Keep VisualARQ control arrows selectable outside the active view scope

VisualARQ
1

One more related wish regarding VA control arrows/grips.

If a VisualARQ object is already selected, I think its editing controls should remain selectable/interactive even when the control arrow itself lies outside the active Level cut, Section clipping volume, or current view scope.

In the example below, the Beam is selected, but one of its extension controls lies outside the current cut area.

image
image1393×892 275 KB

I think there should be a distinction between:

  • geometry outside the active scope, which may correctly be hidden/non-selectable;
  • and the editing controls of an already selected object, which should ideally remain accessible.
2

Hi @GabrielB the extension arrows of objects clipped by the cut planes should be selectable, at least in the last 3.12 RC update. (They are not visible nor selectable when the model is sectioned by Rhino Clipping planes).

Please let me know if it doesn’t work for you.

3

Hi @fsalla , I didn’t know this had already been implemented — great.

I haven’t tested it because I’ve generally decided not to install RC builds in the middle of active projects. I’m not sure if I’m being overly cautious though.

How stable do you consider the RCs for day-to-day professional work? Is it generally safe to use them on active production files, or would you still recommend waiting for the official release?

4

@fsalla one more question about the control arrows in the new RC.

Does the change also make arrows/grips that are occluded by other geometry — for example hidden behind/under a Wall — render on top and remain selectable?

I mean normal model occlusion here, not arrows outside a Section/Level scope.

If not, I think it would be useful for the editing controls of a selected VA object to stay visible and selectable on top of the model geometry as well.

extension-controls-arrow-under-geometry

5

Yes, but only when using the Hidden display mode. We cannot make this work in other display modes:

wall hidden display

They are usually stable, (I use them for the daily work and demos), but we don’t recommend to use them for the professional work, since they may contain unknown issues. They are published for testing purposes from our users before we release the official Update.

6

Thanks @fsalla . May I ask why this can only work in Hidden display mode? Is it a limitation of Rhino’s display pipeline, or something specific to the way VisualARQ draws the controls?

I think having this behaviour universally across all display modes could be useful, if the technical limitation can somehow be overcome. Since these are editing controls rather than model geometry, ideally they could remain visible and selectable on top regardless of the active display mode.

Also, for testing RC features like this without affecting active production setups, it could be very useful if VisualARQ allowed a testing/RC installation to coexist alongside the stable version.

7

I agree. We will study if we can make this work with Rhino native’s display modes.

Yes, that’s plannned.