Topic Title

you can also name the xref when inserting it, just check the box before you place it. Makes more sense to name them as you place them.

If you right click on an xref it i will tell you the layer the xref is on, it would be nice to have an additional column with the layer name displayed.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. It's good to know renaming is an easy option. The main wishlist would still be for a search feature just to speed things up and narrow down looking for certain files.

This has been on my mind for a while and has become more apparent whilst working on a current project which has a curved facade requiring dimensioning that benefits from extended lines from the dimension strings back to the object snaps along the surface of the building.

Dimension strings follow a horizontal and vertical run with the grids with their extension lines increasing as the building facade curves away

041016b.jpg (225.01 KiB) Viewed 12512 times

close up

test sample showing extension lines changed to dark grey, dashed linetype at a selected spacing/scale (dark grey in our pen settings is set to a fine pen weight),

Wishlist 1 - add the ability to turn on/off left and right extension lines from a dimension string back to the object snapping point of the dimension. In addition, allow these extension lines to be customisable so the linetype, spacing and colour can be modified. Our typical dimension setting use DIN Standard allowing flexible placement of the dimension strings whilst maintaining object snapping to the building surface.

Wishlist 2 - amend the procedure when ctrl-right click over a dimension to open the pop-up window so that a number of selections can be made at once without the window closing after one selection, requiring ctrl-right click again to reopen it and do another selection etc. as is the case when using Knockout - after picking knockout the window closes and needs reopening, then it has to be repeated for selecting border and changing either the X or Y enlargement factors. Instead, allow the pop-up window to stay open whilst the mouse is over/inside the window allowing a number of selections to be made. Moving the mouse off the window will close it.

Would it be possible have the name of the current symbol folder shown at the top of the Symbol Browser?

...and also show the path as well as the name.

Wishlist 1 - add the ability to turn on/off left and right extension lines from a dimension string back to the object snapping point of the dimension. In addition, allow these extension lines to be customisable so the linetype, spacing and colour can be modified. Our typical dimension setting use DIN Standard allowing flexible placement of the dimension strings whilst maintaining object snapping to the building surface.

So the tops of the extensions would be solid, but the extending lines could be a custom linetype? Get's my vote!

Wishlist 2 - amend the procedure when ctrl-right click over a dimension to open the pop-up window so that a number of selections can be made at once without the window closing after one selection, requiring ctrl-right click again to reopen it and do another selection etc. as is the case when using Knockout - after picking knockout the window closes and needs reopening, then it has to be repeated for selecting border and changing either the X or Y enlargement factors. Instead, allow the pop-up window to stay open whilst the mouse is over/inside the window allowing a number of selections to be made. Moving the mouse off the window will close it.

Man I love the idea of this wish. Maybe have it setup so the Entity Properties dialog is persistent, and when the identify command is active you just keep clicking on the entities you want to modify. Dood, this one's gotta make it in Big David!

...and also show the path as well as the name.

Yes, that too!

Some enhancements to streamline using Sunshader:

1. When saving an image to disk, the Save Image window needs to open in a larger size so the Name/Size/Date etc. are readily viewable and the file path where SunShader is accessing is also clearly shown. Currently, the window needs increasing in size to display the contents and file path,

2. SunShader opens in the folder of the last DataCAD file that used Sunshader even if this is different to the current drawing file. Ideally, it should automatically save to the current drawing folder,

3. Sunshader automatically generates an auto-numbered image which is incremented with each view saved, however, if the path is changed (usually from another project folder to the current drawing folder) and the auto number corrected to be the next sequenced number for the current folder it's now saved to, then the following image(s) that are saved revert back to the earlier auto number and don't continue to increment from the corrected number entered,

4. Add a 'reset view' icon similar to the one in O2C would be most beneficial as the viewing of the model can often get 'lost' or distorted and it would be quicker to reset the view so the model is centred to the screen and perspective settings reset,

5. Add the step up and step down navigation icons to supplement the rotate left/right/up/down,

6. Improve the image quality by removing the occurrences of 'stray' lines that often appear on the surfaces of entities (Sunshader has the ability to become a fairly good sketch presentation tool but is currently let down with unnecessary clutter from these stray lines across the surfaces of entities),

7. Add the ability to save an animation of sun studies showing the sun rising and then setting for a selected time sequence and date. This would be useful in demonstrating to clients the design is compliant with their criteria without the need to be present, ie. government tenders which are assessed without the proponent being present,

8. Add the ability to rotate bitmap textures or set an angle the texture is applied to the 3D entity,

9. Improve the perspective operation - on larger models, particularly with interiors, it gets difficult to move the eye position or the focal point easily to get an acceptable view that doesn't get distorted. I just feel something needs adding or adjusting to make this process easier,

10. Add the option to have all translucent materials (ie. glass) have the side of the 3D entity which has the glass material applied automatically face the camera/viewer. Presently, a 3D model of a building with glazed curtain walling to its facade appears hollow in some views as the model is rotated. What appears to be happening is the glass material is displayed on the opposite side of the material. Another option could be to simply display glass on both faces of the polygon so it's visible from both sides in any view?

11. Improve the shading as from time to time the output has 'leaks' where the shadow extends off into space or passes through the building when it shouldn't,

12. Add additional camera options whilst minimizing view distortion allowing wide angle views including the ability to capture tall buildings/items outside the current frame and field of view. There's a specific name for this (just can't recall it - shiftlens?? ) but it essentially works by tilting the lens and moving it to look almost in parallel to remove the distortion effect where the building looks likes it's falling inwards,

13. Add the ability to save a 3D file of the Sunshader model, similar to O2C, so it can be emailed to clients/consultants along with a standalone viewer,

14. When opening and reopening the layer menu, have it in an expanded size as it is currently condensed and even after increasing the menu window size it reverts back to its smaller original size on reopening,

15. Add the ability to reassign materials to 3D entities whilst being in Sunshader using a mouse pointer to touch a surface, have it highlight to identify it, then a materials palette menu opens allowing material reassigning

When doing a Save As for a symbol, it would be great to not have the name be made into ALL CAPS.

When doing a Save As for a symbol, it would be great to not have the name be made into ALL CAPS.

Yes please!!!!

When doing a Save As for a symbol, it would be great to not have the name be made into ALL CAPS.

Many dittos!

When doing a Save As for a symbol, it would be great to not have the name be made into ALL CAPS.

Where is this happening?

So I was playing with this a bit because it bugs me too and it has been improved a bunch guys if you play with it in a new empty default file. I think what most of us working with existing base files are seeing is when a symbol had been inserted into our working base files years ago before the recording of the symbol name and path was improved, so they were added to the drawings database in ALL CAPS. So now when we try to do commands like the ones listed below the names are being read from the drawings database where they were previously stored in ALL CAPS vs. our actual symbols on the hard drive now which are not all caps. Below is what I found playing between an a new empty default drawing with a symbol named with normal case. There are a few instances where things are being added in ALL CAPS still.

Here is a video where I show a few different methods where the ALL CAPS is being used when a symbol is being added to the database. Also things like viewing a symbol that has not already been added to the drawing database in the O2C viewer will also add that symbol to the drawing database in ALL CAPS. I'm sure there are a few other methods of adding symbols to the database that need to be checked for this.

Thanks Josh, I'll start hunting these down!

Dave