotarcs were introduced in the time that this was broken. The eyedropper turns black on the linework identically to when hovering over a hotspot. This should be changed somehow. Perhaps the pre-selection highlight (default blue) of the object when eyedroppering over a hotspot/hotline/hotarc should also highlight the hotspots so that one can see them even if they are floating in space, as with this armchair.

See attached. Chair at right in green is selected - bounding editable hotspots display. Chair at left is pre-selected with the eyedropper (screen capture did not capture the eyedropper cursor): only the linework is highlighted in bold blue, so user has no clue as to where the hotspots are.

What do you and others think of showing hotspots during pre-selection? Is that something we should ask for?

Cheers,
Karl

PS All of the cursor icons are black and white, as they have been for 20+ years. I think it would also be useful if the cursor icons that "fill" to indicate that you've hit something would use colors for feedback of what was clicked on. For example, clicking on a regular or editable hotspot might fill the eyedropper with the (user-customized via WE) color for those types of hotspots. So, in the screenshot, I'd get a magenta-filled eyedropper if I clicked on one of the editable hotspots...clicking on linework would give me the pre-selection color...etc...

[Anonymous]

How about having another On Screen View Option to control the display of object handles, exactly the way we can with text and figures. I don't think I'd mind seeing the nodes even when not selected as it would give useful visual information to prevent accidental snapping to them.

The insertion node would also then always be highlighted over the other nodes making it even easier to aim for!

And I wouldn't 'object' (groan!) to different colour eyedropper cursors depending on what it was selecting either.

[Barry Kelly]

I agree that hotspots should show when pre-selecting.
They are an important part of the objects geometry/properties.

If they did show then we might not need the change in the cursor to differentiate between hotspots and hotlines.
But that could still be a good feature.

Actually I just discovered the cursor does change between hotspot (eye dropper with solid fill) and a hotline (eye dropper with line inside).

The armchair has a fill which activates the eye dropper with the fill inside the same as a hotspot.
So maybe we need an eye dropper with a tick for hotspots - the same as the standard mouse cursor?

Anyway we could definitely do with hotspots showing with pre-selection.

Barry.