When attempting to select one from amongst a number of overlapping elements in plan view (such as fills, slabs, roofs, library objects etc), hitting the <Tab> key while the pointer hovers above them, will normally cycle between and highlight each element in turn beneath the pointer, without the need to chance exactly on a node or hotspot, and the user can just keep hitting <tab> until the correct element is selected.
However when the overlapping elements are large enough to extend beyond the current zoom in the plan view window, especially when there are complex elements (such as site meshes) in the mix, ArchiCAD often takes a longer time to identify the overlapping elements, and the Tab-between-elements behaviour appears to time out, leaving the fallback MS Windows OS Tab-between-fields behavior to kick in (apparently this issue does not arise on Mac)
So, instead of tabbing between elements in the normal way, when any of the overlapping elements are too complex or large to be detected in time, suddenly, hitting Tab causes the focus to switch away from the elements under the mouse pointer, to the feilds in the Tracker dialog nearby.
Currently, the onlywork around I have found is to ensure Tracker is not enabled.
I reported this to Central Innovation, my local reseller, but they are adament that Graphisoft has told them that this irritating and intermittent behaviour is intended, or 'by design'.
In other words, 'by design', it affects only Windows computers, and 'by design' it affects only views where the overlapping elements are large or complex, and 'by design' it only occurs when Tracker is enabled.
My only scope for having the bug corrected, they told me, is to post it as a 'wish'.
To me, demoting bugs to 'wishes' rather than owning up to and addressing them, is just more evidence of the Graphisoft corporate cash-grab decline - however I am now posting it here.
Open