In another CAD software I used to use, when you created an object, one of the steps was to choose the alignment in relation to the insert point/axis by scrolling the mouse wheel. I find this a super practical feature which should not be so hard to implement. Like:
Left click - point 1 of line
left click - point 2 of line
Scroll, cycle through alignment positions until it’s right (zooming with mouse wheel is overridden)
(In this stage, other options could be offered in the command dialogue: give name, assign to group, …)
Right click to confirm position and create object
For this, object styles would need the ability to select one property that is defined via list as “scrollable”. Or even more than one, and then it would go cycling through the combinations.
The alignment is the most obvious use case for me but there would be no reason to limit to this. Also one could cycle through other style options like this dynamically. Material, color, all kinds of finish or details.
Maybe even any parameter of a style could be marked as “define in object creation cycle” and then after giving the input points to place the object, these selected parameters are defined directly in the object creation flow. For length params then you can already input your geometric reference. In my experience with the other program this can also hugely aid in maintaining discipline with naming, grouping/part assignment etc.
Furthermore, whatever input value for these params could be cached for the next object of the same style which you can confirm by right clicking when prompted on creating the following object of that style. This way you don’t have to input everything many times. And you could even go and save combinations of these cached values for style variations/versions - which in turn could be something to choose while creating an object… So you would have “column ground floor”, “column 1st floor” and so on. Of course in turn these could either just be templates for new objects, or dynamically connected siblings. Maybe both options could be given.
I’m getting carried away. Not sure about how extensive the feature would have to be but the scrolling part for me, especially when placing walls or beams, seems like a potentially big time save and nice workflow improvement. And what I really like about it is it seems quite easy to implement but can make a big difference. Like mouse wheel dragging.
Thanks! All the best, VisualARQ is amazing.
Saludos
Edited to clarify and get a little more carried away
First of all, let me know if I didn’t get you right, but I’m not sure if this would be the desired behavior for most of the users. The scroll mouse wheel is used to zoom in and out in the viewport, and it might generate conflicts with the described workflow. In fact, right now the program does what you say, but only when you click inside a property field (for example the styles list), where the scroll wheel navigates over the list of options, as you would navigate in a Windows File Explorer:
Or perhaps you mean to use the scroll wheel to switch options in those drop-down lists, rather than using it to scroll down? If this is the case, I’m not convinced that this would be a desirable behavior. You can always use the keyboard arrows to switch options in those drop-down lists.
On the other hand we try to be consistent with the navigation behaviors in other Rhino dialogs.
Right now VisualARQ remembers the last style, alignment or other settings for each object type any time you run the object command.
But yes, I guess you are asking for saving insert options/parameters for each object type so you can pick them on the fly later on when you insert a new object.
We can also implement a feature to insert an object identical to a selected one (with the same style, alignment, height, etc…)
I understand, yes, you do have a point that it might not be very consistent in Rhino modeling behaviour terms.
Just to clarify; I am suggesting to have the scroll wheel overridden for just one single input step when creating VArq objects that have such a “scrollable” property. First input step would be the first point, second the second, and the third would be the “scrollable” input - alignment, or any chosen list input - which is cycled through and then confirmed by right clicking. Only on the third the scroll wheel is overridden. I mean it in a similar fashion as, for example, columns right also have an input step to choose where they are facing after positioning them.
Another option would be not to cycle through the options via scroll wheel but for example through keyboard inputs (or 1-9) or even to choose via clicking in the model. The thing I’m getting at in the end is that if one is modeling something with many beam objects, right now one has to visit that little dropdown menu quite often and I think this could be implemented more directly and interactively in the object creation workflow.
Activating this step in the input command chain could also be an optional setting to keep input process clean for those who choose.
so I played around with the idea and turns out there is no real way of overriding the mousewheel.
However, I (or rather ChatGPT) did create two scripts to cycle through all the alignment options of all selected VArq objects that have this property - wall, beam, and so forth. It’s even possible to select different object types and cycle them together.
These two scripts I laid on shortcuts and am now happily cycling away
Feel free to try! I really do feel it helps with modeling workflow. Everytime your eyes have to move away from the main canvas your brain is not in the main creative channel, albeit just for 2 seconds.
