ER for improved RMB popup.

All,

Although the new RMB is good, there is an issue of consistency and speed with the RMB menu used throughout.

In particular, "Hide" position on the RMB menu..

For instance, the RMB menu for surfaces, or the "Body" section of the menu and it's location is not consistent, it's too far down the menu.

Hide (which is used often) should be near the top of the menu.

Shown in the image below is the current menu and, imho, an improved RMB menu. Also, moving the Rollback and Suppress functions down and adding a horizontal divided bar below the Body function area.

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I'm submitting this as an ER and if you feel it's something you would like, please make out a request.

Thanks.

Reply to
Paul Salvador
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Interesting. It may be quicker that way. Ironically, I submitted an ER a couple years ago to group items on the RMB in a more categorical fashion to help locate commands. Even as an experienced user, I still found myself hunting for items.

Since I'm in a grumpy mood today, I'll also mention another idea about the RMB menu. Why is it one dimensional? Long ago, I used a Doom level editor that had two dimensional context menus. The menu popped up with the pointer in the middle of the menu, so more options were close at hand. There would probably be more room for options too. With the icons we're now getting, I don't think it would be at all difficult to navigate.

Reply to
Dale Dunn

Sorry, Paul, I've got to disagree with your suggestion as presented. It took a couple of days, but I have grown quite fond of the categorization of the RMB menu into face, features, body, etc. I spend a lot less time searching, and less time mixing up the properties (face properties, feature properties). I'd hate to see it get shaken back up like you show in your images.

A little off topic - the icons are nice, but mixing icons with non-icons made it hard to find things like parent-child until I made an effort to get used to where it showed up. Not that the solution is to ditch the icons - hopefully, we get icons for everything.

What do you think of the round RMB menu that alias uses (or at least used to use back a few years). It was exactly the same distance to every function, which was pretty darn fast.

Back on topic - BTW - I use rollback and suppress/unsupress way more frequently than Hide. Fortunately for you, Hide is the first item under Body, so once you get used to the categorization you will jump right there without needing to even really focus your eyes.

Reply to
Edward T Eaton

Did you really look at this?? Because, nothing has changed, everything is there, the organization is slightly different with the position of the categories in a easier and consistent position relative to the other RMB's.

Other than "getting use too" the interface, I have no problem with change but I do have a problem with a company forcing the user to drive a program based on their interface layout which, in this case, is not consistent.

Hmm. The only problem I have with icons are the space they occupy in the menu and the unequal spacing.

I hear ya. exactly. There are quite a few very good interfaces on the market which focus on consistent gui interfaces and speed.

Who is doing SW Corps interface design???

Well, to be consistent with the interface, hide is the next option on most of the RMB menus and rollback is the next. When I'm working with rollback, I'm usually navigating in the Property Manager.

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Reply to
Paul Salvador

Here's a crazy idea...

How about making all the menus user customizable? Wow. No one's done that before. Wake up SolidWorks it's 2004! I take that back. I'd rather them simplify the program and get the code right.

-Jeff "Can I be a Keynote speaker at SWW 2005?

Reply to
Jeff N

Paul,

What you propose in insane . . . for me . . and perfect for you . . . so . . .

The real problem with both of these menus is that the bottom button on each does not work well enough to make this a truly "user level" customisation.

I think the "Customize Menu" button is having delusions of adequacy and perhaps even grandeur and would be better named "Hide and Show What We Think You Might Maybe Possibly Want Or Need Here Because We Don't Really Want To PRogram Or Are Able To Let You Customize This So That You Can Actually Put ANYTHING You Want Here In The Order You Want The Way You Can With Autocad LT".

But then again the button would be to big . . . Hmmmmm(?).

Regards,

SMA

P.S. I also found the "categories" (feature,body, etc.) a bit strange but am growing to like it. Perhaps a body should be above a feature in the RMB heirarchy as it is a "parental" object. That's part of what seems to be amiss.

Reply to
Sean-Michael Adams

Not only did I look at it, but I invite you to look at it again. In the exisitng that you show, under faetures, there are 10 options. In your proposed modification, there is one option under features, then you shoehorn Body stuff in, then you go back to stuff that applies to features without any heading or organization to let you know that you are back in things for features. Is it possible that you didn't catch that the heading at the top of the menu is organizational, and not only to identify what feature is being edited? Its actually kind of efficient with space in that way. I have found this organization helps me out A LOT, once I got used to it.

Reply to
Edward T Eaton

I'm with Ed on this one. I like the RMB popup in 2004. I could be improved, perhaps. But I don't like Paul's suggestion. I also use suppress a lot more than hide.

Paul's suggestion splits up the grouped operations (feature operations, body operations...)

Reply to
Arlin

Yeah, that is what I'll write a ER for then..

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Jeff N wrote:

Reply to
Paul Salvador

Hmm, yeah, there are different needs for all of us?

So a true customizing function would be desired?

Maybe workflow themes? Where the user has 4 themes with categories aimed at certain workflow disciplines?

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Sean-Michael Adams wrote:

Reply to
Paul Salvador

Yeah, I agree it is better! I think this is about what people get use too or having options for the users (like me) which see a menu layout a issue or tailoring the layout to maximize their timing, consistency and workflow?

So a ER for true customizing the RMB?

Maybe workflow themes? Where the user or SW creates 4 general themes with categories aimed at certain workflow disciplines?

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Edward T Eat>

Reply to
Paul Salvador

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