Instant Mode Test Project

Rhino
1

Yes, indeed, I must have mixed up several things.

The general idea is not mine; six years ago, I tried to implement this library:

It gave me a headache too, I never managed to get it working, too complicated for me.

Today, I simplified it as much as possible, and it works as I described above.
If it can help give you some ideas, here is how I did it.

        OnKeyDown
            Add to the snapshot all the pressed keys:
            if (_mode == INSTANT_MODE && _IsInstantKey (key))
                _snapshots.AddKey (key);
            
        OnKeyUp
            Memorize the pressed key combination and move to the next combination:
            if (_mode == INSTANT_MODE && _IsInstantKey (key))
                _snapshots.NextCombination ();

                After a delay, execute the key sequences.
                _debouncer.Debounce (_HandleSnapshots);

And here, the stupid class that does almost everything.

    readonly SnapshotRecorder _snapshots = new ();

    class SnapshotRecorder
    {
        byte _seq = 0;
        readonly byte[] _count = new byte[5];
        readonly Keys[][] _combinations = new Keys[5][];

        public SnapshotRecorder ()
        {
            for (var i = 0 ; i < 5 ; i++ ) {
                _combinations[i] = new Keys[5];
                for (var j = 0 ; j < 5 ; j++ )
                    _combinations[i][j] = Keys.None;
            }
        }

        /// Move to the next combination only if the current combination has pressed keys.
        public void NextCombination ()
        {
            if (_count[_seq] > 0 && _seq < 4)
                _seq++;
        }

        /// Add a pressed key to the current combination.
        public void AddKey (Keys key)
        {
            if (_count[_seq] < 4) {
                _combinations[_seq][_count[_seq]++] = key;
            }
        }

        /// Reset all combinations.
        public void Clear ()
        {
            for (var i = 0 ; i <= _seq ; i++ )
            {
                for (var j = 0 ; j <= _count[i] ; j++ )
                    _combinations[i][j] = Keys.None;
                _count[i] = 0;
            }
            _seq = 0;
        }
    }

It might be a bit pretentious to imagine that this piece of code could be useful,
but compared to Globalmousekeyhook, the simplicity of this code for similar results surprised me.

2

Hello,

I’ve been refining my experiment with a pseudo-functional plugin. I’ve implemented the logic to always keep Rhino in instant mode and to write command lines by pressing the spacebar. I find it quite confusing, but I guess it’s just a matter of getting used to it. GitHub - corbane/InstantMode

I have very little time to devote to it, so any contribution is welcome. While waiting for Rhino 9, this plugin has the advantage of working with version 7 and probably versions 6 and 8 as well.

jmv

1 Like
3

I just installed it, but how to get access to the key commands and customize them?

OK, I found the way. Run the ShowInstantModeOptions command, then a pop-up window appears. From there, click on the “Import” button and browse to the directory where the plug-in was saved. Then import the file named “Alias.xml”.

Any idea how to change Num5 to switch to the default Perspective view?

4

yes, sorry I didn’t really document it, but there is a video in the “doc” folder
https://github.com/corbane/InstantMode/raw/main/doc/InstantMode-v0.2.mp4

Also, there is a bug that I haven’t found yet.
Logically all commands can be modified by double-clicking on them.
But in some cases you will have to close the options window and reopen it.
(I show it in the video).

Also note that only alpha-numeric keys are accepted.
jmv

1 Like
5

I ended up removing the plug-in, because it causes interference with my 3d mouse and the custom commands assigned to its multiple customizable keys. They use command line commands, so basically the plug-in stopped all of them, unless I press the Spacebar to activate them again.

An ideal solution would be to implement the instant aliases as 300 ms single-tap commands up to 2 letters long that will not require pressing of Enter for confirmation, whereas typing 3 or more characters during the initial 300 ms would be interpret as a native Rhino command. This means that the Command line dropdown list with suggested commands could be displayed with a 300 ms delay.

6

I hadn’t thought about that.

if I understood correctly this is what Steve does with version 9

after doing this test, i realize that i use the right mouse button as much as the enter key or the space bar. it has become a reflex I found that not having the space bar is painful. it forces you to relearn Rhino. which is strange because on other software this does not pose any problem for me.

7

I guess this is what we call a muscle memory? :smiley:

1 Like