Rhino history tree / model playback

[ftzuk]

@Lagom

Hej @wim here’s a typical example of many, where automatic entity naming would have been useful. Now think of three people working on a new dentist’s chair or combine harvester, or someone who comes back to a project after a week and might have forgotten what was used where.

This post made me wonder whether it would be useful in Rhino to have a model tree. In parametric software the model tree is a list that represents every action taken…

If I modify Revolve 1 in the above image, the rest updates. Now in Rhino I don’t expect this kind of parametric functionality, yet this history tree might still be useful as a way of capturing how the design emerged. So like @Lagom mentioned, a person working on someone else’s model could go back to the start of the history tree and play back each step and see how the model was built. For tutorials this would also be useful - you could download a tutorial file and play back how a model was built.

For modelling it might function like an unlimited undo - you can roll back the model to any earlier point and carry on from there. The visual representation of a list will make it easier to roll back to a specific point - I usually know that I want to go back to where I did a Sweep2 (for example)…rather than hitting undo blindly until I get to that point.

Just to be clear: I don’t intend this as a parametric tool, rather it’s just a history of the modelling process. You can rewind to anywhere, and also play back the steps and see the model being built as you progress steps. You can also go back to any step, copy that geometry, then resume all steps and paste that geometry - this makes all previous geometry available to the present. Undo can do this, but with a history tree you can be specific about where you go back to.

Not sure if anyone else would find this useful but it’s something I would make use of.

[ftzuk]

Here’s an example. Except if done in Rhino you can copy geometry from every previous step. It’s like an advanced undo function.

[Lagom]

@ftzuk

For tutorials this would also be useful - you could download a tutorial file and play back how a model was built.

For tutorials, I prefer tightly scripted video, so the learner is not inundated with idling mouse pointers, wrong clicks, tedious futzing around by the often not-so-skilled presenter who just wants to show off, etc. But that’s just my boring self ; )

In any case, automatic entity naming would be a boon for project collaborators and learners alike.