Topic Title

Currently DataCAD is setup to save a number of windows or snap shots of your work space, it would be nice to see this go a step further like the Bentley's software MicroStation. Working in multiple windows at anyone time is a nice feature. I think a feature like this would offer a more workable enviroment.
Thanks
Scott

Currently DataCAD is setup to save a number of windows or snap shots of your work space, it would be nice to see this go a step further like the Bentley's software MicroStation. Working in multiple windows at anyone time is a nice feature. I think a feature like this would offer a more workable enviroment.
Thanks
Scott

Can you elaborate on this?

Hi Greg,
Siminlar to AutoCAD's View Ports the multiple windows found in Microstation which in return look very much like the windows found in DataCAD's, allow the user to draw in any window, all in realtime. Currently Dcad's windows, once turned on (View/Toolbars/Window0, Window1...) only allow the user to take a "snapshot" of a given window and not to draw in any given window, or please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks,
K.Scott Roberts

Nope, Sounds about right.


I understand better and I'm sure many other do as well.

Thanks for the Clara Fication

Hello Scott:

Siminlar to AutoCAD's View Ports the multiple windows found in Microstation which in return look very much like the windows found in DataCAD's, allow the user to draw in any window, all in realtime. Currently Dcad's windows, once turned on (View/Toolbars/Window0, Window1...) only allow the user to take a "snapshot" of a given window and not to draw in any given window, or please correct me if I am wrong.

Well, the MultiWindows (or MW, which is the name of the thumbnail GTV's that you are refering to) are there as references, and/or as shortcuts. To draw "in" one of them, simply click in that window, and that view and it's group of layers are shown in the main drawing window. When you want to draw in another view, you can either click in another MW, or open the Goto View (GTV) menu and select another GTV -- and draw in it.

I'm not sure why this method is any worse than being able to draw in a bunch of different windows, because:

you can only draw in one place at any one time anyway

the way DataCAD works now devotes as large a proportion of the screen area as possible to the active drawing window. Splitting it into two or three or four drawing areas would seem to be the wrong way to go, since any one of those multiple areas would, by definition, be smaller than DataCAD's one drawing area. DataCAD provides the best way I can think of to rapidly change what is in that one big area, while also providing the ability to use either the MW for reference or as GTV's in the active file.

You can always have two separate files open at once, and if you have two monitors (like I do) you can even tile the two drawings on the screen at the same time; or use Control-Tab to toggle between the open files, or use the Window pulldown menu to jump straight from one file to another.

DataCAD users are very protective of their screen space (the more the better) and one of DataCAD's greatest strengths is the text based menus, which allow much more info to be displayed in much less space than in just about any other CAD program I have seen! Some programs clutter the screen with multiple row upon row of teensy, undecipherable icons; whereas DataCAD uses a clean and simple text based system of nested menus. There has been an attempt also, to minimize the number of times that a dialog box pops up on the screen -- covering the precious drawing area. Lastly, DataCAD's GTV's are just about it's best feature: in a few strokes you can toggle to a different view and continue drawing.

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