Wishes
Post your wishes about Graphisoft products: Archicad, BIMx, BIMcloud, and DDScad.

2D pan+zoom support for SpaceNavigator [ADDED in AC17!]

Anonymous
Not applicable
3D support in ArchiCAD is great for the 3D view window. But in the 2D window, where I'd spend most of my time, the spaceNav doesn't work AT ALL! You'd think it would allow panning and zoom functions, but no, nothing. Believe it or not, adding this function alone would be more productive for me overall than using sNav in the 3D window.

For those not aware of the 3D mouse, check it out at www.3dconnexion.com
25 REPLIES 25
Dwight
Newcomer
I have full sympathy for your cause, but it seems slightly redundant since while building in the 2D window, mouse contact seems to be paramount.

I'm using a five button mouse with a scroll for zoom and a button for pan that keeps my hand on the business end of drawing and editing models.....
and have always felt that to be most important.

I don't miss the feature you crave at all - never occurred to need it.
Dwight Atkinson
Anonymous
Not applicable
Dwight: The device is for the other non-mouse hand (usually the left, for most people), so you don't have to take your hands off the mouse.

Imagine panning and zooming with the left hand while point and clicking with the right. Simultaneously. How much faster could you be?

Or even without a SpaceNavigator, imagine being able to plug in a trackball, and have that control the simultaneous panning with your other non-mouse hand.

And then simultaneously zooming with right scroll while panning with the trackball.
Dwight
Newcomer
I admire your enthusiasm, but NO SALE.

Entering keyboard shortcuts prevents using a third device.

I think that most users are happy with a properly-configured mouse.
And a gigantic display.

Also: consider increasing your cursor gravity and working at a lesser zoom - this reduces the need to shift the view.
Dwight Atkinson
Anonymous
Not applicable
Dwight wrote:
Entering keyboard shortcuts prevents using a third device.
Nonsense, just type with your nose.
Dwight
Newcomer
Only you would think that.
Dwight Atkinson
Anonymous
Not applicable
Dwight: Have you used a SpaceNavigator before (enough to get used to it)? I'd bet that if you borrowed one for a couple of weeks, you wouldn't give it back.
Dwight
Newcomer
The 3D Space Navigator is a product I recommend for navigating in Artlantis, Archicad and especially Google Earthling.

I have had a Space Navigator since the very beginning [Thank you, 3dConnexion], so my view is based in lengthy Archicad experience, not the enthusiasm of a newbie discovering his twenty-fifth appendage. Of course, it would be nice to use the tool as anyone wishes, but whether or not Graphisoft should spend development resources is the issue.

Experienced users navigating in large floor plan views will establish pre-defined views in their Navigator View list and rely also on the tiny Navigator Preview to jump around to new places. Panning is over-rated, especially once arrow key scrolling was enabled. Were you even aware of arrow key scrolling?

Of course, I'm using a five button mouse with a scroll wheel zoom and have a large display area. Having learned keyboard commands from the days when we didn't have the time-sucking pet palette and other newbie nonsense to rely on, my productivity slows whenever I move my hands from the mouse and keyboard.

It's a simple time-and-motion study.The momentary repositioning and alignment of the hand wastes time when used for a redundant input method like the Space Navigator.

Keyboard for text and commands, mouse for placement and location.

Memorize keyboard commands, fashion your own shortcuts [where Graphisoft spent resources wisely] and you will achieve supreme productivity.
Dwight Atkinson
Anonymous
Not applicable
Dwight wrote:
...not the enthusiasm of a newbie discovering his twenty-fifth appendage.
Now Dwight, you can't say something like that AND expect to have the last word...

I have had RSI, so I'm very, very aware of input efficiency, and have a need to off-load work from my mouse hand. I'm not just looking at time taken to move a hand from one place to the next, but the degree to which muscles and nerves are used repetitively, and unnecessarily. Overall, I'm not about to suggest a less efficient way of working.

Yes, I'm aware of keyboard scrolling. It's downfalls are:

1) Arrow keys are located on the right of keyboard, 3 times further away from my left hand, which sits mostly doing my most frequently used keyboard shortcuts, customised as to be all available on the left side of the keyboard. My SpaceNavigator is just the basic knob-only version, not any other version that has other surrounding buttons that stop it sitting right next to my ESC key, barely a left-handed pivot away.

2) Multiple keystrokes are needed - particularly for navigating to a diagonally offset target.

3) It has no subtlety of control. Hold a button down for keyboard repeat and it's easy to over/undershoot your target.

I also use my Views well, as you suggest, but take the attached example, of a corner of a room. Say I was placing a Floor Covering, using a rectangular construction method for a slab. I need to get in that close to pick the correct node. Navigating to the other corner of the room doesn't just take a few arrow keystrokes. Using the Navigator Preview window requires a detour movement to and from the palette, and a click-drag release movement. As opposed to a pivot of the left hand and a push on the SN knob, leaving the right mouse to zero in on the target - a move that can simultaneously overlap with the SN motion, for additional speed.

With the SpaceNavigator enabled in 2D, you could simultaneously zoom, pan and position the cursor on your next target in one smooth overlapping motion.

I don't actually think this additional functionality would take that long for a developer to implement - surely it's just a matter of gluing some input events to the inbuilt zoom and pan functions. I believe in the benefits of this enough that I've offered to give time freely to help implement an interim solution: see this topic here, in the Developer's forum.
A difficult corner to pick without zoomin in.png
Dwight
Newcomer
Good for you, in view of the fact that in four weeks of posting there have only been seven votes including only three "essential" votes.

I will gladly beta test for you.
Dwight Atkinson